NDT to T4 plus T3 conversion

[celetia]

Evening all,

I hope you're all managing to stay safe, well and sane during these trying times!

I hope to pick your very knowledgeable brains with this:

I am due to run out of Thiroyd NDT any day now and have been unable to source any more. I'm not going to bore you with the growing sense of panic that is causing. Instead, I'm hoping to, with your help, be able to figure out how to convert my current NDT dose of 3 grains (2 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon) back to standard T4 and T3. My last labs on the 3 grain dose were close to perfect and I have felt like a new person so I am hopeful that I can maintain this, albeit without NDT.

I have available Thyroxine 50 and Liothyronine 25 but I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to best convert my NDT to Thyroxine and Liothyronine.

Can you please help? Thank you x

[greygoose]

Three grains = 114 mcg T4 + 27 mcg T3. Which isn't easy to obtain with 50 mcg T4 and 25 mcg T3. It rather depends on how well you convert T4 to T3. If you're a reasonable converter, I would say 125 mcg levo and 25 mcg T3. If you're a poor converter, I would say go for 100 mcg levo and 31.25 mcg. That's about as close as you can get.

[celetia in reply to greygoose]

Thanks greygoose, this has been driving me to distraction. I have no idea of how well I convert, to be honest. I was unwell on prescribed medication mainly because I was severely underdosed at 50 micrograms - at least I think so. Would you agree that starting out on 125/25 is a good idea to see how I fare and have labs done 6 weeks down the line to confirm? Thanks again, greygoose 😊

[greygoose in reply to celetia]

I would agree, yes.

[celetia in reply to greygoose]

Thanks very much for your support 😁

[greygoose in reply to celetia]

You're welcome.

[celetia in reply to greygoose]

One more question, please, if you don't mind: thyroxine sodium vs levothyroxine sodium - I know that they are the produced hormone vs the synthetic hormone but in terms of taking either, are they interchangeable? I am prescribed levothyroxine but could I, if the need arose, replace that with thyroxine in a straight swap? Are there benefits or downsides to one over the other? Thanks, greygoose

[greygoose in reply to celetia]

Actually, they're the same thing. They're both the synthetic thyroid hormone, T4. Levo just indicates the direction in which the chrystal deflects light. Levo = left. Sometimes it's called levothyroixine, sometimes just thyroxine, sometimes just levo, but it's all the same thing. The levo bit is not something you have to worry about.

[celetia in reply to greygoose]

Ha ha, phew, so much for my little bit of pseudo knowledge then. Again, hugely appreciated. In one fell swoop you've put a mind at rest 😊

[greygoose in reply to celetia]

You're welcome.

[Roxy7777 in reply to greygoose]

So in principle it's a direct conversion? There's no fancy conversion to do?!

[celetia in reply to Roxy7777]

Certainly seems to be pretty straightforward and yet, I couldn't work it out myself😬

[greygoose in reply to Roxy7777]

Exactly. Why would there be any fancy conversion? You just do as exact a swop as you can, given the limitations of levo/T3 doses.

[Roxy7777 in reply to greygoose]

Lol...no idea! Possibly/probably because nothing about being hypo is straightforward...perpetual and constant suspicion!

[greygoose in reply to Roxy7777]

Yes, I understand that suspicion! But, changing from NDT to T4+T3 is one of the simpler things. Thank goodness something is! lol

[Roxy7777]

Hi, I've been contemplating this too. It's seems much easier to buy them separately vs NDT.

I found this which might help?

stopthethyroidmadness.com/t....

[celetia in reply to Roxy7777]

Thanks for this! Yes, I am still being prescribed Levothyroxine at 50 micrograms of which I have a supply because I haven't had the guts yet to own up to my GP about self-medicating. And T3 is no problem it seems. I'd still like to be back on NDT, as and when it becomes available again. But needs must and all that