This article is the very reason I decided not to try NDT, but to go for T3 + T4 instead (if I could find a doctor to prescribe T3 for me, it would be even more cost-effective in the long run):
Has anyone switched from NDT to synthetic T3+T4 and noticed symptoms worsening as a result? Or have members found synthetic T3 + T4 to work as well as NDT? I am asking because some holistic doctors claim that T2 (present in NDT but not in synthetics) plays a role in fat-burning....
The benefit for me of t4 and t3 is that you can adjust the doses individually. With ndt you are stuck with a fixed ratio of t4 to t3. Some folk end up ndt plus levo or ndt plus t3 to try to optimise there dosing as a result.
There's no guarantee that there is actually any T2 in NDT. The thyroid only produces a teeny tiny amount. Most of it comes from conversion of T3 and rT3. So, even if that teeny tiny amount survives the process of being made into a pill, it wouldn't be enough to make a difference. If it were, the amount would be shown on the box, like the T4 and T3.
A quick web search suggests that it is the 3,5 one that could be of interest for fat burning, but the other one could be harmful. Supplements that are available are often the harmful one or a combination of the two, so I would consider it to be too risky to buy.
Do bear in mind that a lot of the T3 and rT3 in our bodies gets converted into T2.
Therefore, we would expect the amount of T2 produced to at least be similar to the amount of T3 and quite possibly significantly greater.
The amount of T2 in desiccated thyroid is tiny. Therefore, I suspect that any T2 ingested in that form would be insignificant.
I'd certainly be asking the holistic doctors how much T2 is present and whether it can be, and is, capable of being delivered by mouth in the form of a desiccated thyroid tablet. Without knowing that, it would appear to be speculation without any evidence base.
(I am very happy to believe that desiccated thyroid is not the same as a combination of T4 and T3. But exactly why still needs to be properly explained. T2 content appears to me to be grabbing at a straw - even if, eventually, it were found to be significant for some reason.)
I have not seen any scientific study about the role and importance of T0, T1, and T2...or calcitonin for that matter. I have been looking for such "proof" as the STTM claims their presence in NDT is what makes it a superior drug, but so far no luck. And, since many patients do well on synthetic drugs, I would assume they are not crucial.
Stop The Thyroid Madness has raised awareness which is good. But I am often not impressed by some claims and statements which appear there without decent backup.
I am more than happy to accept personal experiences as being worth reading and thinking about.
I'd have thought that, by now, STTM could have funded at least one proper assay to determine how much of each of the thyroid hormone family are present in one batch of desiccated thyroid. Knowing that just might reinforce their claims and result in them being taken more seriously. (By that, I mean I am not expecting them to repeatedly assay every available product and every batch. Just definitive information for one batch would be a start.)
I agree with everything you say about the STTM. A few years ago, I visited the website regularly and found the info there interesting, but they have turned more and more into zealots...I also agree they make false claims. For instance, they say that NDT is best absorbed sublingually, but I´ve read that thyroid hormone contains too large molecules to be absorbed that way, and that it ends up in the stomach anyway (so absorbed by the GI tract).
On a more general levels, it´s a shame what has happened to all prescription brands of NDT...when something is working just fine, why start making changes to it
As with an assay of desiccated thyroid (as I mention slightly earlier), it would have been rather good if they could have done even one properly designed experiment to see what can, or cannot, be absorbed orally. I suspect that at least the majority gets swallowed.
Even if some could get absorbed orally, and I am a doubter, just how can an individual make sure they are maximising oral absorption?
Interesting! The STTM keeps saying that Erfa is useless nowadays, but there seem to be some people who do well on it. My main objection when it comes to NDT is that it´s horribly expensive (except Thai NDT), and not covered by health insurance in many countries, so I would hesitate to pay that much (provided I could find a doctor to prescribe it) for something that may or may not work...I am not sure what has happened, but the STTM is adamant there are no good prescription brands of NDT anymore, and this has discouraged me from even looking into NDT.
Well maybe we should be more sceptical about STTM? I don't feel that I pay too much for my Erfa prescription in the UK. It's not covered by any health insurance, but I feel the benefits to my health outweigh my experience on T£ and T4. It's really a matter of personal choice. What suits some, doesn't suit others!
I agree. It´s just that I would hate paying over 1000£ a year for something that does even work properly...there have been many reports about problems with Erfa, Armour, Naturethroid, WP, NP...I am not sure whom or what to believe anymore. But very glad to hear your experience is such a positive one I guess we all react differently to various fillers and that even the tiniest change can make a difference to some people.
Interesting, as T3 is often referred to as the fat-burning hormone...!
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