Sorry me again NDT brand query

[TrishG67]

Hi all quick question. I started 1 grain NDT back in June. Now need to increase it to 1.5 grains daily. As I am new to this. I purchased Armour brand from an online pharmacy. I have since discovered that Erfa is a similar drug with different fillers just made in Canada as opposed to USA. However,on pricing my new prescription it is more than £100 extra for the Armour as opposed to the Erfa brand. Would I be ok to switch over to Erfa? I appreciate everybody is different, but I am thinking of the longer term. As I have only been taking Armour for 3 months, would I be best making the switch sooner rather than trying another brand later? But then I am unsure if this would be a wise switch. Any info or knowledge that you guys could share re this matter would be most appreciated. Many thanks

[shaws Administrator]

I would (and am not medically qualified) but had to diagnose myself with hypo as no doctor or specialist (I paid) had not clue what was wrong.

You can switch your make of thyroid hormones and usually, when first taking a new brand/make of thyroid hormones we begin gradually and tablets can be cut with a pill cutter. I've found they are quite useful and we can get 'approx' quarters (or halves) depending on what we want. If you find that you aren't improving as you'd like, sometimes we have to try another make but you should allow a few months trial.

Most people may increase by 1/4 tablet every few weeks, going by how 'they feel'. A dose should be taken with one full glass of water on an empty stomach and wait an hour before eating. Some prefer a night dose, but stomach has to be empty.

When having a blood test - which should always be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and take hormones afterwards and wait an hour before eating. This is important for us to get the best results.

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges. Ranges are important as labs differ and it makes it easier for members to comment.

We also need B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate to be optimal. Ask for these to be checked at the next blood test.

The aim is a TSH of 1 or lower (many doctors think we're on too much if it is around 1 or lower). We need Free T4 and Free T3 to be in the upper part of the ranges but, in UK, rarely tested.