NEED SOME ADVICE

[Rosebud1955]

Hi all,

Hope you’re all having a safe holiday season. This is what I’m doing, trying to wean off Synthroid & cytomel to transition to NDT. I was on Synthroid 100+5cytomel. I started by dropping the cytomel and taking 87.5 Synthroid, adding 30 mg thyroid. Stayed on that for two weeks, then 75 mcg Synthroid + 45mg thyroid. Had a little bit of dizziness initially, but now I’m fine. No more weight gain but shedding hair. I intend to get to 60mg thyroid + 50 mcg Synthroid in the next two weeks. I will most likely stop there and wait for blood tests. Does this sound reasonable? Is there another option?

Thanks for all feedback.

[Hidden]

Synthroid is a medicine with a long half life. You will probably not feel an abrupt withdrawal from missing a dose. What is the name of the new medicine you're taking? I think it would be interesting to know the T4:T3 ratio in it.

[Rosebud1955 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply. The container just says, desiccated thyroid hormone 30 mg.

[Hidden in reply to Rosebud1955]

Interesting, there's not a brand on it? For instance 1 grain (60mg) of Armour Thyroid contains about 38 mcg T4 and 9 mcg Liothyronine.

[Rosebud1955 in reply to Hidden]

No, just desiccated thyroid hormone 30 mg.

[Rosebud1955]

Thanks for your advice.

[waveylines]

There are two ways of transferring from levothyroxine to a ndt. You can do an equivalent switch or do a slow transfer like you are doing. When I did the switch I did a straight switch but chose to slightly lower the ndt dose incase I got a better response and needed less. In my case I didnt and need the full switch equivalent. Stop the thyroid madness has a ndt switch equvalrnt chart. The slow switch has to be more carefully managed as you are at higher risk of over doing the level of nedication unelss you reduce the levothyroxine and increase the ndt in balance with each other. This can be more tricky. So has to be monitored far more coosely. Hope that makes sense?

[pennyannie]

Hello Rosebud

I switched overnight from 125 T4 to NDT and working on the basis that T4 takes around 6 weeks to fully leave the body slowly started taking NDT. I started with 1/2 a grain as I had taken T3 previously, and then I upped my dose weekly with a 1/4 grain until I felt a little uncomfortable in myself.

I therefore dropped that last 1/4 grain increase and stayed on the lower dose for 6 weeks letting this dose " bed in " and then took a blood test.

My T3 was slightly over range but I felt very well and have stayed on this dose, of 1 + a half grain for the past 18 months and am doing ok :

I do need to keep my ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D at optimal levels and supplement daily, and I also take adrenal glandular which I started about a year before I started self medicating thyroid hormone replacement.

I have Graves Disease and following RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 now manage lingering Graves, thyroid eye disease and hypothyroidism.

[adin]

Yes, it seems ok. I did the same, I was on 125levo +5mcg T3 in the morning and another 5mcg T3 at 2pm and now I'm on 1grain ndt +88levo at 7am and 10mcg SR T3 at 2pm. I noticed that I do not feel good only on ndt, I need some levo in the mix. Dose calculation also depends on your weight.