You probably could but... try not to be in too much of a hurry. It’s easy to overshoot when you raise NDT too quickly and miss the ‘sweet spot’. It takes 4-6 weeks for each raise in dosage to become fully effective. It’s likely your body’s still catching up with the raise before last and those lab numbers may rise even if you stick at the same dosage. It’s generally advised to stick at 2 grains for a good few weeks before raising further for that reason. As you’ve already got to 2 and a quarter, stick there for a bit and test again in around 6 weeks. Only then will you be able to properly gauge whether you need more—or indeed, slightly less.
I'm glad you have had a good experience with NDT, but as you say, you still have some symptoms, so maybe your dose needs adjusting.
It's generally recommended to go slow and low, with 1/4 grain increments, monitoring blood pressure and temperature daily, until you reach 2 grains, and then you hold this dose for 6-8 weeks, and then run a blood test.
Since you know you are improved the blood test is a bit like a formal back up record.
If you took a bench mark blood test before starting NDT you may well see that your blood test on NDT look different :
Your T4 may have become much lower in the range but your T3 should have risen :
Your TSH may have become suppressed or lower than when on T4 only.
I found my T3 and T4 swopped places as on NDT my T4 comes in at around 25% through but my T3 comes in at around 90/110% through : I have no symptoms of overmedication and my temperature has risen from around 35.5 to 36.6 and I am much improved.
I have found subtle improvements in my health continue and I am now around 2 years into self medicating with NDT and my dose is 1 + 1/2 grains daily.
I do still maintain optimal ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D as I still need to convert the T4 content of NDT .
Since you still have symptoms, there is no reason why you do not add another 1/4 grain and repeat the build process all over again, going low and slow and monitoring blood pressure and temperature.
There will come a week when you feel as though you have gone backwards - maybe a little nervous, edgey, or just not yourself, so simply drop back down to your previous dose and that will be your dose on NDT at that point in time.
I'm with Graves Disease and had RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 and now manage lingering Graves, thyroid eye disease and hypothyroidism.
So t3 is about the same as it was before which is why I think I need a dose adjustment I have the variant dio2 gene so cannot convert
My temperature is always warm!! I’m always boarder-line low grade fever but I do have PCOS and more recently I was diagnosed diabetes albeit it does tend to fall in the pre diabetes category
But yes definitely much better on NDT I can tell a difference my next task is convincing my nhs consultant and gp it’s made a significant difference to see if I can get it funded!
So my t3 and t4 have actually gone down t3 was 5.4 the last time it was checked i was taking combination t3/t4 then and I think I was over medicated to be fair
I was taking 30 t3 and about 90 t4 so much higher than what I am taking now at 2 and quarter grains but I didn’t feel my body suited synthetic and I was still symptomatic but felt worse the more I took
I didn't look back at your history so wasn't aware you had already been on a T3/T4 combo :
Do you have any results when feeling over medicated on the synthetic T3 / T4 ?
So if you feel better and want to stay on NDT I guess you'll need to be looking to build up quite substantially - as if we accept NDT contains 9 mcg per grain you'll be on around 5 + grains and that's not allowing for very much T4 conversion at all.
I tried T3 with a little less T4 and it did work but I felt a bit turbo charged, whilst I find NDT softer on my body.
So my last results on t3/t4 were t3 5.4 t4 was 16.4 so not too much difference but definitely feel better on NDT I’ve complained for a long time that just levo wasn’t suiting me I didn’t think t3 did either but felt marginally better on t3/t4
Yes : I was refused both NDT by my doctor and a trial of T3 by my local hospital endocrinologist so have been forced to go it alone.
I think It's done me a favour in a strange way, as I now feel much better and much less stressed looking after myself though, of course, I would much prefer having a guaranteed supply chain and having a NHS prescription.
So I get t3 funded by the endo I’m under but he has said he won’t support NDT however I am yet to have that argument as I wasn’t taking NDT at the time of asking
I think there is little knowledge on how to dose NDT :
There are guidelines for T3 and T4 and I believe the medical profession are geared to work to guidelines for legal / medical insurance reasons:
There are a few endocrinologists who treat through the NHS with either or thyroid hormone replacement products - and you can obtain a list of " sympathetic endos ' from Thyroid uk who are the charity who support this amazing forum, just check out the very comprehensive website for all things " thyroid " .
If you're in the UK, unfortunately NDT was withdrawn because the cost became astronomical and it was a wonderful excuse to use in orer to withdraw it. Despite it being used safely since 1892 onwards and was the only replacement that saved lives since then up until levothyroxine was invented *i.e. T4 alone.
False Statements were made about NDT in order to get it withdrawn in the UK, without notice and causing immense stress to those who had recovered their health..
It is well seen that those who make decisions about the supply of thyroid hormone replacements most probably do not have a dysfunctional thyroid gland and make their decisions without considering how it would affect patients who had recovered their health.
Hi. Just joined with PMR. I found this post of interest. I live in the US. I have been on armour for years. I just started seeing a new endocrinologist and he took me off the armour and put me on levothyroxine. My previous Dr. told me that many Drs. don't prescribe armour. What's the deal? Do you have any information? Thank you.
Hi pomeranion, I am also in the US and am taking Armour. Like you, I been told by several doctors that they would not write a prescription for NDTs. In one case, I fired the doctor, while another only prescribed it after I insisted and she discussed it with the head doctor in the practice. I always have had problems with insurance after a dosage change. However, I really like the medicine I am on and would not be willing to change to levothyroxine. Good luck - I hope the change works for you or you find someone else who will prescribe the medicine your body is used to taking!
Thank you for the info. I wish Drs. were more transparent. How do they expect us to be knowledgeable consumers if we can't access the information that they are making their decisions on? Hope your medication continues to be successful. Oh, by the way my Armour was a compounded medication not payable by insurance. I was happy to assume the expense as long as it worked for me. ???
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Has anybody else felt worse on Armour?
Results on NDT
Armour after years on T3
Going in circles,please advise on dosing, Endo disagrees.
