I had been struggling with constipation for years and increasing Levo from 125 to 150 didn’t help though FT3 rose a bit. I thought I would try Metavive11 and started slowly with one capsule a day and increased to two after a couple of weeks. The results have been amazing, the constipation disappeared and for the first time in years I’ve felt normal. I also lost a few pounds that I found impossible to shift before.
My problem is my latest results which show FT3 and FT4 over range and CRP raised.
I even got a call from Medichecks recommending I consult my GP! I got a bit worried! Do you think I would be ok if I reduced the Levo to 100 and the Metavive to one capsule a day? I just don’t want to go back to how I was before.
I would be grateful for any advice.
Written by
Beereesh
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You are getting success with the Metavive so I'd stick with it. As this seems to suit you better I'd cut the levo before cutting the Meta. They make a Metavive 1 which is half the strength of Metavive 11 if you do want to reduce the meta but not too much.
I tried Meta11 and I found it much more potent than I expected from a glandular. I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to eventually cut your levo substantially (or altogether) in favour of 2 - 4 Metavive 11.
I think that 2 weeks is too soon to do another test because of the long half life of T4. Your results will not tell the true story after only 2 weeks. The soonest you should do the next test is 6 weeks after the levo reduction.
I also want to sound a note of caution without worrying you. You have unknowingly increased your T4 by quite a lot in a short space of time, and because T4 accumulates slowly you may be heading into overdose territory. If you do get signs of overdose, even after you have reduced the levo (because there's always a time lag with T4) then I'd say stop all the meds for some days until your body settles down again. Signs of overdose could be loose stools, fast pulse, palpitations, feeling toxic.
I would decrease levo first and see what happens. Don't change 2 things at once. You must do things 1 at a time so you can judge the effect. I would reduce levo by 25mcg per day. 8 weeks then bloods. Future reductions to fine tune the dose could be in 12.5mcg.Vit D is slightly low. Recommended level is 100.
A word of caution here: you have Hashi's, so your rise in FT4/3 could be a Hashi's 'hyper' swing, and nothing to do with your metavive/levo. If you reduce either of them, be prepared to find you need to raise them again when the swing goes back to hypo. In other words, whatever you do, do not involve your doctor, because if he reduces your prescripition, you might find it very difficult to get it raised again, should you need it. Don't do anything hasty!
No, I definitely won’t involve my GP, I don’t think they understand, I’ve told them about the constipation but I don’t think they even know it’s a hypo symptom! I did consider it might have been a hyper episode but I have had relief from my symptoms consistently since July-August but I can’t take it for granted. Every day I think will this be the day I go back to that hell but, touch wood, it hasn’t happened yet.
Well, hyper swings do take time to swing back again - and it's different for everyone, and different every time. So just reduce your levo a little and see what happens.
Thanks, I’ll just cut back on the Levo first and give it a few weeks. I’ve started using the BetterYou vitamin D spray, the one with vitamin K , I had stopped during the summer but it has gone down a lot since April so I need it every day!
You may want to try a bit of magnesium with the vit D and K2 (if you don't already) as it's also a cofactor when taking D, and magnesium citrate can help a lot with constipation. 😊
Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that, but yes, it is good to take anyway. What works for one doesn't always work for another. I'm glad you've found the Metavive helps...constipation is awful! I had it all my life until I started on T3, and the only thing that ever helped was Mg citrate. I'm just glad I don't have it anymore, as it seems to cause so many problems. Good luck with getting the balance right 🍀
It’s miserable to suffer constipation, unless you have it you can’t understand. Before trying Metavive, I bought about ten bottles of Milk of Magnesia because that was the best thing to help and the manufacturer had stopped production, I hope I don’t need it again!
Milk of magnesia didn't work for me, but I perhaps I didn't take enough! I don't remember ever having ten bottles🙂 I had relentless constipation even as a very young child despite a good diet, and my parents tried everything. I ended up in hospital with it when I was about 10, and they almost took my appendix out! It's always on your mind, thinking about what you're eating and drinking, and trying to remember the last time you 'went'. I've always been slim, so thyroid problems were never considered, until it died completely, and had no output at all. That was about 30 years ago, and even on very high doses of Levo up to 300mcg, all my symptoms continued and worsened. Levo made me feel poisoned, and the more I took, the worse I got.
My GP once suggested the constipation was nothing to do with thyroid (the blood tests told her this🙄) and as I had told her that the heavy duty fibre she had suggested had made me even more blocked up and caused more pain, she said I probably hadn't taken enough, and I should try something else more palatable...like popcorn!
Like an absolute fool, I sat and ate a giant bag of popcorn, and the results were disasterous! The tiny amount of peristalsis that was still working came to a complete standstill, and nothing would go in or out. I was vomiting up water. I ended up back in hospital on a drip, with many Dr's doing invasive tests and talking about bowel cancer in between scratching their heads. It was terrifying, and I'm still afraid of popcorn!
They knew my thyroid had no output, yet not one of them thought I might need T3...they don't seem to understand that a lack of thyroid hormone can cause slow peristalsis, (or anything else for that matter) and that Levo alone doesn't always work for everyone. I'm just so glad I found this forum when I did, and after all these years, I am without all the debilitating symptoms.
I don't think you'll be going back to how things were before now that you know there's an alternative way to solve the problem...and long may it last! 😊
Oh my goodness! Poor you! Aren’t some doctors absolutely dire, what do they teach them?! I bought all the milk of magnesia because it’s obsolete and I stocked up on eBay 😂 I also tried the extra fibre route but just got more and more bunged up with bran, chia seeds, figs, prunes, it just wouldn’t come out!If gps put all the symptoms together , surely they should come up with hypothyroidism 🤷♀️? But then they’ll only try the Levo route and it hasn’t worked for me either.
Haha! I read that completely wrong! I had visions of you glugging down numerous bottles of milk of magnesia! 😂 Probably because I know how desperate it can get! Hilarious! But awful to think that something you've come to rely on has suddenly been whisked away. I've noticed a few supplements disappearing lately too, which have been 'discontinued' according to my local health shop. Quite disconcerting when you think you've settled on a suitable one.
Yes, the high fibre diet with slow peristalsis is the road to hell. Most GPs seem to be taught that if the TSH gets to a ridiculously high level, just give Levo until it goes down. Simple, and all remaining symptoms are caused by something else, which they usually find a 'remedy' for in the shape of a variety of meds. The sheer number of members on this forum shows just how diabolical their thyroid knowledge is!
Absolutely! When I look back at the things I’ve seen my gp about , most are due to hypothyroidism. I’ve had piles (due to the constipation no doubt), teeth grinding, palpitations, high blood pressure , frozen shoulder, locked jaw, depression, anxiety, I could go on it’s about time treatment was vastly improved, it could save a lot of money.
Yes, it'd save money for us taxpayers, but not for them! GP surgeries get payback for all those (often unecessary) prescriptions. I read the list of payments once, and suddenly it all made 'sense' 😕 The whole system is flawed. I was diagnosed with ME/CFS and so many other disorders, and was given a carrier bag full of meds, which all made me worse and had to be stopped. I'm fine now, bar a few very minor problems, no doubt caused by low T3 for decades.
I've been very fortunate to not need to visit a GP since I started T3. The last one left and closed the surgery down a few years ago, and I don't even know who they've allocated me to now. I was a regular visitor before for many years. The GP I had before all that was great, but unfortunately he retired just before I got really ill. I doubt I'll find another good one...a dying breed, it seems. I couldn't bear to have to go back to being ill, so I just try to stay as healthy as possible, and it's worked so far, with sage advice from here! 🌻🐝
As June25 says now that you are feeling good I think I'd stick with the Metavive, just make any changes slowly.
I was taking 100 of Levo and not feeling very good before I gradually changed to Metavive II by swapping 50 Levo for 1 capsule of Metavive, I started to feel much better so after a few weeks I swapped the rest of the Levo for a second capsule of Metavive II. That was in 2019 and since then Ive felt so much better than for the whole 10years I took Levo. My numbers went from FT3 2.44 (2.1-4.4) TSH 3.76 in 2017 to FT3 3.19(2.1-4.4) TSH 0.48 in 2020. In the winter I occasionally add another Metavive just once a week. I can quite understand how you feel, now I feel human again I dont want to go back to how I was before either.
It’s really good to hear that Metavive has worked for you too, I’m going to gradually cut down on the Levo and hope that the benefits are permanent. It’s an amazing product , I wish I’d tried it sooner.
Hi Beereesh. Sorry I have just picked up on this thread. I need some advice. Re Metavive.I havnt heard of it before. Is it prescribed.?or over counter? I have been Hashi for over a year and suffer constipation regularly. Tried all usual stuff. I have drs appointment on Saturday as really struggling over last 3 weeks
Hi, I heard about Metavive on this forum, I went on the internet and got some from Procepts I think it’s called. I got the Metavive 11 version but there is a half strength one. If you get some, try introducing it slowly and see how you react. It really has been a life changer for me, though I still think I’m going to wake up and find it’s a dream and I’m back to milk of Magnesia again 😂
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