Hi all,
Following on from my previous post my endo has said if I don't improve on my current dose he will switch me to T3.
I guess my biggest worry is that at the moment I only feel about 65% better... And I'm aiming for 80% but I don't know if that's realistic.
It feels risky switching up my medication if a further improvement isn't possible.
Has anyone switched from NDT to T3? How was it? Cost wise, how does it compare?
I felt much better and am symptom free on T3 only. I don't take a high dose and it suits my body.
T4 is an inactive hormone and should convert to T3. T3 is the Active thyroid hormone and our brain and heart have the most T3 receptor cells. Levothyroxine caused me to have severe palpitations, especially during the night.
NDT (natural dessicated thyroid hormones) was the original replacement and it saved many lives from 1892 and still does today.
I hope you find a replacement that suits you.
Not all T3s suit everyone and it is the same with other options - we have to do trial and error a number of times to find one that suits us. That means one that relieves all clinical symptoms.
Yes, I switched from NDT to T3 only. And felt 100% better. But on NDT I was feeling 100% worse! NDT made me very ill - worse than levo mono-therapy. And, I put on a ton of weight! I figured it could only get better. And it did. But, if you're feeling not too bad on NDT, it's perhaps not the same case.
I can't talk about costs, because it was a long time ago and I don't remember. 
Yes, I feel alright on NDT. A million times better than I ever did on Levo alone but not quite there.
I'm flip flopping between 'give NDT a proper go' and 'don't waste any more time on it!'
Yes, it's a difficult choice. But, if you try T3 only, and it doesn't do it for you, you can always go back to NDT. How long have you been taking it?
Hello Witchinghour :
Maybe you are just not on the right dose for you :
With NDT you dose to the relief of symptoms and not a blood test result or range :
No thyroid hormone replacement works well until your core strength vitamins and minerals especially those of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D are up and maintained at optimal levels so maybe this area needs some bloods run just to ensure yor body is able to fully utilize the thyroid hormone replacement. :
Hi Pennyannie,
My last vitamins test was in January and all looks fine so far. So there's not much to improve there. I could try splitting my dose and going GF but I get I'm just stuck between wanting to give NDT a proper good go but also not wanting to give it more time than necessary if there's a better course of action.
Trial and error I guess!
Are you splitting your NDT am/pm and how much are you taking ?
What was the time lapse between your last dose and the blood draw ?
Yes, your vitamins and minerals look good :
Do you have an inflammation marker - likely expressed as CRP ?
I found that I was still experiencing improvements some months after I had settled on my final dose and around a year orso after I noticed I had lost around 2 dress sizes so that was an added bonus.
P.S. Looking back I see you were taking T4 as well as NDT - is this still the case ?
If not I'd suggest you look at increasing a little more just by 1/4 grains and wait and see ho you go - as with NDT it's more about symptom relief - NDT was used successfully for over 100 years and long before the " science of the blood test " which were all introduced when Big Pharma launched it's own medications on the back of NDT :
How much NDT are you currently taking? Which brand?My own experience is that you should not obsess about the dose. You need what you need for symptom-relief. So, one grain of NDT does not necessarily equal 100 mcg of levo as often claimed.
Some people who remain symptomatic on NDT simply are not on enough.
Some need both T3 and T4, others do best without T4. It`s all about trial and error. But, it seems people who do best on T3 only don`t feel better on NDT compared to levo. If you do, maybe you just need more NDT, or T3 added to NDT, rather than T3 only?
From what I see, you have dropped your NDT dose down from 90 mg to 60mg - why? Your TSH is now much too high and I would want my FT4 much higher than yours. If it were me, I would start by increasing your NDT first, over a few weeks, back up to 90 mg and see if that gives you an improvement in symptoms.
Sorry, reply meant for Hidden
No, I've not dropped. I'm still on 90mg NDT.
I thought I'd posted with my very most recent bloods but looking back, I didn't. 🤦🏻♀️New results are
TSH: 0.32
FT4: 17.5 (12-22)
FT3: 6.8 (3.1 - 6.8)
Those results look good to me but as you say you’re not feeling well, I’m at a loss to know why. I didn’t do well on NDT so will leave any advice to those who know better. Good luck in finding the answer.
I take 90mg NDT and 50mcg levo. Last bloods were
TSH: 0.32
FT4: 17.5 (12-22)
FT3: 6.8 (3.1 - 6.8)
So I don't think there's any room for an increase. I was only on that dose for 5.5 weeks when I tested though.
Are you only on 60 mg/1 grain daily? That is a rather low dose. The average dose of NDT is approximately 3.5 grains daily, with some needing more and some less. But I would not give up on NDT on 60 mg daily...there is room for an increase.
I've seen that 3 and a half grains before - but I am somewhat sceptical. Seems quite a high dose - though I know some need more.
I'm on 90mg so 1.5 grains and my FT3 is 100% through range so I think it's near enough my maximum dose.
The range was introduced to be used alongside Big Pharma's T3 and T4 synthetic thyroid hormones - not Natural Desiccated Thyroid.
With NDT you dose to the relief of symptoms and not a blood test - NDT was used successfully for over 100 years and well before the science of blood test, ranges and guidelines and you just treat to the relief of the symptoms being experienced.
I presume you have missed my question but I think th answer is to drop the T4 and take NDT only and see how you go :
The unique ratio of T3/T4 in NDT works very well for many thousands of people and I believe it's preferable to stay on just one treatment option when switching and trying a new treatment option.
Apologies for jumping in as I see this reply is to PurpleCat :
I am always surprised to see how low doses of NDT people take here…on other forums, some members take 4-5 gr daily, some even 6-10 grains..
I haven't a thyroid ( RAI ablation ) and am taking 1 + 1/2 grains all at once at around 3 .00am :
I read that if you haven't the gland you'll likely need less :
I presume when you need more and more NDT you are becoming more reliant on just the T3 content and it's likely more sensible to switch to T3 only as the T4 content isn't being converted.
I have read that doses >5 gr/300 mg can be needed if patients are overweight and thyroid hormone resistant…
Well yes, that makes sense as they are exceptions as they have hormone resistant.
Once settled on my dose apart from the obvious well being and improved cognitive functions I noticed I'd dropped around 2 dress sizes within the first year though I' m still taking the same dose 3 years on.
Have you tried NDT only? I have have issues adding levo to my dose of Armour
Benefits of switching from T3 + T4 to NDT...?
Switched from T4+T3 to NDT now feeling hypo
Endo switching me from T3 only to NDT.
Switching from T4-T3 combination to NDT
Help with switching from NDT to T3 only
