Opinion on Results??

[SmilingAnyway]

These are my results after switching from NDT to Synthroid 125 mcg and 5mcg Liothyrinine. I felt terrible and gained 8 lbs in 4 weeks. Looks like my Reverse T3 surged and is high. The “previous result”column indicates levels when on 90 mg of Armour NDT and 5 mcg Liothyrinine. Thoughts?

[Jazzw]

I think the surge in RT3 was simply because your body was trying to get rid of excess T4–excess T4 will convert to RT3. As I understand it, it sort of acts like a brake.

And that’s not surprising—there’s 57mcg of T4 and 13.5mcg of T3 in 90mg of Armour. And you were taking 125mcg of T4 and 5mcg of T3.

125mcg Synthroid more than doubled your dosage of T4.

***Ah, edited to add that I’ve now seen your doctor did it. Not sure I’d have much faith in your doctor… As greygoose said on a previous post, raising your NDT dosage would most likely have been a better solution.

Some of us just don’t get on with levothyroxine (Synthroid) at all. You may be one such person!

But to have given you a fighting chance of this working, I think your doctor should have prescribed maybe 75mcg levothyroxine and 10mcg of T3.

[RockyPath]

Hi SmilingAnyway,

This is an interesting experiment you're putting yourself through. I used to like to do experiments on myself. I put myself through a lot of extremes, including high rT3 as a result of synthetic hormone (levothyroxine) with liothyronine, as prescribed by an endocrinologist who, for some reason, was hesitant to prescribe NDT. It was awful. I felt terrible until I got off the levothyroxine. I know exactly how you feel now.

I'm wondering why you went off the NDT. Other than the fact that it's not in the formulary of any insurance companies.

I am able to have my endocrinologist in California prescribe 300 tablets at a time (three sealed bottles) of NP Thyroid. With a GoodRx coupon, I get the lot for under $50. I CVS usually has the best price with GoodRx or Singlecare. Walmart will not take either of these coupon plans.

I'm taking the NDT in split doses, morning and lunch time. My FT3 and FT4 are a bit low (scraping the bottom of the clinical range), but the TSH is right at the expected point of 0.97 and I feel great. The endocrinologist is happy with this and I am too.

I'd run back to the NDT if I were you. You're not in Kansas anymore.

Best of luck.

[SmilingAnyway in reply to RockyPath]

Thanks RockyPath! This experiment is not by choice. 🥴 I was seeing a Functional Medicine practitioner when on the NDT. However, her practice changed to the membership model and an annual membership was going to run $2500. So I sought out an endo covered by insurance (big mistake) and she wanted to take me off the NDT and change me to Synthroid. Now I’m just trying to get myself back on NDT and at an optimal level.

[RockyPath]

Ask to go back to the dose of NDT you were on. If the lab results are a little low, for the new doctor, split the dose of NDT. The tablets come in many sizes.

I’m impressed you get rT3 tested. A lot of people think rT3 is magic fairy dust and totally irrelevant to your wellness. I had to let the endocrinologist I saw in Florida learn about rT3 by letting him drive mine up over the clinical range. By the time it was in the red zone I could barely walk around. My body disputes vigorously the notion that it has no cellular impact.

I’m glad you’re smiling anyway 🤗