Has anyone had good experiences with thyro gold compared to NDT as Armour is getting really expensive and it doesn't look like WP is coming back in stock which I was doing ok on, I made the GP refer me bk to and endo but I have to wait till September so I am looking for different options to try get my TSH under 1.5 till then
how many pills of 300mg do people normally take as I was on 50 of levo and 5 of liothyronine before I had to go on NDT where I am on 1.5 grain but probably need to go to 2 grains but can't afford so I am looking at thyro gold as an alternative but not sure what dosage I would need and how affective it would be anyone had good experiences?
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Merlio18
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Thyro gold was made by one of Thyroiduk's Advisers who was an expert in the treatment of dysfunctional thyroid glands. I willgive you a link and hope it is helpful.
His name was Dr John Lowe, a researcher/scientist/doctor. He became interested in hormones when a teenager as he was researching what could cause people to take their own lives. His father and his father's brothers took their own lives and Dr Lowe knew how such an effect took its toll on the families.
That's when he found that T3 was very important as the brain and heart have the most T3 receptor cells.
I started having allergic reactions to levo and then they black listed the liothyronine and wouldn't give me the free from brand that I needed that's why I am on NDT as they discharged me and now I forced the GP to send me to another endo after three year's of self medicating so have to wait till September because really they shouldn't of been able to do what they did but they got away with it
I was on about 50/75 of levo and 5 mcg liothyronine and it kept my TSH to about 1 and under
Now I am on armour and it's 2ish on 1.5 grains
NP didn't work for some reason I was 4-5 ish
And WP went off line which I seemed to tolerate the best before it weakened
Members who have taken Thyro Gold will respond when they read your post.
Thyro Gold was made by one of Thyroiduk's Advisers who was also a qualified doctor/scientist and his name was Dr John Lowe. He deliberately made it so that it did not need a prescription.
He became interested when a teenager in hormones as he had some members of his extended families who took their own lives and he was fully aware of the shock etc of the families who had to come to terms of losing their loved ones.
I believe that with Thyro Gold the exact dosage is not known. It was designed by John Lowe to be sold over the counter to help more people. Not having a stated dose is one of the hoops they have to jump through to achieve that.
This is a well thought of pedigree, and people post on the forum having good experiences.
You may be able to find a suggested starter dose. I think what you'd have to do is slowly adjust it towards the dose you need.
As NDT is becoming expensive. The only few brands there are so wondering what options there is left with me being stuck not able to get any other meds from the NHS
How many pills of thyro gold where you taking when you went hypo?
I tried it years ago. It was ok at first but as I tried to get an optimal dose I started to get incredibly itchy skin all over, nothing to see but scratchy as hell. It worked out very expensive too. I had to give it up.
thyro-gold if we are talking about the NewZealand Bull Thyroid is very strong I found - taking 3 capsules would blow your ears off and give you palpitations for sure. But if you follow the NDT protocol you will be fine. Start on half a capsule (30mg) take it with food, and lots of water or coffee. Then see how you feel for the rest of the day. If you feel like your energy levels plummet at 4pm, take half of a half (15mg) again with food. Then repeat the following day. Do this for a few weeks and slowly slowly add more (15mg ) . Repeat. At some point you will go hyper and get heart palps, now you have gone too far, have a rest from the stuff for a day and then return to the dose you were on last week. Keep attempting to increase from time to time. You need to eat with NDT as it slows/delays the release of the t3 component and also stops it burning a hole in your stomach. Yes you loose a tiny percentage but it doesn't matter as you are tuning your dose daily to what you actually absorb/need. You will get slight tingles (hands / feet /groin) 30min after dosing, again this is a sign of being on the money with your dosage.
Hi Merlio - I've got a bottle sitting in the fridge from a year or two ago when I was playing with NDT brands. You split the dose by pulling the capsule apart and taking half or a quarter of the powder. I was weighing it with drug dealer scales but you don't really need to. Just cut the 150 powder into 3 parts, that gives you rough 50mg piles, plenty to start on. Wet your finger and dab it in a pile, lick your finger. It will taste slightly meaty. I carry a few NDT60mg in my work bag, a few in the car. Then if I feel that flat battery feeling I just have a half. Always start on a really low dose, and increase slowly - people who start on bigger doses just get confused and have a bad time. Overdosing on bigger doses works for a few days or a week and then the extra NDT each day accumulates in your body and you end up going hyper and having a bad few days, but when you are starting out you dont understand and blame the product or the Endo or anything. Once you optimize your dosage in six months and start taking complete caps always chew them and have with milk or food. if you just swallow cap or wash it down with a single mouth full of water there is a good chance you'll get bad reflux
Ah thanks for this info I getting mixed reviews so not sure what to try, armour is expensive and NP is similar price and doesn't seem to work well so might try metavive which NDT do you find is good? I am really sensitive to products and I have stomach issues so I can't really risk bad reflux I didn't know you need to take NDT with food is that with all brands?
It's not really that expensive. I mean - what do you spend on coffee each day. I bet NDT would cost less that that per day ? They all work, but you have to take right amount, you cant just read the label and do some calculation regarding how much Levo you were once on and therefor you should now be on X amount NDT. No you have to optimize NDT against your symptoms - fine tuning it slightly each day. I feel you have to take all types of freeze dried thyroids with food (NDT, Thyroid -S , WP Thyroid, Metavive etc). The reflux comes on slowly over a few days but will get to the point you need to take something for it daily. Which is crazy when all you have to do is eat when taking your NDT.
I don't think it is our place to apply our judgment to the affordability of anything to other members. Not everyone pays out for coffee from baristas every day. I don't!
Some will see it as small change; others as more than they can possibly afford.
Total cost of my coffee is well below that of even a single espresso. And nowhere near enough to cover the cost of desiccated thyroid products - whether glandulars or prescription-quality.
It isn't expensive, especailly when compared to taking prescription medication. Thyroid hormone is necessary, people do not have a choice. Letting members know that it is not expensive is good to do. I would pay less for thyrogold than I do my current medication but I had difficulty finding the right dose. Maybe they would pay more where they are from and in their circumstance but the medication your on is super important. If coffee or other costly things and activities have to be lessoned to afford the medication you need then they have to be lessened.
So many people have had issues with TG since the pandemic it stopped working and a lot of people went hypo also it takes a min of 6 weeks to know if is working or not it's not instant you need to reeducate yourself
I was on thyrogold and had great success for a couple of years. If you do decide to buy it don’t dose based on the info from the website, just increase gradually until you feel well. It ended up taking me 2 x 300mg tablets to get well but it says the 300mg is for those who’s thyroids have been removed.
Looking at the above commenters it’s making me wonder also.. my symptoms returned last year and I couldn’t get back on track. This was after they ran out of stock during covid and I am now wondering if they are using the same potency in the capsules as they used too. Very interesting to see others had the same experience.
What dose of levo where you taking prior to it? I did think of trying it through covid but yes it's when it went out of stock and others now report it's weakened ? What medication are you taking now is it more effective ? Can you recall what your TSH, T4 was on 2x 300mcg?
Hi , I’m replying a year after you wrote this but I’ve been taking 2 X 300 mg capsules for just over a year as I found having to buy NDT from the US SO expensive although there’s s place in London I’ve JUST been told about that does it at half the price but you need a prescription . Anyway , my most recent thyroid blood tests said I was hypothyroid again on my 2 X 300mg capsules which is very odd . TSH just over the range and T3 and T4 at bottom end but within the range . I’m seeing endo in early October to see if I should go back on thyroxin for my T4 and through him get my T3 through this new place . So whilst. Never tried Thyro Gold before the pandemic so can’t compare , whilst I felt ok on it , I noticed I’ve got incredibly anxious ( more than I normally am I mean ) and my hair has gone brittle and my vision slightly off ( all hypo symptoms ) so wondering if the efficacy is a bit mild for me …. interesting you said the same thing and were on the same dose . 300mg X 2 is roughly equivalent to 200 mg of thyroxine and 40 or 50 mg of Liothyrinine isn’t it ? So said Dr Lowe’s wife , approximately she said . Which is what I was on before with normal thyroxine and T3 . Are those the comparable doses you got too ?
Yes so I had only ever been on thyrogold so had nothing to compare to and I only used my temp etc for monitoring! Kicking myself now as I have no blood markers for when I felt well.
I think it was around late 2021 that I started to notice things going a little of piste. I think Tammy says 300 is for those without a thyroid which makes no sense as we aren’t topping up existing levels when medicating anyway. After thyrogold I switched to Armour thyroid and got up to 3 1/2 grains but could not tolerate it and suspected I have issues with T4 now. I’m currently on T3 only and I am up to 70mcg but my temp is still barely getting up to 36 degrees. I suspect I may need around 100 to compare to feeling well on thyrogold of 600. I don’t trust the dosing suggestions of thyrogold though, the hormone content sounds potent and I’m sure I would have been over medicated if so. I know lots of people on here who have also been on 600 so I think it’s potentially on the weaker side?
Gosh yes it must be weaker then than conventional thyroxine and the T3 I used to be on ( I only tried Thyro Gold as it was cheaper !) so if you were also feeling a bit underwhelmed on it then it must have lost some of the potency that it supposedly had before the pandemic as other Thyro Gold takers said . Historically I always felt great on Armour until one needed to take out a mortgage to buy it and pretty good on NP Thyroid too until it was hard to get hold of , so once I see my endocrinologist I may try again on a natural dessicated thyroid that I can get from this place ( at half the cost as from the US ) in London . I would doubt that Tammy Lowe is hypothyroid herself if she says that 300 capsules is for people with no thyroid , I imagine thyroid-less people would need MUCH more than 300 or even 600 …
So you’re only on T3 ? No T4? That’s interesting as Dr John Lowe who invented and also took himself , Thyro Gold , only needed T3 I believe but I think it does have T4 in it too .
I’ll give you the link if you’re interested as my Acupuncterist gets her own NDT fron here . But you can only get it from here under a doctor of some sort or endocrinologist / functional doctor / medical practitioner ( even an alternative health one ) . Not on your own .
Unfortunately I was self treating after struggling with GPs so I have only ever been on thyrogold. Since I had a return in my symptoms I am seeing a new private doctor and she has asked me to come off it for 6 weeks to get a diagnosis and then hopefully she will start me on something else. I didn’t do any labs during this time either (stupid I know) but I monitored using blood pressure, temp and heart rate using Dr Ps methods. If I was to do it over and after finding this forum I would have done private testing!
The last lot of bloods I had done before coming off (when I was symptomatic but only on one grain) -
TSH 1.8 (0.34-4)
FT4 15.6 (12-22)
My FT3 sample came back insufficient frustratingly so had to skip on that.
I have had a good experience with Thyrogold and other bovine thyroid glandulars. Although I no longer need / take thyroid hormone replacement on a regular basis, when I did take it (after 30 years on NDT), I found that the biggest hurdle was finding the right dose. The advice here has long been start low and go slow (increasing) the dose until you find the dose at which you feel best. That was absolutely the best way. While it is generally considered weaker than pharmaceuticals, it is, nevertheless, easy to overdose (in my experience). The good news is that upon reducing the excess T3, overdose symptoms subside quickly.I am ever so grateful for learning about Dr. Lowe, and for Shaws guidance on the effectiveness of T3 / bovine glandulars.
Thanks so what are you taking now? I was thinking of trying if not thyro gold the metavive bovine supplements 80mcg have you tried this?
As I think I tried the porcine a while ago but wasnt as affective and didn't want to be taking loads of pills. But I thought I could try and get some 5mcg liothyronine to add to it from America.
They don't seem to do it at 60mcg anymore so not sure what 40mcg and the 80mcg dose is equalivant too? Ue 1.5 grain or levo / t3
I went on a 30 day iodine reduction diet. Almost all foods have a fraction of iodine - some have rather high amounts. Dairy, for instance has rather high amounts of iodine compared to other foods. We must have iodine to make thyroid hormone, and it is neither desirable nor feasible to remove iodine totally. In the US iodized salt appeared on the average citizens table, right after WWII. It is no longer on mine.
For me - a genetic variance (MFTHR polymorphism - sometimes referred to as “dirty genes”) means that I don’t eliminate toxins as well as those without this variance. Iodine can and does build up if daily dietary excesses of iodine cannot be eliminated. So, people like me can become toxic with all sorts environmental exposures (diet, air, water, etc.), and suffer accordingly. With excess iodine - the thyroid suffers.
In the the US as many as a third of the population has this genetic variance according to some who have studied this genetic science. (Dr. Ben Lynch for example)
I was a great fan of tuna - it’s a rare treat now - a dietary source of iodine. And it’s not so much the total removal of all foods high in iodine (although for that 30 days it was) but the intentional food choices - it’s a lot like counting calories! I still have dairy - cheese for example, maybe once or twice a month. I became aware of just how much cheese is on everything these days - especially eating out! (Salads, veggies, Pasta sauces, etc.)
Dr. Alan Christianson has been treating Hashimotos patients for many years here in the US, and his book on same made the The NY Times best selling list. He reports in that book that as many as 75% of his patients reversed Hashimotos by reducing iodine intake. I am among that 75% - and yes a 30 day dietary experiment (devised by yours truly) produced immediate results. It was eye opening, personally, as to how much iodine is in different foods - many of my favorites. From there, and under my personal Drs watchful eye, a 30 year dependence on thyroid replacement hormone gradually ended. (Gradually less dependent on NDT) Dosages were reduced in a step down fashion.
That's very interesting do have the name to his book, did you do it under a Naturopath or your self just researched what iodine was in and eliminated?
I am really sensitive to idoine as I have tried multi supplements and had hypo symptoms increase and my hair drops out loads really strange as some thyroid supplements have iodine in do you find you sensitive to organic kelp?
The name of The NY Times best seller: The Adrenal Reset Diet. His book that deals more directly with iodine and the thyroid: The Thyroid Reset Diet. Hand in hand is another of his books: The Metabolism Reset Diet. What makes these books so popular is that they provide tons of data / things you can do yourself. He does sell his own brand of thyroid health products - but my results came not from his products but by arming myself with his research. (I bought only the metabolism book - and that one slightly used and much cheaper!)
Yes - Kelp is a natural source of iodine, organic or otherwise. Not in my cabinet anymore! My personal Dr. is not a naturopath - but a Dr. of Osteopathy (DO) with a background in medical research, and a wonderfully brilliant open mind. When I showed her the research and gave her a copy of the book she actually did read it - and agreed to help me using his findings on iodine.
Believe me when I say I looked under every rock for these last 30 years not the least of which was HealthUnlocked! I found the key and unlocked my health with Dr. Christianson‘s findings.
Many on HealthUnlocked have long advised Hashimoto’s patients to be extremely careful with iodine supplements / Natural remedies that include iodine in large quantities. They were, as you say, Spot On!
That's really interesting I will have to take a look as I can't take any form of iodine iam really sensitive but I am also really sensitive to ashwaganda? Which is in loads of adrenal supplements and I am struggling to find a supplement to lower my high cortisol levels is there a connection too?
Did you just reduce all foods containing iodine or is there more to it and is there a helpful chart or list people can refer to or is it all in the book?
Also do you still even when healed and no longer need meds have to stay away from all iodine ?
Yes, agreed. I’ll take remission any day. It’s a great feeling - being healthy without the crutches, medicines, blood tests, tyranny of Drs., (smiling). How sweet it is.
Here is a link to the American Thyroid Assoc / Low Iodine list of foods: thyroid.org/low-iodine-diet... yes I am very sensitive to adrenal supplements / ashwaganda. However, I find low doses (like about half of recommended) spaced out once a week or more are very helpful.
There is so much more in the book as to understanding how certain other foods help unlock detoxing pathways (like white beans, etc)
And yes, I will always have to keep an eye on foods high in iodine (the book explains), that’s not to say that all dairy, foods from the sea, etc can never be eaten after one detoxes from accumulated iodine, one can have iodine foods (like egg yolks) but only once in a long while. After regaining iodine “balance” you will know what it feels like to be well again - and what it feels like when over-indulged. (It’s similar to over indulgence in alcohol! You know the next day!)
There are helpful low iodine charts - so many foods that are lower in iodine.
I've had great success with Thyro-gold. Their guidance is if low thyroid function use 150 mg 1st thing in am. If no thyroid function use 300 mg. I've used Armour & other types. Doing well with Thyro-gold.
Have you managed to get your TSH under 1 on 1 pill of thyro gold? Also curious to know what was your dose on Armour?
I am trying Metatvive and managed to get some liothyronine but I look really puffy and feel really hypo can't figure it out feel awful but I am getting a blood test Tomo by the endo, I am guessing I'm under medicated but I av been taking 3 Metatvive and 5 lio and I thought that might of been enough, don't seem to be tolerating it well. So be interested to see what positive side affects you have had on thyro gold think it's one of the only things I haven't tried yet!
Hi everyone, mine is taking over a week to ship to Europe and still not here - did you have similar experiences? Is it apparently sent surface? For $40 shipping I thought I was getting courrier service. Thanks.
and for the record I’m 5ft 3 and take one 300 and one 150g every day. I can honestly say it’s the best product I’ve used.
You have to take the time to hold every two weeks to find your sweet spot. I do a lot of weight training so I’m assuming my requirements are higher than a sedentary lifestyle. I haven’t noticed any difference in quality I had to reduce for a while when my dad passed away suddenly as I didn’t move for weeks on end so accumulated too much.
Thanks, I'm new to all this and directing my care myself since I am not considered low enough for a prescription in my country. But I have been dragging myself through life for several years with many hypo symptoms so I'm taking my health in my own hands.
I have read conflicting advice about Thyrgold: take with food, and take on any empty stomach like an NDT. May I ask what you do? I am going to start very gradually with Thyrogold along with other lifestyle and dietary changes discussed on this very helpful forum.
Hi Jodypody, I just started Thyro Gold being on Armour for years. I worked up to 300 mg and have been on 300 mg once a day for 1 week (no longer on Armour) and I have developed a lot of pain in my lower back and hips that gets a lot better after an hour of taking Thyro Gold. I'm also on 25 mcg T3 every morning. You say to hold for 2 weeks then raise. Do you recommend still doing that or should I go ahead and raise by 1/2 capsule in the afternoon because of the pain?
Thank you. Yes, some of the pain returns in the evening. Every time I have needed an increase in Armour, I had a lot of leg pain that goes away with an increase. The pain comes back the next day. I will be getting labs done the middle of January to see my TSH, FT3, FT4, RT3 levels.
I take it. 150 mg per day. It works better than armour for me. I have also tried another brand of NDT that wasn't as effective at the same dose. I don't ever want to live without Thyro Gold again. In fact, I found your question when I came on Google to order some more. I hope it helps you as much as it helps me! 😃
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