medication help

[Denny39]

can anyone help. I was taking 25mcg levo for 6 months then I increased to 50mcg for a week. I was then in the process of speaking to a doctor and I changed to NDT armour 30mcg once a day over two doses over the last week (7 days). I am on holiday and feeling really anxious, panicky and very weird. I feel really upset as to why all this is happening to me. I don’t want to spoil anyones holiday I am with and I am wondering if I should change back to the levo? I’m not sure if it’s safe to do this. Can anyone help? I feel like death. Thank you.

[Lalatoot]

Denny the starting dose recommended on here is a quarter grain. I believe the 30mcg you are taking is a half grain. You have started on too high a dose.Because you chopped and change before hand with upping levo for a week from your very low dose to 50mcg and then swapping to Armour which contains T3 your body will be wondering what on earth is going on.

I don't know what the answer is but I would try dropping Armour to a quarter grain so 15mcg. When I was overmedicated on T4/T3 combo it took 4 days for me to begin to feel better as the T3 reduced in my system.

I hope this helps you get through your holiday and to feel well enough to enjoy it.

[Denny39 in reply to Lalatoot]

Thank you. The doctor told me to take NDT 15mcg on a morning and 15mcg 5 hours later so in total I have been taking 30mcg but only for 7 days. Today I have only took 15mcg as I feel like death and very scared and anxious. I am worried about continuing this medication and thinking about taking 25mcg levo again from tomorrow. Do you think that will be ok or should I continue with the NDT? Can I ask you what drug combo you started with and what you take now? Thanks

[Lalatoot in reply to Denny39]

Denny Most of us start on levo. The majority of folks do well enough on levo only once they get on a high enough dose. The minority are the ones on here who need to add T3 to levo to feel well - they are either on NDT alone, NDT plus either T4 or T3 or a combo of levo and T3.I started on levo and worked my way up to 100mcg. My results on this dose showed I did not convert well so I added in a little T3. My current dose of this last year is 100mcg levo and 7.5mcg T3 liothyroinine. I always found levo hard to increase and I have always split my levo doses to make it gentler to take.

If you feel that going back on levo tomorrow is the option for you then that is what you should try. I am not medically trained and it really is trial and error as to what suits each individual.

Looking at your previous posts you were undermedicated and not on a high enough dose of levo. You really should give levo a chance first when you get home. Only once you have a TSH of under 2 ideally nearer 1 or lower and ft4 over halfway through range, or with a higher TSH when ft4 is at the top or over range, then it is time to look at your blood results and decide whether you would be better on NDT or adding T3.

NDT doesn't suit everyone. Adding T3 to levo is not a quick fix either. It took me 2 years of patiently adjusting doses one hormone at a time, waiting 8 weeks then blood tests, until I found doses, dosing regimes, and thyroid blood levels that I wanted to stay on. This doesn't mean I am symptom free. It takes time for the body to heal and adapt.

In the meantime you need to decide what you think will suit you. Whatever you do you need to stick with it because the more you chop and change, the rockier the ride. I hope that things improve so that you can relax on holiday.

[Gingernut44 in reply to Lalatoot]

If you have your Levo with you, I would go back to taking 50 mcg per day. You really need to be on a stable dose for 6/8 weeks then test your levels. You were left too long on 25 mcg, your TSH was far too high. You won’t know how well you convert until your TSH is down to about 1 and your FT4 is high. Only then can you tell if you need the addition of T3 or whether NDT is going to be suitable.

[Denny39 in reply to Gingernut44]

Thank you. I stopped levo altogether as per the doctors advice and started NDT armour 15mcg on a morning and 15mcg on a lunch time. I have been on it 7 days and yesterday I only took the morning dose and today none as I have been sweating Terribly, have loose stools, sickness, agitation, anxiety & feel like death. I am worried I am now in a thyroid storm and I am out of the country so my GP can’t advise. I am waiting for my consultant to ring me as I am not sure if I should be going back to my levo today but I am defo feeling unwell and hoping this passes in a day or two. I read it can take 4 days to get t3 out of your system and it’s been 1 day for me. What do you think? Thanks

[Gingernut44 in reply to Denny39]

It’s probably the T3 in NDT that’s causing you problems, your body is just not used to it. As I said, if it was me and if you’ve got your Levo with you, I would go back to taking 50 mcg. You’ve probably started on too high a dose of NDT from only 25 mcg Levo for six months and then one week at 50 mcg. With NDT It’s usual to start on quarter grain (15 mg) per day for a week before raising the dose to half a grain. NDT doesn’t suit everyone and your symptoms are telling you that, at the moment, it’s not the right replacement/dose for you. Unfortunately, you did the wrong thing by trying a different regime just before going on holiday but it is what it is. I’m really surprised that you were started on NDT before you had been on 50 mcg for only one week and having a TSH level that was too high. Hopefully the T3 will leave your system quite quickly and you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of your holiday.

[Denny39 in reply to Gingernut44]

Thank you. How long do you think it will take to leave my system after being on it for one week? Thank you for your help.

[Gingernut44 in reply to Denny39]

T3 has a short half life so once you stop taking it (as in NDT), two or three days. I don’t think the length of time you’ve been taking it makes any difference, I could be wrong. It could also be the porcine element doesn’t suit you either, it certainly didn’t suit me but I’m not sure how long that takes to leave your system - perhaps it won’t be too long. I do feel for you as this has happened when you’re on holiday so let’s hope your adverse reaction won’t take long to disappear.

[Denny39 in reply to Gingernut44]

Can I ask you how long your adverse reaction took to go? Sorry for all the questions I am just worried and scared. My GP advised me to go to a doctor abroad but after hearing from others I think I just need to ride it out. Thank you

[Gingernut44 in reply to Denny39]

My adverse reactions went away quite quickly as I recall. It wasn’t the T3 element but I became hyper sensitive to the animal protein in porcine NDT. This could quite possibly be your problem with the symptoms you are suffering. Just don’t take any more NDT until you are home. Stick with the Levo.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Denny39]

NDT is the very original thyroid hormone replacement, introduced in 1892 and it saved lives from then on. There were no blood tests invented so it all depended upon our clinical symptoms alone to be diagnosed as hypo and small adjustments of NDTs were made until patient's health improved .

It also used to be prescribed in the UK but, unfortunately, those we'd assume were knowledgeable withdrew it altogether and left many patients in a panic.

It is made from animals'thyroid glands so it is more conducive to the human body.

countryhealth.co.uk/ndt/

[Denny39 in reply to shaws]

It make me really poorly?