Is there any consensus as to who the best thyroid doctor/clinic is?

[kendrewaddams]

If money was no object, is there any broad consensus on here as to where the best treatment is in the UK?

[Lalatoot]

No.

[kittyelen]

Not really I am on NHS and must say out of all the medical treatment I am impressed with the NHS for endo at my hospital

I would say if money is no object obs they would do their own research and pay for the best they could find? It's not that hard to research with google and if money is no object then I guess first look at which country is the best?

[HowNowWhatNow]

Very good question. Am sure some Google research would shed light but I haven’t done this.

[HowNowWhatNow]

I’d be interested to know how this practice rates among its patients.

I like how clear its descriptions of what / whom / how it treats are:

londonendocrinecentre.co.uk...

[arTistapple in reply to HowNowWhatNow]

Anyone able to comment on the alleged “large scale studies” referred to on the London Endocrine Centre website? I realise my knowledge is building on the opposing information but I should probably not be blinded to the argument that T3 is ‘discredited’. I must say (whilst it is a lifeline) there is something increasingly disingenuous and therefore uncomfortable for me about prescribing it privately but keeping face NHS wise. Maybe it’s just a phase and I will get over it!

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to arTistapple]

Yes it would be interesting, if there is a way of finding out, the stat of what % of hypothyroid (autoimmune) patients in private clinics are prescribed T3, if they don’t feel well on levothyroxine, and what % on NHS.

The public-facing statements on medical websites always gloss over the fact that many people who don’t feel well on levothyroxine are not allowed to have T3, and then have to go privately to get it.

All the private practitioners I’ve seen (with an exception of those who retired at the top of the NHS and who now only do private work) also work in the NHS some days of the week. So it would be odd if / is odd that their work in the NHS provides them (and their other thyroid colleagues) with more private work.

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to arTistapple]

Don’t know what large-scale studies are alluded to.Presumably there are large-scale studies on the subject that “prove” all sorts of things? Rather than a set of large-scale studies that all only prove the same thing.

Science, innit.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to HowNowWhatNow]

From that link:

perhaps due to a failure of their own body to efficiently convert the T4 to the biologically more active T3

The classic mistake.

Our cells need T3. It isn't that T3 is biologically more active. It is what does the job. No amount of T4, be it ever so much, does that job.

Go to a one-armed bandit with a bag of two-pound coins. They don't fit the machine. They cannot do anything.

Go to cashier and get some changed into pound coins. They work just fine.

Now there might be some other machines that take two pound or 50p coins. Some might manage to take multiple different coins. But the bandits simply don't work without pound coins.

Are pound coins more active than two-pound coins?

Yes. Infinitely so. They do something that two-pound coins cannot do.

Am I being excessively pedantic? Quibbling? I'll not deny any suggestions to that end. But I find this statement perpetuated everywhere (worded in numerous ways) and I think it misleads.

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to helvella]

Not unduly pedantic.

In addition to what you have said, which I agree with, I would also say that the medical language of bodily “failure” is generally unhelpful and that many branches of medicine are moving away from it, just as law and other professional fields are moving away from excessively relying on Latin jargon in their letters and arguments.

“Blighted ovum” “pregnancy failure” etc..

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to HowNowWhatNow]

I walked straight past the "failure" which, even if unintentionally, seems to imply some sort of blame for the patient not adequately converting T4.

(I have often winced at a specific phrasing: faulty gene. The genome is so incredibly complicated and large we all have unusual, different genes some of which might appear to result in unfavourable variations.)

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to helvella]

Anatomically and genetically inadequate probably goes for us all - even the ones who aren’t ill with progressive or chronic illness.But as the aim of life, society and civilisation isn’t to be the ubermensch so it doesn’t need saying repeatedly!

[BrynGlas in reply to helvella]

LoL I love your logic Helvella.

I stopped taking Levo once I had got myself feeling as though I had a life again on self sourced and funded T3?

I couldn't convert Levo anyway.

[shaws Administrator]

GPs have to follow the guidelines laid down by the British Thyroid Association. The Endocrinologist has to follow the guidelines laid down by their Association.

Once upon a time we had GP doctors who would diagnose and prescribe to the patient options if levothyroxine was not improving their thyroid health. There was NDTs (natural dessicated thyroid hormones prescribed since 1892) and these restored health but now withdrawn from the NHS..

Unfortunately, for new doctors or endocrinologists they seem not to have been educated in the way thyroid hormones work or that options are needed for some patients who do not improve on levothyroxine or have some resistance and wold need a higher dose than would be 'normal'.

Few GPs seem to fully knowledgeable about anything to do with the thyroid gland.

I know of one who phoned to state:

Your TSH is too low - Your T3 too high - and T4 too low.

My response:

TSH is low because I take T3 only and T3 is high because that's what I take. T4 is low because I take none.

His response:-

"But T3 converts to T4."

No doctor that's incorrect. T4 should convert to T3

[dayoff in reply to shaws]

I have had hypothyroidism for 20 years. Levothyroxine for 12 years (8 years misdiagnosed). Never felt great. Since turning 40 6 years ago I have struggled with every day functions. No joy with GP. A private clinic put me on Progesterone cream for 3 years. Amazing at first, slowly wearing off then turning toxic in my system causing breathlessness and fast heart. It resolved when I stopped the cream in Oct 21. Feeling awful I returned to the same clinic (choices low) and have been given 5mgc of slow release T3 to take along with my usual 75mg of levo. However, I'm not convinced this lady knows too much about thyroids and more about HRT. She has given me little to no info on T3 or how to take it and 2 weeks on im not sure it's added anything but some hyperactive/sometimes edgy feelings for 2-3 hours a day! You seem to know a lot about t3. Any advice|?

[shaws Administrator]

I'm sorry you are not yet feeling an improvement.

Regarding T3 - I only found out about it when I first joined Thyroiduk and I felt so very unwell and - like many others - initially didn't feel any benefit on levothyroxine and it gave me severe palpitations.

As well as Thyroiduk there was a scientist/researcher/doctor and expert on T3 who was also an Adviser to Thyroiduk for several years. His name was Dr John Lowe a researcher/scientist/doctor.

Unfortunately for us Dr John Lowe had a serious bad fall that caused a brain bleed with the result that he died prematurely. He had still carried on with his work even when bed-bound until he died a little while after the fall.

Dr Lowe's site is still on the internet and I think you will learn a lot from reading it.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

I cannot tolerate levothyroxine but thrive on liothyronine. I only need a low dose.

Some GPs seem to only have a little knowledge about a dysfunctional thyroid gland as I would have been diagnosed earlier and the fact that I knew nothing about a dysfunctional thyroid gland (like many of us) also had to read and learn of how best to recover my health.

My GP has made some stupid comments to me and I told him "that's untrue".

When you decide what dose you are going to start with - don't rush but take things more slowly and increase gradually. Leave sufficient space between taking thyroid hormones and eating.

We also had options in the UK but the 'powers that be' have removed a number of thyroid hormone replacements that are known to have restored health to hypo patients, i.e. NDTs (natural dessicated thyroid hormones) first prescribed and saved lives from 1892 onwards. Being made from animals' thyroid glands it was conducive to the human bodies.

At present in UK, we can be prescribed levothyroxine or liothyronine (T4 and T3) Many doctors only prescribe T4 as T3 is more expensive.

This is the method to follow when you are going to have a blood test for thyroid hormones:-

Always get the earliest possible blood draw - it should always be the very earliest, and fasting (you can drink water). Also allow a gap of 24 hours between your last dose of thyroid hormones and the blood draw.

Always get a print-out of your results for your own records and also request as well as the TSH:-

B12, Vit D, iron ferritin and folate.

[dayoff in reply to shaws]

Thanks for this info Shaws. Sad to hear about Dr Lowe. I'll get back in touch with the clinic and ask for the blood tests. Thanks again