It's been a while, but I wanted to come back and share some things that have been helping with my Hashimoto's lately. I last posted five months ago when I was all over the place with my thyroid med dose, feeling like I was taking too much, so I started taking too little, and had trouble increasing back up. I was at a loss for how to feel better, and my doctor wasn't much help.
It was a gradual process, and it took me at least 3-4 months of struggling with lots of symptoms to see improvement. But now I feel so much better; maybe the best I've felt in years. I've gotten great advice from people on this forum that I used in this healing process. So I wanted to share what's worked for me, in case it could help someone else:
- I got myself up to a consistent dose of 30 mg of NP Thyroid a day. I take half in the AM and half in the afternoon, about six hours after the first dose. I stayed on this consistently for at least 6-8 weeks, then got labs done, and saw only modest improvement in my numbers, but I felt better. After a few months, I felt that tired and generally ill feeling creeping back again, so I added 7 mg of NP to the morning dose. Any dose changes I make are very small and carefully done, and I'm going to stick with a dose for a while and test before changing again!
- Late morning supplements: ashwagandha (350 mg), l-theanine (200 mg), B2 (400 mg, for migraine prevention), probiotic. I swear that the combination of ashwagandha and l-theanine have been LIFE CHANGING for me in terms of cognition and mood. My anxiety and depression that had become crippling, have essentially evaporated. I just *don't care* about things that once sent me into a spiral, and I feel so mentally clear. Of course, I'm not sure if all of these changes combined has me feeling so good, or if it's these supplements in particular, but adding them has been a game changer.
- Afternoon supplements (after 2nd thyroid dose): fish oil, turmeric with ginger (immunity and digestion), vitamin D (6,000 IU/day)
- Evening supplements: iron (ferrochel) w/ vit C (every other day consistently; this is supposed to be better than daily for absorption), multi vitamin, selenium (170 mcg total)
- Before bed supplements: myo-inositol, magnesium (400 mg, also recommended by neurologist for migraine prevention), l-theanine (200 mg)
- Still gluten free. Cut back on dairy a bit too. I try to eat frequently throughout the day to keep blood sugar stable, focusing on protein.
- Reducing stress in a meaningful way, which was a combination of getting hormones/chemicals right, as well as changing thought patterns. I know I have to keep stress under control to prevent from "flaring" again or having a Hashi's swing.
- This was key: keeping a journal of what supplements I took in a day, what I ate, and the symptoms/signs I experienced, until I started to reach a point where I got the combination right. This is extremely helpful for fine tuning my regimen, staying consistent for once with supplements, and I love that I have a record to look back on when making decisions about what to tweak. This helps my health anxiety as well to look back and realize I've experienced a symptom before.
- Wearing a night guard at night and using massage tools on my head and neck for TMJ issues. Now I rarely if ever get migraines, neck pain, or head pressure.
Let me know if you have any questions!
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cam92
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Its lovely to hear that you are feeling significantly better cam92. Reducing stress is important to overall wellbeing and definitely supports thyroid health 🦋
Hi again Cam. I may have missed something in your post - but 30mg or 1/2 grain NDT is like a starter dose. You need to optimise up. It really depends but most adults with Hashi and thyroid disease are on between 90mg and 180mg. In prev posts you say you worked your way up to 45mg. At these super low levels you are going to have all sorts of crazy side effects. You just have to bite the dragon and go 30 then 60 then 90, moving up about every 2-3 weeks. You will get heart palps at 45 that will go away a 60 as an example. I get a mild buzzy head ache for an hour after taking 60mg but it clears and then I have a great next 12 hours. Drink a full glass of water with NDT, it dries you out and can give you reflux feelings . Dont worry about blood tests, they are for GPs. Use how you feel to drive NDT. Once you get NDT and Testosterone levels optimised , stress issues will vanish. All the vitamins and stuff - well. I wouldn't worry about until you sort out NDT dosage.
James I appreciate this approach has worked for you but for many of us this is a recipe for disaster. Been there, done that, got all the t-shirts! "All the vitamins and stuff" is the only way many us have been able to tolerate and optimize thyroid levels.
Me included. I used to take 135 mcg T4 but crashed because of low vitamins/minerals and other autoimmune issues. At one point I could only tolerate 12.5 mcg T4 total and it took me 4 years to get to something even close to a full replacement dose. I could only increase every 4 to 6 months or so, and in very small amounts. 6 years on and I'm not yet optimal, but is as fast as my system can tolerate. I may be extreme, but far from the only one. Cam92 keep doing what works for you.
It's not for nothing admins go on about testing nutrients and going slow.
@Jade - As I understand Cam92 he is on NDT not Levo. Levo is a whole different fish. It is missing most of the T's (3, 2, 1) and your body has to try and make them.
Thanks yes I am aware what it is and how it works - I took NDT for 3 years. Not everyone can raise quickly. In fact NDT precipitated my crash because it brought out all the other issues. My feeling is that NDT & T3 seem to be less forgiving of nutritional and hormonal imbalances.
Thank you both for your replies. Yeah, I have heard 30 is a starting dose, and that staying too low can cause issues. I have also read that iron needs to be optimized to tolerate T3, so I worked on that. I also got some great advice on here, which was to just pick a dose and stay on it for a while to allow my body to adjust. That's what seems to be working so far, so I will only continue to add a bit when I feel that I need it!
I really struggle with anxiety, so was interested to read your post. What is l-theanine meant to be good for please? And I read that ashwagandha can interfere with absorption?
Havent heard it can interfere with absorption but it can raise t4 and t3 levels. I read that awhile back on PubMed or something similar. I've been on a lower dose of ashwagandha for several yrs. It can lower cortisol levels
L-theanine is good for cognition and mood. I've actually ready ashwagandha can be good for those with thyroid disorders from blogs by practitioners like Aviva Romm and Izabella Wentz.
Thanks! A family member who is an integrative doctor recommended l-theanine for anxiety and to help with brain fog. It's supposed to bring a calm state of focus.
Thanks very much! I have ordered some to give it a try x
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am at the very beginning of my journey raising NDT, hoping desperately to feel better. Appreciate all your insights and time you’ve taken to share with us 🙏🏻 Stay well x
Naturally Desiccated Thyroid hormone. In the pharmaceutical world it is most commonly derived from porcine / pig thyroids. NDT derived from bovine (cow) thyroids is available without a prescription and is generally weaker. Not to imply that bovine NDT is less effective, no. I am currently taking bovine NDT. very minute amounts, and am extremely grateful for it's mild effectiveness. The good thing about experimenting with bovine dosage amounts is that if you DO happen to go overboard the dosage dissipates in hours, as opposed to what can be weeks if overdosed with, for example Levothyroxine. Of course, all of this is very much dependent upon the individual and their ability (or lack thereof) to eliminate toxins, which any overdose becomes, again if, in fact, while we are finding what works for us one goes overboard. It happened to me, (Heart palpitations, dizzyness, dry mouth, etc.) It can be scary. I learned from here and other places (including Dr.s) to not panic, but to bide my time and wait a while - over dose symptoms subside rather quickly with bovine NDT. That's one more good thing about bovine NDT.
All of this goes without saying, that having a Dr. or Naturopath, or some medically trained monitoring / advice is the safest way to navigate any course of treatment / medicine. I am duty bound to state: I am not a Dr. (Just someone who has learned a lot and fought my way to good health). HealthUnlocked is an excellent place to pick up some great ideas from others who have had to navigate the broken health system / find what works.
Cam92 - thank you so much for posting what works for you! Isn't HealthUnlocked a wonderful place?
I was like you in the 30 mg of NP Thyroid ( I actually took several different versions of the the pharmaceutical dessicated pig thyroid) and yes, like you even went down in dosage from there with adding various vitamin, mineral, enzyme type experiments over more than 30 years. I haven't been associated with HealthUnlocked for 30 years, but I am so glad to have finally found it.
The idea on keeping journal is spot on - good for you!! More than one physician (for different ailments) have advised me to do the exact same thing. You are so right - keeping trusting what you do that works, and MORE importantly makes you feel better. It bears repeating in light of those that would "nay say" / doubt / try and critique. Who is more of an expert on how you feel than you?! For pity sake, as the saying goes, I mean really! I once spoke these very same words to a Dr. who was trying to get me to abandon Armour Thyroid, and return to Levo. (I too am a poor convertor) If it were not for folks like you, that took the time to let me know what worked for them - and there are many here, I would not have had the courage nor knowledge to stand up and advocate for my own great health. (Which I am presently enjoying!)
One of the best things I found in addition to vitamins, herbs, minerals, etc . was greatly reducing iodine intake. I did have Hashimoto's (am not quite 100% healed, maybe never will be in our present toxicity laden environment) I am 98% healed. I greatly reduced dairy, eggs, anything from the sea, and other foods high in iodine. Here in the US that includes removing iodized salt from cooking / table. I shout "Kosher Salt" from the mountain tops! For the past two years, I have been free of needing replacement thyroid hormone, except for tiny amounts of bovine dessicated thyroid hormone from time to time. Collagen is helping me now to lose weight, small incremental losses, but steadily loosing weight! Can you believe it? And all of this despite that fact that almost everyone told me I was "imagining" / it can't be done. (Funny isn't it? That's what the endocrinologists said when I first began to seek help for a failing thyroid!) To be sure, I wasn't so confident myself that Hashimoto's could be healed. Many trails and failures. However, if I had continued with Levo, I AM quite sure I would not still be here today. When main stream medical fails.....
May I again congratulate you and thank you for sharing. Someone (me for one) will be encouraged to continue to advocate for their own health. It can be so scary, but when we listen to what our own body is saying, and do all kinds of research, (and keep a journal!) we can find our own way.
Thanks so much for this kind reply! I'm so happy to hear that you have healed! That is interesting, because my mom who also has Hashimoto's was taking Armour thyroid in her 30s and 40s, and is now 60 and hasn't taken any thyroid hormone in like a decade. I believe she could benefit from getting back on it, but overall she feels fine and doesn't have any crazy hypo symptoms!
Right about the Hashimoto's resolving itself after menopause especially. One bit of research I found state that about 25% of all Hashimoto's resolves itself. (If this is knowledge Dr.s have at there disposal, it would offer at least a glimpse of why they tend to fob off a large percentage of Hashimoto's patients in the first place?) Another school of thought says that the reason women make up the largest percentage of Hashimoto's suffer's is because of estrogen dominance. (I have known for decades that I did have estrogen dominance). It would then, make sense that menopause might bring that estrogen dominance down.
But again, by far and above all of these "what if's" iodine toxicity and eating a more balance diet concerning what contains iodine has been the single greatest key to finding a healing place for me. It just so happens That finding Dr. Alan Christianson and his 40 year practice with helping thyroid patients coincided with menopause. I know for sure that over consumption of iodine was a major piece of the healing puzzle because occasionally I do stray and eat / have too much iodine (eating out mostly) and the symptoms come back. In just a week or so (behaving myself afterwards) and I am right as rain again. Dr. Christianson also is a great promoter of liver cleansing / liver health. For me, his advice again proves right when it comes to abstaining from alcohol. I can have only the random glass of wine. In a season of celebrating that comes around from time to time, when wine flows freely, I can tell immediately when I have given the liver more than it can handle. I have learned to drink club soda!
Very interesting! That's what my mom says as well, that her symptoms largely resolved after menopause. I also agree; I like to drink, but know I feel better when I don't!
It can be very helpful to see what treatments and supplements suit some people, but, of course, we all vary in our reactions to them. The adaptogen Ashwaghanda, although it seems to work well in your case, for instance, is generally contra-indicated for anyone with autoimmune conditions, including Hashimoto's, RA, diabetes and lupus. We are all different!
Thank you so much for posting. I am very interested in some of these supplements and would like to learn more from people that are taking them. May I ask where you learned about the combinations and timing of the supplements you are taking - for example, you are taking magnesium in the evening and some other supplements earlier in the day. Is there a stimulant effect or a calming effect with some or combination of some supplements?
A lot of the supplements I added one by one over time. The combinations and timing were a bit of research and experimentation. I believe magnesium has a calming effect, so I take it before bed. I read that taking magnesium with iron can block absorption, so I take them several hours apart. I have to take iron at night so that it is at least four hours away from my afternoon thyroid dose. The mid-morning supplements help with mood and focus for the day, but I try to take them 1-2 hours after the morning thyroid dose to make sure I'm absorbing it. Certain vitamins I think it is best to take with food, like vitamin D and the multi vitamin. I think splitting up my thyroid meds into two doses helped a lot; it helps give me some more energy in the evening, but it doesn't interfere with sleep, and I read that with taking NDT, it's best to take it in 2-3 doses throughout the day to mimic the body's natural rhythms more closely, rather than taking one big dose in the morning.
Yes, I've read a little bit of conflicting research on ashwagandha, but it is actually highly recommended for thyroid health by practitioners I follow online, Aviva Romm and Izabella Wentz. I've learned a lot from their writings, so I trusted them that I could take it, and I think it has positive benefits for me!
Hi Cam, great to hear you are finding your sweet spot, I tried ashwagandha but it wasn't for me.... I later realised it is from the nightshade family which I can't tolerate! 🙄
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