Hiya all you helpful peeps!
Had enough of this Erfa malarkey - it just isn't working how I'd hoped.
SO, HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT CONVERTING BACK TO LEVO?
[bearing in mind that I came off levo for 15 days at the beginning of lockdown and have had terrible troubles ever since (now getting on for about 3 years ago 😬) So need to try to make it the least stressful on my system as possible]
1. Would you get blood tests done before anything else?
(I have previous bloods from 60E, 30E/30E/30E and 50L/30E in am, 30 E pm - would these be a good enough guide?)
Results on 125L/100L (March'23)
{Low mood and hypo - v short energy span and teary}
TSH - 2.06 (0.27-4.2)
FT3 - 3.8 (3.1 - 6.8)
FT4 - 17.1 (12-22)
CRP 1.2(<3)
Thyroglobuline AB - 614 (0-115)
Thyroid periodase AB - 208 (0-34)
Results on 60E (Sept '23)
{Very low mood and very hypo}
TSH - 10.9 (0.27-4.2)
FT3 - 3.8 (3.1 - 6.8)
FT4 - 12.2 (12-22)
CRP 2.96 (<3)
Thyroglobuline AB - 565 (0-115)
Thyroid periodase AB - 239 (0-34)
Results on 30E/30E/30E (October '23)
{Better mood and brain power, but very achy and crampy}
CRP - 4.7 (<3)
Ferritin - 81.7 (50-150)
Folate - 19.5 (8.83 -60.8)
B12 [Active] - 106 (37.5-188)
Vitamin D - 87 (50-250)
TSH - 3.38 (0.27-4.2)
FT3 - 5 (3.1 - 6.8)
FT4 - 12.2 (12-22)
Thyroglobuline AB - 716 (0-115)
Thyroid periodase AB - 254 (0-34)
Results on 30E+50L at 7am followed by 30E at 4pm (December '23):
{felt brain fogged and paranoid}
TSH 2.72
FT3 4.3
FT4 16.8
2. Would you just do a direct swap from current Erfa dose to levo equivalent
3. If directly swapping, which equivalents would you go by?
4. Would you go to one dose a day, to try and get the TSH to convert as much to T3 as possible or still split into two as I have been doing for Erfa.
(Eventually I was hoping to experiment with a dose of around 150 Levo, split into two doses am and probably bedtime {prior to going cold turkey, this was the dose that I tended to feel 'best' on})
Currently on a total of 90 Erfa, on Endo's advice
(for about 4 weeks, 2 of which were me trying to take in one hit)
(Endo seems determined to keep me at too low a dose to fuction and I've had enough! To be fair, he was suggesting a different protocol of 90 Erfa all in one hit, but find I just can't seem to tolerate such a big hit of t3 all at once)
I can mostly stay awake better due to a higher t3 than on t4, but get terrible cramps in feet and hands in between doses and look like a huge pale icy puffed up doughball (truly a vision of great beauty to behold!)
Also, my crp has gone up, tsh has gone up and t4 significantly down since joining forces with this endo, although to be fair to him, my t3 has gone up. But the bumpy ride I used to have on levo, is just there in a different format on Erfa and it's so difficult when your drugs pusher is only willing to prescribe a teaser dose...
I have enough levo to be able to have a reasonable run of weeks, after getting back on a more sensible dose for a big fat blooby bumbling bird like myself!!!
Going by my current size, which is even more colossal since getting the 'experts' involved, a theoretical full dose of levothyroxine would be between 125 and 164 per day -I do realise this is just theorectical, but this is the sort of range I've been on for the majority of the last 35 years.
Please note, I haven't ignored previous advice about dessicated thyroid protocols, but have found it just too tricky to tweak, especially in light of the fact that my prescriber is very unwilling to up my dose
Thanks in advance and also (in my usual tardy way):
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
😃