How to Change to NDT

[Devonlad]

Any advice as to the best way to transition from 119 mcg Levo to NDT, in a gentle way. I have no thyroid.

For example do I stop the Levo one day and start NDT the next, and if so what dose, or do a reduced dose of both for a few days/weeks until acclimatised?

How much NDT should I take, both at the start of the process and then once I've stopped the Levo. I've seen doses of 38 mg T4 and 9 mg T3 (1 grain mentioned whereas I'm on 119 mcg levo - or is that a typo on the dose of NDT ) .

Your experiences and any help and advice is greatly appreciated.

[pennyannie]

Hey there again :

It will take around 6-8 weeks for the synthetic T4 to fully leave your body -

so in that time frame - as one treatment is stopped and tails off another treatment is slowly built up in the body - so hopefully there is a smooth transition from one treatment option to another.

I don't believe there is any similar / equal dose to what you are currently taking as we are looking at a totally different treatment option which includes T3 and T4 - with T3 said to be around 4 times more powerful than T4 - with NDT more potent than T4 - which is basically a pro-hormone and pretty much inert.

Before I switched I ran a full thyroid panel so I had T3 and T4 readings to compare to - and also waited until I had optimal ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D.

I monitored myself on blood pressure, pulse and body temperature AM and PM and also purchased a pill cutter.

I stopped 125mcg T4 one day and started on 1/2 grain NDT the next -

Week 2 - I added 1/4 grain - making 3/4 grain -

Week 3 - I added a further 1/4 grain -

I continued on adding 1/4 grains but when I got to 1+3/4 I felt uncomfortable in my body and on edge - so I dropped down the last 1/4 dose and stayed on 1 + 1/2 grains for 6-8 weeks and then ran a blood test to see what was going on.

I felt good, energised, and my T3 was now 110% and my T4 25% through the ranges and the exact opposite to where my T3 and T4 sat when taking Levothyroxine.

Throughout the experiment my blood pressure and pulse remained stable and I tracked my temperature from 35.4 to 36.6 where it is today around 6 years later.

Some people split their dose - I 've never tried this way - and I take my dose just once with some water in the middle of the night at a toilet break - and go back to sleep for a couple of hours.

If you get to 2 grains - stay on that dose 6-8 weeks and then run a blood test - if your T3 hasn't moved much - and you are still with most of your hypothyroid symptom maybe NDT is not the best treatment option for you -

If you get to 2 grains - and are feeling good but not quite there yet and your T3 moving - start again low and slow increasing in 1/4 grains and monitoring physical, clinical symptoms.

There comes a week when the dose increase doesn't seem to do anything and in fact makes you feel a bit worse anxious - this sign is that you have gone a little too far - so drop down to the previous dose - stay on that dose 6-8 weeks - and then run a blood test to see where you are and what's changed - and hopefully it's near enough where you need to be, and your dose on NDTat this point in time.

NDT does take time to bed into the body and I was still experiencing relief of symptoms some months in and with some weight loss happening around a year into taking NDT.

Your blood tests will look different to those you have on synthetic thyroid hormones.

You track on the T3 and this will likely be proportionately much higher with the T4 proportionately lower and your TSH likely low suppressed.

I think that's all - for now anyway !!

[Devonlad in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you sooo much for that, hadn't realised it was going to be so complicated. I'm going to let things settle down for a month or so after taking Lio and then reassess where I am and how I'm feeling. I really appreciate your feedback so useful.

[pennyannie in reply to Devonlad]

It's not complicated - I've just tried to be as thorough as I can be :

just go 1 step at a time increasing your dose in 1/4 grains -

just as if you were having your T4 increased at the doctors -

but we are not relying on blood tests or waiting months -

low and slow - and run a thyroid T3 and T4 when, if you get to 2 grains

Sorry if I've made it more than it actually is :

[Paquita]

I took 125 mcg Levo and went to 3.25 grain (so 114 mcg T4) of NDT. I started with 1 grain and no Levo, but should have taken (much) more NDT. I went up with a quarter grain each week.

I guess you could add some Levo to the 1 grain, but I have no experience with that. Levo made me feel so bloated and caused weight gain, I wanted to ditch it asap.

[Devonlad]

Paquita, Thanks for the input all very useful information and helps me prepare.

[Litatamon]

The common advice on this site with NDT is slow & steady. I truly believe in that and have been successful doing that with levothyroxine.

However, I started that way with NDT & I believe if I had not totally disregarded that advice and listened to my body I would have been left thinking NDT was not for me, when it most definitely was a great choice.

(I am unfortunately not on NDT anymore due to budget & price.) When I felt like a drug addict with my body wanting more I made the choice to give it more. And went totally off the slow approach.

So not every body is the same. So please if you are feeling really off for bit and you feel like Oh boy this is not for me, go close to where your calculations think you should be.

I am not alone on here in another approach with NDT being a better choice.

All the best to you.