Hi everyone! I am self medicating because I have problem with converting levothyroxine to T3 and my doctor won't admit it. I did so first with T3 for a few years during which I used many brands like Tiromel, Uni Pharma, Thybon H. I was much better for a while but noticed that lately I don't feel that good. so I decided to get NDT instead. I know it has T4 besides T3 and I don't know will this do me any good but organism is a strange thing, maybe I need some T4 now. Plus I wanted to switch to natural product. I was thinking, should I buy Thyroid S since it's cheaper but still decided to go first with the best NDT on the market (those are claims of other people on the internet, please don't blame me if I am wrong). Other thing is that I didn't need 500 tablets because what if it turns out that NDT doesn't suit me. And I don't like to throw away anything, especially meds if I don't have to.
As I just got my Armour and I never used NDT before my question is how much should I take instead of 100 mcg of T3 that I am taking now. Unfortunately I am not that good with math and calculations.
Thanks to all in advance xx
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How did you establish that your T4 to T3 conversion is poor?
100mcg T3 is a fairly large dose , so for comparison ...
1 grain/60mcg of NDT contains 38mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3.
If your conversion is poor then much of that T4 will not convert to T3....much will be metabolised and eventually excreted
So difficult to say how much NDT you would need compared to 100mcg T3....it would be a lot!
The T4 involved in such a dose dose would be high and excess T4 can cause problems eg a greater risk of cancer.
As someone who needs a large dose of T3-only I know I could not switch to NDT.....my T3 level would be far too low with obvious consequences. My conversion is abysmally poor, the result of genetic polymorphisms so including a lot of T4, which I cannot tolerate, would make me very unwell.
My GP knows I self medicate but that was my decision and they do not take responsibility for my thyroid care. I knew that from the outset.
Once you have been on T3-only for some time the system adapts to this so changing back would be a challenge....especially on high doses.
T3-only is the last resort so presumably you investigated all the possible problems/ issues involved before you went down that route.
Were you advised by an endocrinologist or did you follow reliable on-line advice before starting
On high dose T3-only we have to dose by symptoms so you need to listen to what your body is telling you and it sounds as if you are being told change of dose is required.
What symptoms do you have?
Based on your symptoms you need to work out if you are over or undermedicated then adjust your dose accordingly....it's not straightforward I'm afraid
I'd suggest it's too late to change from high dose T3-only to T4/T3 combo or NDT, but that decision is for you to make
You could consult with an endo but I guess they would just advise you to reduce your T3... or stop taking it and start again
Sorry I can't be more helpful....it's a tricky one.
OMG maybe i made a mistake... I know that I am not a good converter by my results, I had too much FT4 but too little of FT3. My doctor said it is OK as long as long as everything is within the reference range. I stopped with levothyroxine and got T3 on my own (he would never prescribe it). I didn't take 100 mcg of it overnight, I did it slowly and was fine for a few years but I needed high dose. But lately I started to feel awful again. I tried to take more or less T3 but nothing happened. I didn't know what to do. People are saying such great things about NDT I just wanted to try, to change something in hope that I will feel well again. Now I don't know what to do... Thanks for trying to help.
So did you buy a pot of 100 one grain tablets of Armour?
Cos… that might give you 33 days of 3 grains a day. Which isn’t really going to be long enough to know whether Armour is going to suit you.
To clarify, I’m not saying that 3 grains is the equivalent of 100mcg of T3–it absolutely isn’t. 3 grains is equivalent to 27mcg T3 and 114mcg T4. That’s maybe very roughly equivalent to 60mcg liothyronine?
But I wouldn’t recommend that you start on 5 grains of Armour—that doesn’t seem like a good idea. You aren’t used to having T4 on board.
And your body has been used to a hefty dose of thyroid meds so starting on one grain and working your way up (like we’d normally advise) probably isn’t going to work for you.
I think we’re going to struggle to advise, quite honestly. I think you may just have to try it.
Thank you. Yes I bought one bottle of Armour with 100 tablets. They are 1 grain. I think I will try it like you suggested. Now that I already bought it there is nothing else to do. I will start slowly and see what's going on. If NDT is not for me... well at least I tried it.
I tried to take less of T3 but nothing changed. I haven't checked B12 and other vitamins lately but they were always normal before. Maybe I should do these tests again...
If you're not currently supplementing then likely your levels may be normal but they wont b optimal. Low in range isnt good. Do get your levels tested and start a new post with the results.
I’m glad you posted this question as I was thinking of trying NDT too. At present I usually take 40mcg of T3 only & have for years. I routinely try to add some T4 but it never makes me feel better. I’m on a lowish dose of T3 but any more upsets my stomach so I’m stuck with my dose. I’m thinking of NDT as Birkie has had such success with Roseway’s compounded NDT recently.
I think I remember reading that some people boost the level of T3 by taking some alongside NDT. Maybe that’s a way you could benefit from the Armour & not rely on it for your T3? Maybe reduce your T3 dose a little & add a grain to your routine building up the NDT slowly & slowly reducing your T3? It sounds as if you’ll never be solely reliant on NDT but it may help. It will mean juggling your doses over months but it might be worth it, test though as it’s possible you might be feeling worse at the moment as you’re now over medicated on 100mcg of T3.
Bertwills Your reply here may trigger PMs being sent to you telling you where you can buy T3, Armour etc. Please be wary! No doubt you're fully aware of the potential for scamming, but I'm pointing you at our Scammer Warning post just in case 😊 healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
This sounds a sensible approach to me. But go very very slowly as I have found that raising my dose on Armour works well only if it’s done allowing the body to settle for a couple of weeks (at least) before the next change, which should be tiny (1/4 grain). I also think that the doctor is right that as long as you keep the T4 and T3 in range you should be OK. Break up the tablets to get a smaller dose - easy by hand. I’ve been self- med on Armour for 7ish years now. Good luck.
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