I am swapping from Levo and T3 (75 Levo and 2x5mcg T3 daily) to NDT. I have 1 grain tablets supplied by Roseway.
Should I stop my current medication one day and start with 1 grain the next day or would this be too much of a shock to the system? Perhaps I should continue to take 25mcg T4 while commencing the 1 grain NDT. I have no real idea what to do.
Any advice would be so much appreciated. Thank you so much.
hello sorry you haven’t had an answer in a few hours, I’m not familiar with NDT but hopefully my reply will bump your query up the message list and someone will spot it.
I find the prescriber at Roseway super helpful, she’d probably help if you pop her an email.
Tagging radd for advice
Many thanks Rege allotment. The prescriber suggested dropping current meds and switching to 1 grain. After a couple of weeks add another grain if feeling ok. I thought this might be a bit harsh on my system.
When I changed from 75mcg Levo plus 6.5mcg of T3, I went to 1 grain of NDT (WP Thyroid). I only had to add 1/4 grain of NDT to get to my best blood level. This was the best NDT for me. I am now on 1. 625 grains of Roseway compounded NDT, but am just about to lower this as my FT3 is a little high for me. Much better to raise all thyroid meds in small doses. Hope you find your sweet spot without too much trial and error.
Thank you for your reply. So you stopped levo/T3 one day and started 1 grain ndt next day? How did you feel in the early stages?I only have one grain compounded capsules from Roseway so I'm worried as I won't be able to split them to raise in small increments. I am reluctant to spend yet more money!!
Do you find the ndt better than the combination of levo/T3?
Many thanks again.
I can honestly say that I felt better by the third day on WP NDT (which, unfortunately, is no longer available, and was the best one for me). I could really feel my mood lifting and by the first blood test my blood labs had improved and even my NHS Endo commented how stable my bloods were. Now on Roseway compounded NDT still better than Levo, but not as stable as WP NDT. NDT is much better than combo Levo/T3 for me. Yes, that is the only problem with capsules, they cannot be split, but Roseway can tailor your dosage by 0.125 grains NDT. Still not as good as tablets, but once on correct dose is reliable.
Thank you Nightingale. I'm glad you are feeling better. I am a bit nervous about swapping over but I will have to try as I am not well on Levo/T3.I may try to split the capsule if I feel I need less than 1grain. I know it's not advised but I have heard of some who have done this.
Can I ask if you split your dose and how long do you leave between last dose and blood tests?
Many thanks. Much appreciated.
No, I don't split my dose, but get Roseway to make my dose into smaller amounts. I don't trust that it would split very well and the T3 part of it has to be equal each time.
Thank you Nightingale for taking time to reply. Best wishes.
i went from levo to NDT and swapped 25mg levo for 1/4 grain NDT and gradually titrated NDT up and levo down I was on 125mcg levo, and ended up on 1.25 grains of NDT and felt much better. I’d been starved of t 3 for years and had to take it very gradually. I had tablets so splitting the dose up was easy. I take thyroids and find it very satisfactory.
Given you’re already taking t3 a straight swap might be ok.
I’d not be scared, the t3 clears quickly from the system so if it feels too much you can stop and let it clear away. One grain ought be ok to replace what you are on now.
I hope it goes ok ☘️🍀☘️
Many thanks for your reply TSH110. I haven't embarked on the swap yet... Im trying to build up the courage!
I used this to guide me, but it’s probably superfluous if you do a straight swap. It’s helpful about signs you have gone over your sweet spot and what to do about & it’s very reassuring. I found the advice spot on:
I was terrified to start ndt but I never looked back, I felt so much better & I was lucky that results were fast. I needed a huge boost. I hope yours goes as well 👍🏼😊👍🏼
Eton
Because you have been medicating a T4/T3 combo, you can do a straight swop. Are you on Armour or compounded tablets?
All NDT works differently to synthetics and the bio-equivalence isn’t always what manufacturers claim. Just remain mindful and test after 6 weeks to assess FT4 & FT3 levels but given your previous dose on synthetics I would suggest you might eventually need to increase to 1.25 grains or 1.5. For your own confidence you could always keep daily temp & pulse checks until optimally medicated again.
diogenes (forum scientist researcher) always claimed NDT remained bound to thyroglobulin until reaching the stomach and small intestine where digestion eventually releases the hormones, offering a natural time release. I used to split dose my synthetic meds as found them harsh, and remained splitting Armour for about a year before trying once a day and finding no difference. I think the trick is to ensure your adrenals have recovered enough to tolerate once-a-day dosing, and if you are still experiencing the common ‘afternoon-slump’ keep on multi-dosing.
I love my Armour NDT. Best I’ve ever felt. Good luck with the switch 🤞
Link on testing protocols … healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Thanks Radd. I currently take 75 levo and 10 T3. Should I for example retain 25 levo with one grain or just drop all levo and T3 and begin with one grain. I have compounded capsules from Roseway so don't know if I will be able to split if I need to add more NDT after I acclimatise to one grain. I went for Roseways compounded as it was much less expensive than Armour. I have spent a small fortune over the last 6 years trying to address my thyroid problems.
Thank you.
Eton,
75mcg Levo + 10mcg T3 = approx 105mcg T4
Manufactures claim 1 grain to be bio-equivelent to 100mcg T4 but many members including myself would put it about 80mcg T4.
Therefore, you could do a straight swop to medicate 1 grain of NDT and remain taking 25mcg Levo to equal the same amount of thyroid hormone you were previously medicating. However, the T4:T3 ratio will be more heavily tipped towards T4, eg you’ll only be getting 9mcg T3 in each NDT grain.
If you wanted to switch totally to NDT you would need to get some more compounded quarter NDT grains to allow small increments to find your final dose. Do not increase by 1 grain in one jump as this is too much an increase and likely to exceed your final dose.
Remember NDT works differently to synthetics. My synthetic dose was 75 mcg Levo + 20 mcg T3. My present dose is 1 grain Armour and 50mcg Levo, giving me a much heavier T4 balance but it seems to be working. The way thyroid enzyme deiodinases works allows many of us to only require a tiny bit of T3 to up-regulate conversion enzymes meaning we receive much more than we medicate.
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