Can I add NDT to T3 and T4

[pinolover]

Having had an under active thyroid for 33 years and never feeling properly medicated ,too many tales of being taken down due to suppressed tsh and finally being given T3 because I am a poor converter however my T4 was taken down to 75mcg and you can only have 10mcg of T3 in Devon. Since then I began having digestive problems so went to a private doctor who says I no longer have hashimotos as my antibodies are now low but I have central thyroidism so my tsh means nothing. He thinks I need more T3 ( which blood test confirms is low as is T4)so he wants me to switch to Metavive which is a glandular* and come off of NHS medication. But I am afraid of doing this as I fear the surgery will kick me out as I am going against the endocrinologist advice . So I wondered if I could just add a smaller amount of NDT to my NHS perscription so I dont have to cut ties with the surgery which is a scary thing at 73. Can the synthetic be mixed with natural as long as the dosing is carefully monitored . Any advice or experience on this please.

*added glandular to clarify

[PurpleNails Administrator]

“private doctor who says I no longer have hashimotos as my antibodies are now low but I have central thyroidism so my tsh means nothing”

I don’t think this is accurate. Antibodies are clearing up the debris from autoimmune (Hashimoto’s) attacks. A positive result is evidence of autoimmune activity. It’s just that the antibodies have lowered down to negative levels. Unfortunately you will always have Hashimoto’s.

TSH shouldn’t be the focus, I understand why at a certain point it virtually worth forgetting but it does mean something.

Metavive is a glandular, & sold as food supplement. It does not contain declared levels of T4 & T3 as a NDT would.

I’ve no experience of it as my thyroid condition is different but I know some find it helps support synthetic replacement & improve conversion & nutrients.

[greygoose]

Your GP is an idiot! 🤣 Hashi's never goes away, it's with you for life. But antibodies fluctuate all the time and it doesn't mean anything. They have maybe reduced because your thyroid has finally been destroyed and there's nothing left to attack - antibodies appear in large numbers after an attack to clean up the blood - but you'll still have Hashi's.

And your TSH is l

ow because you're taking thyroid hormone replacement - that often happens - not because you've suddenly developed a pituitary/hypothalamus problem. Still if that means he's stopped dosing by the TSH then that can only be a good thing!

Metavive is NOT the same as NDT. It is what we call a glandular. It is totally unregulated so that it can be sold OTC, so you never know how much thyroid hormone you're getting nor if you get the same in every pill. It is really not a good idea to change from T4+T3 to taking Metavive exclusively. But you could try adding it to your other hormones, see what happens. It suits some people, some people it doesn't. But there's no way you can monitor the dosing - carefully or otherwise - because you will never know exactly how much hormone you're taking.