1. Community
  2. Diabetes and hormone problems
  3. Hypothyroidism

This will make your hair curl - if you have any left.

Posted , 8 users are following.

LAHs
LAHs

i have just dug up something that is going to drive you crazy!  

Here we are trying to diagnose why we still feel ill even though we are prescribed Levothyroxine T4 monotherepy. And why are we discourged from asking for  a better medication called Armour Thyroid or another form of Natural Dessicated Thyroid (NDT)? The latter has T3, T2 and T1 in addition to T4, all the things we need to function properly. 

Well, listen to this: Hillary Clinton has hypothyroidism! And what do you think she was prescribed, you guessed it, Armour Thyroid! No crappy Levothyroid for the presidential candidate, only the best and most effective of course! 

Go to tpauk . com (no spaces) to get all of the details. While you are there read the "52 errors by Endocrinology leaving patients to feel wretched". The details about Hillary's care is entitled:

"If NDT is good enough for Hillary Clinton it's good enough for us!"

And what made me cry was the one comment that someone had left, it read: "If you have money, brains and education Synthetics are not your choice!"

People, NDT is not that expensive, about $30 for a three month supply. Stop suffering, go get another endo and another if s/he didn't get the memo. I consider this shocking.

4 likes, 86 replies

86 Replies

Prev
  • Emis_Moderator
    Emis_Moderator LAHs

    Posted

    I have removed several mentions of the commercial company as this is advertising. If users wish to exchange these details use the private message service. Do not try to get around moderation by breaking links up as was done here.
    • LAHs
      LAHs Emis_Moderator

      Posted

      Very sorry, I truly wasn't trying to advertise. I was just so happy and relieved that I could get essential blood tests refused by my doctor, I guess I went a little overboard. Won't happen again.
  • terry74787
    terry74787 LAHs

    Posted

    How can this information be used to get us the medication we need?

     

  • Tutu123
    Tutu123 LAHs

    Posted

    I heard about this Too LAHS. Money can buy you the best of anything. In the UK the nhs won't even fund NDT you can only get it privately and if you can't afford it, synthetic meds are your only option!

    What a joke for the rest of us eh?!

    • LAHs
      LAHs Tutu123

      Posted

      Regardng costs of meds, things are no longer so great in the US. I went to collect my prescription for Armour NDT last week (first refil of the new year) and guess what? The price had more than DOUBLED! When she first told me, "That will be $96 please." I just said, "Oh I think you have it wrong somewhere, it is usually about $38!". Noop, she was right (I went to 4 other departments to find out why!) And, yes, the manufacturer (Actavis(sp)) has put up the price. So there  you are, even though I am on Medicare, medical assistance for people over 65 in the US, I must still fork out $96 four times a year. 
    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 LAHs

      Posted

      Hello LAH:

      It sounds like your medicare plan has it on a bad tier level, Not prefered generic?  You can do it by mail order and through a prefered mail order and ask what price it would be before ordering it.

      When Open enrollment happens in October to Dec. look for a plan that supports NDT.  Each one is different.  My hubby had to change plans for some of his meds as one plan was higher than another.

      Regards, Shelly

  • kathleen61417
    kathleen61417 LAHs

    Posted

    I take a form of NDT but I was hospitalized for Atrial Fibrillation and my NDT along with vitamins and even Prednisolone were locked up. I was put on Bisoprolol and not even synthetic T4. They blamed the NDT for the Afib. After a complaints procedure and breakdown of trust in my local hospital and ENDO,

     the Specialist in London who is dealing with problems caused by a mesh TVT referred me to an ENDO there.

    I attended a week before seeing this ENDO in London for blood tests leaving off the NDT on the morning of the tests. However when I attended the ENDO at London she wanted more blood tests done but as I explained that I had already had two grains of NDT by then and thyroid tests would not be relied on.

    I eventually received the results and was advised to not take the NDT on Saturdays or Sundays as I was taking too much.

    I only left it off for one day and my BP went higher than ever although no Afib or racing pulse, but on resuming my NDT my BP lowered, so the heart needs T3.

    I then had private thyroid tests done which are faxed through to my GP and I also get a coded PDF with the results which usually arive time I get back home, and I am certainly not taking too much NDT and can increase it slightly if there is a rise in  my BP. I have not noted Afib for some time now, so have to feel that NDT is in fact helping and not causing Afib.

    Should any hospital lock my NDT or Vitamins up again I would discharge myself from that hospital.I do have to purchase my own NDT but at least I can stay more healthy than on synthetic T4 and antipsychotic drugs given out all too readily by the NHS.

    They also blame NDT as causing Osteoporosis, but not the Prednisolone that is known to cause Osteoporosis. I have not been diagnosed either with Osteoporosis.

    • barbara98940
      barbara98940 kathleen61417

      Posted

      The only thing I can think of why you would be instructed to leave off the NDT for a couple of days is because your T4 is too high. Otherwise surely you would have been asked to decrease your dose??

      A way of getting T4 lower without affecting T3 would be to switch to bovine NDT as its T4:T3 ratio is closer to that of humans than the bovine one. It would be worth asking your endo next time you go why she wanted you to take an NDT holiday for a couple of days, rather than decreasing the dose.

    • barbara98940
      barbara98940

      Posted

      Sorry that should have read...

      A way of getting T4 lower without affecting T3 would be to switch to bovine NDT as its T4:T3 ratio is closer to that of humans than the porcine one.

    • kathleen61417
      kathleen61417 barbara98940

      Posted

      The tests that were done in London were after taking the two grains of NDT that day and these were the results TSH 0.06  Ref  0.27-4.20 mU/L----FT4 10.3  Ref 12-22 pmol/L----FT3 7.6   Ref 4.0-6.8pmol/L  and cutting down just for one day caused a large rise in my BP.

      My private lab tests done without taking any NDT on the morning were-----TSH 0.56 Ref 0.27-4.20 IU/L -----FT3 3.64 Ref 3.1-6.8 pmol/L----FT4 7.56 Ref 12-22 pmol/L.

      The Endo in London should know that taking any T3 containing hormone before the test would show a high FT3 and shows that when leaving it off the BP rises and on the day the heart rate was irregular, but since then it has been more stable. The pivate lab results with not taking  NDT on the day of the test show normal range except the FT4 which would be lower if taking any T3 and this test which was more reliable shows I do not need to lower the FT4 and the TSH and FT3 are both within range.

      How many ENDO's are getting it wrong?

    • barbara98940
      barbara98940 kathleen61417

      Posted

      I'm surprised that your endo concentrated more on your TSH than your low T4. With you taking NDT I would have expected your T4 to be higher (even though I have no medical knowledge).

      I was recently in a similar situation. I went to see a new endo in January. I took with me two sets of blood tests. One that showed my levels without taking NDT prior to the blood test, and one that showed my levels having taken my NDT in the morning 7 hours before the test.

      3rd Feb 2016. No NDT prior to test. T3=3.7 pmol/L (2.6-5.7); T4=14 pmol/L (9-19); TSH=1.5 mU/L (0.4-4.9)

      8th Feb 2016 after taken NDT 7 hours before: T3=6.3 pmol/L (2.6-5.7); T4=16.4 pmol/L (9-19); TSH=0.02 mU/L (0.4-4.9)

      My endo looked at the T3 & T4 results and said my T3 was fine as I was on NDT. This was when I was on 750mg ThyroGold.- I had taken 450mg on the morning of the test and took the remaining 300mg after the test.

      I'm dosing myself according to symptoms. You seem to be doing a pretty good job of doing so by the sound of things.

      What do you think of the following idea?...Thinking about your low T4, when your T3 wears off after 6-8 hours, if you've got low T4 it means you will have insufficient to convert to T3 during the night when you're not getting T3 from your NDT. In which case have you thought of splitting your NDT daily dose so that you take a small amount at night, say a quarter of a grain?

    • kathleen61417
      kathleen61417 barbara98940

      Posted

      I already take two grains in two divided doses, but my BP rose and I did take another half a grain on going to bed and it brought my BP back down, but will omly take the extra if my BP is up. They said also that a referral for Synacthen testing was sent but have heard nothing more about it.

      Random low cortisol  of 104 and likely to be caused by chronic steroid use for Polymyalgia and it has been suggested that before any surgery that my GP switches me onto Hydrocortisone. I think too that the steroids are affecting strength in my leg muscles so have ordered a cycle exerciser to strengthen them. Another thing is that I get painful cramp which usually occurs from laying on my side to getting onto my back so in turn it might be due to not having enough T4 so it maybe worth taking that extra half grain on going to bed to see if cramp stops, as cramp is worse than other forms of pain as all you can do is to lay in agony until it stops as you cannot move. yesterday a GP gave me painkillers but the list of side effects as long as your arm would only serve to worsen my condition. I could say more on this but the moderator might not allow it.

Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.