# Autoimmune reaction to NDT? Switching to Synthroid



## shesupsidedown (Mar 18, 2017)

I have posted on here recently about my medication drama (sorry for not following up! Work went crazy along with my health)...

My doctors latest theory is to switch from NDT which I have been on for 6 years to Synthroid as she wants to rule out a autoimmune reaction to the NDT.

Quick summary: I shot up hyperthryroid and stopped my medication to resolve the feeling of being speedy every time I took my meds. After 4 days, I started taking 1 grain of NDT (I had been taking 2 grains). Tried adding straight T3 which was awful. I couldnt tolerate it...I literally felt psychotic and as if I was on amphetamines. I have been holding steady at 1 grain split in 1/4 grains throughout the day for about two weeks. The symptoms I was having (sense of doom, daily anxiety attacks, heart palps, extreme restlessness, dissociation, insomnia, weight gain in belly, eye issues, head pressure) have subsided a bit (and some have disappeared completely)...though still present on a lesser scale and now I need a lot of naps. But silver lining: I don't feel as if I am ingesting speed when I take my meds anymore!

Has anyone experienced a autoimmune reaction to NDT? Or made the switch to synthetic and felt better? Feeling pretty nervous about it. But I have been having autoimmune "flares" for at least the last year now so maybe I have become allergic to NDT?

Most annoying symptom currently is the dissociative feeling which is only fixed by taking xanax. I am happy otherwise, so I don't believe my anxiety is emotional, clearly its a reaction to my body feeling weird.

Thankfully I did not come up positive for Graves as I was suspected.

My latest labs:

Keep in mind I had been significantly tinkering with my meds the week before so my doc said much of this wouldn't be accurate, so I added my previous labs from february of this year as well.

T3 free (2.3-4.2) 2.5 , before: 4.8 (had been as high as 9 earlier in the year)

T4 free (.8-1.8) .8 , before: 1.10

T3 reverse (8-25) 10, never been tested before

Antibodies:

TSI: (<140) <89 , never been tested before

TPO (<9) 1 , before: (00.0-60.0) <28.0

thyroglobin (< or = 1) 60 , back in the summer of last year was 160 (0.0-60.0)

TSH (no reference range given?) .05, before: (.400-4.000) .008

Ferritin: (10-232) 49 , before: 24

D, 25 (30-100) 42, before: 56

Cortisol was on the low side throughout the day. I had low glucose levels this go round, though I have been checking my blood sugar throughout the day.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm not sure what "autoimmune reaction" really means...but I can tell you that TSI is your problem. You shouldn't have any. The fact that you are "below range" is meaningless.

I have never been on NDT, but prior to surgery I had high levels of TSI and tried to take synthroid. My husband's exact words were "You acted like a meth addict." I would imagine on NDT, it would be considerably worse.

The TSI results basically means Graves is brewing. You will have a very, very hard time stabilizing on meds of any kind.

Have you had a thyroid ultrasound?


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## shesupsidedown (Mar 18, 2017)

You know what's so interesting? I would tell my friends that I felt a "sense of doom" and when I read the Graves symptoms and saw that exact phrase, I thought I MUST be experiencing Graves. Its not a common feeling to be having!

I have not had a thyroid ultrasound.

I had tried LDN for a brief moment in time (like a week) but discontinued because my panic attacks required Xanax and LDN makes Xanax not able to work? At least that's what I was told. Maybe I should try it again.

As for the autoimmune flares I was referring to, my body has these hot spots that act up and mysteriously disappear as quickly as they appear over the last 6 months: for example a reoccurring uti, boils, hives, cold sores...sometimes they wouldn't happen, I would just feel the beginning symptoms and then nothing.


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## creepingdeath (Apr 6, 2014)

Quite the opposite .
Synthetic was like poison to me.
NDT isn't perfect but I'd be dead without it.
My antibodies are always off the charts.
Never had any reaction to desiccated thyroid.

Everyone is different..


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Ask for a thyroid ultrasound before you do anything else.no reason to throw darts blindly at the wall ????


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Agreed - ultrasound first.

A friend of mine is allergic to NDT. Had to take antihistamine to counteract the allergic response. Never felt good on them and ended up going back to synthetic.

Your labs are really hypo.


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## shesupsidedown (Mar 18, 2017)

Ok! I will ask for the ultrasound.

My labs aren't accurate right now because of all the medication switcheroos...I'd say I still feel hyper even though labs show hypo.


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## shesupsidedown (Mar 18, 2017)

UPDATE!

Turns out I am hypoglycemic. I went to get blood work done two days ago and when my glucose was tested, I was critically low...like go-to-the-hospital-and-get-an-IV kind of low. So since then I have been watching my symptoms and testing my blood sugar and have found they absolutely correlate. Good to note: even when I am in normal range I will have symptoms at around 70-85...so I have been "treating" my levels even when not below 70 and have felt much better.

I thought I ate the healthiest diet ever but apparently it still needs tweaking to stabilize my blood sugar levels.

I also switched from NDT to Synthroid 3-4 days ago. Feeling much better though I know it takes two+ weeks to see where my dose is or if I can tolerate the new meds. I am taking it before bed. So far so good.

My cortisol levels are fine as is my progesterone. Doing a lot more testing as far as my insulin/glucose goes...hopefully that will shed some light on what has been happening.

I will keep updating as I never like it when we don't know the outcome on these threads!


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