# THose on Natural Desiccated Thyroid, how do you avoid foods/supps



## Defeat The Curse (Jun 30, 2011)

I'm about to make the switch from synthroid to Natural Desiccated thyroid, probably erfa or acella, haven't decided which brand ..

I hear they have better absorption and armour has cellulose in it now and has to be chewed well... anyway sorry that's another topic.

I'm trying to prepare for taking the NDT in three doses a day to decrease the amount of t3 gotten at once so there's less of a spike as opposed to someone who takes like 2 or 3 grains at once in the morning.

I'm going to start super low dose and wean off synthroid slowly as well, like drop my synthroid by about 25 mcg every two weeks while raising the NDT 1/2 grain every two weeks .. or something along those lines, maybe only a quarter grain raises and less of a drop on synthroid, haven't figured it out which approach i'll take, need more research...

*Back to my original point.*

I take multivitamin which has some calcium and iron, and i take iron 65 mg a day, and i eat every 3-4 hours..

I read i'm supposed to avoid food with thyroid meds so how am i supposed to fit 3 doses of NDT in throughout the day?

any suggestions how others do it would be great.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

I am sorry I can't offer any help. I take 2 grains of Nature-throid at 4:30 a.m. and the supplements at 4:30 p.m. I have never felt the T3 rush.

Best of luck to you!


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## Defeat The Curse (Jun 30, 2011)

no you helped thanks.

do you chew, swallow or let it disolve under your tongue??

do you take it at 4:30 am then go back to sleep? what time do you eat in the morning and wake up?

I think the t3 rush thing happens when people first start it maybe?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Defeat The Curse said:


> I'm about to make the switch from synthroid to Natural Desiccated thyroid, probably erfa or acella, haven't decided which brand ..
> 
> I hear they have better absorption and armour has cellulose in it now and has to be chewed well... anyway sorry that's another topic.
> 
> ...


Don't have any experience with the plan you have laid out for yourself (or your doctor did?)

Take my Armour (3 1/2 grains) @ precisely 5:20 AM every morning and go about my business. I usually have my morning yogurt at around 6:15 and I have had 2 cups of coffee with heavy real cream prior.

I don't have to worry about iron supplement. I have done the above for close to 15 years now and never have had a problem of any kind.

What is your starting dose of NDT? It should never be more than 1/2 grain and you could mess your self up by taking your T4 instead of stopping it.

Armour (just using it as an example) is the perfect 4 to 1 ratio.


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## Defeat The Curse (Jun 30, 2011)

Andros

No I'm starting at half a grain and weaning off synthroid at the same time which ive heard of others doing.

T4

Dont got a doc worth a damn yet. he doesnt even check my labs but once every three months so i get them done myself ... i need to find a doctor that will prescribe Ndt

Andros so you take your entire dose in the morning... i heard the t3 doesnt last all day from others doing it that way or the spike is too much? thats great it works for you. one dose and easy to be over with and dont got to worry about food. thats the only good thing aboit synthroid


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Defeat The Curse said:


> Andros
> 
> No I'm starting at half a grain and weaning off synthroid at the same time which ive heard of others doing.
> 
> ...


I am very active starting from the time I rise so I never notice any spike. While T3 does have a short half-life, it's good to go for 72 hours or more if you are consistent in your dosing.

What are your current FT3 and FT4 lab results looking like and could you include the ranges, please?

When the day is done, I am "normally" tired. But no way do I feel hypo (or hyper!) I just feel good (euthyroid.)

We all wish that for you as well. For a long time, I wasn't sure anymore what "feeling good" was like. And that is no joke!


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

When my endocrinologist decided to switch me from Synthroid to Armour, I took the Synthroid right up to the day I started taking Armour. I never took them on the same day but I never skipped any days between the two medications.

I'm slowly moving up the Armour ladder to success - 60 mg, 90 mg, 105 mg, now 120 mg and I think I'm beginning to feel better. Before, everytime I've started a higher dosage I'd feel a difference for 2-3 days...then almost seem to revert back to problems. Yesterday I felt more like myself than I have since my surgery last September.

I told my doctor back a couple of months ago that I was chewing my morning dose of Armour and her reply was, "I wish you wouldn't do that."

I put my Armour in a little pill cup on my nightstand every night and then swallow it with as much water as I can tolerate around 6:30 A.M. I either catnap or get up and piddle around until I start breakfast approximately an hour later, sometimes less.

I don't ordinarily take any other medications or supplements before lunch. My back has been bothering me so this morning I took Aleve before going to church.

At bedtime I take my vitamins, calcium and a blood pressure drug.


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## Defeat The Curse (Jun 30, 2011)

Andros said:


> I am very active starting from the time I rise so I never notice any spike. While T3 does have a short half-life, it's good to go for 72 hours or more if you are consistent in your dosing.
> 
> What are your current FT3 and FT4 lab results looking like and could you include the ranges, please?
> 
> ...


couple labs from last couple months 
2/1/12 16:34 (awake time)
TSH 4.94 (0.45-4.50 uIU/mL)
Free T4 1.28 (0.82-1.77 ng/ dL) 48%
direct 
Free T3 2.7 (2.0-4.4 pg/mL) 29%
serum
Reverse T3 23.3 (13.5-34.2 ng/dL)
serum
Antithyroglobulin AB <20 (0-40 IU/mL)
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab 24 (0-34 IU/mL)

2/2/12 Started taking 75 mcg synthroid

3/23/12 16:55 (awake time)
TSH 5.98 (0.45-4.50 uIU/mL)
Free T4 1.23 (0.82-1.77 ng/ dL) 43%
direct 
Free T3 2.9 (2.0-4.4 pg/mL) 37.5%
serum
Reverse T3 23.3 (13.5-34.2 ng/dL)
serum

3/10/12 started taking 93.75 mcg synthroid

3/23/12 10:00 (sleep time)
TSH 2.13 (0.34-4.82 uIU/mL)
Free T4 0.8 (0.56-1.61 ng/dL) 23%
Free T3 3.2 (2.3-4.2 pg/mL) 47%

3/30/12 started taking 100 mcg synthroid
4/24/12 cold turned into sinus infection, bronchitis, 5/2/12 went to ARNP got steroid shot/amoxicillin/nasonex, bronchitis and sinus infection cleared up by 5/5/12

5/9/12 16:54 (awake time)
TSH 2.78 (0.45-4.50 uIU/mL)
Free T4 1.57 (0.82-1.77 ng/ dL) 79%
direct 
Free T3 2.5 (2.0-4.4 pg/mL) 21%
serum

I work third shift, so my awake time is 5 pm and sleep time is 9 am, so just backwards, I listed that because i know TSH is higher when you sleep, I never took synthroid before i had labs if it was my awake time, i took the synthroid after the lab draw, the 3/23 lab draw was 10 am, normally when i go to sleep.

Andros, i do remember what it feels like to be normal, but only because during this second battle i had with thyroiditis when i was coming down from slightly hyper phase i passed through euthroid for like 2 weeks where i had energy like i was 20 again .. .and my t3 was like 65% of range at that time go figure, have not had my ft3 that high since.


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