6 weeks on Nature Throid

[chicken50]

My HMO only prescribes Levothroid (my doctor wanted to up my dose again to 175) and after 13 years on synthetic and not feeling well I visited my Naturopath and he gave me Nature Throid in different dosages to try out. One of the main reasons I switched is because I was starting swelling badly which had never happened before and my doctor wanted to put my on a third high blood pressure pill (diuretic) - I have been taking 1/2 grain of the NT and feel really good and amazingly all the swelling went away immediately. I have switched doctors at my HMO and the doctors nurse called me and was sort of giving me a hard time because my TSH test shows a count of 7.5 and she said the doctor will not be happy because natural thyroid meds don't work. I have requested a full thyroid panel for my Naturopath but won't have it until November. I will not switch back to a synthetic after experiencing the difference in how I feel.  What should I be looking for on my blood count?  Should I up my dose of Nature Throid? Is 7.5 a bad TSH count when on the natural hormone? This is a little confusing but I'm sure it will be easier as time goes on. :)

[chicken50]

Thank you so much.  I appreciate your support :).

[goolarra]

150 mcg of levo is approximately equivalent to 1.5 grains (90 mg) desiccated.  So, that was quite a decrease in meds.  Move slowly...equivalents are not absolute.  Since desiccated has both T3 and T4 in it, you are in a whole new arena.  Remember that you should allow 4 weeks on the same dose if you want your labs to accurately reflect what you've been taking.

[chicken50]

Thanks for your reply :).  What you said makes sense about an adjustment phase & starting slowly (That's what the Naturopath said).  I was taking 150 of the Levo and my doc wanted to up it to 175.  I am only taking 1/2 gram but have noticed I'm tired so I'm upping it to another 1/4 or 1/2 in the afternoon & will see how that goes.  I don't have FT3 results from before I started because my HMO normally only orders FT4 tests which the Naturopath disagrees with. I'm delighted that my new doc has honored my request for full panel which will include the FT3 but I'm not sure why she wants to wait until November.  I am treading lightly since I'm being treated by a Naturopath and going outside the box while having an HMO as my insurance carrier. It's very frustrating that it's so much of a challenge to get T3 included - Hashimotos runs in 3 generations of my family and I think my 19 yr old daughter is having issues but is being misdiagnosed because of standard medical practice. If I have to I'll pay for my labs for my daughter & myself - it's worth it to me. Have a nice day & thanks again :).

[goolarra]

7.5 is too high for TSH.  However, FREE T3 and FREE T4 levels are much more important than TSH.  That doesn't mean that "natural thyroid meds don't work" (absurd!), it just means that you are probably not on a high enough dose.  It's important to start out low and increase slowly when starting desiccated because it has a high T3 content, and your body needs time to get used to it.  So, I'd say you're just in an adjustment phase.  

How much levo had you been taking before you switched?  Do you have FT3 and FT4 results to post (with reference ranges) from before you started the desiccated?  How long have you been on desiccated, and why aren't you having labs sooner than November?