Thyroid S Dosage

Hormones
1

Hi, I new to the site and after some help please.

I've had an underactive thyroid for a few years now and been taking 75mcg of Levothyroxine, my levels have just come back normal (TSH 2.79) but I've been feeling rubbish and my hair is falling out! I decided to try Thyroid S as was taking Amour about 18 months ago and felt better but had to stop due to the price cost and uk import duty.

My question is how much Thyroid S should i be taking? I've been taking 1 tablet a day for about 3 weeks but haven't noticed any change yet and my hair loss is getting worse I have an appointment with my GP next week but know I'm probably going to get fobbed off as my test results state I'm ok.

Thanks

2

Hello Lisa070877:

My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA. I have Hashimoto's and that makes me Hypothyroid. I have had this since 1987.

It seems like you have been on LEVO for a while.  Your TSH is  2.79 which is good. Normal is  (0.34-5.60 in USA values).  However, I know how you feel, as I felt that way years ago.

Hair loss is a symptom of having low thyroid and I wonder if Thyroid S is effective enough.  Are you still taking the LEVO?  IS the Thyroid  S in addition to LEVO?

Did your doctor order a T3 & T4 level?  It is important to check these levels as well as TSH.  Maybe you have a mineral problem.  Ask the doctor you see to order a Mineral Panel to include, Potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, magnesium, and ferritin level.  Also a Vitamin D level. If  ferritin levels are low it can effect how the thyroid  meds work.  Many of us with thyroid problems have low Vitamin D levels.  This should be checked out, since Vitamin D is needed for good bone health and muscles in the body.  It is a special blood test and takes a week to do.

If you are just taking the Thyroid S alone and not taking LEVO, you may not be getting enough hormone.  It can take the body a period of time to adjust to new levels and can take 6-8 weeks to do this.

Is the Thyroid S in grains or mg on your bottle?  1 grain =65mg normally.

Please tell your doctor that the hair loss is worsening.  It can take a long while to get it back about 6 months for some of us.

I hope this helps.

Shelly

 

3

Hi Shelly, thanks for replying.

The thyroid-s is 60mg. I have been taking 1 tablet and 25mcg of my Lego - was worried about taking too much and making things worse!

I'm hoping that the doctor tests for all the usual vitamin deficiencies but will ask for ferritin and vitamin D too!

Lisa

4

Hello Lisa:

Don't rely on the doctor ordering the above tests, please ask your doctor nicely, to order them.  Also by law you the patient are entitled to have a copy of the blood work results.  It is a good idea to keep a copy so you can know and if you need to refer to it.

Now the thyroid makes 4 hormones.(T1 to T4).  For this conversation we will concentrate on T3 and T4 only.

Normally in a person without any thyroid disease the sensor in your thyroid is called TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone).  When TSH goes high in the range  for example would be 5.60 , the thyroid is level is low, so what happens is the thyroid tries to make more T4 and converts it into useable T3.

T3, is the main hormone you need to make the body work and have energy, and is used by the cells in the body, etc... so it is important to know how that level is in the body.  Many doctors just rely on TSH and that does not show a complete health of the thyroid.  It is good to have it in normal range though.

So you are taking 25mcg which is a low dose of LEVO. Also you are taking Thyroid S (1 tablet which is 60mg).  Usually people are on a bit more of NDT or Thyroid S. 

Does the doctor approve of Thyroid S?  Well, here is what you can do, take a Thyroid S tablet and cut it in half, So take 1 & 1/2 tablets of Thyroid S. You will need to do a bit of trial and error to find a level that works for you.  There is no book you can go to that will say the "perfect level" it is a lot of trials. If you know what I mean.

Please space the meds out and take LEVO in a.m. without food and then about 6 hours later take your Thyroid S.  The idea is to give a bit of space and allow the meds to not compete in the bowel  for receptor sites.  All meds are absorbed in the intestines. 

I want you to ask the doctor for the above mineral panel.  Sometimes we have to ask a doctor to do certain tests.  Also if you have not been taking a multi-vitamin, buy a really good one with iron and take it daily.

Give the body a chance and if you experience any bad side effects like hives, chest pains, too fast of a heart rate, please go to the doctor

or A & E.

I hope this helps, any questions just ask.

Shelly

5

Thanks Shelly

As far as the doctor is concerned I'm taking 75mcg of Levo per day. I haven't mentioned the Thyroid-s and pretty sure that the nhs only prescribe Levo.

I was planning on taking just 1 tablet of the Thyroid-S as thought it would give me everything that Levo did but would also give me the T3 but after a couple of weeks on the Thyroid-s I wasn't feeling any better so thought I'd take the Levo as well hoping for an improvement!

So as from tomorrow I'll take 25mcg of Levo and 1 and a half of the Thyroid-s and see how I get on.

Hopefully the blood tests will pick up on something too as like you say I could be deficient in something else.

Many thanks for all your help ☺

6

Hello Lisa:

You need to try it and see.  If Levo did not help, maybe your thyroid is not converting well enough.  Just space the two meds apart...if any bad side effects you can cut back or stop it.

From what I hear NHS only allows LEVO.  So give Thyroid S a try and see if there is any improvement.  Everyone is different so  what works on 1 person may not work on another.

Stay well, any other questions just ask.

Shelly

7

Hi lisa and welcome. I'm sorry I haven't heard of Thyroid S.

Just in case you decide you need an alternative source of NDT, you may be interested to know that I'm in UK and get ThyroGold (bovine NDT) off the internet. I've been on it since 23rd June 2015 and have been building up the dose. On 27/10/15, I got my first set of 'in range' blood tests for 20 years. This included T3 and T4. I know this didn't answer your question but I wanted you to know there is an alternative if you need it.

8

Barbara:

Thyroid S is like NDT and made in Thailand.

XO Shelly

9

Thanks Barbara.

10

Thanks!

11

Hi Shelly

Just thought I'd let you know that I got my blood tests back and I've got a vitamin D deficiency (the joys of living in the UK! ).

I've been taking my Levo and thyroid S at different times during the day and think it's helping so hopefully with that and the vitamin D supplements I might start to feel normal again soon - and seriously hoping it sorts the hair loss out!!

Thanks again for all your help.

Lisa

12

Hi Lisa:

Many of us with thyroid problems have a low Vit D. As we age we lose the ability to make Vit D from Sunlight.  Take your Vit D as prescribed to avoid Osteoporosis and to keep your bones and muscles working well. You can also try and eat foods rich in Vit D like yogurt, a glass of milk, if you can.

Thanks for the update. Stay well.

Shelly

13

Hi Barbara, 

I tried ThyroGold and it did zip for me, but glad it worked for you.

I'm thinking of trying Thyroid S, but have some qualms as it's made in Thailand.

14

Hi Shelly,

Don't know if you'll check in here as the post were all about a year old.

I'm considering Thyroid S and a source of hesitation was that it's made in Thailand.

So you're saying Thyroid S is a good product.  Glad to hear.

denise

15

Hello Deeebeee:

Yes it is safe to my knowledge.  1 tab should be a start dose. Also good is Nature's Thyroid.

Take without  food.   Wait  1 hour before eating.

It  can take about 6 weeks to build a level  in the body  and blood work to test the level will be needed.

I hope this helps.

Shelly

16

Hi deeebeee

I'm sorry to hear ThyroGold didn't work for you and would be interested to know how you used it. Did you start on 150mg and increase by 150mg every two weeks until your hypothyroid symptoms disappeared and your basal pulse and temperature were in the normal range? There is a wealth of information on the thyrogold website on how to dose with it, it's in the question and answet section - did you spot it? How long did you try it for? It took me 3 months to build up to the dose (750mg -which is high) that made my hypothyroid symptoms go away and my T3 and T4 blood tests to be in range. I've now been on it for 16 months (23rd June 2015-26th Oct 2016 and for the last 8 months I have been able to reduce the dose until July when I got down to 450mg daily (300mg in morning, 150mg in afternoon - tricky to schedule to be on an empty stomach). I have just had to increase the dose slightly as I need more thyroid medication during the winter months. I'm giving this detail in case it helps you spot why it didn't work for you. Is your Ferritin level 70+. What about your other vitamin and .mineral levels? Are your adrenal glands working ok? My blood tests prove ThyroGold has got T3 and T4 in it, so I can't understand why it didn't work for you. All the best in your search for something that does.

17

There's also american biologics thyroid glandular.