Keep in mind also that there is another option too, one that has been around since before synthetic medication was introduced.
Back in the day they used natural desiccated thyroid made from desiccated pig thyroids. May not sound wonderful, but for many of us thyroid patients it is a preferred medication. It has not only T4 and T3, but T2, T1 and calcitonin that are the other hormones produced by the thyroid.
Brand names in the US include Armour Thyroid and Nature-Throid. A Canadian brand name is Erfa.
With any medication there is a lot of trial and error, so it may take time to find your best dose. It is also easier for patient health to rely more on symptom relief than only relying on TSH values, especially if the patient is also on Metformin as this medication suppresses the TSH yet not the Free T4.
Thanks for the article! It is great that T3 treatment is gaining the attention it deserves! Although some patients do great on T4 only, both patient and doctor must keep an open mind that not all patients will do great on the same treatment, as we are all different with different medication needs.
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Keep in mind also that there is another option too, one that has been around since before synthetic medication was introduced.
Back in the day they used natural desiccated thyroid made from desiccated pig thyroids. May not sound wonderful, but for many of us thyroid patients it is a preferred medication. It has not only T4 and T3, but T2, T1 and calcitonin that are the other hormones produced by the thyroid.
Brand names in the US include Armour Thyroid and Nature-Throid. A Canadian brand name is Erfa.
With any medication there is a lot of trial and error, so it may take time to find your best dose. It is also easier for patient health to rely more on symptom relief than only relying on TSH values, especially if the patient is also on Metformin as this medication suppresses the TSH yet not the Free T4.
Thanks for the article! It is great that T3 treatment is gaining the attention it deserves! Although some patients do great on T4 only, both patient and doctor must keep an open mind that not all patients will do great on the same treatment, as we are all different with different medication needs.
September 25, 2011 - 8:21amThis Comment
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