Finding the Right NDT Dose

Saturday, I quit taking NDT (natural desiccated thyroid) for a while, figuring my problems (pounding heart, feeling hot, lack of energy) were from taking too much. The problems went away, so I was right. Yesterday, I felt great: normal heartbeat, energetic, cheerful...then I went outside after work and felt too cold. My heart started pounding again. I woke up later that night and felt puffiness behind my eyes. This morning I was up a pound and my face was so puffy it looked like Elvis circa 1976. My stomach was rumbling after lunch and sending acid the wrong way.

Not wanting to repeat the misery I went through from taking too much NDT, I waited until this afternoon, thought about making absolutely sure my iron and adrenals were straightened out this time, and finally said, screw it, if I don't like taking NDT, I'll stop. So I took 150 mg--and felt better. My face doesn't look like I need to lay off the peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwiches.

What I'm doing now:

Very low carb.
50 mg Thorn adrenal cortex pills twice a day
18 mg iron twice a day
1 scoop Ultima electrolytes once per day
2 scoops Keto 1000 electrolyte mix per day for the potassium
1 full glass magnesium water a la William Davis
800 mcg iodine per day (kelp tablets)
2 Hair, Skin & Nails vitamins per day
7,000 IU vitamin D every other day
NDT--planning on 150 mg twice a day

Weight this morning: 127; it was 126 yesterday. Before starting hormone replacement, I was struggling to stay under 130. Those few pounds aren't a big deal for most people, but for me, it's the threshold to having a roll of fat around my waist. The weight loss has been effortless.

I made a big mistake not taking care of my iron level and adrenals before my thyroid, and another big mistake taking way, way too much NDT. But my concentration was so poor when I was hypothyroid that I couldn't focus on learning new information. In any case, I now know how it feels when I'm hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, low on adrenals, and hyperadrenal, and if it's not that, I probably need iron or potassium. I feel empowered. That's better than asking a doctor who isn't hip to NDT, "Please sir, may I have the right medication?"

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Pain, Pain, Go Away!

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