Hi, I need some help please! I have PAF so on daily dose of 5mg warfarin but for years I've had thyroid issues which are dealt with by taking 100 mcg of thyroxin every day. Been speaking with a Naturopath lately and she told me to do an iodine test which involved dropping some iodine onto my wrist and seeing how long it took to disappear, did that the other day and it was gone in 12 hours which means, apparently, that I am very iodine deficient and it's been recommended that I put 4 drops of pure iodine into water and drink it daily, however on Googling more info, it says that iodine reduces the efficacy of Warfarin, so I'm not quite sure what to do. Bizarrely, iodine is found in all the lovely green stuff I have to avoid as much as possible on warfarin so I'm wondering if changing to Apixaban might be a good idea so that I can revert to eating greens? Any ideas would be very much appreciated...thanks.
Thyroid/Afib issues: Hi, I need some... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Thyroid/Afib issues
I think you should discussthism idea with your doctor to be honest. The whole idea of taking iodine horrifies me. This is the poisonous part of amiodarone which causes so many people problems.
Yes, I think you're probably right Bob, tbh I've been thinking about going onto Apixaban for ages which of course means I can eat more of the green stuff I miss and which contains iodine naturally, but I'll check it out with my doc first. Thanks for replying...
If you drink whole milk daily, white fish & there are other foods rich in Iodine, then you should get enough iodine from your diet - seaweed is another rich source - your diet. In Germany they are far more interested in Iodine supplements for maintaining good thyroid function & I’ve seen reports that in UK not nearly enough attention is given to Iodine. Personally I’d take the greens over Warfarin any day, but I’ve always been adverse to taking Wafarin.
Best wishes CD
Iodine is also present in seafood probably in greater quantities than any green vegetable apart from seaweed. You can also absorb iodine transdermally . To start off with 4 drops of iodine sounds excessive. Iodine deficiency is serious and leads to thyroid problems ( historically cretinism in mountainous ares where little seafish was consumed) but so does over consumption. I use transdermal iodine from time to time to combat breast pain that I have suffered from for many years. It works very well.
For once BobD I think you may be mistaken. As I understand it, the amiodarone fills up the chemical 'places' where the iodine should be, but doesn't do the job the iodine should do. So the problem with amiodarone is that it prevents us using the iodine which our bodies need. This particularly affects the thyroid which depends on iodine.
I think green leafy veg is to be avoided by those on warfarin as it contains large amouts of vitamin K which is known to interfere with the effectiveness of warfarin.
As far as I'm aware most people get all the iodine they need through eating dairy, eggs and sea food. Green leafy veg only contain tiny amounts of it:
bda.uk.com/resource/iodine....
Apparently those with thyroid issues should be wary of adding iodine:
btf-thyroid.org/iodine-and-...
The problem with people and warfarin is that they do not eat a consistant diet. My INR is very stable and has been for 16 years since I started. If you eat lots of anything all the time then your dose accounts for that and your INR remains stable. Some people do actually take Vit K supplements on the basis that this increases the total VitK so any dietary changes are %wise much less. OK the warfarin dose may have to increase but this makes no difference as only INR matters. It makes no difference if you take 5 or 15mg so long as your INR is correct.
Hi Barny, yes, I know that warfarin and the effect of green veg has to be monitored closely. I'm vegetarian/half vegan if there's such a thing! I only drink KoKo milk and I don't eat eggs, maybe the very occasional bit of salmon but I will eat any veg. Doc has already said he's happy to move me to Apixaban so not going to do add any more iodine until I've spoken to my GP....ever onwards!
Nice one - I'm vegan, too and take the Veg 1 supplement from the Vegan Society, which contains iodine, to reduce the chances of thyroid issues.
Your diet is your problem then. Far from being healthy a vegetarian / vegan diet often leads to deficiencies in essential nutrients such as iodine ,iron , vit D3 , vit B 12 etc. Any quick perusal of quantities of nutrients in various foods will show that animal products have far greater quantities of essential nutrients than do vegetables. Supplements are than necessary to make up for this lack.
Hi, yes, I take your point but I have many friends and family who are now vegan/veggie and they seem be doing ok. It's true of course that none of them are on blood thinners but I'm happy to take whatever supplements are necessary to make up the difference, sorry, I just can't find it in me to eat animals but to each their own! 😊
I take apixaban and levothrox with no issues. Do you take an anti-arrythmic drug?
Hi Prof, I take 1.25 of Bisoprolol and 100mcg of thyroxine every morning and if I'm in AF, (almost always in the middle of the night or have digestive problems!) I take 3 Flecanaide tabs at once which seems to work. Were you ever on warfarin at any point and made the change to Apixaban, just wondering if it's an 'easy' thing to do? Thx for responding...
I went into a long AF last July - I had had many years of short palpitations before that and had a AVNRT dignosed in 2012. None of that bothered me much but the AF last year did not stop. I was put on amiodorone for a month then flecainide but at the same time apixaban so - no -I never had the joy of warfarin -but I do remember the queues at the blood clinics in the UK. At the moment I don't restrict what I eat or drink except that I am on a weight loss diet but that's another story. I take 75 mcg of Levo every day as I have a very lazy thyroid and I can put on weight in no time.
75 Levo is a very low dose. If you struggle with weight, chances are you are under medicated. Your free T4 and free T3 should be in the upper part of the reference range. If they aren't, it's time to get a raise in dose. 25 increase taking you to 100. Retest in 8 weeks making sure to get an early morning blood test appointment and don't take your Levo for the day until after the blood draw. Fast from the night before too, just drink water. If you always do your blood tests like this you will have a consistent set of data. Remember, top third of ranges. TSH is not the important result. The free T3 is most important, but those on medication usually need their TSH around 1 or below to feel at their best.
Well to get tests that aren't just TSH is a bit of a battle - especially in French - I don't have any other overt symptoms of hypo and I have been overweight (on and off) for about 60 years. The last test I had, which was after I had taken my levo tablet, was just over 1. (in a hospital while in AF) Normally I'm higher than that. However I have lost 20 kgs since last Sept. Just got to keep going.
Yes, the T3 is very important but sadly you will not get T3 treatment on the NHS as it is 'too expensive' I wonder if anyone has done some research as to the savings that might come into play if we were all on the right medication to make us feel better and not the cheapest!
I am on warfarin and I eat greens all the time, it is just really important to be consistent! I also take vitamin K2 as it is a stabilising factor and helps stop the variations in INR that diet can cause. I followed the experience of another knowledgable forum member and found there are wide studies online that recognise the benefits of K2 in patients being treated with warfarin.
I don't have medical experience, and this isn't advice, I just wanted to alert you that you needn't write off warfarin or your green veg!
Looking at what is said about greens and warfarin, yes go back to your medic and get a change to Apixaban, a newer drug. Long story, I was in icu and there was NO WAY they were going to slap this 63 year old Complementary Therapist on that thank you! Put me in Apixaban and I didn’t need it!! What gets me is, they tell you do t eat this or that, or do xyz BUT NO advice has to hiw to get what your body needs to be healthy 😳😳😳😳
Hi just to give you my History, I was on Warfarin for a year but I felt pretty lousy on it and l was continually stressed trying to get my bloods under control. So I was offered the new drug at the time which was rivaroxaban. Never looked back and have had no problems and can eat anything.....however with freedom comes the chalice.....unlike warfarin which has a Vit K immunity in case you have a bleed, the other newer meds have not. For me the risk of staying on the old and toxic drug of Warfarin(originally rat poison) outweighed the immunity risk of the newer meds.
Hi, yes I was told that by my GP a good while back when I asked to be moved off warfarin, he said any heavy bleed had the reassurance of being able to use K2. However, that has changed and there is an antidote now and in fact he told me that if I was presenting with AF now for the first time, I would automatically be put onto Apixaban rather than warfarin! Google Andexxa.
There is an antidote to what now..?
Hi Ginshu, please see my reply above to Geralt, maybe a better way of putting it would be to say 'reversal agent' However since then, such a reversal agent has been found for Apixaban which makes it a more acceptable blood thinner to use without the dietary restrictions of Warfarin....x
Thank you for the clarification. My biggest fear has been a bleed while on Eliquis . This gives me some piece of mind.
I totally get that Ginshu, think we're all much the same on that score. But it's very important that you talk all this through with your GP to get all the facts from him rather than from an online forum.....just ask him what the latest UK info is on blood thinners and the reversal agents side of things and take it from there - and be sure to let us know! Good luck...
Hi Everyone, so sorry for taking so long to respond but I've had trouble with my ISP for the past couple of days but hopefully, all is resolved now. Thanks for all you replies and thoughts and as I keep saying...ever onwards!
I have a friend who took thyroid medication which was implicated in causing his AF. After taking it for years he was told he didn’t need it, had an ablation and his AF was cured.
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