I found my way here from Thyroid UK as someone there said this group may be able to advise me. I’ve been feeling unwell for so long now, (ie years), and B12 as well as other things is low, (though my TSH is high). I have a Thyroid nodule, extreme fatigue, brain fog, I feel slow, insommnia, buzzing in ears, mood swings, irritable, loss of libido, dry skin, the list goes on....
I’ve listed some blood test results below (have loads of other blood tests which I can list if it’s useful, including Thyroid antibodies),am not sure if I’ve listed everything required.
Tbh, I’m not sure what to ask, but I’d like to know if PA is likely and whether there is anything I can do to improve how I am feeling.
If anyone could offer any advice I would be most grateful. Thank you in advance.
18/11/17
Vit D – Have begun to increase Vit D from 2 to 3 tablets to 4 to 5 tablets per day (1000iu tablets). Taking with fattiest meal of day.
B12 – Began today to take Vit B12 (Jarrow 5000mcg Methylcoblalmin).
B complex – Have been taking Solgar B Complex ‘50’ for a short while. Plan to continue to take this as well as the Jarrow B12, is that ok? Planning to take x1 tablet for per day for 60 days, then reduce to every other day, is that ok?
Vit C - Will start taking Vit C, (Premier Vits 1000mg Sidiun Ascorbate & Ascorbic Acid), with my Iron tablet tomorrow to aid absorption.
Iron – Will finish the 18mg Biovea within 2 weeks and will start Holland & Barrett Iron w/Vit C (14mg Iron / 60mg Vit C), is this enough Iron?
Looking at the B12 results and the amounts of B12 that are in the supplements you were taking between the two results I'd have to say its not really possible to draw any conclusions about whether B12 is a factor. Starting on the really high dose methyl sublinguals is going to further confusing things in terms of getting a diagnosis from any blood tests.
B12 isn't toxic but having raised B12 levels in serum can kick off a reaction that stops B12 getting from your blood to cells where it is used giving you all the symptoms of b12 deficiency but with high levels of B12 in your blood. Given that your B12 levels rose (and the change looks too significant to just be random variance on testing) on much lower doses I'm not sure it is the right strategy for you.
Supplementation makes it very difficult to see if there is an absorption problem affecting your iron and folate levels - indicators for both show a rise in between the two blood tests.
The test results aren't showing a low B12 - they are showing a serum B12 level that is in the normal range. However, serum B12 is a difficult test and will miss 25% who are B12 deficient if taken as a single measure - which is why symptoms are important.
Looking at your post on TUK you say that your TSH is high but it appears to be in range - and pretty constant over the past 7 months. I'm not clear if you are actually being treated for hypothyroidism or not. If you are being treated then the results are likely to be high as you would be aiming for a TSH of around 1 but if you aren't being treated the situation is somewhat different, as treatment with T4/T3/NDT changes the way your body is behaving and the ranges that would apply to someone who isn't being treated no longer apply in the same way, and in general people who are being treated need much lower levels of TSH to feel well.
TSH is only one measure - and certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of problems - the other tests are the ones that you have just had done looking at T4, T3 and antibodies - all of which don't point to a specific problem at the moment and make hypothyroidism look unlikely.
You obviously were Vit D deficient and have been treated with that.
Unfortunately supplementing with other vitamins and minerals at the same time is really making it very difficult for anyone to use the normal diagnositic tools (blood tests) to evaluate what is going on.
You could look at MMA and homocysteine tests to clarify if you have a B12 deficiency at the cell level but the results of these tests can also be affected by the level of supplements you have been taking.
To get any sort of base line that could be used for a diagnosis you really need to stop taking supplements - and in the case of B12 that means at least 3-6 months.
It may be that getting hold of earlier blood tests might help show a downward trend in vitamin and mineral levels - specifically around B12 - over the years which might also provide evidence for an absorption problem.
Gambit62 - to clarify, I've not been diagnosed in any way by GP (& not taking any Thyroid meds).
I've some older blood results from but am trying to get more of them (from a hospital). Which particular results am I needing to find?
I'd stopped taking all supplements before my last blood tests (approx 2-3 weeks maybe a month?).
I may stop supplementing due to your info. Which supplements, if any, may I continue with (without skewing results?).
It was only last week that I upped my Vit D (sublingual) to more than 1 (1000) tablet per day.
Only started the Jarrow Vit B (5000) sublingual yest. & won't take it from now.
Please would you clarify for me re if I can take anything at all (from my list) or how long to stay off them, when to re-rest, what tests to have, and what to say to GP.
most vitamins and minerals are very responsive to diet so you don't need to stop them for more than a short period before testing - this would include folate but I really don't feel in a position to advise on others and it would be better to ask your GP.
B12 is the one that really requires several months without supplementation
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