Have recently got bloods back from medichecks was an advanced thyroid test.
Have basically suffered from an under active thyroid for over 4 years, symptoms including fatigue, depression, insomnia and always feeling cold.
However recently have suffered from memory and concentration problems and was wondering if these new symptoms could be a result of B12 deficiency as they seemed to have a lot of similarities even though my previous test for B12 was 1400. Was thinking if it could be false due to absorption issues.
To cut a long story short I got my bloods done again here are the results.
TSH. 0.664
Free T3. 4.6
Free T4 23.3
Thyroglobulin anti. 309
Thyroid peroxidase anti 584
CRP 3.66
Ferritin 75.2
Folate 7.2
Active B12 134 pmolL
Vitamin D 34.2
Have also posted results on healthunlocked.com
Thanks
Written by
gerrycrilley1
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It's always difficult to exclude B12 deficiency especially if thyroid issues may also be involved. Your Vitamin D does seem to be quite low - it should be supplemented over the winter to stay in a good spot. I don't know enough about thyroid to make any comments on your results there.
I am not medically trained but I have some nutrition training and would say try at least 2000IU until the summer months. This is well within safety parameters and indeed you might need more but I wouldn't try to get through winters at this latitude without a regular vitamin D supplement.
Dr John Campbell always posts excellent videos with information on Vitamin D, as it is generally found that NHS information and recommended doses are completely inadequate. This is just one of them:
You don't need more research. Your vitamin D is way too low for a hypo patient. We need good levels to help us utilise the thyroid meds. You need to take a quality high strength supplement until end of March. Then check again and see where it is sitting ready for summer. Personally I supplement D all year round. We don't spend enough time outdoors in summer these days.
The Better You Vitamin D3 + K2 is a very easily absorbed and quality supplement. And it has the K2 in it that should be taken with vitamin D.
Your folate is quite low too. Do you take a B Complex supplement? If not, you might want to do that. It will help keep your B vitamins balanced. Look for one with Folate in it, not folic acid.
But nevertheless Vitamin D and K2 are important vitamins (apparently Vitamin D is a hormone not a vitamin) to have at optimal levels for all sorts of reasons, but especially for hypo patients.
They are important but their importance can be (and often is) overstated in the alternative health space. The evidence for the usefulness of supplementing K2 seems to be quite poor but supplementing seems unlikely to do any harm.
If you are supplementing with B12 injections or high dose B12 tablets (>= 1000mcg/day), your serum B12 will come out high. Your active B12 is also high, which means low B12 is not a problem. High B12 can be a sign of low iron or folate, as these are needed for utilisation of B12 and a deficiency of these can increase B12 levels. Your folate seems to be on the lower side, so you may wish to supplement this.
Low memory and concentration could be thyroid related also. Your FT3 seems to be on the lower side.
However was under the impression that even though your B12 levels come back normal this could be due to a number of factors and therefore it is recommended to treat the symptoms if they are indicative of a b12 deficiency first and foremost.
Had my B12 checked on the
20/072023 and the Serum Vitamin B12 was 1339pg/m/L normal range 197.0 to 771.0 . NHS.
Then when checked for Active B12 couple days ago level was 134 pmol/L range 37.5 - 188. So a bit confused.
Medichecks.
But totally agree about the thyroid and T3 being a possible issue.
You don't have any neurological problems, so I doubt it is B12. Also, while serum B12 is unreliable, especially in the presence of supplementation, active B12 is much better.
You should note that an underachieve thyroid can lead to lesser utilisation of B12 by the body and an increase in B12 levels. There are studies that show that B12 levels decrease upon starting levothyroxine therapy, so I do believe that your problems are related to thyroid issues and that B12 is not the problem right now.
High am111. I do have neurological problems such as memory loss , cognitive decline and some confusion. Theses symptoms can all be caused by B12 deficiency.
But definitely agree that my problems could equally be due to my thyroid problems.
Thanks for the quick response and all the information will definitely take every thing you have mentioned anboard .
Once-a-month B12 shot or some small orals (<= 1000mcg/day) wouldn't harm. If you feel better after a shot, then it could be B12, but based on your test results, I doubt so.
I’ve had an underactive thyroid since the menopause - B12def. has far worse symptoms, being primarily neurological…….
It creeps up v. slowly over time and is much more difficult to manage or for doctors to diagnose correctly, especially as there is no reliable test in an era when doctors rely principally on tests, not symptoms.
This is why most of us end up having to manage it ourselves with self injections.
Might be worth looking into Functional B12 Deficiency if your symptoms suggest B12 deficiency.
This is where there is plenty of B12 in the blood but it's not getting to where it's needed in the cells so person develops deficiency symptoms.
MMA, homocysteine and Active B12 (holotranscobalamin) may help to diagnose Functional B12 deficiency.
I've read it's possible to have B12 deficiency symptoms with above range B12 results.
Are you taking B12 supplements or having B12 injections?
High levels of B12 in the blood without taking B12 supplements can be associated with a serious health condition and I would expect a doctor to at least test liver and kidney function and full blood count.
It's helpful to post reference ranges for blood tests if you have them.
Your folate result looks like it's probably less than half way up the normal range.
Have you asked your GP if you would benefit from a higher folate result, maybe discuss diet and whether it's worth taking a low dose folate supplement with RDA (recommended daily amount).
Two useful B12 books
I think functional b12 deficiency is mentioned in both.
"What You Need to Know About Pernicious Anaemia and B12 Deficiency" by Martyn Hooper
Martyn Hooper is the former chair of PAS (Pernicious Anaemia Society).
"Could it Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses" by Sally Pacholok and JJ. Stuart (US authors)
I often urge UK forum members to track down the local B12 deficiency guidelines used by their ICB (Integrated Care Board) in England or Health Board in Wales/Scotland.
I've written other more detailed posts on this forum which may be worth looking at.
There is a pinned post "Various B12D/PA resources" with lots of B12 info.
The most important thing is to keep searching for the answer. You must advocate for yourself. And by the fact you found this forum means you are. Keep it up. Keep doing as much objective research as you can!
Since you had a high b12 reading without supplementation on an NHS test, did no one come up with a reason why this has occurred. Or did I miss something?
I see your liver & kidneys were checked and were fine. But it must be investigated to cross off reasons.
I'm glad that you said liver and kidney function tests came back fine.
Have you seen the actual results?
I learnt from some difficult experiences to always check results myself after being told everything was normal/no action needed and finding abnormal and borderline results when I checked.
Compare recent blood test results with older results if you have them and look for trends...are any results increasing or decreasing over time?
Your ICB (Integrated Care Board) or Health Board may have published guidance on what investigations should be done if serum B12 is high without supplementing.
Do you have recent results for Full Blood Count (FBC), sometimes known as Complete Blood Count? Might be useful to post these on forum if you have the time and energy. Take care to remove any details that might identify you or health professionals if you do post them.
Research and health articles may have details that could be upsetting.
If you search online for "elevated serum B12 deficiency symptoms" or "nhs raised B12" that should show some research or health articles about high serum B12 without supplementing.
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