Selenium supplementation

[super1]

I have been taking Selenium supplementation for past 4 years at 200mcg a day without fail. Is it OK to be on this amount for this long? I also eat have a health diet and eat meat everyday.

[nostoneunturned]

I take 400mcg daily to help T4 to T3 conversion and have no ill effects. Soil is depleted today so supplementation necessary for us hypo people, I think.

[Marz]

...when I was first diagnosed with Hashimotos, the GP here in Crete suggested Selenium - and to take it for three months and then have a month off. Forgot to ask why - maybe the body needs a break. I take Wassen Selenium with Vits A C and E and now has added D. I wonder why ? !!

Selenium supports the immune system.

[Jackie]

Hi Selenium is one of the very few minerals safe to take without a blood test.It is often really lacking in production, farming now, due to lots of obvious reasons. However, do not exceed the stated dose. I would also ask, Pharmacist? where bought. Also if no pharmacist, etc ask the manufacturers, these days they have to err on the side of caution, always frightened of being sued.I hope that helps.

Jackie

[Zabby]

Well, I started taking 300 mcg a day, plus the 50 mcg that was in the multivitamin I've taken every day for years, last summer when I started the iodine protocol. That falls within the 400 mcg that is supposed to be safe to take without risk of it getting too high or needing blood tests. I happened to have a blood test in about February that showed that my plasma selenium was too high and my red cell selenium was very high (something like 8 when the reference range went up to 3.something). I stopped taking everything but my multivitamin and my plasma level is now well within the normal range and red cell is about 4, so a lot better. I don't use any products that could be causing this, such as medicated shampoo, and I've checked all my supplements and looked up the foods I eat to see if any could be high. Couldn't find anything that could explain it. I would suggest taking selenium rather than not, but have a test after a few months to check that you're not an unusual case like I am! I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn't found out about it as I'm aware that high selenium can cause all sorts of problems.

[super1]

Zabby, What blood test do you take for your vitamins?