I have been taking 50mg levo for about 2 years and although I have had clinical symptoms on and off on the whole I have felt ok. About 3 months ago I started feeling really tired and have become quite forgetful (sometimes I swear that I have had conversations with people that they have no recollection of - and vice-versa) my eyesight also seems to be deteriorating. Some symptoms have never changed e.g. Hard to lose weight, cold extremeties with the slightest change in temperature, hair loss, brittle flaking nails. I have also suffered with infected toe nails for the past 2 years. I have recently had pain on my outer thigh which my doctor says is bursitis (not sure if this is connected)
My blood results are as follows and I would be grateful for any comments about these
HbA1c 35 (26.00 - 41.00)
Serum folate 9.3 (4.60-18.70)
Serum ferritin 71 (12.00-300.00)
Serum B12 571 (200.00-900.00)
Serum TSH 1.44 (0.35-5.00)
Serum free T4 16.0 (11.00-23.00)
T3 not tested
Many thanks
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Ricycle
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Ricycle, I think you are a little undermedicated. TSH is generally comfortable at just above or just below 1.0 and FT4 is 'ideal' in the top 75% of range ie >20 for you.
An increase to 75mcg Levothyroxine should help lower your TSH, increase your FT4 and most importantly relieve some of your symptoms.
Oh woe, your results do not look that bad at all to have symptoms like this, but you may have candida overgrowth...esp the case with hair nails and infections!! Candida can cause fatigue and so start supplementing high doses of biotin, kick out sugars!! Completely even fruits must be limited.....and see if it helps ....or just do the test for candida high doses are 5 mg you can not find them in every drugstore
For some people 70 ferritin is not enoigh for hair loss, but must be above 100! Those same had issues with candida overgrowth i remember, it uses up your biotin too...so thats the link
Tsh not that bad, t4 bit lowerish but these are not that bad results.....we dont see t3, this about candida overgrowth could well be, because ferritin not too low, and she has hair loss, and fungus and such things, you dont develop these at 1.3 tsh,.......thats my sense for things.....it indicates to potential candida problems.....and izabela wentz look it up, described her case and said taking off sweets helped her, now
Fasting is NOT good idea, but taking off from things many recommend, i dont know how would i do it since i was sweets junkie , but regulating blood sugar and avoiding so much sweets is necessary for all hypothyroid patients.......i would not like to avoid fruits though, but if it must be done it is done for shorter period of time
I read your link but very quckly, this is one topic now that confuses me still, i did notice i have issues, i love sweets, fruits very much, but let me ask you one thing? Is there any thing about health that there are no 2 direcly opposite views! Ray peat a good doc, iwth fabulous recommendations on thyroid, demonizes PUFA, also thinks eating omega 3 doesnt help brain, and even should be avoided, and advocates eating sugar, another good doctor tells you should eat saturated fats, and protein and less sugars
One girl that is anthropologyst, who explored how people ate 10 000 years ago, said that nowdays people consume too much sugars compared to those age, and that evolutionary we are not built for consuming such amounts,
My conclusion is this, i tried to avoid it but i do notice my metabolic rate decreases, i have noticed addictive effect of sugar, so i can not agree to advocates that this is perfectly safe thing, i felt its not ok, and it messes up with my energy....i feel more hungry when i eat sugars , and wheat carbs ! And that is not normal,that made me think.....
Also have noticed some very healthy indiviuals avoid sugar! And are so aware of it......so in the end i dont know what to think, its def addictive....fruits are good they have soluble fiber so its good to take them
Candida overgrowth have no experience with it but i transfered this what i read about it.....
When i think logic , i think sugar is def not good for the body in amounts people take them, what i do is, little bit of maple in the morning...fruits in the day....as much as i like, but my body has limits....and evening i drink chocolate milk or i make myself schlagsahne its german with chocolate ....thats my sugar and i dont crave for it anymore, so there is not a single day in my last 10 years that i did not eat something sweet i cant differently, but i think this is good dose, is it? Oh yes and lets say i eat 1 cacke per week,
I think more then that is too much......plus i do sports.....
But somehow i am sure sugar is like alcohol and is addictive and is bad !.....because makes people weak, and overeat, and no other food has such effect on the body, why? Why i never got constant cravings for meet or vegetables?
Sorry for big text ...but this is interesting and very confusing topic......
I started taking gelatine recently i think this has sense.....anything that increases your energy is good for you, so many studies done on athletes too, that constant blood sugar is prerequest of good metabolism! Or product?......so anthing that messes up with it not good, how much sugar that means i dont know? For me i think i know the limit.....i was constantly hungry when i was on lower protein, higher carb diets...and my adrenals are so much better when i dont feel hungry....feeling hungry makes adrenals weak, and thats done on low protein diet for me, and high carbs
And yes some say if you have adrenals problems should not eat carbs before bed, but rather fat proteins....that makes sense, i wake up at 3 am or 4 am when i did not enter enough calories for that day by some significant amount.....also noticed protein meals make my sleep better, but i dont follow it strictly told you i drink chocko milk
Thanks for your input Ivy77 & greygoose. As a rule I don't eat sweet things other than natural sweeteners in fruit (obviously there are occasions where I will indulge but the truth is I can take it or leave it!) I also avoid bread as much as possible as once I start eating it I crave more!
I follow slimming world eating plan and although I only had 1&1/2st to lose of wich I have half a stone left it has been a long slog (9 months to date) of yo-yoing weight loss.
Before I was diagnosed I was able to lose 2stone with ease in a matter of 4 months.
Exzctly the same with me, if i eat bread or pasta i am more hungry only 2 hours later....and the same with corn!! When i eat those creckers like expanded corn? Its so addictive i cannnot stop it, those sorts of food i dont eat now...i just want to be in control .....and i noticed i loose it big time when my ferritin goes down, i start craving for sugar!
Luckily pasta and other carbs don't have an effect on me just bread.....(and I suppose sweet products if I gave into them! Thankfully I am able to leave these things alone
Thank you for the reply's I appreciate it very much. Do you think that I should ask my GP to test my FT3 or just see if she is willing to increase my levo?
Ricycle, click on the orange Reply tab under the post you are responding too and the poster will be sent an email alert.
Ask your GP to increase your Levothyroxine and arrange a follow up thyroid test 6/8 weeks later. Your lab probably won't test FT3 unless TSH is suppressed <0.04.
Thank you Clutter, I went to see my GP today expecting to have to fight my corner for the 25mcg increase I went armed with the info needed to support my request but didn't need it. GP agreed to the increase without argument in fact she said she was thinking the same which I found odd because she never contacted me. If I hadn't found this forum to arm me with good information
a, I wouldn't have gone back to doctors because I was told 'normal, no action'
b, I think GP would have left me suffering)
TFT to be checked in 6 weeks
How long do you think it will be before I hopefully feel well?
Ricycle, Good news about the increase, you ought to feel some improvement in symptoms in 7/10 days. I really can't guess how long it will take you to feel well but I do hope it won't be long.
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