Hi, as suggested I asked my new GP for blood tests including Vit D, Ferritin, B12 Serum Folates. They didn't do T3. I had still been feeling low in energy and spirit and aching muscles and joints. Currently on 50 Levo one day and 75 next. Last bloods my TSH had gone up from 4.39 to 6.37 which was when this new lady GP suggested the dosage and agreed to do the other test this time. Will post results below for advice please on what the significance of the levels but GP rang and put me on 20mcg a day Vit D3 (Colecalciferol?).It says on lab results that <25 nmol/l is deficient, 25-50 nmol/l insufficient. Mine was 8.5. Pretty damn low??
Sorry if this is boring but need help please on what else I can do to help myself. Here goes...means very little to me!
TSH 1.89 (0.2 to 4.2)
Free T4 16.2 (12 to 22) was 14 and 11 before that and 7 in first one I think
Ferritin 198 ng/ml (13 to 150) there was a # and a note to say NB Ferritin is an acute phase Protein...what does that mean please?
B12 306 (197 to 866)
Serum folates 9.0 (4.6 to 18.7)
Vit D 8.5 (no normal range given but see note above)
Some thing called Eosinophils was also # 0.5 (0 to 0.4) but I have no idea what it is.
There was also a note which says ' a folate result at the lower end of the normal range may not exclude folate deficiency if clinically suspected. The doc didn't mention this. Should I just take the vit D and leave the other. There were other blood results which may be significant for the folate result but since I don't know what it is I haven't included them.
I hope all this makes sense and I really will be very grateful for your help. Many thanks.
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maisie53
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I think a change of GP would be best for you. The fact that you were diagnosed in July, yet after being put on medication your TSH rose! 50mcg is a starting dose, and 75mcg is not much higher but can suit some people. 7 months later you are really feeling not much better. You should take at least 75mcg levo per day which still isn't very high. You have to take sublingual B12 methylcobalamin and you cannot overdose on B12 as excess is excreted. Londinium has given you details to give to your GP re Vit D. I don't know how these doctors pass their tests when the basic of vitamins/minerals appear unknown.
Others will respond re your tests.
When you get a thyroid hormone blood test don't take levo before it (leave around 24 hours between it and test). Have it as early as possible and take levo after. Take any other medication/supplements 4 hours apart from levo. Taking Vit C with levo will help convert it to T3 as T3 is the active hormone our cells require. Always get copies of your blood tests with the ranges for your own records.
Doctors should take more notice of clinical symptoms rather the TSH which varies throughout the day anyway. We also can have a very low or suppressed TSH and wont have a heart attack as some GPs mistakenly believe.
Thank you. I did the early morning thing before my tests. Unfortunately I don't have a specific GP at our surgery. I've had phone calls before about my results (3 different docs) and chose to ask for a consultation with this young new doc and asked her for the tests for vitamins. I'm very disappointed that she has started me on such a low dose. The result just says 25 - OH Vit D 8.5nmol/l is that definitely D3 tested? It is so low that I am quite shocked. I eat healthily and exercise prob not often enough recently...too tired. I work so not much sun recently!
Am wondering if I need to go with it for 2 months and then challenge?
You can either make a new appointment earlier and before that post a note to her telling her your concern and the recommendations of the Vitamin D Council attaching their recommendations. Londinium has also recommended a link. As you can see yourself from the link below:
I don't think it is also the lack of sun but we who have autoimmune conditions our vitamins/minerals seem to be low when first diagnosed.
Different organizations recommend different amounts of vitamin D supplement to take each day. The Vitamin D Council recommends taking larger amounts of vitamin D each day than other organizations, because smaller amounts aren’t enough to give you what your body needs. Most people can take vitamin D supplements with no problems. However, if you have certain health problems or take certain medicines, you may need to take extra care.
Researchers have pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 among the general population could prevent chronic diseases that claim nearly one million lives throughout the world each year. Incidence of several types of cancer could also be slashed in half. As mentioned by Dr. Holick, one of the Nurses’ Health Studies showed that nurses who had the highest blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, averaging about 50 ng/ml, reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 50 percent. Similarly, a Canadian study done by Dr. Knight showed that women who reported having the most sun exposure as a teenager and young adult had almost a 70 percent reduced risk of developing breast cancer. Dr. Holick noted:
“Studies have shown that if you improve your vitamin D status, it reduces risk of colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and a whole host of other deadly cancers by 30 to 50 percent. You’re correct. Cancer is a big deal. You need to realize that vitamin D is playing a very important role in helping to maintain cell growth and to help fight cancer when a cancer cell is developing in your body.”
Vitamin D also fights infections, including colds and the flu, as it regulates the expression of genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. In this interview above, Dr. Holick expounds on these and many other health benefits of vitamin D. For instance, optimizing your vitamin D levels can help protect against:
Maisie, Shaws is right about the B12. Yours is very low. When mine was around that level, I had almost lost the use of my right arm. It has recovered since I've been supplementing B12 I would take about 5000 daily, if I were you - well, that's what I take! lol
With the B12, You should also take a B complex, because all the Bs work together, and that will keep them balanced. Chose one with methylfolate rather than folic acid, and that will raise the level of your folate.
Very few doctors know anything about nutrients or nutritional deficiencies, so all that doesn't surprise me. We just have to take charge of our own health and learn as much as we can.
Following the advice from you Shaws, I saw the senior GP at my practice. She gave me 20,000 iu D3 daily for 2 weeks and I am now on 800iu daily. I am off for a blood test to test for Hashimoto's as I explained my sister has this. Also taking B12 5000micrograms and B complex. Not yet taking Vit C but have bought selenium. Do you think these will help. I have been feeling better and now realise how bad my joint were before! I have had an auto immune problem before (reactive arthritis also known as Reiter's syndrome. Could this be connected? Am I more likely to be at risk of other autoimmune problems? Thanks for all the advice. When first diagnosed I thought it was just a matter of taking a pill and hey presto! I wish!! Maisie
Make an appointment as early as possible. Complain that the dose she has prescribed is far too low considering the deficiency of Vit D and you are having symptoms.
Yes, all these vitamins will help but it's a pity we have to have such a struggle and have to search for info. Don't worry about other autoimmune diseases. When we have one autoimmune sometimes we can get another but concentrate on your deficiencies because we might only ever have one autoimmune condition. I think they will test your Vit D to see how it's improving but am not sure how long you have to take the dose.
Vitamin D 25(OH)D range guidelines from various organizations:
The Vitamin D Council suggests that a level of 50 ng/ml is the ideal level to aim for.
This is why the Council recommends that adults take 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D supplement in order to reach and stay at this level.
If you are not having an increase in your thyroid medication, when you get your hashi's remember not to take levo on the morning and have the test as early as possible. Get a print-out of your results with the ranges (ask if she will do a Free T3 test (probably not but ask). Tell her if your T3 is too low your body cannot function as it is the Active hormone. T4 is a pro-hormone and you want to know if you are converting sufficiently. I wouldn't be surprised if most of your symptoms i.e. arthritis are actually due to such a low Vit D and B12.
Thank you. Don't hold out much hope for T3 as refused before but will ask about a second vit D as I see it is not on the form! They make it as difficult as possible dont they!
If you can afford a private blood test these are details of some labs. Thyroiduk.org get a small commission and the patient gets a small discount if mentions Thyroiduk.
Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell. They increase when there is infection or inflammation in your body. This type of WBC is known to increase in response to allergy or autoimmune disease too. Ferritin often rises in response to inflammation, so my guess is that there is some inflammation in your body. Have you had your thyroid anti-bodies tested? If they are raised, you could have the auto immune form of hypothyroidism, Hashimotos. The anti bodies attack the thyroid and make your T hormones and TSH fluctuate, which they have been.
Grief, my D3 was 23 and my gp has put me on 40,000 iu per day for 50 days. According to the sheet she gave me I think your starting dose should be about 50,000 iu daily to bring your levels up. This is the highest dose recommended on my printout. I will be getting my D3 tested again after 50 days and see what dose I require then. I doubt your dose will be bringing up your levels anytime soon, sorry.
I'd definitely make sure I took a copy of that pdf page to your gp as soon as possible and ask for a proper dose.
High Ferritin indicates inflammation somewhere in the body. As someone else has suggested I would have those thyroid anti-bodies tested - Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg. You may have Hashimotos....
Look around the website - there is a graph telling you how much to take according to your result. If your result was in nmol/L then you need to divide by 2.5 to match the measurement on the chart.....sadly it makes matters worse. You will need the loading doses first then around 6000IU's daily.
I'm glad someone has worked out the dose of S3 you are taking. I am on that amount as a daily maintenance dose! My reading was low at 25 so yours is extremely low. I was put on a booster dose of 20,000 IU one a week for 12 weeks and slowly I felt the improvements. I was retested at the end of the boosters and was just under 90 and the daily dose has sent it above 90 so going in the right direction. So you do need to have a huge booster, what you are presently taking will make no difference and then recheck to see it has done its job. When it is corrected I'm sure you will feel so much better as it helps in other ways as well.
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