Hashimoto's

[nurse4325]

Just received my diagnosis of Hashimoto's yesterday but I have been symptomatic for years. I have seen so many different specialist and it all boiled down to a endocrinologist finally testing for thyroid antibodies. Now I'm not only fighting hypothyroidism but an Autoimmune disease.

[Heloise]

Hi nurse, yes, it is quite a blow to hear this but you have a lot of options. Here are 5 min videos about antibodies:

youtube.com/watch?v=3_uaUXi...(Not working as expected?)

youtube.com/watch?v=Z5SaM0R...(Not working as expected?)

youtube.com/watch?v=14aoImF...(Not working as expected?)

[Clutter]

Welcome to the forum, Nurse4325.

Have you been prescribed Levothyroxine?

Hashimoto's causes more than 90% of hypothyroidism. Protocol is to test antibodies when TSH has been elevated on two occasions but many GPs don't bother. Levothyroxine isn't usually forthcoming until TSH, FT4 or FT3 are abnormal and that only addresses the resulting hypothyroidism and not the autoimmune disease itself.

Some members find a gluten-free diet helpful in reducing Hashimoto's attacks and antibodies.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

[Hidden in reply to Clutter]

There may also be a raised incidence of lactose intolerance in hypo, though there doesn't seem to be any research on that on northern European hypos.

A study in Turkey showed a v high level of lactose intolerancee - but remember that there the incidence is high anyway, maybe 65 per cent, much higher than among northern Europeans (5 - 12 per cent). Still.

"Decrease in TSH levels after lactose restriction in Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients with lactose intolerance.

Asik M et all (publish Endoc. 2014.. I have shortened.)

We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of lactose intolerance (LI) in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis(HT) and the effects of lactose restriction on thyroid function in these patients. Eighty-three HT patients taking L-thyroxine (LT4) were enrolled, and lactose tolerance tests were performed on all. Lactose intolerance was diagnosed in 75.9 % of the patients with HT. (!!!!!!!!) Thirty-eight patients with LI were started on a lactose-restricted diet for 8 weeks. The level of TSH significantly decreased in the euthyroid AND subclinical hypothyroid patients with LI [from 2.06 ± 1.02 to 1.51 ±1.1 IU/mL and from 5.45 ± 0.74 to 2.25 ± 1.88 IU/mL,respectively (both P<0.05)]. . Lactose intolerance occurs at a high frequency in HT patients. Lactose restriction leads to decreased levels of TSH.

So maybe if you think you have any signs of this, or ever had some, it might be worth doing a lactase def. test - and remember, Levo has lactose in it.

[Clutter in reply to Hidden]

Aspmama, you have to wonder why lactose is in Levothyroxine in the first place!

[Hidden in reply to Clutter]

Quite. Why hasn't Levo been reformulated given that we now know the world wide incidence of lactose intolerance is 65 per cent? Most people who are prescribed it must be intolerant!