Diagnosed with underactive thyroid

[dnc2009]

I hate the weight I've gained and the lack of help from the medical profession in taking 100mg levothyroxine I don't see what effect it has apart from some nights I sleep and others I don't would gluten free diet help

[Hidden]

Hello dnc2009,

Welcome to our forum and sorry to hear of your problems.

Weight gain can be a symptom of hypothyroidism when under medicated.

Without adequate thyroid hormone replacement, you will never be able to rid yourself of this weight gain or any other symptoms.

Do you know if you have been tested for thyroid antibodies TPOAb and TGAb indicating Hashimotos as it is prevalent in hypothyroidism?

Many people with (or without) have found a gluten free diet to be beneficial in reducing inflammation in the body.

Another issue to look at is gut health as low thyroid hormones can induce low stomach acid and disrupt gut flora causing IBS etc. and nutrient deficiencies. These in turn might interfere with thyroid meds working.

If you have recent thyroid hormone test results, post them complete with ranges (numbers in brackets) and members will comment. Same for any Vit, etc tests and also advise of any other meds you are presently taking.

Flower007

[dnc2009 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you and no I'm pretty sure I've never been tested for those in fact im going to have to dig a little deeper to find a gp that will do the tests and communicate with me im contacting my gp next week so I shall be making and pushing for the correct tests for me thank you again x I am hoping some time in the sun will help me relax as I have and still suffer with anxiety and if I loose control I end up becoming erm shall we say neurotic at that stage I cant control it and I don't like that , I will update once I've seen my gp x😊

[Hidden in reply to dnc2009]

dnc2009,

Tests to ask for would be:

thyroid hormone test- TSH, T4 & T3 (though you might not get T3 tested through GP.)

Thyroid antibodies TPOAb & TGAb.

Vit D, Vit B12, Folate and Ferritin.

ALL these are necessary to assess your thyroid meds & related health issues. If GP is uncooperative there are details of private testing in link below.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Remember anxiety is a major symptom of low thyroid hormones and should improve once optimally medicated.

Good luck

Flower007

[dnc2009 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you I've made a note so I can ask doctor when I can get in to see them x

[Hidden in reply to dnc2009]

This link gives info on why anxiety is caused by the gut.

healthhomeandhappiness.com/...

F

[ourfriendsinthenorth]

Many of us have found a gluten free diet to be of help. As Flower007 has said, it can help reduce stomach problems and inflammation and for myself, it reduced some of the pain and anxiety levels. Along with good vitamin support this was a first step towards definite improvement for me. There are many gluten free items available these days in the supermarkets, and lots of recipes and guides available on the internet, so it's not the big deal it used to be in terms of a change to diet and nutrition and has definite pay offs. Hope this helps you too - it is worth a try.

[mazzzy]

Hi, I have followed a gluten free diet for over 6 years, as I suffer from DH (Dermatitis Herpetiformis), and it has made no difference to my Underactive thyroid. I still feel just as anxious, tired and constantly battling my weight. However, I do believe anything is worth a try, it may not have worked for me but it may do for you. Just wanted to add that although there are lots of GF substitutes for foods such as bread etc. it is better to limit or avoid these if you can as they often contain more calories, sugar or fat than normal products and can lead to more weight gain.

[dnc2009 in reply to mazzzy]

Thank you so gf products are like the ones available for diabetics x

[Hidden in reply to dnc2009]

No..they are the ones without gluten.

Much better to cook from scratch and buy a packet of buckwheat flour (gluten free inspite of the name) for thickening sauces and making pancakes, etc.

Bread I either do without...having gluten free oatcakes instead or buy fresh from really good health shop and keep spares in freezer.

Be careful of buying supermarket gluten free foods because a lot (especially the bread) has many additives.

Always check the label........less ingredients is better.

F

[Eddie83]

I am on a GF diet because there is no doubt I had atypical celiac. However, the GF diet doesn't work for everyone. If you want to be sure whether gluten is stimulating autoimmunity, I suggest this. Test TPO and TG antibodies. Then, go GF (no cheating!) for 6 months. Repeat the TPO and TG antibody tests. If gluten is your problem, you will have seen a decrease in TPO and/or TG antibody counts, in which case you should stay on the GF diet. It took about 18 months for my TPO antibodies to goto zero, after going GF.

The autoimmunity tests have a "normal" range; that is, the labs say it is OK to have a non-zero count up to some (relatively small) number. Disregard this. If you have non-zero antibodies, destruction is occurring, even though a small count means it is progressing very slowly.

BTW, if autoimmunity is present, you probably have leaky gut. In that case you will want to investigate additional things to help heal that.

[lucylocks in reply to Eddie83]

Hi Eddie,

Found your reply really interesting.

When I was diagnosed with hypo. just over 4 years ago all I was told was that I did not have the auto immune type as my level was 58 range 0 - 75

I presume it was TPO antibodies that were tested but back then I knew nothing of thyroid problems and did not ask but I think the TPO are generally what the NHS test for.

I have recently had a private blood test and TPO is 27.5 <34 kIU/L

TG 95.4 <115 kIU/L

Obviously the range the NHS use for TPO is different from the private range but my husband and I have just been trying to work out if they have risen and our conclusion is that they have stayed the same.

The question is, do you think as all levels are high in range I have in fact got hashi's.

I am not gluten free but do you think I should be ?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thank you browny

[Eddie83 in reply to lucylocks]

I don't know why medicine pretends that a patient doesn't "have" Hashi's if they are below some non-zero value. I had antibodies that weren't very elevated, yet I had them for so many decades that it did serious damage. Yes, I think you have low-level Hashi's! The task you have now is figuring out what is causing it. The first thing to try is removing gluten for 6 months to see if antibodies go down. If not, you will have to look elsewhere; my next choice after that would be dairy. After that, you get into the miasma of environmental medicine. It's very difficult to find anyone in that field who knows what they are doing.

[lucylocks in reply to Eddie83]

Many thanks for your reply,

I thought I may have hashi's as since diagnoses I have episodes whereby I feel depressed and have shaking and trembling, I feel nauseous go to the toilet 3 or 4 times a day when normally I am constipated. I wonder if this when I am having a hashi attack.

I will give gluten up and hope it brings the antibodies down and who knows may make me feel better.

browny

[Julie3]

Hi iv had an under active thyroid for 18 months I keep trying different things to help. I have gone gluten free on bread as the rest of my diet has not much gluten, I did read to cut gluten down not completely. I also have limited broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and sprouts which is all my favourite veg but I do t go without. I hav also gone floride free toothpaste. I takes meds as soon as I wake up and don't eat anything for an hour after. Coffee shouldn't be drank until 2-3 hours after taking meds. It took some time for me to feel the effects now I'm not so tired but I do exercise a lot as I'm not going to let thyroid get in the way. This might not work for everyone but hope it's helpful.

[dnc2009]

Thank you for all your advice and what tests I should be asking for once I have got results and post xxx