Low Vitamin D and hypothyroidism
Hello
I have been suffering from a lot of the symptoms of hypothyroidism for the past three years but blood tests have come back "normal" (TSH 2.26, FT4 14.8). However the Dr said that I have low Vitamin D (no numbers given).
I remember reading somewhere that there could be a link between thyroid takeup at the cellular level and low Vitamin D. Can anybody give me any links to published research on this?
Thanks
Steve
Might be an idea to have calcium level checked in case your symptoms + low d are parathyroid related. If calcium is high you need parathyroid level checked.
Here's some Vitamin D info. Get the lab print out of your results with the reference ranges from your doctor or receptionist. Get into the habit of doing this every time something's tested.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/245...
This research was done here in Crete where I live. Lots of sunshine - but lots of Hashimotos 
First posted by Helvella on this forum....
You can be TH1 or TH2 - and the former is not suited to VitD supplementation. I think I am TH1 but take loads of D3 daily !
Thanks Marz. Interesting!
I have been on vit D for two years now having to take the super dose twice my doc says it's more of a side effect of living in England than part of my condition so maybe emigration could be on script somewhere or a few tropical hols a year. Seriously though there are so many Brits taking vit d supplement that it can't just be classed as part of any condition . But it is a symptom of many xxxx
Treewade, look at my link above and you'll realise that most people in Britain are deficient in Vitamin D, and most of them neither know or understand that after taking Vitamin D and getting into the optimal reference range, they should then continue with a maintenance dose. Doctors foolishly tell the patient that as they're now in the optimal range, they no longer require Vitamin D. The patient then stops taking Vitamin D and again falls into the deficient range.
My docs quite good not sure if even in two years I be made if t optimum range but I'm on them forever but I read a link re lansoprrazol and wonder weather my liver function iron and vit d can all b attributed to it as I have been on lans for over 20 years due to an hiatus hernia and I feel so ill if I do more than a day without it I don't think I ll ever get off it
Treewade, when you were found to be Vitamin D deficient, how much daily Vitamin D were you then prescribed? And was it a tablet, capsule or liquid?
Your post is interesting as I have been told my Vit D was low and I have been on Lazaprazole for some years, my dr has now reduced dose to gradually come of it but I have been getting acid reflux back which is horrible so am looking at changing some things in my diet as I don't think I want to stay on them any more, do you still have link regarding this? Thanks
PPI's should only be prescribed for a short period of time and are often wrongly prescribed. Hypos suffer with low acid and this can often present with the same symptoms as high.
There are lots of natural remedies discussed on this forum and on the internet.
Reading your other posts it would appear that you are under-medicated for your thyroid.
Did you manage all the other tests that have been suggested ? If you have been on PPI's then your B12 will also be low.
I was prescribed a lower dose of Levo because on 50mgs I had bad palpitations, last blood test a month ago included all I asked for, all was ok but Vit D came up low, she then said she was lowering dosage of Lazoprazole for me to reduce to only when required. I am taking Vit D3 supplements and B12 along with Vit C, cod liver oil caps, selenium and zinc, ginkgo biloba, to try and keep well, but I will research alternatives to Lazoprazole. Thanks
So what are your FT3 levels ? Thyroid anti bodies ??
Dr said normal range but I didn't get a copy of results this time as I did with the other two tests, will ring tomorrow to get copy, have been told surgery charges for them now!!
They should only charge for the cost of the paper and printing Normal is an opinion and NOT a result !! You are entitled to your results legally ...
Hi Zizzy. I know its been a while since this post, how are you doing now? I had to take lansoprazole in the past, for many years, off and on but I now have it sorted.
I take digestive enzymes with my first meal of the day, sometimes I take 2 capsules during the day. I do not get reflux anymore, except very occasionally if I eat too much fatty food. If that happens I just take another capsule or some apple cider vinegar in water. I think that the issue around the acid suppressors is another case of big pharma messing with us. If you aren't familiar already, do some research about apple cider vinegar or pm me if you would like details of the enzymes.
About two years ago almost same time I got fibro diagnosis. I was given a lot of tablets t take all at once 18 I think then after another blood test three months later had to do huge dose again then been on two 500mg calceos ever since xx
Chewable tablets
Hypothyroidism or just Vitamin D deficient? 
Low vitamin D
I'm afraid I don't have the links you need but you could try searching on PubMed.
Vitamin D is apparently a prohormone that is involved in over 300 metabolic processes. Deficiency can result in many of the same symptoms as hypothyroidism and perhaps that is due to reduced cellular uptake of thyroid hormones but I don't know. You may well find that treating the deficiency reduces or even gets rid of the symptoms.
Do you have reference ranges for your test results? It's just that the FT4 range varies a lot from lab to lab. By my reference range, your result is right at the top of the range but it is right near the bottom of some ranges. Having the reference range may give us a better idea of your actual thyroid function.
With your TSH being above 2, thyroid function might be something worth keeping an eye on especially if rectifying the vitamin D deficiency doesn't resolve all your symptoms.
Sorry I couldn't be more help
Carolyn x
Thanks Carolyn. The reference range for normal was given as 10-24. I'd like to find some "proper" research as the doctors I have seen don't regard me as having any thyroid-related illness because they are obsessed with the "normal" ranges, regardless of any symptoms.
Nothing specifically about your query. Pubmed > vitamin D deficiency + hypothyroid = (small study but it does indicate that with autoimmune thyroiditis, possibly not only a gluten free diet but boosting vitamin D levels may also be a good game plan).
J Endocrinol Invest. 2014 May;37(5):473-6. doi: 10.1007/s40618-014-0064-y. Epub 2014 Mar 18.
The association between serum 25OHD levels and hypothyroid Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
Mansournia N1, Mansournia MA, Saeedi S, Dehghan J.
Author information
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Vitamin D is shown to be a potent immunomodulator. Considering the potential role of low serum vitamin D levels in autoimmune disorder, we evaluated the association between Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) (with subclinical or overt hypothyroidism) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels in an Iranian population.
METHODS:
A total number of 86 individuals were enrolled. The case group included 41 patients with hypothyroid HT (overt or subclinical). The control group comprised 45 healthy euthyroid persons. Serum 25OHD levels were measured in all subjects.
RESULTS:
THE CASE:
control ratio of geometric means of 25OHD levels was 0.66 (95 % CI: 0.49-0.90; P = 0.008). There was a significant inverse association between serum 25OHD levels and HT (OR: 0.81 for 5 ng/ml increase in 25OHD level, 95 % CI: 0.68-0.96; P = 0.018). This association remained significant after adjustment for potential confounding factors including age, sex and BMI.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our study suggested that higher serum 25OHD levels was associated with decreased risk of HT so that each 5 ng/ml increase in the serum 25OHD levels results in 19 % decrease in odds of HT.
PMID: 24639121 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]