Thanks to all of you who replied to my original post regarding Thyroid-S. I have been taking one tab per day for two weeks now. I still take my Levo first thing in the morning, then my Thyroid-S at about 6pm. I haven't noticed any difference at all, except possibly a slight improvement in my sense of wellbeing. I say 'possibly' because although I have had a few days of slightly improved mood, I have also had some days that I can only describe as 'weary'. I still get brain fog by mid afternoon. My joint pain is still the same. At least I have established that the Thyroid-S is not going to cause a problem. I guess that if there had been an immediate effect I might have worried that I was over medicating. My plan had been to give it two weeks then replace the Levo with Thy-S, but since there has been no noticable improvement I am wondering whether I should increase the Thy-S, say at lunchtime, without dropping the Levo - give it two weeks then replace the Levo with Thy-S after a further two weeks.That would mean that I would be on three of Thy-S, from 50mg of Levo. What do you think?
I have learned so much from this site, but, as is very often the case, I am finding that the more I read and learn - the more I realise how much I don't know!
Regarding the iodine supplementation, I am very confused. I take a product that is marketed as a 'fat metaboliser' which I chose not as a weight loss aid, but because it has several of the ingredients that I read on here as being good for thyroid health - vit B6,folic acid, vit B12, magnesium. selenium and iodine. I definately think that I fell better with it than without it. The iodine content is 150ug, which it says is 100% NRV (whatever that means). It is said that the recommended intake of iodine is 12-15mg /day. How does this convert into ug? and how will I know when I have enough, given that my diet includes lots of fish, shellfish and eggs. There is a lot written about the fact that excess iodine can cause hypothyroidism as well as hyperthyroidism. So confusing!
My blood test results tell me little because I don't understand them, but I have established that my cortisol is a little on the low side, my B12 is very high and my vit D is ok.
Happy happy new year to you all. I don't have the words to tell you how grateful I am to have found you.
Looselywoven xx
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Yes I think that is a plan to go to 2 and then 3 Thyroid-S. The levo you could drop straightaway so you are getting the effects of one pill type. Maybe a 4 week gap between increasing the thyroid-S pills to allow adjustment to take effect (& possibly stop if 2 is enough). Excuse the blindingly obvious but I assume you are taking your thyroid-S nowhere near any food intake? Your symptoms you describe seem still hypo (and hence justify the increase in thyroid-s). I recollect the first improvement being massively improved eyesight as well as more energy/much reduced tiredness.
Do have you know your FT3 blood values? (before/after). If you don't & can't, then maybe try to get them privately done. I had a total TT years ago, was put on 100 levo for decades but in last 2 years have been either adding in T3 or now thyroid-s. I do self-test my FT3 levels and due to the results, have reduced from 4 grains to 3 to grains and now to 2 grains. I find its quite easy to overshoot and thats not great to be as the body does begin to creek with non-thyroid issues if your FT3 level are way over range.
Thanks for your reply. I take the Thy-S in the evening because I had understood that the Thy-S was not particularly affected by food in the way Levo is, so it is quite close to my evening meal. Should I be allowing a larger gap between the two? I had loads of bloods done a few weeks ago, but FT3 was not one of them. I have been thinking about having them done privately.
All thyroid medication should never be taken with or near food whether levo or thyroid-s. Doing anything else is akin not taking the medication and wasting your time. Purists on this website suggest 2 hours after in the morning before anything by mouth but I can only hold out 1 hour before I have to get on with my life in the morning. Additionally, for the evening round this means also nothing by mouth 2 hours prior to taking. This is all because the t4 and t3 in the thyroid meds are rendered ineffectual by competiting food material in the conversion process, if taken with food. If you are not feeling much from the thyroid-s, I would swop around your morning and evening slots as I suggested before. Obviously by dint of human foibles, the early morning dosage is the one that is most likely to be fully absorbed.
My aim in self-medicating is dose such that the FT3 result sits in the top quartile of the range, what the rest does, FT4, TSH etc is irrelevant. FT3 is the only operationally relevant serum marker to maintain balanced health. In mainland Europe, thyroid panel blood testing automatically includes FT3 in the result. In the UK, FT3 is not at all routine in the NHS and most access it via private blood testing. IMHO, your taking thyroid-s without knowing your FT3 baseline is abit like driving at night without your headlights, especially if you plan to increase...
Many multivitamin mineral tablets have that much iodine in them, it is a low dose. A lot of health freaks take a lot of kelp/iodine every day - people who have no particular need for iodine - people with no thyroid problems - people who are supposedly healthy. Iodine is good for many thing.
To be honest I think YOU are the only one who knows what works for you. You will get people poking their oar in and saying they do not agree/ or approve of what you are doing. But who are they to judge? Especially if they have not worked out their own SUCCESSFUL formula?
If you were very overweight and you were desperate to lose weight and become fitter would you ask a fat unfit person for advice? You would be daft if you did.
I started off on the thyroid from the doctor, it makes me cough and wheeze. I turned to the natural thyroid, that was fine for a bit but then got side effects. At times I also take iodine, but I make sure I take natural selenium with it. Because I did a lot of research and it said it was necessary and that natural is far better than synethetic. It also worked out cheaper and the brazil nuts I take also have other nutrition in them.
Some would try to find fault with my approach but I feel far better than I did before it.
I am not one of those people who sit on my computer on forums all day. I have a life.
I have a lovely partner, children, a full time business I run. So apart from how horrible it is to be ill anyway I have to be well so that I can form a good relationship with my partner, take care of my chlidren and run the business. Having to close it down and having no income would be irresponsible and cause stress and other problems.
If you have nothing else to do all day than sit and chat on forums then you can afford to make mistakes or take your time on little experiments. I cant afford it and life is too short anyway. You will find that the busy people do things the fastest and usually the most effective way. some of those who have nothing else to do with their time than dwell on how they feel and talk about it will go all around the houses and do things the long winded way.
So look at your priorities. Don't just think about your health. Think about the things in your life you have to give time to and things that give pleasure to your life.
In my case I get a great deal of pleasure and support from my partner. If I had continued to be ill all of the time, constantly crying and being anxious, that would have damaged and maybe ended that relationship, causing me to be more depressed.
Hi, thanks for this - it is such sound advice and very much the sort of thing I would write myself! I too have a life - a pretty good one. I work full time and care for my grandaughter. I ask questions, occasionally, as a short cut. afraid
Dont blame you for taking short cuts, I do too. But dont think about health and chatting online as a full time occupation. You would lose more than you gain when everyone gets sick of hearing how you feel or which medication you are on. Learn to say fine if someone asks how you are, even if you feel awful. In the end you are the winner.
" it has several of the ingredients that I read on here as being good for thyroid health - vit B6,folic acid, vit B12, magnesium. selenium and iodine."
These things are only 'good' for thyroid health if you have the right amount of them. More is not better. Too much B6 can make you feel bad. Folic acid isn't even the best form of folate. If you take excess B12 you just excrete it, it doesn't make you feel extra good, youre just wasting your money. But, if you have a deficiency, you need to take enough, and I doubt there is enough to treat a true deficiency in this product.
And, too much iodine, as your rightly say, can cause hypo or hyper, but can also trigger Hashi's. And, as you are taking thyroid hormone replacement, and eating iodine-rich foods, plus taking these tablets, the odds are you now have excess iodine.
This is one huge big con. Playing on people's fears and concerns about their health. I do not like these 'goodie-bags' of random vitamins and minerals. You'd be much better off getting tested for these things and supplementing where necessary.
The price of the tests would be quite high. And this would be to save pennies on suposedly unneeded vitamins and minerals. Cannot see the logic in that. Taking a day off of work would cost a fortune as unpaid too. Why invest a thousand pounds or more in maybe saving a few pounds? And why assume a person is taking too much iodine? I know people who are like me, they just take a small dose. There seems to be an obsession with NOT taking iodine. Even though people with perfectly healthy thyroids take it without any problem. People who need it less. It is not just for the thyroid, it does many things.
I'm not assuming anything. I'm just saying get tested so as to be sure you aren't taking too much. And some of the tests can be done on the NHS and I fail to see why you would have to take a whole day off!
And, it's not just a question of saving pennies. Taking stuff you Don't need can be dangerous.
You say you are not assuming anything. Then you assume you know better than me about how much time I would have to take off. It would be a whole day - unpaid. And I would have to pay privately. And the amount I would lose would cover the cost of many, many, many tests. You also fail to recognise that there is more to a person than their thyroid. They may want to take vitamins or minerals for their overal health or for other benefits. I agree that taking SOME things in too large a quantity is dangerous. But with other things taking more is good regardless of if it helps the thyroid or not.
Sorry me again. If I were you I would immediately swop the timing of your thyroid-s and levo around. 1 thyroid-s first thing in the morning (& no food or other supplements for an hour) and rest in the evening, either another thyroid-s or the levo if you still want. Most TT people seem to be ok on 2-3 grains so bear that in mind. Your previous 50mcg levo was probably under-dosing and with 2 thyroid-s you are equivalently at 200mcg levo.
The info you give on your bloods is most fine. I wouldn't worry about iodine, its a red-herring for most folks on well balanced diets. I take a male multi-vit I order on the internet to cover off any residual needs.
Excuse me for jumping in here, but I have never heard of thyroid-s. Is that a different form of hypothyroidism? Does the s stand for synthroid? I'm still ignorant about a lot of things hypothyroid.
Thyroid S is an NDT - delayed release, I think, or whatever it's called. But it's 'natural' thyroid hormone replacement, like Armour or Erfa. I have no idea what the 'S' stands for! lol
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Thyroid-S not working
Please advise on iodine supplement 200mcg
UPDATE: one of my supplement has biotin - Thyroid S recent batches - stronger?
Raw thyroid and thyroid - s
