Trying to help myself with vitamins.

[Diyena]

TSH 5.89MU/L (0.27 - 4.20) (given 25mcg Levo)...

7 weeks later 5.89MU/L (0.27 - 4.20) (Levo upped to 50mcg)

Free 4 13.3pmo/L (9.0 - 26.0)

Free T3 4.6 pool/L (2.8 - 7.1)

Ferritin 69ug/l (15 -- 3500

B12 232ng/L (191 - 663) (Started taking 500mcg B12 daily supplement and a supermarket B complex.)

Serum folate 5ug/L (4.6 - 18.7)

Vit D 34 nmol/L >50 (Given a weekly dose of 50,000IU for 6 weeks.)

Can someone help me optimise my vitamin intake please? I have no idea if what I'm taking is enough or if there are other things I should take too. The doctor prescribed the Vit D3 but the B12 was my own decision.

[Clutter]

Diyena, I think you'd be better with 5,000mcg methylcobalamin for 6-8 weeks to raise B12 and then reduce to a maintenance dose of 1,000mcg daily.

I'd also supplement iron to raise ferritin which is optimal >100 through to half way in range. Take each iron tablet with 500mg-1,000mg vitamin C to aid absorption and minimise constipation. Take iron 4 hours away from Levothyroxine.

D3 should also be taken 4 hour away from Levothyroxine.

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I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[Diyena in reply to Clutter]

Is it ok to take the B12 and B complex close to the levo? I've been leaving 4 hours before taking that.

[Diyena in reply to Clutter]

I went to Holland and Barratt for the B12 and the highest they had was 1000ug but i was wary on taking such a large amount as I'm confused about all this.

[helvella in reply to Diyena]

If you have impaired absorption of B12, then you have to take large doses in order to absorb an adequate amount. Out of the 1000 mcg you put in your mouth, only a tiny proportion can ever get absorbed. Of that tiny proportion, you will quickly get rid of anything more than you need.

When people inject B12, a common dose is 1000 micrograms. And in that case absolutely ALL of it enters the bloodstream. Possibly that means 100 times as much as you could absorb from a 1000 microgram tablet.

(Low doses such as 50 micrograms can only ever work if it is a simply lack of B12 in your diet.)

[Diyena in reply to helvella]

So taking 5,000mcg can't harm me? Since taking the B12 and upping my levo i've felt very 'jittery' and can't work out why. I'm usually really lethargic and sleepy!

[helvella in reply to Diyena]

We see some people having issues when starting B12. It is a jolly good idea to try to get tested for folates as well. B12 and folates work together.

[Diyena in reply to helvella]

I had this test, Serum folate 5ug/L (4.6 - 18.7)

Is that relevant?

[helvella in reply to Diyena]

Yes. You are at the low end for folate.

I don't know much about folate supplements - but there are many possible food sources as well.

Have a read here:

ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/F...

(That is a USA document - take care when reading it.)

[Diyena in reply to helvella]

Thanks, I've just checked, The B complex I've recently started taking has 200mcg of Folic acid in so hopefully that will be enough.

[Hidden in reply to Diyena]

Diyena,

Many people with low thyroid hormones suffer these same deficiencies.

Starting thyroid hormone replacement with low ferritin levels can make you "jittery" and anxious but will leave as levels rise.

Thyroid hormone replacement might not work well until all deficiencies are addressed as these nutrients are required for good thyroid hormone synthesis.

A super market B Complex is fine as long as methylcobalamin is taken to address the B12 deficiency.

Flower

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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

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[Clutter in reply to Diyena]

Diyena, B12 and B Complex should be taken 2 hours away from Levothyroxine.

Your B12 level is low so you need to boost it with a high dose. Amazon has 5,000mccg methylcobalamin.

Please use the links below if you order online.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/go_sho...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/go_sho...

[Diyena in reply to Clutter]

Which B complex is best? and is there a particular dose of iron? I've ordered the Jarrows Methyl-Folate-

[Clutter in reply to Diyena]

Diyena, I've no idea which B Complex is best. I use a supermarket brand B Complex.

Try Ferrous Fumarate 210mg for iron.

Methylfolate is (B9). It's not the name as methylcobalamin (B12). While B12 is low you shouldn't supplement methylfolate without methlcobalamin.

[Diyena in reply to Clutter]

amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00...

Sorry that was a typo. It is methylcobalamin. I bought the Aldi B complex as I saw someone mention it in a post, but i've no idea if it's any good or not. Thanks for your help.

[greygoose in reply to Diyena]

As your folate is so low, you would probably be better with a B complex containing methylfolate, rather than the synthetic folic acid, which isn't very well absorbed.

I take Thorne's B complex no 12. But Thorne has several different ones.

As you are taking vit D3, you should be taking vit K2. Because vit D3 raises calcium levels, and K2 makes sure it gets into the bones, rather than the tissues.

Ask for your zinc to be tested, too. Because that is also necessary for conversion.

[Diyena in reply to greygoose]

I asked the pharmacist and the lady at Holland and Barratt and neither though K2 had any relevance. They told me it was to do with blood clotting. Do you have any info on why K2 is useful?

[helvella in reply to Diyena]

I doubt very much that the pharmacist has ever dispensed vitamin K2, or the H&B woman knows anything about it at all.

They are demonstrating their ignorance by assuming that vitamin K2 is the same as vitamin K (which we should, perhaps, now call K1). If not identical, at least the same in effect. This is far from the truth.

Here is one link, to one paper, which suggests that combined K2 and vitamin D3 could be a useful treatment for osteoporosis caused by diabetes.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/264...

[greygoose in reply to Diyena]

Totally agree with Helvella. K1 is for blood clotting, K2 is for controlling calcium. I would not expect either a pharmacist nor a lady in H&B to know anything about it - nor even your doctor! It's a sad state of affaire, but that's the way it is.

If you go through the articles I've posted, on my profile, you'll find articles about vit K2, vit D3 and calcium.

I hope you'll go back to Holland and Barrett and educate that lady! lol

PS Don't bother with the pharmacist, they think they know it all already...

[Hidden]

As above you probably need a high dose B12 loszenge that dissolves under your tongue. I thought B12 was like vit c, that you couldn't have too much of it.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

You can't have too much of it. Well, that is to say that any excess will be excreted, because it's water-soluble. But you will be wasting your money if you take too much!