Intolerances

[budd_james]

Ok so apart from getting fedup with my GP about the blood tests I also decided to get some testing done to try & see what intolerances I have (food & chemicals). Idea being that it would give me somewhere to start with eliminations to try & reduce the apparent inflammation.

Found somewhere that would do the testing & apart from their standard 600 tests they offered me 2 items of my own choosing to include in the tests. Just for kicks I included one of my thyroxine tablets............. you know what's coming now don't you .......

THYROXINE – MEDIUM intolerance (70%)

How freaky is that. I've tried to identify the fillers, etc & they don't appear on the comprehensive list of results (aka my other intolerances). Has anyone else tried this approach, or spoken to their GP if they are intolerant to meds?  Want to raise this but unsure what reception I will get - apart from the "it's not an NHS test" standard retort.......

TIA

[nightingale-56]

How clever of you Budd_James t think of taking a different approach.  Could you let  us know the company you got to do these tests please.  Even if doctors do not recognise these tests, at least we would know and when things go wrong with medication we would be able to say with conviction what had happened.  Might make them think a bit.

[budd_james]

I did the tests through "The intolerance Testing Group UK"

testyourintolerance.com/

EASTER16 will get you 10% off on chosen tests.

The interesting part of this was that I only needed to send off samples of hair, not blood or saliva, etc. They test for around 300 foodstuffs & 300 "environmental factors" incl pollens, pets, etc.

The test results brought back some useful information for me - it confirmed some intolerances, told me about others I had no idea about, but it also missed some food items that I do react to. Whether that reaction is down to current gut flora issues, or ingredients that I'm unaware of, I don't know - but I never take anything like this to be 100% infallable.

As I said initially - at least I have a basis to start from now as I got fedup of buying foods to try & then reacting to them & having to literally throw money away.

[Clutter]

Budd-James,

I don't see how one can be allergic to thyroxine which is a naturally occurring hormone but obviously people can react to one or more of the fillers in Levothyroxine.

[budd_james in reply to Clutter]

The testing company used the description I provided them Clutter. I included a tablet & labelled it thyroxine. Definately think it's a filler but it'll be interesting to track down what it is

Interestingly the common fillers ( lactose, maize starch, accacia powder) don't get a hit on the testing, so it must be one of the others, or how it all combines......

[Clutter in reply to budd_james]

Budd-James,

I've always wondered how intolerance to Levothyroxine is diagnosed because all I got from my endo was "Levothyroxine doesn't do that."

I hope you have more understanding from your GP.

[budd_james in reply to Clutter]

Once I've had a chat to my GP I'll "report back" to the group about what she says & how she approaches this.

[Clutter in reply to budd_james]

Budd-James,

With great scepticism, I'm guessing. 

Decades ago hairdresser made my mother  have her hair analysed to see whether she could have it permed and coloured.  Report indicated possible hyperthyroidism a few days after Mum was diagnosed with Graves.  Strangely, I still find myself sceptical about hair mineral analysis.

[budd_james in reply to Clutter]

It'll be a double whammy for the GP Clutter, as I'll also have my BlueHorizons blood test with me that clearly shows inflammation present with excessively high ferritin levels. Linked with this test she will have to consider, at the minimum, further testing

[Pixielula]

can I ask a question..... I always thought Levo and liothyronine were synthetic hormones. I suppose I assumed they were not "real" but a man made copy that mimics the real thing and does the same thing, so is that not the case? 

[Clutter in reply to Pixielula]

Pixielula60mcgrm,

Thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are the natural thyroid hormones occurring in our body.

Levothyroxine (T4) and Liothyronine (T3) are synthetically produced medications to replace low T4 and low T3.

[helvella in reply to Clutter]

Absolutely Clutter.

The chemical make-up of the synthetic thyroid hormones is identical to that of the ones we ourselves produce with one detail different - the synthetic ones have a sodium atom where our own have a hydrogen atom. (This substitution was made in the very early days of both levothyroxine and liothyronine for what seemed good reasons.)

There have been many suggestions, even claims, of big differences but I find many of them extremely unconvincing. After all, once in the bloodstream, it is absolutely impossible to identify whether a particular molecule of a thyroid hormone came from a living, working thyroid or a tablet.

This doesn't mean there there won't be differences due to how the hormone is delivered (via the gut), excipients, degradation products and other contaminants, etc. But many of these might also apply to the so-called "natural" desiccated thyroid.

[phirestar]

There is a site in the US - drugs.com and you can look up all excipients in drugs. Then you can search web by type of excipient. I did this due to my strange reactions to starting thyroid meds. What I discovered was quite interesting. 

[helvella in reply to phirestar]

For those in the UK, this site is much easier to use and find the information about individual medicines:

medicines.org.uk/emc/

[Josiesmum]

It might be the iodine in thyroxine that you're reacting to?

[elwins]

Read the ingredients, maize syrup is used as a binding agent in a lot of tablets, some thyroxine tabets have it, if you have problems with allergies maize might not agree with you.

[Justiina]

I read that they only consider proper intolerance 85% and above?  Was going through their web pages.  So medium intolerance would not be enough to cause trouble. Or maybe I misunderstood? 

[budd_james in reply to Justiina]

In their experience they are indeed only interested in 85% and above - I am however hyper sensitive to many things, so I've asked for a more complete report as I consider any % a result to be considered, especially if, in the case of medication filler agents, there is potentially a combination of items being consumed together.

[Justiina in reply to budd_james]

Oh I see. Makes sense if you are hyper sensitive.

Do you know how they test the hair ? I tried to look for more information but all I find from hair analysis is mostly about hair containing energy and vibrating type of tests.  About testing vitamins,  minerals and so on there is information available ,but I might not just know how to find it about allergies! 

I got a bit interested as they offer tests for vitamins and minerals too.

You don't have any other type of tests done to compare the results? 

I am very sensitive to some stuff and would be interested to know whether any test would confirm that or is it just low t3.  

[budd_james in reply to Justiina]

Unfortunately I've no idea about the techniques used - I can only guess that in the hair mineral analysis test they make use of gas chromatography & compare the results against a database of "norms" - total guess though.

There are a number of companies offering a variety of intolerance tests - this is the first that I have had done. In time I will try a different company / method & will compare results. Sadly money to be spent on vitamins, etc. first before the "luxury" of self funded tests.......