Thyroid and Multiple sclerosis

[Kinnys57]

I have been on 300mg of thyroxine for nearly 15 yrs then diagnosed with ms Doctor cut thyroxine down to 100mg I have gained 3 stone in weight am tired all the time yet doc will not increase my Levothyroxine back up says blood tests are fine what can I do

[radd]

Kinny,

Welcome to our forum and sorry to hear you are so unwell.

If you post any test results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets) members will comment.

[Treepie]

There was an article in the press recently re US research showing a fasting diet helped repair MS damage.

[humanbean]

Get your vitamin D level checked. It is often extremely low in MS. And Vitamin D is one of the things that affects how the body processes thyroid hormones, so it is important to have an optimal level.

Other very important minerals and vitamins are vitamin B12, folate, and ferritin (iron stores). If you get all these checked, ask for a copy of all the blood test results you've had over the last few years (you may have to pay a small amount to cover the cost of paper and ink). The results must include the reference ranges to make interpretation of the results possible. You are legally entitled to be given copies.

Before asking for copies though, ask if your blood test results and other coded information in your GP records can be seen online for free. You can ask your surgery for access to their online services. For that, you need proof of identity which includes a photograph e.g. a passport, and something with your address on. You will be given various codes you need to register online. Be aware though that many surgeries are dragging their heels with this. It should have been made available to everyone from the start of April this year, but many people still have no access.

Your doctor's reduction of your levo from 300mcg to 100mcg is truly appalling and is the action of a doctor who is a complete idiot and a sadist. It cannot be justified under any circumstances, short of thyroid storm. Increasing dose must be done fairly slowly, and so must reduction of dose.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Do you know if you have auto-immune thyroid called Hashimoto's - this is most common cause of being "hypo" and auto-immune deseases often appear together. MS is auto-immune.

Many Hashimoto's patients have something called VDR polymorphism - Vitamin D Receptor polymorphism, basically seems to mean we need higher than average levels of vitamin D to function properly.

chriskresser.com/the-role-o...

Your vitamin D may be significantly lower than it appears in blood tests if you also have gluten issue reducing your absorption of nutrients from gut

Recommended book - Hashimoto's the root cause. This book looks at the causes of the immune issues, rather than just treating the end result of being hypo by giving thyroxine.

As Humanbean says, you are entitled to your own test results and easiest way (if your surgery has go its act together yet) is to get access to your own medical records online.

[Greenwall]

"MS" treated with B12 - youtube.com/watch?v=lXx7uIY...(Not working as expected?)

[greygoose]

The first step to taking charge of your own health is to get copies of your blood test results, with the ranges, and post them on here. It is your legal right to have them, if your doctor refuses, he is breaking the law. You need to know exactly what was tested and what the result was.

Remember that doctors in general know nothing about thyroid, but yours sounds particularly ignorant. Can you change to another doctor? This one will kill you!

[Kinnys57 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks will do

[greygoose in reply to Kinnys57]

[Marz]

B12 deficiency is a Neurological condition - and especially if your blood test result is under 500. B12 is involved in the production of the myelin sheath - which protects the nerves. When B12 is LOW the myelin sheath breaks down and the nerve is exposed - which I believe is what happens in MS.

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

Read the above link to learn as much as possible about B12. Scroll down for the neurological signs of B12 deficiency.