Looking for help with insomnia and foot pain

[olgadimitri]

HI, I found this forum is very helpful. I'm 30 years with hypothyroidism, only resently discovered hashimoto. My antibodies 6 times more than normal, dose of daily thyroxine 175, was 200. After starting gluten free food and supplements I feel a bit better, but insomnia and foot pain still unbearable. May be you can give me some advise how to get better. My life is pretty miserable now. Thank you for your support. Olga

[Marz]

Did you have your levels of B12 - VitD - Ferritin - folate tested ? It would be good if you did and post the results with ranges in a new post. Also do you have your thyroid results - so people are better able to help you ....

Foot pain seems quite common when Hypo. Are you taking any other medications ? Why was your T4 reduced ?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you tried magnesium supplement to help with insomnia?

I find Natural Calm magnesium power very good. ( you make it into a drink)

The other one that I find good is Re-Mag.

Apparently, like vitamin C, our bodies get rid of excess if we don't need it. But most/many people are magnesium deficient anyway.

Worth reading "The Magnesium Miracle" - though it is not a thyroid related book.

Heel pain (plantar fasciitis) I am still struggling with too, having also gone GF recently. Apparently it can be due to low vitamin D - I know I have low vitamin D, but I tried taking Vit D supplements before I went GF made my leg bones terribly painful. (Indication of long standing deficiency due to gluten).

I have read that the heel and leg bone pain, is known after going GF. Apparently should improve in few weeks or months. My heel pain got worse after going GF too.

Meanwhile I am sunbathing (good excuse) and considering a vitamin D lamp (expensive) and/or I may retry vitamin D supplements at end of summer

Have you checked you vitamin d levels? Tried supplementing?

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

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

There are a lot of exercises online for plantar f, Stretching the heel down over a step, etc. They do work. Also it helps to take the weight off more .. empty the dishwash sitting down etc ... and wearing instep supports and stretching the foot backwards .. i mean, pulling the big toe to stretch the instep .. before getting out of bed. Am going through the same, sd!

[jacrjacr]

there is a shoe that makes the foot pain so much better..thename brand is VIONIC....with high arches...now i can walk without constant pain...

i agree with the d3, b12, and ferritin.....if they are not in the top range of normal you will feel terrible......and what are your recent labs hence drs idea of normal can be laughable.....test shoe alot. How is your digestion hence poor digestion can also add to making yourself feel terrible. Have you ever tried natural thyroid meds of any kind. does your dr test free t3 and free t4 and tsh ......

[Padster7]

There are really good exercises for plantar facilities. I had it years ago before I was diagnosed hypo. Had no idea it was related. After I used exercises for a few weeks it went and no return. If a wear flat shoes all the time it can start to hurt but I just wear small heels and I'm fine. Exercises on you tube.

[ren41]

Hello Olga, I'm sorry your heels are so painful. I don't know if my reply is that helpful if you are in the UK, given the current stance on T3 here; I was diagnosed with Hashimotos 16 years ago and developed plantar fasciitis. Over the next few years it became agonising and steroid injections, acupuncture, shoe inserts, ultrasonic treatment etc made no difference. On a forum - this one, possibly - I read that someone had moved to combined T4/T3 treatment and it had an almost instant effect in her PF. I bought some T3 and had the same experience. Now, providing I wear shoes which cushion my heels and don't overdo it, my heels are so much better.

[olgadimitri in reply to ren41]

Thank you for your reply, I'm not in UK, I was in Canada for 10 years, and doctors never prescribed t3 there, never check my antibodies or vitamins tests. 30 years with hypothyroidism, only now I started to search, no trust to the doctorsat all. Thanks to this forum I got a lot of knowledge, now need to put things in order. Best wishes to you. O

[helen_m]

Hi Olga

I've had burning feet on the underside a few years ago and it appears when I'm underactive and not on enough meds. When optimal on meds, it gets better. Strangely I also suffered awful foot pain when taking a vitamin B complex (can't work that one out) When my feet were very sore, I was rubbing flexitol or similar cream into the soles of my feet and it did make a big difference as I think part of the reason for me is that the dry skin that goes along with underactive thyroid was causing dry cracked skin on my feet so a cream like that helped. For bone pain, vitamin D helps and also magnesium with any cramps in the feet.

Best

Helen

[Allyson1 in reply to helen_m]

Was it too high in b6? That one is damaging to nerves in too high doses.

My nerve pain started when taking high doses of methylfolate, methylcobalamin, and hydroxocobalamin. I don't exactly know what was up with that but I did not have such nerve pain before.

[helen_m in reply to Allyson1]

It could have been. Now I have peripheral neuropathy in left foot. Being referred to neurologist. No idea what is causing it. I was convinced for ages that it was my vitamin C (ascorbic acid) which was causing it. That definitely made it worse, although having stopped the vit C, pain and numbness is still there.

[humanbean]

I had feet that burned first thing in the morning, particularly the heels. Putting my feet to the floor was excruciating. At the same time my ankles wouldn't bend. Walking was agony. The problem would ease and then go away about an hour or so after I got up and started moving around. This happened every morning.

I self-diagnosed myself with plantar fasciitis. It went away once I took sufficient T3. It has never returned.

[Allyson1 in reply to humanbean]

Did the stiffness ever go to your shins as well? I often have Achilles pain, but my shin muscles and the fronts of my ankles are a mess.

[humanbean in reply to Allyson1]

I have had stiff shins on occasion. But it's a long time since I ever suffered with it and I can't remember under what circumstances it arose. The first thing coming to mind for stiff shins and the fronts of ankles would be to get T3 levels optimal and to check that your vitamin D is optimal. It might fix the issue, but I'm not making any promises.

[rodz37]

Maybe your liver can’t convert to enough T3? Or over medicated.

I had bad insomnia and anxiety on thyroxine, so I medicated myself with NDT. Best thing I did. I also take supplements all the usual vitamins etc., but what I can tell you: the best thing I did was to join the gym and start lifting weights and getting fit, its proven when you get fit that it’s so powerful your DNA changes.

My Insomnia gone, I get to sleep OK, have energy, moods are improved, everything gets better, I'm not saying it’s easy, but you have to be dedicated and motivated, maybe changing my diet to more protein based also helped. I was 120 kilos with impressive hypothyroid, high diabetes, clinical depression and fatty liver disease. I'm now 99 kilos after just 12 weeks, sleeping better with improved moods, memory. I will transform my body like a body builder and it seems it will transform inside along the way. I do workout 5 - 6 times a week, as I want my life back. IT WORKS.

One thing to note about your gluten free diet. I assume you believe you have leaky gut syndrome, this may be true or not, who knows? I take L Glutamine 3 times a day this is supposed to repair a leaky gut. Also if you have Hashimotos L Glutamine is the building block for the immune system, so again another good reason to look at this Amino Acid. Also I read gluten intolerance may in fact be pesticide and herbicide intolerance, wash all your fruit and veg in apple cider vinegar and eat more protein based clean food, like eggs. Stay off sugar.

This might help: draxe.com/l-glutamine-benef...

[olgadimitri in reply to rodz37]

Hi Rodz37, I'm so grateful for your advices, they are so helpful. I started to use amino acids complex and it helps me a lot. I'm sleeping much better now. Goin to bit my fatigue to go to the gym more regularly as I got more energy. How do you feel? Still on the trail?

[rodz37 in reply to olgadimitri]

Hi olgadimitri,

Thanks for asking, i am doing fantastic, my body is getting ripped like superman, im 47 and told i look late 30's (a few years ago i looked like the fat walking dead),

For energy:

Q10 @ 100mg (Ubiquinol version),

PQQ @ 20mg

ALCAR@ 500mg

If you want to add more to the stack to go full on hardcore like me let me know., but the above will be a good start

Cell Detox

MSM + Vit C to detox cells (its known as the beauty supplement too, skin, hair, nails etc)

For balance: to other Hormones;

Maca Root powder in coffee @ 1heaped teaspoon < Adaptogen (15 min before gym)

Maca will help the adrenal glands repair as us hypothyroid suffering peeps can overload the adrenals, due a lack of T3 hormone, again leading to double lack of energy. Maca root is quite powerful and very good for women.

The Gym start slow, its not a race, just make sure you go 3 times a week, build up to 10 hours of gym per week.

I am hypothyroid, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, high cholesterol, you could say the hypothyroid ravished my body, I was so depressed to, I'm reversing it all, inc the hypothyroid, i cut out bread and carbs, eat clean, non gmo, no gluten, no packet foods, no white rice, white, bead, cut out wheat, potatoes, no refined cooking oils, only natural, coconut oil, butter etc.

[olgadimitri in reply to rodz37]

Wow you really amazing me, not that many successful stories here. Please tell me where you buying this stuff. I'm now in Sri Lanka, my cards don't work here, to buy on line I mean. I'm going to Europe, in France on April, maybe it easier to get the supplements there.

[rodz37 in reply to olgadimitri]

Amazon.co.uk has everything you need!

[Kitten1978]

Hi Olga,

I'm sorry: I know how it feels when you cannot sleep ;( I'm still struggling with insomnia: I couldn't sleep when unmediated and when I was on levothyroxine. I have been a it better since I started self-medicating with ndt...I also take 5-htp...

I hope you will find something that helps.

Take care

[olgadimitri in reply to Kitten1978]

Thank you for your reply, I will try to find ndt, but now living in small Asian country, not sure they have it. Many people switch on it. I will try

[mistydog in reply to olgadimitri]

Olga - Thyroid-S and Thiroyd are both made in Thailand. I'm sure they are available where you are.

[Underdog]

Acute b12 deficiency can cause neurapthy. It use methyl b12 and methyl folate. It keeps the pins and needles away. Perhaps taking niacin B3. It causes flushing and itching for about 30-44 minutes. But it does dilate small vessels. Alpha lipoic acid is helpful too. Beat of luck

[Z_oo72]

Hi Olga, I hear you with the plantar fasciitis thing. I really suffered for about 18 months before i started to feel better. The pain is caused by sever inflammation ... I refused injections and decided to find the root cause of the inflammation in my body.

My hands and face were also puffy. I did not even recognise myself in the mirror... medical intervention is useless there is no magic pill for any of this. It’s up to us to do what’s right for ourselves and change direction.

I gave up alcohol and fags. Started juicing every day, i found some really good anti inflammatory recipes using mostly veggies and a little fruit to follow and drank at least 6 pints of water every day on top of 3 pints of natural veg juice. I also ate a fresh Salmon steak with salad every evening with olive oil and lemon dressing that i made myself AND IT WORKED. It really worked. The inflammation went down after about 10 days and i started to feel better. I was able to go back to work after being off sick for 2 months and get back to some place near normal. I promise you that if you put the extra effort in to this, you will really change your life around. My GP and consultants are flabbergasted with my progress.

I also have hypo thyroid issues, ME and fibromyalgia.

I now sleep through the night because i am more active during the day and my face and hands are back to normal size. I’ve gone down 1 shoe size!!

and i am not in ANY pain now.

I bought myself some Rock fall safety boots and a good insert, i wear them everywhere, even with dresses, i don't care what i look like, my comfort is everything. I do stretching exercises when i remember. I avoid flat shoes at all cost now.

All i need to do now is loose the rest of the excess weight i gained when i was really sick and i will be a free woman.

Feel free to private message me if you wish.

All the best

Z x

[olgadimitri in reply to Z_oo72]

Hi Z, thank you for your reply. You are so strong, you could manage to change your life style and habits. ..really admir your. It is very difficult, but always works. No choice for me, I know I have to sart the same health program as yours. Keep in touch. Olga

[Eddie83]

Regarding thyroid, some people find that supplemental T3 has an amazing effect on sleep. Look for "T3CM" on StopTheThyroidMadness.com.

Other than hormone support, adequate nutritional levels are crucial. You will see many recommendations on this board regarding various vitamins and minerals. The other big one, which helped me enormously, is amino acids. Autoimmunity is often the result of a compromised gut. When your gut is compromised, you aren't digesting food well. That is doubly true for protein foods; the human gut is not very powerful in that regard. Many NDs will recommend the single amino acid (tryptophan/5HTP) for sleep, but I've found that is not adequate; I use a preparation of 9 free essential amino acids. It's like taking a knockout sleeping pill, but without side-effects.

[Gaelstar in reply to Eddie83]

Hi there @eddie83,

I'm a chronic insomniac also and very interested in your 9 free essential amino acids. Would you mind telling me which ones worked for you?

Thanks in advance,

Gaelstar

[Eddie83 in reply to Gaelstar]

Although testing isn't mandatory (after all, medicine is an experimental science!), I would recommend you consider doing one or two tests to see if it is likely you would benefit.

1) Total Blood Protein: has a "normal" range of 6.2-8.3 g/dl, and the lower part of the range is to be avoided. I'm just below the normal range without supplementation. My doctor says his healthy patients are 7 g/dl and above.

2) Life Extension offers a test called "amino acid profile". It tells you which of the amino acids in your system is outside its normal range. I have taken this test but have not been able to use the results to come up with a better dosing regimen.

Having said that: I use the "NOW Amino-9 Essentials" product. It contains the 9 free essential amino acids in proportions they appear in a healthy human. My pattern is middle insomnia (go to sleep fine, wake up within 4-5 hours and can't go back to sleep); I dose myself with 5 teaspoons (about 11 grams) of the Amino-9 product, plus 1 gram of tryptophan, when I wake up.

The alternative approach to using free amino acids, is to use a protein supplement like whey with a protein-digesting supplement like aminolase. However, I haven't been able to get good results by doing that.

[olgadimitri in reply to Eddie83]

Thank you, I will try to find this time of amino acids and will start triptophan today. My problem I have to travel, difficult to find meds and brends are so different from country to country. Thank you for help

[olgadimitri in reply to Eddie83]

Thank you, amino supplementso is a new for me, will research. Have to travel again tomorrow for two months, and it's very stressful. May be some anti stress amino acids I will try first.

[Eddie83 in reply to olgadimitri]

Tryptophan is definitely the first amino to try. Keep in mind that some people do better on 5-HTP, which is a metabolite of tryptophan. BTW, tryptophan metabolism does require adequate levels of B-vitamins; if your body is low on niacin, then the body could metabolize tryptophan to niacin, rather than 5-HTP -> serotonin.

[olgadimitri in reply to Eddie83]

Hi Eddie83, thank you for your advice about amino acids. Got my sleep back. I take the complex before going to bed. You are right, it works as a sleeping pill. Why doctors never recommended it. Once more thank you and best wishes to you.

[Eddie83 in reply to olgadimitri]

Are you taking just tryptophan or 5-HTP, or are you using an essential amino acids blend? The reason doctors never recommend amino acids is that they don't know what the tests (albumin, globulin, Total Blood Protein) mean. They probably get 1 hour of instruction on nutrition in med school.

[olgadimitri in reply to Eddie83]

Hi, I use amono asids blend and tryptophan on top. That really helps to calm my nervous system down . Thanks a lot.

[olgadimitri in reply to Gaelstar]

Thank you for replying, I'm nottaking any amino acids, will research. Thank you

[Jacqui1265]

I have had bad foot pain and after advice from this forum started taking B12 I already took Vit D as knew I was deficient in that. Anyway B12 has really helped do still have pain sometimes but nowhere near as bad as before when I couldn't weight bare. Also use insoles but only cheap ones. Insomnia yet to be resolved! so might try magnesium supp as others suggest. Good luck hope you get it sorted and start to feel better soon.