Vitamins help needed: Hi everyone, I started... - Thyroid UK

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Vitamins help needed

Benjamin1 profile image
36 Replies

Hi everyone,

I started taking vit d, k2, b vits, iron and vit c. Ive been taking these vits for a while now and now feel im ready to start taking some more can you please advise me of which other vits i should be taking and which does please. Im on 150mg Leovothyroxine and have now started taking 5mg of T3 per day, i still am feeling tired and dull headaches with not much energy. In the past i have had some amazing advice. I have not had a recent blood test that i can refer to sorry. I do have Pernicious anemia aswell which i have 3 monthly injections for. Any advice is very much appreciated.

Many Thanks

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Benjamin1
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36 Replies
greygoose profile image
greygoose

I think your next one should be magnesium. That works with vit D. And then the next one, try a little zinc. But only start one at a time. :) Get established on those two, and then see how you feel before starting anything else.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply togreygoose

Thank you, what does of Magnesium should i take & Zinc ?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toBenjamin1

Depending on what dosage you find available, around 400 - 450 mg magnesium, and 15 mg zinc.

Anthea55 profile image
Anthea55 in reply togreygoose

You may find it best to build up magnesium slowly. I take 300mg once a day - taking it twice a day makes me very loose, so that seems to be as much as I can tolerate. You may find you can take more.

Zinc is best absorbed if you take it at night.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toAnthea55

I wasn't suggesting he take as much as 600 mg! But most magnesium tablets are around 400 to 450, in my experience.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply togreygoose

ok great thanks i will give it a go. Can i ask if i am taking ferrous fumerate for my ferritin will this increase my iron levels aswell ? As in the past i have been anemic and was wondering if this may be the case again. My symptoms are waking with headache, feeling hot and generally feeling tired when waking but i am sleeping a full nights sleep.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toBenjamin1

Ferritin is the protein that stores iron. The body dips into it as and when it is needed. So, the ferrous fumarate will increase your iron, which will be stored as ferritin. So, in a way, yes, it will give you adequate levels of iron.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply togreygoose

Ok Thank you at least i can rule low Iron out as a possible cause for feeling so rough

Anthea55 profile image
Anthea55 in reply togreygoose

You are absolutely right, greygoose.

I was told (by a doctor - not that means anything) that you can take as much magnesium as you can tolerate. For me, taking 300 twice a day (i.e. 600) seems to be too much. My previous reply could be read differently.

Anyway, start low and build up after a few weeks if that works for you.

Supplements take time to make a difference.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toAnthea55

Thank you i will give it a go

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toAnthea55

Super, Thanks for your help. I will give it a go.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toAnthea55

Is it best to take the Magnesium and zinc together ?

Anthea55 profile image
Anthea55 in reply toBenjamin1

Zinc is said to be better absorbed at night.

I don't know about magnesium. I usually take most of my supplements with my evening meal in order to keep them away from my thyroid meds.

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

I'd say (and am not medically qualified) that your combination of T4/T3 isn't optimum, ie.dose T4 high in comparison with T3. This is from an article:-

Dose Selection in T3/T4 Study RCTs

The second logical basis for a conclusion

is the actions taken, i.e., the doses given to the

subjects. Most subjects received T3 below its

adult starting dose of 25 mcg/day.

The subjects in RCTs received T3 in some ratio to the

withdrawn T4. The various RCTs used T4:T3

ratios of 14:1, 10:1, and 5:1. Subsequent re

-

search by the US National Institutes of Health

(NIH) found the therapeutic equivalence was

3:1.

Thus, most of the subjects were under

treated with the T3/T4 combination. In light

of the NIH finding, the conclusion that T3

therapy is never needed is invalid

tpauk.com/images/docs/reduc...

hormonerestoration.com/Thyr...

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toshaws

Thank you so much for your reply, fantastic articles i think i may need to have another blood test to clarify the dose i require, thank you so much.

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator in reply toBenjamin1

My belief is that once diagnosed and starting hormone replacement, the doctors should take more notice of patients' symptoms which, if on a dose which is optimum for them their symptoms will have resolved and they should feel well.

By adjusting patients' doses according to the whereabouts of the TSH many remain unwell. and also by them relying on the TSH to make a decision about diagnosing/doses instead of also taking account of our symptoms many never recover fully. Also the TSH varies throughout the day.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

Dr Skinner and Dr Peatfield also had similar views to Dr Lowe as do others but the guidelines are the sticking point as Dr P and Dr S (RIP) found out. The ones who benefit most are the pharmaceutical companies as we are prescribed 'other' for symptoms rather than hormones.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toshaws

Yes i agree, my Tsh has been 0.01 for a long time now and all the drs are bothered about is increasing my tsh, ive explained to them time and time again that even when i have reduced my meds my tsh has remained at that 0.01 but it then makes me feel like a walking zombie !

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator in reply toBenjamin1

Follow your instincts you know your body best and thyroid cancer patients do have to have suppressed TSH and they don't appear to come to harm.

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle

I found 5 t3 to be totally useless (I only tried it to reassure myself that t3 wouldn't make me feel worse) and I only felt the benefits when I started to take 10. I'm not a doctor, but (depending on blood levels) I'd consider reducing the levo slightly (25 to 50mcg) and taking 10 t3 and see if your symptoms improve. Are you under the care of a doctor and if so are you being prescribed both meds or are you self-treating?

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply topuncturedbicycle

Hi i have tried 5mg before and didnt feel much different to be honest. I am currently under a Consultant at the hospital, i have had to fight hard to be prescribed T3 but to be honest my Calcium came back low on three seperate blood tests and they wasnt bothered so i have self medicated myself with some vits.

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle in reply toBenjamin1

When I said self-medicating I mean your thyroid meds. While a good balance of nutrition is important and can help us all feel good when we're healthy, my own opinion is that it will not take the place of the medicine your body needs when you're ill (unless you're ill due to an actual deficiency). In the long term of course your calcium levels will affect your health, but right now your thyroid symptoms won't resolve until your meds are sorted out. I agree w shaws that your dose is incorrect.

I understand it can be a struggle - I too had a hard time getting t3 - but look at it this way: if the doctor keeps you on this insufficient (but expensive) dose of meds and your symptoms persist, unless you work to point them in the right direction they may not want to keep prescribing it at all, and then you're right back where you started.

We all have our own route to health so obviously you have to do what you think is right. I would ask my doctor to raise the t3 on a trial basis (and of course if you're minded to you can organise that yourself) but you need to focus your energies in a way that feels right to you.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply topuncturedbicycle

Thank you. No i dont self medicate, although i have in the past. The drs have tried many times lowering my t4 but ive always felt better on 150mg a day, when i have put my blood results on here before ppl have said it looks like i am not converting my t4 into t3 very well as it was in the 4s. I dont understand what it should be if i was converting well, so based on that i have battled with the Consultant to give me T3. I do have a healthy diet but i think i may be deficient in certain vits as i do not eat red meat. I do have Pernicious anemia also and have b12 shots every 3 months. I started taking vit c, k2, vit d and b vits a few months ago which helped but i think i am now lacking other things. So am going to start on Magnesium and zinc to see how i get on. I think i will try 1 5mg t3 in the morning and 1 at night what do you think ? Is there anything i should avoid with taking my t3 ?

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle in reply toBenjamin1

I take mine in the morning (with my levo) at least an hour away from food though there is some difference of opinion about whether or not it matters. Take it four hours away from iron (and possibly four hours from calcium? though I can't be sure).

I'd give 10 a try at once rather than split the dose but do what you're comfortable with.

B Complex is good. As are Pre and Pro biotics for good gut health. Best Wishes .

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply to

I started to take a B complex a few months ago along with Calcium, Vit D, K2 and Ferrous fumerate for low ferritin. After a few weeks i started to feel better but sadly the past couple of weeks ive started to feel rough again. Im going to add some Magnesium & Zinc to my daily intake to see if that helps, but i have noticed my tummy feels swollen and perhaps i need to take some pre & pro biotics which ones would you recommend ?

in reply toBenjamin1

Hi, I have been using Healthspan and happy with them, been considering getting cheaper but reluctant because I know these have helped me so much. It's funny how we stop taking things when we feel better, then realise it's because we were taking them. If you take Magnesium avoid the one with oxide in because it is rubbish. The Vitamin C I use as zinc included, so I don't buy extra of those. If you go down the vinegar route, dilute a tablespoon in half a cup of water and drink through a straw. This protects tooth enamel. Compared to 10 months ago my digestive system is much, much improved. Best wishes with it all, it seems a lot to have to do but it is worth it.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply to

Thank you. I will give it a go, since taking my other suppliments i do feel better but not right. Which Magnesium do you take ? Also which make of vit c & zinc please ?

I do suffer with water infections so i think me taking the healthspan tabs may help me a lot.

in reply toBenjamin1

I use Healthspans Vitamin C, I was recommended to take Solgars Magnesium Citrate ( for constipation) it works.

Try this website for different types and uses.

Oxide is a waste of money.

globalhealingcenter.com/nat...

Drink lots of water ( there is fluoride in many of the UK's water supply, easy to check your own area). I avoid this like the plague. Fluoride does damage your thyroid gland. Water will help with water infections. So does Cranberry.

Some spring water also contains it so be wise. I buy Ashbecks from Tesco, it only contains a tiny percentage naturally. I won't even boil vegetables in tap water. I steam them. Take care hope things start improving for you.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply to

Thats fantastic Mango i didnt realise fluoride could do such harm to our Thyroid. I do drink lots of water which was tap water but just recently i have switched to natural mineral water and i can taste a massive difference.

ChristinaT profile image
ChristinaT

Maybe consider taking vitamin A also periodically (not ongoing in high doses) but this is important for thyroid issues and can help with weight loss aswell if someone is either defivienct or heading into a deficiency

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toChristinaT

Super thank you, which vit A would you recommend ? And how often ?

thanks

ChristinaT profile image
ChristinaT in reply toBenjamin1

There is either beta caretone or standard vitamin a. However I have read somewhere that people with thyroid problems have problems converting BC to Vitamin A (how accurate that is I don't know). You could take 7000/8000 iu Vitamin A a couple of times per week for a few weeks and then just decrease it down to one per week for a while, and go back up again. Be careful not to take too much, but try it and see how u feel

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toChristinaT

Super i will give it a go, is there one that you would recommend ? Also is vit A ok to take with all my other suppliments ? I mean at the same time ?

Thanks

ChristinaT profile image
ChristinaT

You can buy some off amazon or Holland and barrett (capsules) strength wise thery are 7500iu to 8000iu (just check they don't interact with any other medication you are taking. They will compete for absorption with other antioxidants such as vitamin e, and selenium. Also poor vitamin a status can lead to problems in getting iron levels up too (worth noting for anyone else with thyroid issues and has problems in trying to increase iron levels) that is as much as I know regarding vitamin A. But I think it's importance is hugely underestimated when it comes to thyroid issues.

Benjamin1 profile image
Benjamin1 in reply toChristinaT

Thank you very much i will get ordering

ChristinaT profile image
ChristinaT in reply toBenjamin1

You're very welcome

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