Desperate for some advice please

[rustysmum]

I was originally found to have Hashimoto's 6 years ago. My TSH has bounced about ever since between 3.65 and 5.2. I have seen 3 GPs over that time at our Practice and under UK guidelines none will prescribe levothyroxine and can offer no advice on how to deal with this apart from one suggesting HRt might help as I am 55 so 'at that age'. I saw the community dietician last week who said my constantly gaining weight was not a dietary issue but an 'under-medication issue' and that I should go back with her letter of support and push to go on levothyroxine or metformin.

I currently take daily supplements of selenium, B complex, vit D, magnesium, zinc and evening primrose oil. I avoid gluten and dairy.I see lots of thyroid support supplements advertised and wondered if any of them are any good .i would love to be able to reverse this naturally if I can and would be very grateful to hear your recommendations on what I should do. Am fed up of struggling, feeling exhausted, fat and generally crappy! and do not know what to try any more. Supplements? NDT? Push to try medications from the GP? I want the old me back! Thank you for listening.

[lc1973]

Hi Rustysmum

Sorry you are feeling rubbish.

A couple of questions if i may; If you have a diagnosis of hashi's why are you not taking any medication? When was your last blood test and what were the results including reference ranges? Can you get your GP to do another blood test if you dont have a recent one?

[rustysmum in reply to lc1973]

As I said none of our GPs will prescribe levoyhyroxine until my TSH blood tests are regularly above 5. That is why I am not on any medication. They say the level of antibodies are irrelevant so only test TSH levels which they do every six months. My last test was 6 weeks ago when TSH was 3.65.

[shaws Administrator]

You don't say whether you have been prescribed levothyroxine despite your thyroid antibodies. If your GP hasn't prescribed because your TSH is below 10 - email [e-mail] and ask for a copy of Dr Toft's Pulse online article. Within it you will see that he states if antibodies are present and to 'nip things in the bud' a prescription for levo should be given. Dr Toft was President of the BTA.

[rustysmum in reply to shaws]

Sorry Shaws it was quite a long post! I did say that none of the GPs at my local practice will prescribe me anything so I am not on levothyroxine. Thank you for that suggestion, I will email Louise as you advise and see where I get. So you reckon levo is my best option? Thanks for the advice.

[greygoose]

Do you always have your blood test at the same time of day, and fasting? If not, you can't compare them, because TSH lowers throughout the day, being highest early in the morning. It also drops after eating.

If l were you, l would ignore all these thyroid support thingie. How could they help? Because your problem, basically, is not with your thyroid, it is a problem of the immune system.

Did you get tested for vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin before deciding on your supplements? Because you really should have. If you have a B12 deficiency, a B complex is not going to do much to help it.

As far as anyone knows, there is no way of reversing an autoimmune disease, either naturally, or otherwise. Levo, NDT, etc do not treat anything, they just replace the hormone you can no longer make for yourself. However, some people have found that taking selenium has reduced their antibodies a bit. That is all l can suggest.

[rustysmum]

Thank you Grey goose. Yes I always have my bloods done first thing after fasting. I did have a full panel of blood tests done not long before I started the supplements which were started under the recommendation of one of the doctors, now retired, from the 'recommended list'. My blood results at that time were all in range but mostly towards the low end.