Fed Up

[Catlover3]

Hello Folks. These are my results I got today. I hadn't had a blood test for over a year as so fed up with doctors.

Latest blood test results:-

Serum TSH 0.07 (0.3 - 5)

Serum FT4 9.1 (7-20)

Serum FT3 6.3 (3.5-5.8)

TPA 47 (0-9)

Serum folate 3.5 (4-20)

Serum B12 232 (180-900)

I take 2 1/2 grains of nature-throid sublingually everyday so am planning to drop down to 2 grains as Dr is throwing a wobbly and is wanting me to see an endo which will be a complete waste of time as we are moving in two months time. I am completely exhausted but she reckons it is all down to being over-medicated never mind the fact that I am deficient in folate and B12. She said that I could take over the counter folic acid and improve my diet which is true but I also take omeprazole which can inhibit absorption. I have some sublingual B12 spray which I will also use to try and raise my B12. I know I have Hashimoto's as this was diagnosed 14 years ago which if they read my notes they would have seen, so it was a complete waste of time checking for antibodies. Last time I was deficient in folic acid I was given a prescription of 5mg but not this time..different doctor! Not sure what to do now! Any thoughts anyone?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Catlover3 I have a few thoughts.

As your FT3 is over range then my first thought was to drop the dose of NDT a smidgen to bring it down into range.

Omeprazole is generally no good for us Hypos. We tend to have low stomach acid not high stomach acid (the symptoms are very similar) which is what Omeprazole is usually given for. It should not be given long term. If you have been given it for high stomach acid you might want to wean yourself off it and try Betaine HCl with Pepsin or Apple Cider Vinegar With Mother dissolved in warm water with honey to taste before a meal to increase your stomach acid.

As you know you have Hashimoto's, have you tried to reduce the antibody attacks by going gluten free (also maybe dairy free) and supplementing with selenium?

You really need to get that B12 up to around 1000 which is the level recommended by the Pernicious Anaemia Society.

Whilst taking B12, also take a B Complex to balance the B vits, such as Thorne Basic B or Jarrows B Right, both of which contain 400mcg methylfolate which will address your low folate level. Don't bother with a B Complex that contains folic acid as that is synthetic and requires your body to convert it to folate.

Have you had your ferritin and Vit D tested? Low ferritin can cause fatigue and if low you will need an iron supplement. Many of us in the UK are low in Vit D.

I'm not medically trained, my suggestions are based on personal experience, research and reading.

[Catlover3 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for your reply. I was deficient in D3 but have been supplementing and am getting out in the sun so hopefully that has been addressed. Unfortunately I have been on omeprazole for many years. I managed to drop from 20mg to 10mg a day but the pain on trying to stop completely was unbearable. The doc did a fbc but not ferritin so no idea if that's low. I will look into the Bvits and acv too. Catlover3

[humanbean in reply to Catlover3]

I know what you mean about coming off PPIs like Omeprazole being unbearably painful. Before I ever got interested in my health I decided I didn't want to be a slave to the PPIs any more. I didn't know what was causing my problems or how I was supposed to come off the things, so I decided to wean myself off them very slowly. It never occurred to me to look on the internet for help at the time, strangely enough!

I started by reducing the PPIs then switching to quite a high dose of ranitidine (aka Zantac). It wasn't fun but eventually I coped. Once I'd adapted to that I started gradually cutting back on the ranitidine. I'm not kidding when I say it took me two years to come off the ranitidine, and even then I still needed ordinary antacids a lot.

I have now got a much better idea of what is causing the problems I had, and it wasn't excess acid that was the problem it was too little acid. So all that time I spent weaning myself off the PPIs then the ranitidine could have been short-circuited if I'd understood my problem better.

If it interests you, these links should be helpful.

The scdlifestyle links are fairly short and to the point, the Chris Kresser links are longer and much more detailed.

scdlifestyle.com/2012/06/hy...

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/ho...

scdlifestyle.com/2013/10/4-...

Chris Kresser explains why problems arise in the first place :

1) chriskresser.com/what-every...

2) chriskresser.com/the-hidden...

3) chriskresser.com/more-evide...

4) chriskresser.com/how-your-a...

5) chriskresser.com/how-your-a...

6) chriskresser.com/get-rid-of...

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Catlover3]

Catlover3 As you are taking D3 are you also taking K2-MK7? Vit D aids absorption of calcium from food and K2 directs the calcium to bones and teeth rather than soft tissues and arteries. Once the better weather is over and we're back to our poor weather through the winter, you may find it necessary to increase your D3 a bit to keep your level up. Aim for 100nmol/L.

You really need to get your ferritin checked, especially as you say you are exhausted. You need to aim for at least 70 for thyroid hormone to work, better is 100 to half way through range.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As you have Hashimotos taking the plunge and going gluten free may well really help reduce your symptoms

It may also help keep your vitamin levels up, once you have supplemented and improved dire levels, as suggested by Seaside Susies excellent post.

Low magnesium very common if on PPI's

Natural Vitality calm magnesium powder - this is made up into drink. If take before meal can also help towards increasing acidity

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/p...