I take levothyroxine which has recently been reduced from 125 per day to 100 on Tues, Thur, Sat and Sun, and 125 on Mon, Wed and Fri. I am thinking I should be supplementing with iron, vit B (together with vit C) and folic acid. Whilst I have read posts this is the first time I have posted, and any advice or comments would be much appreciated.
Written by
jam-45
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
jam-45 Were those tests done before after reduction in dose of Levo?
Generally, the aim of a treated hypo patient is for TSH to be 1 or below and FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges if that's where you feel best. Your TSH is a bit too high, FT4 at the top of the range and FT3 at the bottom of it's range. It looks as though you're not converting T4 into T3 well enough. How do you feel?
Your antibodies are low so do not indicate autoimmune thyroid disease.
Your B12 is deficient. Anything under 500 can cause neurological problems. Recommended is top of range, even 900-1000. You could supplement with Solgar or Jarrows sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges 5000mcg daily for about 3 months to raise your level then reduce to 1000mcg daily as a maintenance dose. Let them dissolve under the tongue to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream, don't chew or swallow as stomach acid destroys it.
When taking B12 we should also take a B Complex to balance the B vits. Thorne Basic B or Jarrows B Right are both good brands and contain 400mcg methylfolate which will help raise your low folate level. Folate should be at least half way through it's range so that's 26+ with that range. Take B vits in the morning, no later than lunchtime as they are stimulating.
Ferritin needs to be half way through it's range, with a minimum of 70 for thyroid hormone to work properly. You should supplement with Ferrous Fumarate which you can buy from Amazon. Take one tablet twice a day with 1000mcg Vit C to aid absorption and help prevent constipation. Take iron 4 hours away from thyroid meds, other meds and supplements as it will affect their absorption. Finish the packet (usually 84 tablets) then retest. Eating liver once a week is a very good way of raising ferritin.
What about Vit D? As the others are low there's a good chance that Vit D will be low too. If your GP won't test it then you can get a private fingerprick blood spot test to do at home from City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/vitamin... . Recommended level for Vit D is 100-150nmol/L.
Thanks for all the information - that's really helpful. The tests were done before the reduction in Levo but I had had a blood test done at the surgery and my TSH was 0.4 - don't know the ranges, and no T4 test was done. As I was suffering from hot flushes (at 70 thought I was past that!) and also sweating a lot in the face and back of my neck and getting breathless going uphill, felt it might be because I was on slightly too much levo, I had a private test done. The sweating etc has stopped with reduction in the dose. I do feel tired but still manage to play badminton and tennis, even though I have to do not a lot the following day. I also have days of feeling down in the dumps. Will look into getting a vitamin D test.
B12 serum is not a good test - needs to be evaluated on basis of symptoms - there is a lot of individual variation and the result above may or may not be low for you
unfortunately there is a lot of overlap with symptoms of thyroid.
and you can get support with getting a B12 deficiency diagnoses on the PAS forum ... but it gets really difficult if you have taken very high dose supplements as suggested below.
suggest you read through the pinned posts on the PAS forum
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Blood Test Results
Thyroid blood test results
