So, off to the GP later. TSH pretty much been up and down like a yo-yo since diagnosis in Jan 15. Pretty much always symptomatic. Worst symptoms are sheer draining exhaustion, inability to lose weight, hunger and sugar cravings. I was diagnosed 4/5 months post baby.
After some great advice on here I am armed with what bloods I want testing and am also going to ask for an Endo referral.
Can anyone arm me which possibilities as to why, deposit dose changes from 50 to 100mg my thyroid seems to be crappy... Am wondering about Hashis and also adrenal fatigue?
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mrsnlw2016
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You need to know what your results are, the ranges as well as the numbers. There are lots of reasons why you don't feel well on your dose of levo: you may not be converting to T3 properly, cortisol problems can limit thyroid hormone production, you may not suit Levo at all and, as you say, you may have Hashi's, in which case your thyroid is being attacked by antibodies. Make sure you ask for TSH, free T4, free T3 (most NHS doctors won't test for this vital hormone), B12, D, Folate and Ferritin. Get your bloods done early in the morning and don't eat or drink anything but water or take your medication before the test. Good luck.
If your doctor is dosing by the TSH, then it will go up and down. But, you won't know unless you get copies of your labs, as Scazzoh suggests.
Do you always have your tests early in the morning - before 9 am - and fasting? Do you always leave 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the blood draw? Do you always take your levo on an empty stomach, with water, leaving an hour before eating or drinking anything other than water? Consistency is very important.
Well, it doesn't matter to your doctors, because they know nothing about it. But, there are things the patient can do for herself, so it's always best to know. We are constantly battling against doctor ignorance and indifference, I'm afraid.
Why not post your latest labs in a new question, and let us have a look?
No such thing as normal! You need the exact numbers.
Your TSH is now reasonable. But irrelevant. And your doctor obviously is dosing by the TSH because that's all he tests. It's a brilliant way to keep the patient sick! He should at least do your FT4.
I think it might be an investment in your future health to do some private tests. You obviously want TSH, but also FT4 and FT3. And antibodies : TPOab and TgAB.
Your B12 is too low. Anything under 500 can cause irreparable neurological damage. If I were you, I would take 5000 mcg sublingual methylcobalamin (B12) daily, for a few months. Then reduce to a maintenance dose of 1000 mcg. And, with that, take a B complex to balance the Bs. Low B12 can cause symptoms that closely resemble hypo symptoms.
I know they havent done FT4 and FT3 for some time. They apparently only test for these if the TSH is out of range. I believe I have had my antibodies tested right at the outset and because they were... you guess it... within range, they do not test again. I have a B complex tablet at home, if I can get the details, could you tell me if thats the right dose/kind?
One negative antibody test does not rule out Hashi's, because antibodies fluctuate. Besides, the NHS only ever tests for one type of antibody. There are two. So, it would be worth getting them done again.
I was taking this combination a few months back but stopped then. I am also on omeprazole for acid reflux and fluoxetine for depression. I take these on an empty stomach in the morning and usually have just a cup of tea with them. I don't eat anything for a further hour or so afterwards.
That B complex doesn't say what type of B12 it contains. But, as it contains folic acid, instead of methylfolate, it could be the wrong B12. In any case, that on it's own, would not be enough. You need to take 5000 mcg sublingual methylcobalamin, as I said before, if you wish to raise your B12 level. You just take the B complex because the Bs need to be kept balanced, as they all work together.
Once again, they do not say which vit D is in those tablets. It could be D2, and you need D3. No point in taking them if you don't know what it is.
Multi-vitamins are a waste of time and money. You shouldn't take iron with anything but vit c, because it will destroy the other vitamins. I have never, ever seen a multi-vit I would recommend.
As for the vit C, well, you get what you pay for. And, it doesn't say what you're paying for. All vitamins and minerals have several forms.
I have to say, I would never, ever buy vitamins or minerals in Asda. I get mine on Amazon, where there is a good choice of quality goods.
Taking iron with a cup of tea is not a good idea, as the tea stops absorption of iron.
So, you are taking Omeprazole, which very much explains everything. It lowers stomach acid, which means that you cannot absorb very much at all - not vitamins, not minerals, not thyroid hormone.
Are you sure that you have high acid and need to lower it? Most hypos have low stomach acid, but the symptoms are the same : acid reflux. The trouble is, doctors never bother to find out if you have high or low acid, they just automatically assume it's high and write a prescription for PPIs - they're one of Big Pharma's biggest earners! And few people actually need them.
So, apart from sublingual methylcobalamin, you aren't going to absorb very much at all, whilst you are on omeprazole, I'm afraid. Maybe you should have a word with your doctor about it.
Thank you for your advice. I have been on the omeprazole since around 2010. I suffer with terrible acid reflux/indegestion which lead to me going onto them. Even something like yoghurt, on a bad day, could set it off. I take this tablet at around 8am and if I forget it, I know by 9am as the heartburn begins.... I will keep that on my radar to discuss too
You're only supposed to be on PPIs short-term - about 7 weeks maximum, I believe. Beyond that, if you still have problems, your doctor should be looking for the source of the problem, not keeping you on PPIs.
If your acid is too low, you cannot digest your food, and it stagnates, and ferments in your stomach. And, that's why you have acid reflux. It's a sort of volcanic effect. The fermenting food erupts and shoots acid up into your oesophagus. What you need, in that case, is more acid, not less.
All PPIs do is stop the pain, they do nothing to cure the cause, so you are still in danger of esophagal cancer etc and have the added problem of possible dementia and kidney disease. See howtotreatheartburn.com/how...
And that doesn't even mention the newer research into PPis, dementia and chronic kidney disease.
Could you point me in the direction of the sublingual methylcobalamin you buiy so I have a clue what I'm looking for? I don't understand the difference betwene those listed as mcg and ug! :-|
Sugar cravings can be a sign of candida, often associated with adrenal fatigue. I've been there and it is quite frustrating and the adrenal fatigue very debilitating. Perhaps you need to ask for your adrenals tested too, and it maybe worth doing it privately as you will find out if they are compromised at any level, rather than relying on GP's testing, where they only seem to recognise adrenal insufficiency when it gets to the stage of 'just about fatal'!! (So much for preventative medicine)
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Better method for assessing TSH normal ranges
High TSH~normal range Free T3, T4
Low FT4 - FT3 and TSH in normal range
TSH in normal range awaiting advance testing
Below range T4 - normal TSH - Pituitary?
