Should I add t3?

[queenmabroo]

Hello all,

I've been working very hard to get my vitamin balance right in order to support proper thyroid function, and was then considering adding some privately obtained T3 if I still needed to based on symptoms.

I've been supplementing B12, B complex, Primrose Oil, Iron & Vit C, and Vit D & K2 (though I had to come off this recently for a doctor's blood test).

The recent bloods that I have are:

TSH 0.19 (0.27 - 4.20)

FT4 19.35 (12 - 22)

FT3 5.87 (3.1 - 6.8)

Vit D 78 (75-500)

(Bluehorizon did TSH/FT4/FT3, Vit D is docs)

Symptoms wise, I have some really bad acne and some awful boils/spots (wondering if this is related to b12 but my energy seems so much better now that I'm taking it, and have been supplementing it since the summer). I'm struggling to lose weight, despite being very active and eating well. I still have a post nasal drip. My basal temperature is still low (usually fluctuating around 35.4 degrees and because of the fluctuation I'm wondering about adrenals). My voice is still going hoarse quite regularly and after exercise I struggle to wake up the next morning. Getting hormonal migraines - usually day of period and day of what I suspect is ovulation. Still have terrible IBS/bloating! I've also had some vision blurriness and visual floaters, and tinnitus - and all of these seem to be reduced when I'm on vitamin D.

So I'm aware that at least one course of action is to supplement Vitamin D myself (as the doc won't prescribe me anymore now that I'm over the range). I had also wanted to try adding in some T3 to see if that helped the final symptoms, but with the results I had from BlueHorizon I'm a little wary of this now as I don't want to push myself hyper! Another option is looking at adrenals - and perhaps the gut.

Does anyone have any direction they could share? I'm seeing my doctor next Wednesday and will probably ask him to look at the other vitamins etc - though I'm not always convinced he'll say yes to the tests!

[Clutter]

Queenmabroo,

Ask your GP to refer you for an ultrasound scan. Hoarseness can be due to a thyroid nodule compressing the trachea.

Your FT3 is high in range so I'm not sure you would feel much, if any, benefit from adding T3. There is scope to increase it though so you could try 6.25mcg and see whether that makes a difference.

VitD is optimal around 100 so you could try 1,000iu daily until April when ultraviolet light should be strong enough to stimulate natural vitD.

Best way to see whether acne is related to B12 supplements is to stop taking B12 for a few weeks and see whether the acne clears up.

[queenmabroo in reply to Clutter]

Hi,

Thanks Clutter. I do have some swelling/enlargement around my throat, so I'll look into that.

Have stopped the B12 so will monitor it. Also found that my skin is feeling better after a honey mask!

I had been prescribed 1600iu daily between October 2015 when my Vit D was 65 and December 2016 which finally brought my Vit D up to 78. My body does not like to harness Vit D even in the good sunlight!

[Clutter in reply to queenmabroo]

Queenmabroo,

Perhaps try 2,000iu then to raise vitD and stick with it as a maintenance dose.

[startagaingirl]

Hi - have you had anti-bodies checked for Hashis? Some of your symptoms sound like they are food intolerance and possible leaky gut related. The normal culprits are gluten, dairy and soy in that order of numbers. These would certainly cause the ins type symptoms and possibly the post nasal drip for dairy. If you do have Hashis cutting out gluten and trying bone broth or glutamine along with probiotics and fermented food could go a long way to removing your remaining symptoms. Removing such stresses from your system could also help your possible adrenal issues.

Your thyroid levels look reasonable but you didn't say what your ferritin, folate and b12 levels are. That would be another place to look at.

Good luck,

Gillian xx

[queenmabroo in reply to startagaingirl]

Hi,

I had TPO done in July 14 which came back as 48 (<100) but when I went back through my medical records that was flagged as high even though it seems to be in the range?

I eat gluten free and don't have much dairy or soy, but perhaps it would be useful to see if I still have antibodies, so I will ask my doc for that next week.

Ferritin/folate/b12 haven't been tested since August 2016, so I need to ask my doc to test those again.

B12 440 (211-911)

Ferritin 81 (10 - 322)

Folate 13.9 (5.4 - 24.0)

When you say trying bone broth and glutamine, probiotics and fermented food, do you mean adding those in addition to a normal gluten (and potentially other irritant) free diets? I'd looked at bone broth as the diets that suggest only having bone broth for a week or so, I hadn't thought about it as an addition to a regular diet! That makes good sense.

Thank you

[startagaingirl in reply to queenmabroo]

Hi, yes in addition to normal diet, certainly not on its own, that is in the realms off quackery! Bone broth as the natural way or glutamine as a supplement, both contain the protein that is needed to repair the joints in the gut that let irritants through into the bloodstream in a partially digested form, hence irritating the immune system and sending it looking for similar tissues, in our case this is the thyroid gland. Healing this and removing irritants can calm the immune system and reduce the attacks. The probiotics (I use vsl#3 but these are. Expensive and there are others recommended as well), help rebuild the bacteria lining the gut and hence give further protection and help digestion. Fermented foods - live, not pasteurised - help feed the good bacteria. These bacteria can be depleted by anti-biotics for instance., or you can have an imbalance in them causing issues.

It may be that dairy and/or soy are your irritants, or it could be something else, but it certainly sounds like an intolerance situation. Why not try cutting out one of these at a time for a few weeks and see if you notice any improvement in your gut issues?

Good luck,

Gillian xx

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you considered, or tried going dairy free. I see from previous post you are already gluten free.

Also soya can be an issue - I found cutting out soya lecithin beneficial- hidden in lots of foods including most chocolate 😕.

as recommended by Izabella Wentz

thyroidpharmacist.com