Latest results - advice please

[Pinkeva]

I have just had my results back from Blue Horizons and just wanted to check that I understand them correctly.

Am I right in thinking that as I am on Levothyroxine (100mcg) , my TSH is ok and so are my T3 and T4? therefore I am correctly medicated?

My antibodies are still abnormal, but I have been 100% gluten free for over a year now and they have lowered, so I think this is ok?? Is there anything else I should be doing to lower them further??

Also, should I just go onto the maintenance dose of B12 now (1000mcg) and also stop my Vitamin D until Winter?

Finally, I have really sensitive skin and have found a really good face cream, but I have read online that Tocopherol that is found in some skin creams contains gluten and if you are avoiding gluten, you should also avoid this!! Can anyone shed any light on whether with Hashimotos we should go that far or is it going overboard??

Thanks in advance

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Pinkeva

"Am I right in thinking that as I am on Levothyroxine (100mcg) , my TSH is ok and so are my T3 and T4? therefore I am correctly medicated?"

As long as you feel well then your results are fine. There is some wiggle room for an increase in Levo if you don't feel that you are quite optimally medicated and still have some symptoms. FT3 needs to stay in range but TSH could be suppressed and FT4 at the top or slightly over range if absolutely necessary.

"My antibodies are still abnormal, but I have been 100% gluten free for over a year now and they have lowered, so I think this is ok?? Is there anything else I should be doing to lower them further??

"

If your antibodies have lowered then being gluten free is working for you. You will always have some, the aim is to keep them as low as possible. Supplementing with Selenium 200mcg can help reduce antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.

"Also, should I just go onto the maintenance dose of B12 now (1000mcg) and also stop my Vitamin D until Winter?"

I find that a maintenance dose of 1000mcg sublingual methylcobalamin keeps my B12 at around 900-1000, if I take it 7 days a week it can go over 1100 so when that happened I reduced to 5 days a week.

The recommended level of Vit D is 100-150nmol/L. Your level is 80. Personally I would continue with a maintenance dose to keep it at the top end of the range (my choice). We're all different in how much Vit D we need. I don't tolerate the sun very well so I tend to avoid it. I keep my Vit D level at around 150 by taking 2000iu daily in the winter and in the summer I take it 5 days a week. It's important to retest Vit D once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range.

I would have thought that gluten needed to be ingested to be a problem and that your face cream is probably OK, but someone else might have a more accurate answer.

[Pinkeva in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much for all of that information SeasideSusie I do feel a lot better than I did on this dose but not sure I feel fully well yet.

Can I just check that it is ok to take Selenium with the other tablets I take e.g. Levo, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Vitamin B12, B Complex and I am about to start taking Olive Leaf Extract. Also, should I get my selenium levels checked or is it safe to take at 200mcg forever?

I will continue to take Vitamin D and B12 and get re-checked later in the year.

Thanks again

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Pinkeva]

Selenium is fine to take, I certainly do and I think a lot of us do.

Some people say you should get your level checked, one member had a bad reaction and warns about it. But on the whole I don't think testing selenium has been mentioned much. I certainly didn't check mine but you could look into it.

Selenium l-selenomethionine is the recommended form. Some brands do have an unpleasant odour. I have found this one to be odourless and I get on well with it cytoplan.co.uk/selenium . It is 100mcg which is fine for me as I also take a mineral complex which contains 100mcg selenium.