Doses of supplements advice needed please

[Lara88]

Hi I am taking 800iu D3 and 210mg ferrous fumarate 3 times a day, been taking both since 2014 and below results were done 2 months ago do I need to seek advice from doctor about what to do next please. Thank you

FERRITIN 22 (15 - 150)

FOLATE 2.1 (4.6 - 19.7)

VITAMIN B12 144 (180 - 900)

TOTAL 25 OH VITAMIN D 49.9

(<25 SEVERE DEFICIENCY

25 - 50 DEFICIENCY

50 - 75 SUBOPTIMAL

>75 ADEQUATE)

[Nanaedake]

Make an appointment to see your doctor immediately and point out that everything is below range except for ferritin (which might be low depending on your age etc). Ask what he/she plans to do about it. And ask why the supplements aren't bringing your vitamin D into sufficient range. SeasideSusie has lots of good advice about supplements. It's amazing how many people with thyroid conditions are low in these vital nutrients.

[Lara88 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thanks my age is 29

[Nanaedake in reply to Lara88]

Your doctor should know what your ferritin level needs to be for your age but ask him/her their advice and if NHS doesn't supply supplements to bring it up to where it needs to be then you can supplement yourself. You should be careful not to supplement too much that's why it's better to get your doctors help and supervision. They can do the blood tests to keep track of it.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Lara88

FOLATE 2.1 (4.6 - 19.7)

VITAMIN B12 144 (180 - 900)

You are folate deficient with below range B12.

Check to see if you have any signs and symptoms of B12 Deficiency here b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

Then pop over to the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum here on Health Unlocked for further advice. Post your B12, any signs of B12 Deficiency, folate, ferritin and any iron panel, full blood count and Haemoglobin results you might have. I'm guessing these last three have been tested because you are taking 3 x Ferrous Fumarate daily and that is the dose usually given for iron deficiency anaemia which I think you might have.

healthunlocked.com/pasoc

Once you've had advice from the PA forum, go and discuss it with your GP.

**

TOTAL 25 OH VITAMIN D 49.9

800iu D3 daily won't raise your level, it's not even a maintenance dose for someone with a reasonable level to start with. I suggest you buy some D3 softgels 5000iu like these bodykind.com/product/2463-b... and take 5000,IU daily for 6 weeks then reduce to 5000iu alternate days. Re-test after 3 months. If you've reached the recommended of 100-150nmol/L you will need a maintenance dose. 5000iu alternate days may suit, you'll have to experiment and when supplementing with D3 it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range.

When taking D3 there are important cofactors needed vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds.

Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Lara88 Just noticed you have been taking 3 x Ferrous Fumarate daily since 2014. Remind your GP how long you've been taking this and that your level still hasn't improved.

Am I right in thinking you have iron deficiency anaemia, hence 3 x FF daily?

If so is your GP following the guidelines for treatment cks.nice.org.uk/anaemia-iro...

I think it would be a good idea to ask for a referral to a specialist because of your lack of improvement after such a long time.

[Lara88 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks yes 3x ferrous fumarate daily

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Lara88]

Then you need to discuss with your GP the reason why you're results are still so dreadful 3 years later and ask what he intends to do about it.

[Helsan]

My GP has prescribed Vitamin D capsules twice a week my level is 37. I am to take these for 6 weeks they are 25,000iu A blood test will be done after 6 weeks Once it is up then i will take a maintenance dose which the Consultant says should be 2000iu per day.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Lara

You say in other post you were on higher dose plus T3 and very well. Why was T4 dose lowered and T3 stopped?

Do you still have any T3 and was it NHS prescribed

As the others have said, you are now woefully under medicated and as a result vitamin levels are dire.

So you will need serious supplementation to get vitamins back up to good levels, plus increase back up in T4 (25mcg dose increases and waiting few weeks after each increase for body to catch up)

But also your high antibodies show you have Hashimoto's, or autoimmune thyroid disease. Few medics seem to understand this complex multifaceted disease

But in order to feel well we need to address the cause of the autoimmunity. Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to leaky gut and low vitamins, but also extremely common to have hidden food intolerances, most likely gluten but may be dairy.

Very, very many of us with Hashimoto's find changing to a gluten free diet improves symptoms and can lower antibodies slowly over time

You can ask GP for coeliac blood test but it's notoriously unreliable. Endoscopy is only real test for coeliac, but need to eat high level of gluten for six weeks prior to the test and persuade GP to arrange it.

A far, far higher percentage of us are gluten intolerant, (no test available) and only a few are actually coeliac. So you may wish not to bother with testing and just change to strictly gluten free and see how it helps

Read as much as possible about Hashimoto's

Thyroid Uk the home website of this support group

The Thyroid Pharmacist website plus her video series the Thyroid Secret on youTube are a great place to start

Amy Myers, Chris Kresser, scdlifestyle.com, Drknews.com and many many other websites all look at treating the root causes of Hashimoto's and not just at medicating based just on TSH test which is wholly inadequate

Reading posts daily on here you will learn masses and that your current situation is not uncommon.

[Lara88 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks the T3 was stopped because the endo said the symptoms I experienced at the time were over medication which were headaches. She has also said I cannot possibly by hypothyroid when I am so skinny. I don't have much T3 left and it is NHS prescribed.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Lara88]

Sounds like you need a new endo

Lots of hypo people are skinny especially if they have Hashimotos.

You probably should press for full testing for coeliac.

You can email Louise at Thyroid Uk for list of recommended thyroid specialists

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[mhackett234]

My son and I have been taking 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 for over 6 years. Talking about Vitamin D scares our doctors who, like nearly all doctors, are in the dark ages when it comes to Vitamin D. Doctors refuse to acknowledge that Vitamin D sub-optimal level is a root cause of many diseases/disorders/sicknesses as well as the root cause of doctors being so rich. I carry around new bottles of 5,000 to give to relatives and friends and strangers. Many people act scared of Vitamin D just like the doctors. Where did people get such fear of Vitamin D? What a weird world. Oh, these are the same people who slather on sunscreen -- I guess it is worth the $8.50 they spent on dangerous chemicals in a pretty squeeze bottle to be able to inhibit/reverse the 4 million or so year relationship our ancestors have had with sunshine. Try taking Vitamin K2 alongside the Vitamin D. Most people get enough K2 in their diet, but... Mike234