Hi as per previous post GP is referring me for counselling because physical symptoms are psychological and the 800iu D3 I have been taking since 2013 is more than enough for my vitamin D deficiency. Would this be accurate? Thanks
May 2017
Ferritin 22 ng/L (30 - 400)
Folate 4.1 ng/L (4.6 - 18.7)
Vitamin B12 204 pg/L (180 - 900)
Vitamin D 33.8 nmol/L
(<25 severe deficiency
25 - 50 deficiency
50- 75 suboptimal
>75 adequate)
Written by
aimee345
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Is it possible to change surgeries where they have a dr who knows what he or she is talking about?
I think you know that several of your results are low.
Others on here are far more equipped to answer your question in a professional manner because quite honestly I have no time for any dr who refers people for counselling' when it should be the dr who needs psychological help rather than the patient.
Vitamin D.
Obviously low. 800iu a day is inadequate dosing. It is only a maintainance dose and I am sure this will be confirmed by others on here.
The optimal level is somewhere in the region of 100 nnomols depending on the lab that is testing the Vit D levels.
For example my vitamin was only 29 nnomols/L.
The endocrinologist prescribed Vitamin D3 drops 20,000 iu each week.
You are prescribed a total of only 5,600 iu a week .
No matter what any dr may tell you you will not be able to make up the lack of vitamin D by diet alone. You require more supplementation.
Have you looked at the guidelines laid down by the Vitamin D council?
aimee345 No, it's not accurate, your GP is talking a load of cr@p because he doesn't know how to treat Hypothyroidism nor does he understand how dire your nutrient levels are. How on earth can under range ferritin and folate deficiency be psychological?
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Please make an urgent appointment with your GP and point out that your ferritin is under range and that you want an iron panel, full blood count and Haemoglobin test to see if you have any form of anaemia.
Ferritin is recommended to be half way through it's range and needs to be at least 70 for thyroid hormone to be able to work.
Ideally you should have an iron infusion so ask for that. If you're not allowed one and given iron tablets then it will take months for your level to rise whereas an iron infusion will raise it in 24-48 hours.
If given iron tablets then the usual dose is one Ferrous Fumarate once or twice daily for low ferritin, your level required at least two. Iron deficiency anaemia is treated with one Ferrous Fumarate two or three times daily, you will need three.
Take each iron tablet with 1000mg Vit C to aid absorption and help prevent constipation, and take iron four hours away from thyroid meds and two hours away from any other medication and supplements as it affects their absorption.
Please pop over to the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum here on Health Unlocked for further advice. Post these results, your ferritin/iron result and any signs of B12 Deficiency. You may need testing for Pernicious Anaemia. See what they say then discuss with your GP and ask for the appropriate treatment.
For us Hypos it's recommended that B12 is at the very top of it's range with folate at least half way through it's range.
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Ask your GP if 800iu D3 is sufficient for your Vit D Deficiency, then after 4 years of supplementing why are you still in the Deficiency category.
The guidelines state that he should only prescribe 800iu butnitnis totally inadequate, it's not even a maintenance dose for someone with a reasonable level to start with so it will never raise your level to optimal, which is 100-150nmol/L according to the Vit D Council.
Take 5000iu daily then retest in 3 months, privately if necessary with a home fingerprick blood spot test from City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/index.html
When you have reached the recommended level reduce to a maintenance dose of 5000iu alternate days, it may be less but we have to find our own maintenance dose by trial and error, which is why it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to stay within the recommended range.
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, four hours away from thyroid meds.
Magnesium is needed for D3 to work properly, 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.
Check out the other cofactors too.
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You might want to consider reporting your GP for negligence considering he has ignored your under range ferritin, and your folate deficiency.
I can only support what others have said and can I also suggest you post some thyroid results as well. How long have you felt ill? and how long have you been under this GP?
Not to bad but your TSH needs to be lower and I think you T3 should be higher for you to feel better. I am not an expert on T4 and T3 combinations as I take NDT. I think you endo has more sense than you GP and hopefully would see that you might need a slight increase. I would imagine you feeling really ill has more to do with iron and B12 and vit d. Did your endo order these blood as both types of antibodies have been tested and that is very good in NHS.
You have very raised antibody levels and so should try to go gluten free. The fact that you may be sensitive to gluten (not same as being coeliac) will explain your poor vitamin levels as your guts cannot absorb nutrients properly. I would have found a different GP if I were in your shoes. I get so angry when I see how many GP's are totally inadequate at interpreting vitamin results. Once I went Gluten free and addressed my low vitamin levels a began to feel a lot better.
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