FT4, TSH (and other) test results are in normal range.
I was diagonised with Hashimoto and advised to eat more iodine-rich food and take Alpha Lipoic Acid(ALA) 200mg/day. I wonder why my doctor told me to take ALA and that it was ok and there was nothing to worry about. I have suffered from slight fatigue, anxiety, concentration lapse these months. I have not married yet and worried if this could affect my reproductive health.
Can anyone share your experience and give me any advice about this?
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Mei22
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If you were diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, did the doctor decide you did not need thyroid hormone replacement because your TSH and FTs are in range? In that case, you need regular follow-ups and to have those tests repeated regularly. It seems you are already experiencing the first signs and symptoms of low thyroid function which indicates to me that your thyroid gland is struggling and may already be failing.
I have always been told to avoid iodine (I also have Hashimoto's) as it will make the autoimmune condition worse, but others with more knowledge about this will have to comment.
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Ps. This is one of the articles I have always relied on when trying to avoid iodine (except for what is normally contained in food such as shellfish which I eat occasionally):
For a brief period, I took a multivitamin which also contained 100% of my daily iodine requirement according to the label, and I have to say I felt slightly worse...slightly feverish, like I was coming down with a strep throat...it went away within a few days after I went off the multivit (after reading the article above). So, just to stay on the safe side, I avoid everything containing iodine. I even buy non-iodinised table salt nowadays...
Thanks so much. I shall refer to your advice. I don't know why what my doctor told me to do is completely different. I think I should try another doctor.
I agree with Anna, that is very bad advice your doctor gave you! I doubt he knows much about Hashi's. He would have been better telling you to eat a 100% gluten-free diet and take selenium. Iodine shouldn't be increased, just what you would normally eat.
Nothing wrong with ALA but is usually taken for neuropathy. Do you have a neuropathy? Low B12? Ataxia? I've never heard of it doing anything for Hashi's or hypo. I wonder if your doctor is not a little confused. Most of them are.
It would be great if you could post the actual results and ranges for your TSH, FT4 and FT3, because 'in range' doesn't tell us much. It's where in the range the result falls, that counts.
No, I don't suppose he did. I don't think he has any idea what he's doing! Your TSH is more or less where it should be. Your FT4 doesn't look high, but hard to tell without the range - please, always put ranges! No FT3?
* Because it's the most important number, and you are only over-medicated if it is well over-range. And if it is under-range, you are well and truly hypo, no matter what the TSH says.
* Because comparing it with your FT3 tells you how well you are converting your levo to T3.
The NHS will rarely test it, but you could have it done privately.
YOU were not a professional? They're the ones who aren't professional because they have no idea what they're doing!
Actually, that does look like an FT3 range, so could be, they just don't know what they're talking about. I don't think labs in the UK test TT3 anymore, it's always FT3.
Anyway, it's below range, so you are not converting very well, and should be on thyroid hormone replacement. Admittedly, your TSH isn't as high as doctors like it to be before starting treatment, but a T3 under-range is hypo - it's low T3 that causes symptoms, nothing to do with the TSH! You must be feeling dreadful!
You also need your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested. Low nutrients can be the cause of low-level conversion. But, I doubt your doctors would know anything about that! They sound below-average ignorant!
Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease, whereby antibodies attack thyroid tissue and hormones. The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) is a lifestyle programme aimed at reducing autoimmunity and stopping the attacks on your thyroid, which may be causing the anxiety and fatigue. The AIP has been a massive help to me in controlling my Hashi's. If you want to find out more, these are good websites: Paleo Mom, Phoenix Helix, Autoimmune Wellness.
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