Help with supplements please: Hi so thyroid... - Thyroid UK

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Help with supplements please

kerriv profile image
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Hi so thyroid antibodies are Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies 303.5 (<34) and Thyroglobulin antibodies 478.3 (<115) and have had vitamins and minerals tested, I do supplement but feel no different on what I take which is 1000iu vitamin D3 since 2015 for vitamin D deficiency (800iu prescribed to me I didn't think was enough) and ferrous fumarate 210mg since Feb 2017 for iron anaemia and folic acid 5mg since Nov 2016 for folate anaemia below results done Jul 2017 thankyou.

Ferritin 43 (15 - 150)

Folate 3.7 (4.6 - 18.7)

Vitamin B12 206 (190 - 900)

25 OH vitamin D2 <6.0

25 OH vitamin D3 53.3

Total 25 OH vitamin D 53.3

(<25 severe vitamin D deficiency. Patient may need pharmacological preparations

25 - 50 vitamin D deficiency. Supplementation may be indicated

50 - 75 vitamin D may be suboptimal, and long-term may lead to clinical effects. Advise on safe sun exposure and diet. Supplementation may be indicated

>75 adequate vitamin D)

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SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

These are all much too low, in part because you are still under medicated and also because you almost certainly have leaky gut and gluten intolerance.

Changing to strictly gluten free helps very many improve gut and eventually lower antibodies

You will need to increase vitamin doses significantly

See SeasideSusie replies to very similar cases

Eg

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Low stomach acid can be an issue

Lots of posts on here about how to improve with Apple cider vinegar or Betaine HCL

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

Other things to help heal gut lining

Bone broth

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

Probiotics

carolinasthyroidinstitute.c...

Great film definitely shows why just testing TSH is inadequate

drbradshook.com/understandi...

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

kerriv

Ferritin 43 (15 - 150) ferrous fumarate 210mg since Feb 2017 for iron anaemia

How much ferrous fumarate are you taking? If it's 1 x daily that is the wrong treatment for iron anaemia. See NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary for iron deficiency anaemia treatment (which will be very similar to your local area guidelines)

cks.nice.org.uk/anaemia-iro...

How should I treat iron deficiency anaemia?

•Address underlying causes as necessary (for example treat menorrhagia or stop nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, if possible).

Treat with oral ferrous sulphate 200 mg tablets two or three times a day.

◦If ferrous sulphate is not tolerated, consider oral ferrous fumarate tablets or ferrous gluconate tablets.

◦Do not wait for investigations to be carried out before prescribing iron supplements.

•If dietary deficiency of iron is thought to be a contributory cause of iron deficiency anaemia, advise the person to maintain an adequate balanced intake of iron-rich foods (for example dark green vegetables, iron-fortified bread, meat, apricots, prunes, and raisins) and consider referral to a dietitian.

• Monitor the person to ensure that there is an adequate response to iron treatment.

Take each iron tablet with 1000mg Vitamin C to aid absorption and help prevent constipaton. Always take iron 4 hours away from thyroid meds and two hours away from other medication and supplements as it will affect absorption.

For thyroid hormone to work ferritin needs to be at least 70, preferably half way through range. You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

**

Folate 3.7 (4.6 - 18.7)

Vitamin B12 206 (190 - 900)folic acid 5mg since Nov 2016 for folate anaemia

As your B12 is so low in range, were you checked for signs of B12 deficiency? Check now b12deficiency.info/signs-an... but be aware that taking folic acid can mask signs of b12 deficiency so think back to before you started taking it. You should have been checked before you started it.

I have read (but not researched so don't have links) that BCSH, UKNEQAS and NICE guidelines recommend:

"In the presence of discordance between test results and strong clinical features of deficiency, treatment should not be delayed to avoid neurological impairment."

And an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:

"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".

"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."

Folate should be at least half way through it's range.

You might want to post on the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum for further advice healthunlocked.com/pasoc/posts You may need testing for Pernicious Anaemia and you may need B12 injections. See what they advise and then you need to discuss your very low B12 level with your GP. Personally, I think it's too low to suggest self supplementing.

**

Total 25 OH vitamin D 53.3

1000iu vitamin D3 since 2015 for vitamin D deficiency (800iu prescribed to me I didn't think was enough)

1000iu is hardly much better than 800iu and certainly wont raise your level, it's barely a maintenance dose for someone with a good level.

The recommended level, according to the Vit D Council, is 100-150nmol/L.

You could do with increasing your dose of D3 to 5000iu daily for 8 weeks, then reduce to 5000iu alternate days (or similar, using whatever dose you have). Retest 3 months after starting the 5000iu daily. When you've reached the recommended level you'll need a maintenance dose which may be 2000iu daily, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/

There are important cofactors needed when taking D3

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...

Check out the other cofactors too.

**

As your high antibodies confirm autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's (which is where antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it) you can help reduce the antibodies by adopting a strict gluten free diet which has helped many members here. Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks. You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.

Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.

Gluten/thyroid connection: chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

hypothyroidmom.com/hashimot...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

1948-E profile image
1948-E in reply to SeasideSusie

Hi I was asked if I could help with your Vit D ( Calciferol) query.

Whilst I am living in Africa and not the US, the numbers and medication names will differ. When first diagnosed with Sjogrens with Inflammatory Arthritis my Level was below 20 and I was prescribed 50.000 three times a week for a month and maintained on 50.000 weekly. When my levels were sufficient it was decreased to alternate weeks. I began to feel unwell, I had lumbar back pain, exhausted all the time and generally unwell, just as I had been before my diagnosis. Repeat bloods came back as below 20 again. After another month of 50.000 3 times a week I am maintained on 50.000 weekly. Along with Plasmoquin x 5 weekly & hydrocortisone daily. My Rheumatologist also gives me Trepiline 10mgs in the evenings to settle the hand and feet pains, I take it around 20.00 and am usually comfortable and able to get some sleep. I hope your doctor gets you onto an established routine to get life back on track.

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