Hi all, I could do with some help. I've been hypo for roughly 6 years, exacerbated by pregnancy with my son who is now 5.
I've been taking 125 micrograms levo for about a year. Up until June (2017) I was feeling good, no hairloss and exercising regularly and eating well.
Cue June and I started to feel tired, hairloss began particularly around front hairline and generally felt pretty rubbish. Crushing tiredness particularly after exercise. This has continued over the summer when I booked in for a blood test expecting to see my TSH had risen and I likely needed an increase to my levo.
Results were TSH 0.21 range (0.55-4.78)
Free T3 4.2pmol/L range (3.50-6.50)
I had to wait a while to see a doctor and she ordered further bloods.
Vit D 53 range (50-99999)
Iron 22.2 range (12.5-25.00)
B12 387 range (211-911)
Folate 10.36 range (3.38-23.9)
I've now followed up with the doc who thinks it's probably a combination of factors and suggested I seek more support from my husband (who works long hours) and that I'm possibly mildly depressed. My TSH suggests I'm over medicated with levo but she was prepared to leave my dose at 125 for the moment and also prescribed 20mg fluoxetine.
I'm not that keen to take antidepressants when I don't believe I'm depressed. I think it's more likely to be my thyroid and because I'm so tired it's making me feel a bit down. I'm 40, a stay at home mum of two. I exercise 3/4 times a week and generally eat well. BMI is 21. I am wheat intolerant and have followed a gluten free diet for 18 years.
Does anyone have some words of wisdom for me? Because I'm really frustrated in feeling so tired with hair falling out daily and no easy answers. Thanks in advance
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lolabombola
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lolabombola are you aware that a GP surgery receives £1,650 for each new diagnosis of depression and the prescribing of anti depressants. How exactly are AD's supposed to stop your hair loss? It's lazy doctoring, we see plenty of it on here.
Do you have an FT4 result, it would be useful. Your FT3 needs to be higher as does your B12.
Thanks for that info, no I wasn't aware! The lab, as usual, refused to test the T4 or antibodies. My husband is keen for me to see a specialist. So perhaps I can go down that route
lolabombola you don't need to go down that route just yet. You can get testing done privately and you really need FT4, both TgAb and TPOAb antibodies as well as ferritin which is stored iron.
I have never seen a reference range for Vitamin D like that. When vitamin D reaches high levels it can causes toxicity problems, so I consider the range you've been given to be utterly insane! The usual top of the range in the UK is around 200 nmol/L, and most of us feel at our best with a level of 100 - 150 nmol/L.
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw or
All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH
Nope, not overmedicated. Your FT3 would have to be over range for that. See thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... > Treatment Options:
According to the BMA's booklet, "Understanding Thyroid Disorders", many people do not feel well unless their levels are at the bottom of the TSH range or below and at the top of the FT4 range or a little above.
The booklet is written by Dr Anthony Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist. It's published by the British Medical Association for patients. Avalable on Amazon and from pharmacies for £4.95 and might be worth buying to highlight the appropriate part and show your doctor.
Also -
Dr Toft states in Pulse Magazine, "The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.
In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l. Most patients will feel well in that circumstance.
But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.
This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."
You can obtain a copy of the article by emailing louise.roberts@thyroiduk.org print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor (or wave it under her nose, or something else appropriate ).
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Vit D 53 range (50-99999)
As mentioned, the Vit D Council recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L. Going on holiday doesn't guarantee that you are going to absorp Vit D from the sun anyway, much cheaper to buy some D3 softgels like these bodykind.com/product/2463-b... and I suggest taking 5000iu daily for 3 months then retest. When you've reached the recommended level then 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
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
Well, serum iron is good, it would be a good idea to see what your ferritin level is like.
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B12 387 range (211-911)
Folate 10.36 range (3.38-23.9)
Folate is good, B12 is on the low side. 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."
Check for signs of B12 deficiency here b12deficiency.info/signs-an... and if you have any then post on the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum for further advice healthunlocked.com/pasoc If none then you could self supplement with sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges, 5000mcg daily to start and when the bottle is finished change to 1000mcg daily as a maintenance dose, along with a good quality B Complex to balance all the B vitamins.
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