Am I going OTT on vitamin supplements (before I click on the purchase button!)

[Littlemiss_shopper]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if someone could help me on whether I’m going over the top with what I am thinking of ordering in terms of vitamins etc

My latest blood tests in Oct -

TSH 3.97 (0.27-4.20 mIU/L)

Free thyroxine 14.2 (12-22 pmol/L)

Total thyroxine (T4) 107.0 (59-154 nmol/L).

Free T3 4.03 (3.10-6.80 pmol/L)

Reverse T3 18 (10-24 ng/dL)

Reverse T3 ratio 14.58 (15.01-75)

Thyroglobulin antibody 319.00 (0.0-115 IU/ml.

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies 89.9 (0.00-34 IU/ml).

Vits

Active B12 148.2 (25.10-165 pmol/L)

Folate (serum) 5.28 (2.91-59.00 ug/L)

25 OH Vitamin D 52.7 (50-200 nmol/L).

CRP - high sensitivity 4.9 (0-5.0 mg/L)

Ferritin 12.7 (13-150.00 ug/L).

After these results I started taking Vit D spray (3000IU). I’m currently on 75mg Levothyroxine and still have symptoms of weight gain, tiredness, achy joints, sleeplessness.

After reading up and from advice of others I came up with the following:

Nordic oil 1000mg fish oil 60 capsules £12

Vit E 268mg softgels Solgar 100tab £14

Jarrows B-Right Optimised B couplex 100tab £21.50 (includes 400mcg folate)

Zinc 15mg Simply supplements 360tab £10

Vit K2 MK7 200mcg Nu U Nutrition 365tab £19

Selenium 200mcg Oxford Vitality 500tab £17

Chewable Vit C Simply Supplements 1000mg 120tab £9

Chelated elemental magnesium Doctors Best 200mg 120tab £15

So the whole lot comes to about £120 on the big website beginning with A.

I started to wonder if I need all the above or just some and I haven’t even got any iron supplements in that list. All these years I’ve mistakenly thought one multi Vit will cover all but as I’ve learnt from this site they are poorly absorbed by the body. So am I going down the right lines with this or am I being completely daft ? Also my next big question is what and when is best to take all of it?? I currently take my levo first thing in the morning with water and empty stomach.

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions

x

[wightmouse]

Are you due another blood test soon usually 6 weeks after your increase to 75mcg. Depending on results you may need to up to 100mcg to bring your TSH down to around 1.

Hopefully this will improve your symptoms.

Someone else will comment on vitamins.

[Littlemiss_shopper in reply to wightmouse]

Hi wightmouse yes I have another blood test next week, so will see them what the GP says thanks for replying x

[startagaingirl]

Hi - you need k2, magnesium, multi b, selenium. Vit c is needed to support iron, but as your ferritin is below range , that should be addressed by GP, ideally by iron infusion, but more likely with iron tablets, in which case you will need the vit c.

Those are the priority ones, some of us find zinc helpful for hair, nails etc but it wouldn't be a priority one. Vit e and Nordic oil would not be normal to take with hypo. If struggling with overall price, I would be inclined to drop these.

Gillian

[greygoose]

I think you're over-doing it a bit by ordering them all at once, because you can't start them all at once. You need to leave at least two weeks between starting each one, just in case something doesn't agree with you. So, that works out at two a month. So, just buy two a month.

[Littlemiss_shopper]

Fab thank you startagaingirl and greygoose, I shall prioritise and look at staggering in taking them. I did think it seemed a bit much as I kept adding them to the basket but wasn’t sure which were the ‘most’ important of them all. I’ll speak to the doc again about my iron levels too x

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

I would find a better selenium supplement than the one you're proposing. It contains Selenium Selenite Anhydrous. The best form is selenium l-selenomethionine or a yeast based selenium. The selenite and selenate forms aren't as good, they don't have such good absorption as the others.

For the K2-MK7 I would go for an oil based softgel rather than a tablet, K2 is fat soluble and the oil will aid absorption.

Vit C - why not buy a powder form with no other ingredients, just the ascorbic acid powder (or whatever form you want). Make a drink with some orange juice, no fillers or cr@p that can potentially cause problems.

Ditto with magnesium powder.

Zinc should be balanced with copper, so testing is a good idea to see if you need it.

For B Complex, personally I think there's a nicer balance of the vitamins in Thorne Basic B.

As Startagaingirl says, ferritin needs discussing with your GP. 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... But with your level being below range you should be having an iron panel and full blood count to see if you have iron deficiency anaemia.

[Littlemiss_shopper]

Thank you seasidesusie for all your suggestions, I didn’t realise the myriad of formulations that vitamins could exist in!!! I shall look for the selenium you’re suggesting and opt for the oil based K2-MK7. I’m seeing my GP next week so will raise the iron panel testing then. Thanks again it is much appreciated! X