I’ve been diagnosed with hypothyroidism for over 8 years. I have only ever taken Levothyroxine and never felt better. I’m at a point where I feel worse than I ever have.
Recent visits to my GP proved futile as they are not even willing to even test T3 as the NHS are not prepared to prescribe it.
All other tests for B12, folate, vitamin D etc in range.
A referal was sent to endocrinology which was then withdrawn by the endocrinologist!
I now feel completely helpless. All I can do is save up to see a private doctor and source from abroad.
If anyone has any info on how I can go about this can you please message me?
Thanks in advance!
Written by
roxiedog
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Well there doesn't seem to be any red flags with the majority of those results but most of them aren't really the ones we need. We need
TSH
FT4
FT3
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
TSH 0.61 (0.4-4.0)
That's not enough on it's own. To know if you would benefit from T3 you need FT4 and FT3 tested at the same time as your TSH. If you can't get them done with your GP then you can do a private test with Medichecks or Blue Horizon as mentioned above.
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody 70 (0-50)
Your raised antibodies confirm autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's which is where antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it. The antibody attacks cause fluctuations in symptoms and test results.
As most doctors dismiss antibodies as being of no importance and know little or nothing about Hashi's and how it affects the patient, test results and symptoms. You need to read, learn, understand and help yourself where Hashi's is concerned.
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.
I am assuming the unit of measurement is nmol/L in which case your level is too low. The Vit D Council, the Vit D Society ( vitamindsociety.org/benefit... ) and Grassroots ( grassrootshealth.net/projec... ) all recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L so you need to supplement with D3 to get that into the recommended range, also take D3's important cofactors Vit K2-MK7 and magnesium vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...
Serum B12 needs to be at least 550pg/ml, preferably top of range, according to 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 range.
Ferritin should be half way through range.
When all nutrient levels are optimal then thyroid hormone can work, and they need to be optimal to consider T3 (as well as FT4/FT3 showing poor conversion).
If you have Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies you may need to look at food intolerances too
Low, but still in range vitamins are extremely common. We need them optimal when on Levothyroxine
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies and very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies
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.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. When on Levothyroxine, don't take in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
Is this how you did your tests?
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are very common too, especially gluten. So it's important to get Both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once .
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