Blurry eyes, ear pain & low mood

[Rennixon]

Hi all

Looking for advise on what to do.

I’m currently on 125mcg levothyroxine a day. This was increased in January from 100mcg. Initially felt a little better, but symptoms have never really abated.

I have one very blurry eye, pains in my ear ( inside & behind) . A very low mood. Stomach problems despite being on a gf diet. Pains that come & go in my legs, toes and arms. Frequent headaches. Cramp.Weight gain. Thinning hair(this is new to me) fatigue. Poor word recollection. Anxiety! Heat intolerance ( everyone seems to love this weather but me!) I feel bloated & despondent. I take my levo first thing in a morning with water & have nothing else for at least an hour. I take vit D & K2, probiotic, kefir milk, b12 & b complex, iron & vit c. I use magnesium body lotion on my legs when they’re cramping too.

Any advise welcome, feeling a bit lost tbh

Test results are;

Jan 2018

VITAMIN B12

Serum vitamin B12 level 691 ng/L [197.0 - 771.0]

Serum folate level

Serum folate level 6.3 ug/L [4.6 - 18.7]

T4 18.3 (12-22)

FT3 4.4(3.1-6.8)

TSH 0.03(0.3-4.2)

May 2018

T4 20.2(12-22)

FT3 4.6(3.1-6.8)

TSH 0.01(0.3-4.2)

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Rennixon

T4 20.2(12-22)

FT3 4.6(3.1-6.8)

TSH 0.01(0.3-4.2)

My opinion only, on the face of it you need T3 added to your Levo. Your FT4 is 82% through the range, FT3 only 40% through range. Your FT4:FT3 conversion rate is 4.39 : 1 whereas good conversion takes place when the ratio is between 3:1 and 4:1

However, what are your Vit D and ferritin levels? Ferritin in particular needs to be half way through range, and Vit D is recommended to be 100-150nmol/L.

And your folate could do with boosting to at least half way through range. What B Complex are you taking?

Taking selenium l-selenomethionine can help conversion (no more than 200mcg daily, test beforehand if you prefer to check your level).

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi & thanks for answering.

I was wondering about conversion and taking T3.

I haven’t had my ferritin or Vit D tested in a while. Dr won’t do vit D but I could ask for ferritin.

If I were to obtain some T3 what dose would you recommend for T3 :T4 ?

I am due to have a blood test in a couple of weeks so would it be best to wait for those & then start T3?

Really appreciate your observations x

[lucylocks in reply to Rennixon]

Hi

I am in a similar situation as you. No you are not the only one who does not like this hot weather. It is too much for me. I have been trying to sit in it to boost my Vit D level but can only manage ten minutes.

I increased from 125mcg. levo. to 150mcg. and like you have not found any improvement. My T4 has now gone over range but my T3 still low.

I am going to reduce to 125mcg. and maybe add a small dose of T3, say a quarter of a 25mcg. tablet (6.25) I think the idea is to start low and gradually increase after a 2 or 3 weeks. but maybe others can advise.

[Rennixon in reply to lucylocks]

Hi there

Yes the weather is too much already! Lol . I much prefer the winter, I can snuggle up in blankets and make a fire if I’m cold. Can’t do anything about the heat, I feel dizzy & I’m so swollen 😫

I’ve been thinking of adding T3 but feel a little out of my depth, confused and a tiny bit scared.

Sounds like you’ve made up your mind to take the plunge. I do so hope it makes a difference to you. Please let me know how you get on, I’d love to know what your experiences are. X

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Rennixon]

Rennixon

Always best to start with 1/4 tablet - 6.25mcg if you are self sourcing as they will be 25mcg tablets, prescription ones are usually 20mcg. You could take 1/4 tablet for 2 weeks, then add a second 1/4 then wait and see how you feel. Some people do fine on a small dose of T3, others need more. You'd need to retest to keep an eye on levels, always include FT4 and FT3 (you must have both done) then adjust dose of Levo/T3 as necessary.

But I would definitely get Vit D and Ferritin tested before you do anything about adding T3. If ferritin is low you need to increase it. You can always test Vit D yourself with City Assays

vitamindtest.org.uk/

If necessary address any issues there before starting T3, and selenium should help with conversion too.

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

Sorry forgot to add I take:

Jarrow methyl b-12 1000mcg

Trio vit b complex daily 100

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Rennixon]

Rennixon

Is this your B Complex klaire.com/abt-active-b-trio

If so, there's a good amount of methylfolate but it's puzzling why your folate level is still so low, also it doesn't have all the B vitamins which are needed when taking B12 to keep them all in balance.

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for your advise. I will have to source my own T3 so I guess I’ll have to cut the pills.

Interesting that the bcomplex you gave the link to isn’t the one I’m taking, & mine has no folate in it, so no puzzle there as to why my levels are still low. I’ll get some folate to take too. First thing is to get the tests done.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Rennixon]

Rennixon

I couldn't find any other Trio brand but did think it was a strange choice as you're in the UK.

Have a look at Thorne Basic B - 400mcg methylfolate, a nice balance of B vitamins, all the active forms. 1 x capsule daily took my bottom of range folate to top of range in 2.5 months. If you prefer tablets then look at Igennus Super B but you would need 2 x tablets for the same amount of ingredients as the Thorne.

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

I think I got these quite cheap tbh, so I’ll look st getting the Thorne ones. Thank you x

[Tashgirl]

I'm sorry you're feeling this way. You described exactly how I have been feeling. I am only on Levothytoxine and take a vit b supplement. I was on Levo 75mcg and now on 88mcg at the moment. I am also feeling so achy and dizzy.