Being hypo & iron deficient

[Portia1974]

Well, this makes a helluvalot of sense to me and why iron supplements have never worked for me! This may be of interest to others.

The study sets out to establish:

"whether subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with unresponsiveness to iron replacement therapy in iron-deficient, subclinical hypothyroid patients and whether thyroid replacement would reverse this"

academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...

Px

[confused_michelle]

Thank you so much for sharing. Very interesting. I saw a haematologist recently as my iron levels dropped further after starting on levothyroxine in December '17. This is despite increasing my intake of iron rich foods and iron supplements. My haematologist said he sees a lot of treated hypothyroid patients for low iron and mine had lowered due to the levo. I had an iron infusion on Tuesday.

[Portia1974 in reply to confused_michelle]

Oooh, how are you feeling after your iron infusion confused_michelle ? So this study is suggesting that once normal thyroid function is restored then so is the uptake of iron. Not that taking Levo makes iron levels drop. Are you on an optimal dose of Levo? That is....is your TSH around 1 and your ft4 and ft3 now in the upper part of the range? If your haematologist is saying he commonly sees treated Hypo patients with low iron, is he actually seeing patients that are not yet optimally treated I wonder?

[confused_michelle in reply to Portia1974]

Hi, my TSH is not quite optimal. I increased my dose to 87.5 mcg about 3 weeks ago and I need to do a private test as my GP will only test my TSH which was just over 2 about 14 weeks ago. Yes, from reading this board I suspect a lot of the patients the haematologist has seen are under medicated.

I feel like I have the flu following the infusion. The hospital said this is common. Hoping to feel better soon!

What iron supplements have you tried? I've been advised to take a low dose to maintain my iron levels and I'm thinking of trying the new iron spray from Better You along with Spatone. I've had gastro problems with all other iron supplements.

[Portia1974 in reply to confused_michelle]

Have tried the ferrous sulphate and gluconate tabs prescribed by the doctor but become painfully constipated (and nauseous with bloating and cramping)on them after only a day or two. Spatone is gentler but not strong enough to address a deficiency. I eat plenty of meat , cooked spinach and greens etc. The thought of eating liver is just.....ugh! (Although been reading about dessicated liver tablets which might be worth a try) Went through a phase of daily spinach smoothies but have since discovered that's pointless. Raw spinach contains oxalic acid which stops the iron being absorbed apparently. Cooking spinach removes the oxalic acid freeing up the iron to be absorbed. I'm now wondering though whether my untreated hypothyroidism is the reason for my impaired iron absorption.

I think an infusion must be a bit of a shock to the body after a prolonged deficiency. So it makes sense that initially you might feel a bit "woo woo"!

[confused_michelle in reply to Portia1974]

I can't eat liver either! Best I can do is fillet steak I asked the haematologist about the desiccated liver tablets and he said he didn't know and recommended Floradix. I don't want to take Floradix as I take Jarrow's B complex so would be doubling up on some things. Again, Floradix is a low dose so only suitable to maintain good iron levels.

"Woo woo" is a good way to describe my current mental state! I do feel different though and I think I'll be feeling a lot better next week. Can you ask your GP about an iron infusion? Or do you want to wait and see if your iron levels improve once your thyroid meds are correct?

Also, have you tried a high dose Vit C supplement with your iron? I've read that can help but haven't tried it myself.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to confused_michelle]

I used to take desiccated liver when I was a bodybuilder - quite hard to digest so best taken with a meal and digestive enzymes. I didn't find Floradix strong enough to address a deficiency and very expensive in large enough quantities to do anything.

[Portia1974 in reply to confused_michelle]

I was referred (back in May) to a haematologist with a view to getting an infusion. The appointment is in 2 weeks! Really am hoping he says yes! Worse caseptic scenario he says no and I'll have another stab at oral. Perhaps now my thyroid issues are being addressed I might have better luck with it. (Hence why the above article was so interesting to me.) Infusion would be preferable though as oral treatment will take months (and still may not even work). And I don't think I can face any more of feeling like this.

Yes vit C with iron.

Hope your woo woo feeling subsides to be replaced by more energy and clarity!

[confused_michelle in reply to Portia1974]

Thank you Best of luck for your haematologist appointment. I'm very fortunate to have private medical insurance through my employer. Hopefully the NHS are happy to do it for you.

[Judithdalston]

Doesn't surprise me - pity the idea isn't better taken up ie treat for hypothyroidism if TSH say 4.5 up and iron anaemia( or even low iron) and no doubt other vits/ mins might improve. Couldn't obviously see how the T4 was given to the patients- I presume 75 mcg in one go - might have been a bit of a shock to these women's systems!

[Portia1974 in reply to Judithdalston]

Judithdalston yes 75 is quite the starter dose! Interesting though. If true would be clearly sensible to investigate the thyroid in the presence of low iron as standard. (And vice versa!)