Hypothyroid - recently diagnosed and scared

[babydaze]

I'm new! This is my first post here... Since January after stopping the mini-pill and breastfeeding my daughter, I started getting really bad heart palpitations, persistent cough and dry scalp. I sadly lost a second pregnancy in May after 8 weeks. Fast forward to today after over about 8 doctors, heart monitors and Echo - I finally had a Naturopath Doctor (ND) test my Free T3. That test was lower than optimal range but my TSH and T4 were fine. I also have a high MCV and my serum B12 was high at 1,300. Because she is an ND, she gave me an herbal supplement by Thorne called Thyrocsin. I'm only on my third day and she said that it takes a couple of weeks. Besides this, I'm also getting Magnesium Calm in addition to many other supplements. My antibodies were tested also and they were all fine. I was just wondering if using an ND is the best way to go about this from all of your experience? My primary doctor tested my T3 and it was even lower than when I was tested with the ND but they said I was fine. My second question, is if anyone have the similar symptoms that I have? Heart palpitations (skipping beats), persistent dry cough and dry scalp plus I get anxious from time-to-time.

We are still hoping to have a second baby so this is all very concerning to me. Plus I'll be 42 soon - ugh!

Thanks for your thoughts.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Babydaze

I hope that your ND tested your Iodine level and found it to be deficient. Thyrocsin contains 225mcg Iodine. The normal required daily amount is 150mcg and we can get quite a lot from diet - milk, yogurt, haddock, cod, scampi, etc. Iodine should only be supplemented if we are deficient. It used to be used to treat hyperthyroidism.

[babydaze in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for your post. No, my ND didn't test my Iodine levels. In the US, that's not very common. I also don't believe that I get enough Iodine in general, especially after reading this article below. It really sums up a lot of my symptoms, except for the cough. I nursed my first born for 18-months exclusively which I think (from this article) sounds like that any iodine I did get went straight through to the breast milk.

healthline.com/nutrition/io...

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to babydaze]

Babydaze

I didn't think my diet was very iodine rich either, having about 1/2 a pint of milk a day, sometimes one yogurt, occasionally some fish. I was very surprised when my level came back at 150 (100-199). My practioner at the time put me on a Multi supplement containing 150mcg iodine, I said I wasn't deficient and she said not to worry it was a very small dose. Within a very short time my level had increased to 250 (100-199), so much for a very small dose and not to worry.

And those signs and symptoms of iodine deficiency, well

2 - 8 can be down to hypothyroidism

3, 4 and 10 can be due to low ferritin or iron deficiency anaemia

My primary doctor tested my T3 and it was even lower than when I was tested with the ND but they said I was fine.

Free T4: 1.3 ng/dL

TSH: 1.27 mIu/L

Free T3: 2.5 pg/ml

What are the reference ranges? They can't be interpreted without the ranges from the lab that did the tests.

T3 is the active hormone that every cell in our bodies need. Low T3 causes symptoms.

[babydaze in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks - I added the references below. I thought I did it earlier but apparently it didn't save. Newby mistake...

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to babydaze]

babydaze

Free T4: 1.3 ng/dL (range: 0.8-1.8)

TSH: 1.27 mIu/L (range: 0.40-4.5)

Free T3: 2.5 pg/ml (range: 2.3-4.2)

So what you have there is a pretty good TSH and FT4 but very low FT3. So you need to be looking at why your T4 isn't converting to T3 well enough.

Optimising nutrient levels and gut health is important for conversion

restartmed.com/increase-fre...

Selenium ( l-selenomethionine form) can help with conversion, usual recommended dose is 200mcg daily but level can be tested. Don't rely on Brazil nuts, they have to be grown in selenium rich soil and there's no guarantee of how much is in the nuts so you could take too much or too little.

Zinc helps conversion - again can be tested.

Magnesium helps with conversion, testing is not particularly reliable though.

Maybe you have the faulty DIO2 gene which means you don't convert properly

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

interesting links within that article.

[babydaze in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you very much!! This is a lot of good information and I appreciate you giving me some advice. I keep thinking that all of this has to be due to some vitamin or mineral that I’m lacking. I’ll read up more on the links you provided.

[humanbean]

I also have a high MCV and my serum B12 was high at 1,300.

Have you supplemented vitamin B12 in the last year or so? Have you had your folate level checked? Without good levels of folate the body can't make good use of its vitamin B12 stores.

This is worth reading on the subject of high MCV :

emedicine.medscape.com/arti...

[babydaze in reply to humanbean]

Interesting article - thank you!

[jimh111]

I'd discontinue the Thyrocsin. If you have deficiencies they should be tested for. Iodine deficiency is quite common in the UK but it usaully lowers T4 rather than T3. Get hold of your actual thyroid test results and post them here. Do you have any other signs and symptoms other than the three you mentioned?

[babydaze in reply to jimh111]

Thank you. I listed my results below

[babydaze in reply to jimh111]

Did your doctors tell you that it's okay to have a high B12? I think it's odd but no one seems to have a concern. I was told by the ND to take a B-Complex.

[greygoose]

You cannot replace hormones with vitamins and minerals. You can only replace a hormone with a hormone. That supplement also contains copper, which you should be tested for before taking.

What any doctor should be doing, under the circumstances you describe, it trying to find out why your T3 is low. But, it would be a good idea if you posted the actual numbers - results and ranges - rather than using the words 'low' and 'normal', which are pretty meaningless.

As a general rule, Naturopath Doctors know little about thyroid, I find, but have some strange ideas about treating it.

[babydaze]

My results were:

August test/Week ago results...

Free T4: 1.3 ng/dL (range: 0.8-1.8)

TSH: 1.27 mIu/L (range: 0.40-4.5)

Free T3: 2.5 pg/ml (range: 2.3-4.2)

May tests/Two months ago (different doc)

Total T3: 88 ng/dL (range: 87-196)

Free T4: 1.5 ng/dL (range: 0.9-1.7)

TSH: 3.86 after miscarriage (range: 0.34-5.60)

March tests:

TSH: 1.88 (range: 0.34-5.60)

I mainly get heart palpitations after I eat but it can happen at any point. Just consistently after I eat. Besides what I listed, I also have achy joints. My menstrual cycle has been off but that only started after the miscarriage mostly.

[jimh111 in reply to babydaze]

It would really help if you have the reference intervals (numbers in brackets) for these results as each blood test can have different ones.

[babydaze in reply to jimh111]

Good point! Thanks - I've added the reference ranges.

[Raymart]

I was diagnosed a week ago and too am struggling with palpitations/skipped beat.

This too makes me very anxious and had a moment today of panic.

I know it’s listed as a side effect but like all people with anxiety can help the cycle of catastrophe. Convincing myself that I have a miss diagnosis and “obviously” I am a ticking bomb!

So yeah, feeling that part of it too.

[Gigi216]

My daughter just had skipped heart beats and was found to have high T3 from 200mcg of iodine in her vitamin. Her TSH and T4 were normal she has been on a low iodine diet and feeling much better she is obviously sensitive to iodine and will probably need to avoid too much from here on

[Gigi216]

My daughters was just after she ate also she took notice of what she was eating and it was all high iodine foods so that convinced her to try low iodine meals and she didn’t feel dizzy and bad as long as she ate low iodine. She did thyroid tests and only her T3 was high

[babydaze in reply to Gigi216]

Thanks and I'm sorry your daughter has to go through this. Thankfully, she found the reason why. I don't think I relate, however, just because the foods I eat don't seem to be high in any iodine if at all. If anything, I'm more worried about celiac since my dad has it. But I don't have the other symptoms.

[babydaze]

Can anyone else help me understand my results?