Serum iodine in the dumper

[Helenca]

Hi, I just received the results of my iodine blood test, and it’s 24 out of a range of 52-109. I had my thyroid removed many years ago after Graves disease, and have never been able to keep my T3 levels above the bottom third of range, regardless of T4 and TSH. I keep reading that it’s not a good idea to take iodine supplements, but what else can I do? Suggestions would be appreciated.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Helenca

Supplementing iodine should be done under the supervision of an experienced practioner. There are cofactors/companion nutrients needed.

[diogenes Remembering]

If you don't have any thyroid left at all, then taking iodine is useless. There isn't any gland to convert it to T4 and T3. And you'll get all the iodine you need in the thyroid hormones you are taking by mouth. These hormones ultimately get broken down to waste products, but the iodine produced is very efficiently retained and recycled to carry out what other more minor roles it has to play in the body.

[Helenca in reply to diogenes]

I do understand that without a thyroid I don’t need iodine to make hormones. So if the hormones I’m taking supposedly contain physiological amounts of iodine, why is my serum iodine so low? Is this very low reading in combination with consistently low T3 a sign that I’m just not taking enough hormone? I was on 75 mcg of levo because doctor thought my TSH was too low (always below 1.0) but have now switched to NDT and hoping for improvement on 2-3 grains per day.

[diogenes Remembering in reply to Helenca]

Maybe your body has adjusted to the new situation of having to take thyroid hormone instead of making it, so that you don't need as much circulating iodine as such in your blood.

[Helenca in reply to diogenes]

Maybe, but I understood that thyroid hormones are always shedding iodine (t4 to t3 to t2, etc) and recirculating it. So it would seem that if I’m getting enough exogenous hormone my iodine levels would be at least low normal, not 50% below the range. Anyway, thanks for replying.

[diogenes Remembering in reply to Helenca]

Again, depends on how you are excreting it. Your retention might be below par. You could have adequate T4/T3 at the same time. Could be an iodine urine test might tell you about that.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Helenca]

Other organs need iodine - eg breasts, so I'd find an experienced practitioner and see about supplementing. But it's not going to raise free T3.

[Helenca in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Yes, I’ve been online researching for the past 2 days. Apparently omly 80% of iodine goes into thyroid tissue. The rest is in other tissues, such as breast and brain. I found an NIH study that said iodine deficiency always indicates thyroid hormone deficiency, as vast majority of iodine in the serum is from recycling of iodine released in conversion from T4 to T3, T3 to T2, T2 to T1. So given my low level, I assume I’m way under medicated and need more thyroid hormone because of my no-thyroid status.

[greygoose]

Taking iodine will not raise your FT3 if you've had your thyroid removed. Iodine is one of the ingredients of thyroid hormone. T4 contains 4 atoms of iodine and T3 contains 3 atoms of iodine. But taking iodine will not make more hormone without a thyroid. The only way you can raise it is by taking exogenous thyroid hormone.