Thankyou Slow Dragon and Mary Intussuception for advise.
I now have recent results . All advise and guidance 're supplements will be very welcome.
Serum Ferritin . 26ug/L (10.0 - 291.0 )
VIT D. 53.5 ( 50.0 - 125.0 )
Have been supplementing for 12 months with high strength 25ug. I realise this is the wrong type and will change to D3 but which strength?.
Serum TSH 0.93 ( 0.35 - 5.5 )
Tsh lowest it's ever been . Always 1.7 normally .
Serum Folate . 3.80ug/L ( 4.0 )
Below Range .
B12 683 ( 211.0 - 911.0 )
B12 was 330 a year ago , supplementing with 1000ug methylcobalamin sublingual.
Serum Iron . 20.9 ( 9.0 - 30.0 ).
Serum Transferrin. 2.15 ( 2.5 - 3.8 ).
Below Range.
Renal Function.GFR. 66ml ( + 90.0 ).
I also supplement Magnesium Citrate 150 mg.
I increased my dose from 75 mcg to 100 mcg every other day just after this last blood test due to fatigue and struggling to get through the day . The recent TSH is the lowest it's ever been so I am now wondering do I really need an increased dose .
I will do a private test in 6 to 8 weeks as Slow Dragon advised .
In the meantime I would appreciate advise on supplements and brands . Would it be advisable to take the 100 mcg every other day , I am prepared to purchase it myself if the GP won't prescribe it .
Written by
Julesd
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Folate is below range. So GP should prescribe folic acid. But you might be better self supplementing a good quality daily vitamin B complex , one with folate in not folic acid
B vitamins best taken in the morning after breakfast
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
Ferritin is on low side, eating liver or liver pate once a week, or increase in other iron rich foods should help improve. Orange juice or vitamin C can help improve iron absorption too
Suggest full private testing in 6-8 weeks after improving vitamins
All thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. Do not take Levothyroxine dose in the 24hours prior to test, delay and take immediately after blood draw. This gives highest TSH and lowest FT4. (Patient to patient tip, not to be mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,
"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.
In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.
Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.
This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."
You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor please email Dionne at
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
Most important thing to test on Levothyroxine is FT3 and FT4. TSH is often irrelevant
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