Sodium borderline: Hi there Has anyone's sodium... - Thyroid UK

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Sodium borderline

Kayanne1980 profile image
11 Replies

Hi there

Has anyone's sodium levels been right on border line ie 134 is the beginning of a normal range and mine is normally 136 but it fell to 134 on my Kidney function bloods last week, should I be concerned?

i do drink alcohol regularly so wondering if thats whats causing it ill do another test in JAN

I have anxiety and read it can be a sign of cancer also!!

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Kayanne1980 profile image
Kayanne1980
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11 Replies
MaisieGray profile image
MaisieGray

Low levels of thyroid hormone can cause a low blood-sodium level - are yours optimal? Other causes can be excessive water intake, or the use of diuretics or other drugs with a diuretic effect. Diaohrrea and vomiting can cause dehydration which in turn can impact sodium levels, so presumably IBS can have an impact.

Alcohol of course can effect T4 diiodination by impacting the liver; which in turn can cause low levels of T3, and hence back to low levels of thyroid hormones being a causal factor of low sodium .....

Kayanne1980 profile image
Kayanne1980 in reply to MaisieGray

My thyroid seems to be working well, I hardy drink water so I know its not over doing the water drinking....

MaisieGray profile image
MaisieGray in reply to Kayanne1980

Yes, but what are your thyroid hormone levels like?

Kayanne1980 profile image
Kayanne1980 in reply to MaisieGray

The last time I had my thyroid checked was probably a year ago

MaisieGray profile image
MaisieGray in reply to Kayanne1980

That might perhaps be something worth having done in any case, and might throw a light on the sodium issue.

Kayanne1980 profile image
Kayanne1980 in reply to MaisieGray

It could be and will get both tests done in January, just petrified its cancer now as I read lung cancer shows low sodium

humanbean profile image
humanbean

Do you have a low salt diet? Perhaps you just need to increase your intake.

Also, are you one of those people who swigs from a water bottle all the time? It isn't good for you, or necessary to health to be waterlogged all the time.

And yes, I've read that drinking alcohol is related to low sodium levels. Perhaps its time to give it a rest for a while?

Is your potassium level okay? The body does its best to keep sodium and potassium levels balanced.

Kayanne1980 profile image
Kayanne1980 in reply to humanbean

Thanks for your reply.

Weirdly I never drink water & I have salt on everything! My sodium levels have always been 136-139 never this low - I was drinking alcohol of of the week before my blood test.

My potassium level is very normal, could it just be retest the sodium and see what follows? Can dehydration cause this borderline sodium level - even though my Dr marked it as normal?

humanbean profile image
humanbean in reply to Kayanne1980

If you don't have any scary symptoms then I would suggest not worrying about it until the retest, since your doctor has not flagged it up. In the meantime perhaps you could keep your alcohol intake a bit lower than it currently is.

You haven't said what you drink nor how much (and it's none of my business, so don't tell me). From a quick google I've found that drinking large quantities of beer can cause a problem with sodium levels because beer contains so much water. It isn't clear whether the same problem occurs for wine or spirit drinkers, but I suspect it doesn't (but then I'm not a doctor, so don't trust anything I say without double and triple checking for yourself) :

healthline.com/health/potom...

Alcohol itself, irrespective of where it comes from i.e. from wine or beer or spirits, can affect the body's electrolyte levels. (Sodium is one the electrolytes.)

academic.oup.com/alcalc/art...

Of course, your alcohol intake might not have any relevance at all to your low sodium levels - there are other causes :

*** msdmanuals.com/en-gb/home/h...

msdmanuals.com/en-gb/profes...

According to the starred link ***, hypothyroidism is a cause of hyponatremia. Perhaps you are simply under-medicated if you have a thyroid problem.

I would suggest that you don't try and fix your sodium level yourself. It probably isn't the kind of thing amateurs like us should muck about with. Just try to eat enough, eat healthily, don't overdo the alcohol, and treat your body well.

Kayanne1980 profile image
Kayanne1980 in reply to humanbean

Thanks - I have been reading quite a few things on this and whilst the level of mine is not low its borderline, I drink everyday not alot but everyday (prosecco), I have been coughing for 2-3 years now but they did blood tests and diagnosed me with cat dander allergies......but now im thinking its lung cancer...... Literally going out of my mind with worry to be honest

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Presumably you have Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease? Diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Are you on strictly gluten free diet?

Quick look through previous posts......not sure if you are

Also persistent cough can be acid reflux due to low stomach acid, very very common hypothyroid symptom

Or dairy intolerance can cause persistent cough. Dairy intolerance very common with Hashimoto's

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

IBS is often gluten intolerance and/or dairy intolerance

If not had full thyroid and vitamin testing for awhile perhaps time to retest

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also extremely important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised

All thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. Do not take Levothyroxine dose in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take immediately after blood draw. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

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

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random

Anxiety is a classic symptom of still being hypothyroid

List of hypothyroid symptoms

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

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