Hello! Newby here. Just joined. Never been on any chat site before but very frustrated with doctors right now! Looking for some answers and some support. Bottom line, I was put on 25mcg of Levothyroxine for hypothyroidism 3 months ago. Initially my blood work showed that my iodine levels were very low...in the red. After being on the Levothyroxine for 3 months, my bloodwork still shows that my iodine levels are still very low. Doctor wants me to go on an iodine supplement of 150mcg per day and INCREASE my Levothyroxine to 50 mcg per day. Wouldn't it make more sense to address my iodine deficiency FIRST with a supplement before putting me on thyroid medicine? Doesn't iodine deficiency cause hypothyroidism? I am so frustrated with doctors! I am just so tired of feeling miserable all the time! I'm not sure if this doctor is doing the right thing. They always seem to be so quick to prescribe medicine instead of finding a natural solution first. Can anyone shed any light on this for me???
Confused! Iodine supplement or increase in levo... - Thyroid UK
Confused! Iodine supplement or increase in levothyroxine?
Levothyroxine is the natural solution. It's not a drug it's a synthetic hormone in place of the Thyroxine that you're not producing.
25mcg is a low dose.
You really need to get copies of all your blood tests results so that people can make informed comment.
Do you know if you also had any Thyroid Antibodies tested? Do you know if you have Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroiditis?
Did you have:
Vitamin D
B12
Folate
and Ferritin
levels tested? If not ask GP to test these also.
Thank you for your quick response Mary! What info do you need? I would be happy to provide. I had my primary care doctor and an endocrinologist both do full blood work. My thyroid antibodies are elevated. My B, D and Folate and iodine levels were all very low. Do you need my TSH, T3 and T4 counts? I guess my bottom line question was if an iodine deficiency is known to cause hypothyrodism, wouldn't it make sense to start me on an iodine supplement first and see how that does. Wouldn't that alone maybe help my thyroid issues. If not, then put me on the Levothyroxine? Haven't had Ferritin tested. What is that?
Your Thyroid Antibodies are elevated - this indicates :
Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroiditis.
If you could add in all your tests results with full details ie numbers and ranges in brackets, dates of tests, any comments made by lab or doctor and any change of medication .
I assume your Endocrinologist or GP has tested for Pernicious Anemia if both your B12 and Folate are low?
How low was Vitamin D - were you prescribed Loading dose of Colecalciferol (D3) or maintenance dose of 800 IU daily?
Are you on any other medication? Do you take your Levothyroxine on it's own with water only on an empty stomach and one hour before food?
I agree with you that your iodine deficiency should be addressed first. Unless you have also tested strongly positive for thyroid antibodies. In which case it may be that you do also need to take thyroid hormone replacement. Do you have any hypothyroid symptoms?
Yes, I have literally ALL the hypothyroid symptoms! It also runs in my family heavily on both sides. Oddly enough though, my TSH, T4 and T3 have always fallen in the so called "normal ranges" just until recently did my TSH rise. The T3 and T4 have always been on the very low end of the normal range. I have read though that an iodine deficiency can cause just about all the same symptoms that hypothyroidism does.
Yes iodine deficiency can be the cause of hypothyroid symptoms, which is why it would seem to make sense to address that first. But, if you have a family history and also tested positive for thyroid antibodies, it suggests you have autoimmune thyroid disease. That would be the reason to need hormone replacement. If the thyroid isn't functioning, it can't use the iodine.
So the iodine deficiency does not cause the thyroid to not function properly? I guess that is what I am understanding with everything I have read. Especially since my thyroid levels are not that out of wack.
Yes iodine deficiency can cause low thyroid function. But it doesn't cause autoimmune thyroid disease. Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?
Yes, my THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODIES measured 9H and my THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES were 185H. So are you saying that the TSH, T4 and T3 can be out of whack with no antibodies present? But because I have antibodies present I have thyroid disease no matter if my iodine is level or not.
Yes, quite probably 
Thank you for all your time and the info StitchFairy! I really appreciate it!! I think I am understanding a little better now.
Welcome to our forum beachlover123
I am sorry you have hypothyroidism and it is thanks to Thyroiduk.org.uk I have recovered my health and that was before the forum came into action.
First of all iodine or similar should not be taken if you are prescribed levothyroxine:-
Iodine, or iodide, is a trace mineral found in ocean water, in ocean-dwelling plants and animals, and in soils adjacent to oceans. Iodine’s principal role in human metabolism is in the production of thyroid hormones. These hormones – thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, or T3 – are necessary for normal growth and development, neurologic function, cellular energy production and protein synthesis. Every cell and tissue in your body is influenced by thyroid hormones, and a lack of thyroid hormone production leads to a general slowdown of your bodily functions. Although iodine is essential for your health, supplementation with this nutrient is usually not recommended when you take levothyroxine for a poorly functioning thyroid gland.
Hypothyroidism, itself, is a serious condition if not given the optimum treatment and it is really surprising how little doctors seem to know about it and how best to treat patients.
Some hints:-
All blood tests for thyroid hormones have to be at the very earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose of levo and test and take afterwards. This method helps keep the TSH at its highest and may prevent the doctor adjusting dose downwards.
A Full Thyroid Function test is rarely taken. It is TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. Our doctors seem to take only TSH and T4 which is not sufficient.
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
If GP wont do all of these, you can get them through one of the private labs.
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
GP should test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Everything has to be optimal.
Hypothyroidism is a serious condition if not treated properly so that's why we have to read and learn because we've found that medical professionals seem to be badly trained in these modern time.
Levothyroxine is also called T4. T4 or levothyroxine is an inactive hormone and has to convert to T3 (liothyronine). It is T3 which runs our whole system and heart and brain need the most T3 as we have millions of T3 receptor cells.
Always get a print-out of your results and make sure ranges are stated. You can post your results for comments but ranges are needed as labs differ in their blood testing ranges and it makes it easier for members to make comments.
Yes, it is very frustrating that the doctors don't run the FULL thyroid panel as you suggest. They only seem to run the TSH and T4. My GP ran TSH W/REFLEX TO FT4. How does that differ from just a regular TSH?
Also, it was my endocrinologist that told me to take the iodine supplement. After 3 months of being on 25mcg of the Levo my bloodwork is still showing a very strong iodine deficiency. He is upping my Levo to 50mcg per day and adding 150mcg of iodine supplement per day.
I will try to post all my results with their ranges to help you get a better idea, when I have a chance.
Unless you are very frail with a heart disease the starting dose is 50mcg with 25mcg increases every six weeks until TSH is 1 or lower. I wish the doctors would start us on a T4/T3 combination which quite a number of researchers have proven enable the patients to have a better quality of life with relief of disabling symptoms. It is a pity that nowadays TSH and T4 have overtaken the relief of disabling symptoms but they will prescribe a medication for a symptom ignoring the fact that it could be due to low T3.
Your endo knows nothing about thyroid. He should have increased your levo to 50 after six weeks. It's utterly wrong to leave someone on half a starter dose for three months. Make sure you get retested six weeks after starting the 50 mcg.
Endos rarely know much about thyroid, they are mainly diabetes specialists that reluctantly take hypo patients, but don't really know what they're doing.
Iodine deficiency can cause people to become hypo, but if you have high antibodies, then the cause of your hypo is autoimmune thyroiditis, not low iodine. And, giving iodine to an autoimmune patient is a recipe for disaster. It will make your symptoms worse. But, doctors who know nothing about thyroid think that all you have to do with a thyroid problem is throw iodine at it. And that is wrong.
Did he really think that putting you on levo would raise your iodine? Or was it you expecting it to rise? 100 mcg T4 contains 68 mcg iodine. So, 25 mcg levo contains only 17 mcg iodine, which won't make much difference to your levels. But, you don't need extra iodine, anyway, because your thyroid cannot make as much hormone as it used to, having been damaged by the immune system. Iodine is just one of the ingredients of thyroid hormone, it is not a magic elixir to make your thyroid work correctly again.
But, even if your hypo was caused by iodine deficiency, just giving you an iodine supplement would not be the right treatment. Before you start supplementing iodine there is a whole protocol to put in place, and should only be attempted by an expert. Your endo is obviously not an expert, so, whatever you do, do not take his iodine supplement, it will make you worse. Iodine can also be anti-thyroid.
My GP ran TSH W/REFLEX TO FT4. How does that differ from just a regular TSH?
It doesn't differ from an ordinary TSH. What it means is, test the TSH and if that is abnormal, test the FT4. If the TSH is what they consider to be normal, they don't test the TSH. Which is also utterly wrong! He should not be dosing by the TSH.
I think you would be better off finding another endo, one that knows something about thyroid. This one is going to keep you sick. That's four mistakes he's made in just one post. Imagine how many he can make in your life-time.
Greygoose is right. Get a new endo. Supplemental iodine can raise your antibodies. Obviously, your doctor doesn't know this. How was iodine measured? Criminal he/she has kept you on a low starting dose for months. Also ridiculous an endo doesn't know the importance of testing T3.
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