Hi all, I have been diagnosed as sub clinical Hypothyroidism and wanting to take a supplement alongside Levo to try and combat and potentially remove the disease altogether.
Is this supplement any good? highernature.co.uk/Products...!
If not, then can you recommend one?
Thanks in advance!
Vijay.
Stay away from any supplement that contains Iodine. Iodine used to be used to treat overactive thyroid. It will very likely make things worse.
Iodine should only be supplemented if tested and found to be deficient, and then only under the supervision of an experienced practitioner.
No to both of them. They contain iodine and iodine is not recommended for people with hypothyroidism - especially not if they have Hashi's.
If you think you have low iodine, get it tested. And, if it's low, you should find a specialist to over-see supplementation of iodine. It's not as simple as just taking a pill. There are protocols to set up. Excess iodine is anti-thyroid, and can cause many other complications.
And, no, there's not another one I would recommend, because they're all much of a muchness, and all contain iodine in the mistaken belief that all you need to do for a thyroid problem is throw iodine at it. Which is not true.
What you need to do is get tested for vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin, and supplement according to the results, just taking what you need and in the amount you need, plus cofactors. There is no magic supplement that is going to combat and/or remove the disease. And more of anything is never better. You need just the right amount of everything. 
All you need is thyroxine. If your thyroid is under producing. It stays that way. You do not ‘cure’ it. It is very rare to have an Iodine deficiency. It would be dangerous to take a supplement. That is what kelp is. Along with other nutrients of course. But get those from eating good food. Excess nutrients just end up being expensive urine.
Here in south Wales laverbread (seaweed) is a local delicacy. I like it, except that it's usually too salty. But since finding out about too much iodine I've stayed clear of it!
If you are taking Levothyroxine you are hypothyroid, not sub clinical
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
Recommended on here that 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)
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's.
Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are very common too, especially gluten. So it's important to get TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once .
Link about thyroid blood tests
thyroiduk.org/tuk/testing/t...
Link about antibodies and Hashimoto's
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...
List of hypothyroid symptoms
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...
"If you are taking Levothyroxine you are hypothyroid, not sub clinical "
Exactly, that's why I put "Sub-clinical" in quotes. Why call it that when the symptoms are all too "Clinical"?!!! Infuriates me!
It’s interesting because the dr that I saw post the blood test diagnosed it. He’s a locum GP and therefore has moved on - when I spoke to the Surgery a few days later because of side effects I was having from Levo, another dr said that I’m sub clinical and that I don’t have hypo but I may do later on in life. She’s asked me to stop taking the medicine while she speaks to an endocrinologist this week. I’m hoping I get a response on the way forward today!
Side effects from the Levo may mean that particular brand doesn't suit you because of the fillers. Apparently Teva causes problems for many people, though it is lactose free, so the only one that lactose intolerant people can take.
Levothyroxine itself isn't medication but replacement hormone, just like insulin is for diabetes. The problem is that you can't take it as is because it would be impossible to measure the tiny dose (micrograms are much smaller than milligrams) accurately.
If you are a gardener, think of trying to plant poppy seeds one at a time! They are far too tiny, like dust.
And, even though you are classed as sub-clinical, you ARE hypo. Same with me, but I was given a "Clinical trial" of Levo. It's the TSH reference range that is wrong
The 'sub-clinical' label is just one of the ways they avoid diagnosing hypos. All it means is that your TSH is somewhere between the top of the range and 10, which the NHS considers - in all its doubtful wisdom - to be the magic number at which they can consider diagnosing hypo - one wonders why they bother with a range, at all!
The UK is the only country in the world, as far as I know, that insists a TSH gets that high before diagnosis. In other countries, you would be diagnosed hypo at 3 or 4. But, the NHS hates diagnosing hypo and will do just about anything to avoid it. I suppose it costs them money, with the free prescriptions, but that should not be an excuse.
The true definition of 'sub-clinical' is abnormal blood tests, but no symptoms. The NHS forgets the bit about symptoms - it doesn't know what the symptoms are, anyway. But telling someone that they're 'sub-clinical' hypo is like telling a woman she's 'sub-clinical' pregnant because she's only three months gone. It's rubbish. You either are or you aren't. And if your TSH is over 3, you are.
No, you only need to supplement what you are deficient in. What are your levels of B12, folate, ferritin and vit D - those are things that most people with Hashis are deficient in and which aid conversion from T4 to T3. But you need to get them tested first as too high can be as bad as too low. For some people, a change to a low carb diet can help. In the UK, sub-clinical means really "hypothyroid but not bedridden or nearly dead", so don't think it really IS sub-clinical.
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