Hello, No thyroid after papilliary C removed 18 years ago taking Levo 100 daily. Having aches and pains in muscles and nerves in legs fluttering and recently had a bad cramp in thigh which lasted an hour and from which I still have an achey thigh muscle .I wonder if I am low in a few vitamins.
Ferratin 41
Folate 7.6
B12 710 ( I supplement)
Vit D 85 ( I supplement)
Free T4 is 18.4
Free T3 4.7
TSH 0.52
Zinc 15.7
Apparently last time I was tested my copper level was high too.
Have you got the ranges for these blood tests? Just looking at ferritin looks low , but need range to tell.... ferritin and folate should be halfway thru range. Similarly vit D might be a bit low, if it’s for eg a 50-200 range.
We ALWAYS need the ranges on any test, as each lab is different
How much vitamin D are you taking
You may need some magnesium as well. Many on here find magnesium supplements can help
Also need to test folate
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested. Also extremely important to regularly test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose 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)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or all vitamins
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
Do you supplement selenium?
What does GP say about high copper ?
One of the side affects of levothyroxine is leg pain. I experienced this constantly when I was on it, as well as terrible muscle spasms like you describe. I started supplementing with Magnesium Glycinate (or Malate) and Potassium Citrate. I have been doing this for years, and as long as I take them I don't experience muscle cramps. We are all deficient in magnesium and potassium to varying degrees. Medications, high sugar diets, and less nutrients in food are some things that affect what little we do manage to hold on to. I use the powder so it can be mixed in juice or water. I also use Buffered Vitamin C powder. I mix all three and take at the same time. Hope this helps.
All the best.😊
Hi Ell17, Could you share a bit more? How much magnesium at what time of day, for example? And did the leg pain increase as your dose of levothyroxine increased? Also did you have weakness as well, like difficulty trying to get up the stairs? Thx much, J
The leg pain and muscle weakness existed at the same level regardless of the dosage. Getting up and down stairs was extremely difficult. In addition to zero relief of hypothyroid symptoms. I was on that stuff for years. But, it wasn't until I had finally had enough and stopped taking it that the leg pain stopped. (As far as muscle weakness, I had to get my DHEA levels up first. Then I started to gain muscle strength again. (Though, this may not be an issue for you.)
*Supplements:
Two times daily, I take 200-300 mg magnesium glycinate or malate; 1000 mg Buffered Vit C; and 400-600 mg potassium citrate mixed in juice or water.
So, the totals for the day are:
*Magnesium-- 400-600 mg
*Vit C-- 2000 mg
*Potassium-- 800-1200 mg [Of course this will need to be adjusted based on the amount of potassium rich foods you eat daily. You need approximately 4700 mg of potassium a day, which is much more than the 300-600 mg magnesium daily requirement.]
Take it 4 hrs after thyroid meds and at night before bedtime.
This is what works for me. You can adjust accordingly to what works best for you.
Hope it helps.😊
Calf muscle pain related to thyroid?
Aching legs with medications
Leg muscle exhaustion
Aching muscles and riding a horse?
Acheing arms and legs
