This is my first post.... i was diagnosed underactive in December last year and ive been off work ever since. I started with a 25mg dose per day and am now on 175 per day. I consider my self a bit of a soldier with illness but this thyroid malarkey is a right 'ol business isn't it? I dont feel that i have got any better at all since diagnosis... admittedly i was nearly on my knees when i went to the doctor. My next blood test is early May and i'm fed up! I feel like ive got or had every symptom in the book it seems. I've had an ECG, chest x ray, vit d tabs.Anyone feel similar? Is this standard? Should i "man up" more? ( do answer the last one). My GP is scratching his head so any help would be much apprecited.
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Geetarman
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Do you have any blood test results and ranges you can add?
Can you tell us roughly how old you are, male or female?
Any significant life events before diagnosis....., high stress, stopping smoking, weight gain or loss etc
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
Essential to test thyroid antibodies
Have you had ultrasound scan of your thyroid?
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?
Ask GP to test vitamins and antibodies if not been done
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or all vitamins
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
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 .
That would total 300,000iu D3 which is the prescribed loading doses for Vit D deficiency.
You now need to be retested - if GP wont do it then do it privately with a fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
You need to know your new level so that you can now take the appropriate amount of D3 now that the loading doses have finished. Your GP may say it's not necessary, but it is. Your GP may offer a prescription of 800iu D3 now, that probably wont be enough. Your GP may offer no furthe D3 at all, you'd be better off buying it yourself anyway.
The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml). The aim now is to reach that level and then maintain it. Once you've reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range.
Supplementing is generally for life if we've been Vit D deficient.
Your GP won't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
Morning 😀 Do you mean you were diagnosed Dec 2018 or Dec 2017? I’m assuming Dec 2017. Your Levothyroxine increase has been really quick. Have your blood tests ever been ‘in range’ Do you want to post them? I’m also assuming you’ve had around 8 blood tests considering you should only increase by 25mcg each time and be tested after 6-8wks.
Have they done a full thyroid test?
And no my lovely you should not ‘man up’ if you think that that means ‘put up with’. You’ll have to educate yourself fully in your conditions to arm yourself with the knowledge that you need in order to get the right treatment to be well again 😀
I was diagnosed in December 2018. My first dose of levothyroxine was 50mgs and i didnt react very well, swelling etc so they dropped it to 25mgs per day. I had another test in February. Apparently i was way off what was expected and have since had a steady increase to where i am now at 175. My GP has never given me a y written details of my results, i will ask him for the details and post them up.
You need blood test 6-8 weeks after each dose (or brand) change in Levothyroxine
You are legally entitled to printed copies of your blood test results
UK GP practices are supposed to offer online access for blood test results. Ring and ask if this is available and apply to do so if possible, if it is you may need "enhanced access" to see blood results.
In reality many GP surgeries do not have blood test results online yet
Alternatively ring receptionist and request printed copies of results. Allow couple of days and then go and pick up.
It took two visits to get the Thyroid results, mind you, i shouldn't be critical, with my foggy half brains at the moment im not sure i even asked correctly. I really dont feel that ive had ANY improvement since diagnosis . I can see from the posts that i seriously need to get myself educated on this. I've never had to worry about my health before. Time for a change ps.. folate was 15.6
You will need to slowly increase Levothyroxine dose. Often if very hypothyroid it's difficult to raise dose. But you need to get up to higher doses
How much are you taking now?
Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase. Levothyroxine should be increased slowly in 25mcg steps until TSH is under 2. Many people need TSH under one. FT4 should be in top third of range and FT3 at least half way in range
Really you should be seen by thyroid specialist endocrinologist, not just managed by a GP
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