Got hashimotos and feel really run down!!

[Cassie101]

Hi jst would like to no why i always feel run down and tired.. bones hurt..no energy..anxiety..depression..feel weak.. hair dont grow... breathing difficulties sometimes...brain frog..im taking 25mg every other nite because i get side effects to it the docs said my levels are ok but i have to get bloods done agian next week.. 😫

[Mauds]

Hi Cassie I have Hashis also and know how you feel. You will need all your bloods done and make sure they do your B12 and antibodies. I had to go gluten free and I started using B12 sublingual B complex my bloods were all over the place and it took me a year to get things right. I really believe going gluten free helped as hashis is an automunine disease. There are more people on this site who can give you excellent info. If you have blood results post them up then people will be able to advise you.

[Cassie101 in reply to Mauds]

Hi ya thanks for replying.. im getting bloods done monday so will put them up... im having trouble with acid reflux i already have low stomach acid pains in my stomach the docs told me to take stomach acid tablets any ideas 😫

[BadHare]

Your dosage is so low, it could be stopping your own hormones from working & making you more ill.

We all need to make sure our nutrients & micronutrients are very good so that our hormones (& everything else) work effectively. Take a look through the forum & read up on the cofactors we need to make our meds & bodies function, then make a list of things your doctor needs to test for: vitamins D, folate & B12, minerals: iron & ferritin (the protein that stores iron in our blood). There's quite a few other things we need that they won't test for such as magnesium, zinc, selenium, & vitamin K2 & general B's.

Also there's lots of foods that some people avoid completely to help themselves feel better such as those containing soy, gluten or dairy. Some people are more reactive to goitrogenic foods than others. There are lots of websites with information like this: furtherfood.com/5-foods-avo...

Check through other posts & responses as I've probably missed something important.

[Cassie101 in reply to BadHare]

Hi ya thanks for your reply as soon as i get my results ill post them 👍

[SlowDragon Administrator]

How old are you?

If under 50 years old, standard starter dose is 50mcg

Starting on too low a dose can cause symptoms to be much worse

The aim of Levothyroxine is to increase the dose slowly in 25mcg steps upwards until TSH is under 2 (many need TSH under one) and FT4 in top third of range and FT3 at least half way in range

Official NHS guidelines saying TSH should be between 0.2 and 2.0 when on Levothyroxine

(Many of us need TSH nearer 0.2 than 2.0 to feel well)

See box

Thyroxine replacement in primary hypothyroidism

pathology.leedsth.nhs.uk/pa...

Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12, these are frequently too low and need supplementing to improve to good levels

Low vitamin levels are extremely common with Hashimoto's

NHS guidelines on Levothyroxine including that most patients eventually need somewhere between 100mcg and 200mcg Levothyroxine. Also what foods to avoid (note recommended to avoid calcium rich foods at least four hours away from Levo)

nhs.uk/medicines/levothyrox...

NICE guidelines

cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroid...

The initial recommended dose is:

For most people: 50–100 micrograms once daily, preferably taken at least 30 minutes before breakfast, caffeine-containing liquids (such as coffee or tea), or other drugs.

This should be adjusted in increments of 25–50 micrograms every 3–4 weeks according to response. The usual maintenance dose is 100–200 micrograms once daily.

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

while still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet




(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)




Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Most hypothyroid patients have LOW stomach acid (not high acid)

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Cassie101 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you so whats best to take for low stomach acid??

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Cassie101]

Here's some links about how to treat.

As dose of Levothyroxine increases and you become less hypothyroid gut will improve too

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

theinvisiblehypothyroidism....

Thousands of posts about low stomach acid on here

healthunlocked.com/search/p...