Supplementing but vitamins going down especiall... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

137,137 members160,818 posts

Supplementing but vitamins going down especially Folate and Vit D

SmPea profile image
11 Replies

I have been supplementing the following:

• Vit D3 800 IU daily

• Super B-Complex (Igenus) 1 tablet daily

• Selenium 100ug daily

I know the Vit D3 and B-Complex are below the recommended levels to take but I didn’t want to over dose. Clearly I haven’t!!

In March 2019 my Folate was

11.44 ug/L (> 3.89) now 5.37 ug/L

Vit D was

88.6 nmol/L (50 - 175) now 64.8 nmol

If I hadn’t taken the supplements I guess I would have been even lower.

I have lost 1st 8lbs in the last 18 months and can’t put it back on. I eat a good diet although it maybe too high in Fibre as I’m constipated - go most days but hard lumpy difficult and slow to pass. My sleep is not great and my hair is getting thinner.

Any suggestions on what I need to do to improve my vitamin levels?

My FT3 has gone up since March 2019

3.94 pmol/L to now 4.48 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8) How can I get it to optimal level?

Written by
SmPea profile image
SmPea
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
11 Replies

Hi, no expert at all... but I don’t think your taking enough vitamin D, also there are co-factors you need to take.

SmPea profile image
SmPea in reply to

You are right I do need to increase Vit D3 and would welcome help on the co factors I need and the levels I should take them at.

Try this link on Vitamin D dosage and co-factors...

lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Vi...

SmPea profile image
SmPea in reply to

Thank yo, very helpful but the amounts that are advised sound scary to me, I have never been a pill taker so this supplementing thing does not come easy to me!

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

SmPea

Vit D was

88.6 nmol/L (50 - 175) now 64.8 nmol

Based on your current level of 64.8nmol/L (25.92ng/ml), the Vit D Council suggests, to reach their recommended level of 125nmol/L, supplementing with 3,700iu D3 daily

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

Retest in 3 months.

As you have Hashi's (confirmed by raised antibodies) then for best absorption an oral spray is recommended (eg BetterYou) or sublingual drops (eg Vitabay Organics).

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. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

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.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

thefamilythathealstogether....

drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...

Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).

In March 2019 my Folate was

11.44 ug/L (> 3.89) now 5.37 ug/L

I would increase your Super B Complex to 2 daily, retest in 3 months. Remember to leave off your B Complex before any blood tests (including thyroid) for 7 days as it can give false results if Biotin is used in the testing procedure (which Medichecks does).

My FT3 has gone up since March 2019

3.94 pmol/L to now 4.48 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8) How can I get it to optimal level?

Optimal is where you feel best. What are your current thyroid meds? Did you take your B Complex in the week before this test?

SmPea profile image
SmPea in reply to SeasideSusie

I currently take 100mg Levothyroxine and yes I made sure I didn’t take B Complex 7 days before test. Thanks for all your info I will digest.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to SmPea

In that case your conversion could be better. Try increasing your selenium to 200mcg daily, consider zinc supplement (you may wish to test zinc/copper first). It may be that a small amount of T3 might be beneficial if nothing else helps with conversion.

fibrolinda profile image
fibrolinda

Double your Igennus super b to two a day. That is the recommended dose and it finally got my folate up from 7 to 30 in five months where as one a day it dropped from 10 to 7. I now take 1 a day and 2 twice a week to maintain I hope, will find out next blood test.

SmPea profile image
SmPea in reply to fibrolinda

Thank you really helpful.

SmPea profile image
SmPea in reply to fibrolinda

How do you take the b Complex - together or different times of the day? Does it have to be a certain number of hours away from taking Levothyroxine? I currently take my Levo around 6.30am

fibrolinda profile image
fibrolinda in reply to SmPea

Keep any supplements 4 hours away from Levo, and if taking iron keep that away from everything but vitamin c, take 1000 vit c with iron as it helps avoid constipation. I take thyroid meds at night so split b vit dose taking 1 about 9am and other at 1300. It's the best I can do split wise because of other meds, a juggling act 🙂

You may also like...

Ferritin higher, Folate lower even though supplementing with B Complex what’s going on?!

Folate 6.03 ug/L (>3.89) B12 Active 74.8 pmol/L (37.5 -150) Vit D 110 nmol/L (50. - 200) TSH...

Vitamin supplements Vit D Vit B12, magnesium citrate and calcium citrate

sclerosis.... can you enlighten me how these vitamin supplements work?.

Vit D supplementation

obviously need to take more. I have been supplementing 1000iu daily since April. I have had...

Advice re vitamin D supplementation

year my level was 125nmol/L but this year it is 85.5 nmol/L reference range is 50-125 nmol. Im...

Folate supplement/Test results

ug/L (Range >3.89) Vitamin B12 >150 pmol/L (Range >37.5) Vitamin D 46.5 nmol/L (Range 50-175) I...