Hi, could anyone advise on these test results? I have family history of hypothyroid on one side, and autoimmune diseases on the other side.
Ive been feeling progressively more awful over the last year or so, but for ages the GP and I put it down to depression and I accepted a higher dose of citalopram. I am mentally OK now (not the life and soul of the party, but functioning at work and home), but I have fluctuating physical symptoms in the range of tired to exhausted, dry skin, no appetite but gaining weight, croaky voice and trouble swallowing, ibs, joint pain (previously diagnosed as palindromic rheumatism). My periods are short but very heavy.
I've been on 25mg levothyroxine, my GP says it's an experiment. I don't notice an improvement in how I feel in the last four months, I'm still generally knackered, with periods of crushing exhaustion.
Previous blood tests had very similar thyroid results except the antibody which was well within range in April and is now high.
Am I right to think hashimotos? If so, should I be trying a gluten free diet?
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Yes, your raised antibodies can suggest Hashi's. Tg antibodies can be raised because of other conditions but it is possible to have negative TPO antibodies, positive Tg antibodies and it be Hashi's.
Some members have found that adopting a strict gluten free diet can help, although there is no guarantee but it's worth a try for a few months.
Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks.
You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
There is plenty of room for your GP to increase your Levo to 50mcg, your FT4 and FT3 are very low in range. Ask for an increase in dose and retest in 6-8 weeks.
Active B12 and folate are fine.
Vit D could be higher. 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).
To reach the recommended level from your current level, based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 3,700iu D3 daily (nearest is 4,000iu
For best absorption, as you possibly have Hashi's, an oral spray (eg betterYou) is recommended, or you could look for a sublingual liquid. These are absorbed through the mucous membranes in the oral cavity and bypass the stomach.
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:
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.
Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).
Don't start all supplements at the same time. Start with one, leave it 1-2 weeks and if no adverse reaction then add the second one. Continue like this. If you have any reaction then you will know what caused it.
That's on the low side. It's said that for thyroid hormone to work properly (that's our own as well as replacement hormone) ferritin needs to be at least 70, preferably half way through range.
You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet
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