Hi. I normally take high doses of vit D and B12. I came off all supplements in the summer as had a gall bladder problem and didn’t want to complicate matters.
In the few months I have been off my B12 has dropped and vit D to below ranges
B12 175. Range 181.00 - 910.00
Vit D level 52. Range 75.00-150.00
All with no action required.
As my levels have dropped so fast without supplement should I press for treatment from GP?
Also my neutrophil count is low
1.7 range 1.80- 7.50 ???
Seems I need to be on supplements to stay in normal range.
I have hashi’s T4 mid range T3 top of range. Feel well, just a bit achy in arms shoulders get tired a lot and feel wobbly with exercise
Any advice gratefully received .
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Tayhung
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What were your levels originally? If we have low levels or deficiencies, it's normal to continue supplementing at an appropriate dose to maintain the new level once we have optimised it.
How much have your levels dropped?
As you have Hashi's that can cause gut/absorption problems.
With your B12 level below range you should be tested for B12 deficiency/pernicious anaemia.
Your GP is unlikely to do anything about your Vit D level as that is in the Sufficient category (>50). It's a case of self supplementing for that one.
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 of 52nmol/L (20.8ng/ml), based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 4,000-5,000iu D3 daily
As you have Hashi's, for best absorption an oral spray is recommended, eg BetterYou. Some Hashi's patients do find that an oil based softgel such as Doctors Best also gives good absorption. Avoid tablets and capsules.
Once you have 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:
Doctors don'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.
Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).
Your neutrophil count is slightly below range. A couple of common reasons for low neutrophil count are viral infection and autoimmune conditions. Your GP may want to keep an eye on this.
Thanks very much Seaside Susie. I have been doing most as described in your post but may need to tweak, especially magnesium.
My levels of b12 and D3 prior to having a blocked bile duct this summer were good and kept in higher ranges. I take drops for b12 and k2 with my D3. I am just shocked at how quickly they have dropped to below range levels..
just wondering if worth going forward with GP re B12 to get it back up quicker ?
I am and have been gluten free for three or more years now and have seen huge improvements but, still have very slow gut and it seems terrible absorption.
If you do then list any to discuss with your GP when asking for further testing. Don't supplement B12 or B Complex for now, these will mask signs of B12 deficiency and skew results of further testing.
SlowDragon has information and links about gut/absorption problems, she may be along later.
With the neutrophil result should I ask for Lyme disease check.
Sorry, I don't know. If this is the first time your neutrophil count has been low, and it's only just below range, it could be just a temporary thing with infection or just because of the Hashi's. Possibly worth keeping an eye on.
There are others on the list. Like all with thyroid illness there are such fine lines crossing into other problems. Only trial and error and self diagnosis gets us anywhere.
Vitamin D deficiency is frequent in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and treatment of patients with this condition with Vitamin D may slow down the course of development of hypothyroidism and also decrease cardiovascular risks in these patients. Vitamin D measurement and replacement may be critical in these patients.
Evidence of a link between increased level of antithyroid antibodies in hypothyroid patients with HT and 25OHD3 deficiency may suggest that this group is particularly prone to the vitamin D deficiency and can benefit from its alignment.
I think with Hashimoto's, even on T3 and strictly gluten free diet many of us still have problems with gut function
Probiotics, fermented foods like kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut plus bone broth may all help Improve gut biome
Strictly soya free including soya lecithin may help
Some find dairy free helps.
I have never tried dairy free. Just gluten and soya free gave such significant improvements. I would find dairy free too hard
I will hold off on supplements until I have been back to GP. Trying to sort appointment.
Ferritin is 138 range 10 - 281
Folate 8.7. Range > 5.40
Not sure I could go dairy free either but...
I make and drink kefir most days . Will add probiotics as a matter of course. Do you make or buy your bone broth??? Will give that a go too. I had masses of intravenous antibiotics in the summer. (7 days worth) so still trying to get back on track with that..
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