Hello everyone!
I am opening this thread to share any experience you may have on any correlation that you have seen between smoking and thyroid diseases ( if for example you have hashimoto, and smoking makes it worse or quitting smoking makes it worse etc.)
I would especially like to know if anyone smoked iqos and their feedback on thyroid function, since there is not much objective research available for iqos so any information would be from personal experiences only.
I read a while back that some people found quitting smoking made their thyroid problems worse, or they only became evident on quitting.
It may be worth searching this forum to see if you can find it.
Thanx for the info! I will look into it!
I’ve been smoking the IQOS and since my thyroid hormones have gone below range with low t3 and t4. They prescribed levothyroxine but it’s causing swelling in my legs so I am now trying to quit smoking in the hope that will resolve the thyroid function. Did you find a link between the two?
Golds1,
Welcome to our forum,
Be aware you have replied to a three year old post so although still active the O/P may not reply.
Heated tobacco products still emit chemical pollutants, just at lower levels than cigarette smoke but should you have detox/methylation issues, perhaps even a lowered amount is excessive to what your body can safely deal with.
We need iodine to make thyroid hormones but these chemical pollutants compete with the sodium-iodide symporter so iodine uptake is impacted and thyroid hormones levels are reduced. I believe this to be one of the main reasons why babies born to mothers who smoke throughout their pregnancy are usually underweight, with higher risk of impaired cognitive ability.
These pollutants can also change signalling within the HPA axis (hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid) by affecting the behaviours of thyroid enzymes (deidinases). These activate/deactivate thyroid hormones in different cells by multiple methods influenced by multiple factors. The main reviews show smoking to reduce thyroid hormone transporters involved in not only transporting T4/T3 around the body but actually into the cells. This results in lowered conversion as reduces TSH in relation to unbound T4 levels (adequate TSH is required for conversion of T4-T3 in people not medicating thyroid hormone replacement meds).
Interestingly it has been shown to have varying effects on thyroid autoimmunity. From what I understand smoking actually discourages production of both thyroid antibodies TPOAb and TGAb (Hashimotos), but stimulates TRAbs (Graves), but I also think others factors would be at play such as the advancement of autoimmunity, other health conditions, life style and genetic disposition
wow thank you so much. I am even more focused on getting through the first week of giving up now. Could the levothyroxine actually be doing more harm than good then? If the problem is more the conversion rather than needing t3/t4 themselves? I had my vitamin/nutrient levels checked and all were comfortably in range so it’s not that causing the issue, more likely the smoking effect of the axis you mention. Would you recommend I take a break from the levo and/or supplement with anything to help kick start the conversion? Maybe metavive freeze-dried porcine thyroid gland supplement for example?
I don’t suppose you also know of any link that could also be causing me to have leukopenia, neutropenia and mild mactocytic anaemia do you?.
My Lymphocyte subset analysis also showed reduced levels of B-cells and CD56 positive lymphocytes (but normal total lymphocyte counts, no paraprotein, immunoglobulin levels were normal and free light chain immunoglobulin assay showed only slightly raised lambda). Hepatitis B and C serology and HIV serology was normal, PNH was negative. Bone marrow tests showed hypocellular marrow (50% cellularity) with a degree of dysplastic changes (neutrophils with hypolobated nuclei), normal karyotype, and normal molecular markers relevant to myeloid neoplasms. There was a high percentage of erythroids (48%), the haematologist report said the text below although I struggle to understand what it all means. If you know of any link that could be causing these changes too please do let me know…
“Erythropoiesis: Normocellular with normoblastic and megaloblastic in maturation. Some erythroids show dysplastic changes, including megaloblasts, irregular nuclear outline, stippling and and karyorrhexis.
Granulopoiesis: Proportionally reduced and observed in all stages of maturation. A proportion of mature neutrophils (just over 10%) show dysplastic nuclear lobation. No excess of blasts.
Megakaryocytes: Plentiful, they appear increased and polymorphic in size and lobation. Occasional small megakaryoblasts seen.
Reduced iron stores. Erythroblast iron present.”
Grateful for any help x
Golds1,
‘Could the levothyroxine actually be doing more harm than good then?’
It would be prudent to assume the reasoning for your hypo-state will dictate if Levothyroxine continues to be required. If you don’t have Hashi, then the body is great at repairing/resetting itself when conditions are right. However, there is also thought that altered thyroid hormone signalling patterns may not reverse after medicating Levothyroxine because risk making the pituitary ‘lazy.’ It is said we can not top up thyroid hormones but have to replace.
Supports for good thyroid function include good lifestyle/sleep, and optimal iron and vits. Selenium is a good for not only making thyroid hormones but supporting conversion and immunity in the sense of discouraging adverse immune reaction.
‘vitamin/nutrient levels checked and all were comfortably in range.'
But what about ferritin? Your results are indicative of low iron. Low thyroid hormone levels slow everything from gut absorption, motility, erythropoiesis, etc and different types of anaemia and RBC poor health are very common.
I wouldn’t recommend changing/reducing meds until labs evidence you need to. Post a new question for comment on Metavive as I don’t get on with glandulars.
ok thank you. The levo dose is 25mcg and my results were as below. I really think it might be doing more harm than good though as I’ve ballooned a bit since starting it last week.
TSH - 1.52 mIU/L (Range0.27 - 4.2 mIU/L)
FREE THYROXINE t4 - 11.5 pmol/l (Range12.0 - 22.0 pmol/l)
T3 - 0.8 nmol/L (Range1.3 - 3.1 nmol/L)
The ferritin was 74ug/l (13-150range), iron, folate, b12 and iron transferase all were mid range too but I don’t have the results in front of me.
hmm ok will see what others say about the glandular support but will add in some zinc and selenium in the meantime and see if that helps
Thank you
No unfortunately no link found yet. What i do know is that i was a heavy smoker for 15 years and had no issue with smoking and thyroid whatsoever. I did have hashimoto but was well controlled.
At some point i moved to iqos and at the same time had my dose reduced. This is when all hell broke loose.
I was trying to find out on whether my symptoms flood came from changing my smoking habits or the dose change (it was not so huge a change, 50 mcg reduction).
But nothing found yet! Still doing iqos and still having issues (although not so much as initially). The only thing i can tell you is that based on my experience smoking does not hurt our thyroid issues (i mean of course smoking is not good and does a lot of damage in the long run. I just meant that it does not hurt thyroid so much that it causes a detectable change in the short run).
Another thing to keep in mind is that we tend to do a lot of cigs with iqos and this causes oftenly symptoms of nicotine overdose and/or dehydration. So its best to keep it at a minimum (if not cur it out at all).
I was trying to find any forum discussing any issues with iqos but could not find much (except what i mentioned earlier).
Does smoking affect thyroid function? 
Thyroid disease and hypermobility 
Hashimoto and Thyroid Eye Disease
Finally diagnosed with thyroid disease
