Hello everyone I think this is my first post on this site. In summer 2017 I got Glandular fever which in turn damaged my thyroid which is now under-active. I am currently on levothyroxine 100mcg. I get by relatively well I am 26 male and work full time. I also take a few other things to try and help me along which are.
Propranolol 10mg once per day to keep anxiety at bay
A strong multivitamin
vitamin b complex with b12
then at night I take magnesium 250mg pill then later on take a CBD/Hemp oil pill.
Anyway recently I have been having a issue whereby when I eat I have trouble to swallow it like I can swallow it but it takes a few attempts and I have to really chew it to do it. Ive heard about goitre but I can't really feel or see a lump in my neck. Im wondering whether getting some gaviscon or a strong antacid would help me out. Thank you for looking at this post and any suggestions appreciated
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Jelley93
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I very much doubt that an antacid would help you out. Probably more to the contrary. Hypos usually have low stomach acid, rather than high, but the symptoms are the same.
Having said that, your problem sounds more like a swollen thyroid. The fact that you can't feel a lump doesn't prove you don't have a goitre, it could be at the back, and pressing on your oesophagus. I had that, but no visible lump. So, you have to ask yourself, are you optimally treated? I somehow doubt it. 100 mcg is only a small dose and not likely to be enough.
Do you have any blood test results and ranges you can post? That will tell us more.
Did you have your B12 tested before you started the B complex? Really unwise to supplement without testing. Which is one of the reasons why a multi-vit is such a bad idea. We really do not recommend those on here, and here's why:
* If your multi contains iron, it will block the absorption of all the vitamins - you won't absorb a single one! Iron should be taken at least two hours away from any other supplement except vit C, which is necessary to aid absorption of iron, and protect the stomach.
* If your multi also contains calcium, the iron and calcium will bind together and you won't be able to absorb either of them.
* Multi's often contain things you shouldn't take or don't need : calcium, iodine, copper. These things should be tested before supplementing.
* Multi's often contain the cheapest, least absorbable form of the supplement : magnesium oxide, instead of magnesium citrate or one of the other good forms; cyanocobalamin instead of methylcobalamin; folic acid instead of methylfolate; etc. etc. etc.
* Multi's do not contain enough of anything to help a true deficiency, even if you could absorb them.
* When taking several supplements, you should start them individually at two weekly intervals, not all at once as you would with a multi. Because, if you start them all at once, and something doesn't agree with you, you won't know which one it is and you'll be back to square one.
With a multivitamin, you are just throwing your money down the drain, at best, and doing actual harm at worst. Far better to get tested for vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin, and build up your supplementation program based on the results.
Unfortunately, if you didn't get your B12 and folate tested before starting the B complex, you will have to stop it for 5 months to get a base-line. But, it's really worth doing that, because then you will know if you have Pernicious Anemia or if it's just low B12 due to low stomach acid.
No to gaviscon etc. Hypos often have low stomach acid and you could make things worse. My main symptom of being undermedicated is a fat feeling in my throat, a sore throat at the front, a hoarse voice. The external front of throat also feels firmer. Maybe you are undermedicated. Do you have recent blood results?
Hi thanks for the replies I last had a blood test last august. They didn't mention anything of concern I asked what the level was and she said it was 3.2 thats all i can really say, she said long as it is below a reading of 5 there is not really an issue. The eating thing comes and goes like I get periods of weeks and weeks where I just eat normally and don't notice any issues but then it comes back as it has now. So should I immediately stop all supplementation. The ones I have a night I take to get a good nights kip
I last had a blood test last august. They didn't mention anything of concern I asked what the level was and she said it was 3.2 thats all i can really say, she said long as it is below a reading of 5 there is not really an issue.
What you've written suggests that you had your TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - measured, and nothing else.
TSH is too high in people who are hypothyroid and unmedicated. If the level is high in a treated patient then it shows that the patient is under-medicated and needs a higher dose of Levothyroxine (or whatever thyroid hormone product they take).
A healthy person with a healthy thyroid usually has a TSH around 0.5 - 2.
Hypothyroid people often need TSH to be lower than it is in healthy people so most of us feel best with a TSH below 1.
Assuming I'm right about that 3.2 figure being your TSH then your doctor's comment is nonsense. A TSH of 5 or 3.2 is far too high for most treated hypothyroid people to feel well, and you need an increase in your dose.
...
The other issue with measuring TSH only is that patients have discovered that it is not a good measure of well-being in thyroid patients anyway. There are two other tests that can be done in connection with thyroid hormones, and they are Free T4 and Free T3.
TSH is a hormone produced by the pituitary NOT the thyroid.
T4 is produced solely by the thyroid, and it is mostly inactive. To be useful it has to be converted into T3.
About 20% to 25% of the T3 in the body comes from the thyroid. The remaining 75% - 80% comes from other organs in the body by converting T4 to T3. The liver is the most important organ for converting T4 to T3, followed by the gut as next most important. So having an unhealthy liver and/or an unhealthy gut have effects on T3 level.
Patients who have studied these things know that their Free T3 level is the best indicator of good health in people like us. Get your Free T3 level right and the body usually works well.
TSH on the other hand, is fairly useless for determining how well people feel despite doctors using it.
Go to the surgery and ask for print out f that last blood test result. if its your TSH that 3.2 then you may well need an increase. I'll let GG answer re supplements.
I had issues with swallowing which caused panic attacks, I had no visible lump in my throat. I had thyroid nodules that eventually were diagnosed as cancer.
Just wanted to point out that each answer you've had to your original post has a Reply option at the bottom of it. If you want to reply to an answer you've had you should use that blue reply option in the post you are answering. If you do that the person who answered you will get a notification and see what you've written.
If you use any other Reply option you are only replying to yourself.
I wish someone could tell me a way of explaining this without making a mockery of the English language - all those repetitions of the word "Reply" and "answer" make what I write sound like absolute nonsense!
Well I went Doctors earlier on. I told him about my difficulty swallowing. He felt round my neck and put a strip in my mouth to look at my throat which made me heave a bit. Anyway I have been urgently referred for hospital tests in case I have cancer.
Here is helpful article from “Thyroid Pharmacist” Izabella Weintz about low stomach acid and supplementation to combat digestive issues, hope it will help, copied & pasted a few lines from the article :
“intestinal permeability can be a result of poor digestion caused by a reduction in enzymes that help break down food. Many people with Hashimoto’s experience acid reflux, bloating, and constipation, along with fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and many other symptoms that may be caused by poor digestive function.One of the key “aha” moments on my road to recovery from Hashimoto’s, came when I decided to try a betaine with pepsin supplement to support protein digestion. I woke up the next morning with more energy than I had felt in a decade! I was finally able to digest my food properly.As I’ve delved more into the world of food pharmacology (food as medicine), I’ve come to realize how important proper digestion is to health, particularly for those of us managing thyroid conditions. People with Hashimoto’s usually experience some level of nutrient deficiencies, food sensitivities, digestive issues, and infections. These symptoms are often caused by a diminished ability to absorb proper nutrients from the food we eat.”
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