I have was diagnosed with Hasimotoes about 5 years ago. My husband is B12 deficient (I'm not sure if its auto immune or not) and he's on been on 12 weekly B12 injections for years but getting more poorly so now self injecting. I'm starting to think I may also have B12 deficiency so have been self injecting also (I've been tested for B12 def. and been told I'm ok but know results an be misleading) So I'm also wondering if my hubby could have underactive thyroid as well as B12 def. Sorry, it's turned into such a long question. Just so fed up of us both being ill😕
Thanks in advance.
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timmysmom
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Thank you Marz. I don't know either of our B12 blood test results only that they don't think I need B12 but my hubby does. We should ask for our test results. We are both taking a super market multi vitamin, folate, iron and vitamin D mouth spray, as well as self injecting B12. I'm not sure what vitamins and minerals we've been tested for.
Always obtain copies of all test results that are legally yours. You can then monitor your own progress and check what has been missed ! You can phone the surgery and request copies going back a year or so and say you will be along to collect in a few days. No need to give a reason.
Your surgery should have on-line access to results - so worth asking ...
A multi-vit is not a good idea as the ingredients are often not enough of anything and cheap versions with fillers. Iron binds to other ingredients and negates them. Better to know your levels of B12 - Folate - Ferritin and VitD and treat individually. Then members can advise about other supplements needed. Iron should be taken at least 4 hours away from Levo/T4 ...
When you have results start a new post - happy to help 🤔
Thanks, I was reading the ingredients on our supermarket multi vitamin yesterday and thinking there's a lot of fillers in there probably not much good. I didn't know about not taking iron with levo or other vits or minerals tho. Are most GPS happy to test for folate and vit D? I have had ferritin and B12 tested recently but have heard on PA forum that B12 test not accurate. Makes me wonder are the other tests accurate?,🤔
All tests are a snapshot of the moment. Testing is the best guide we currently have. Testing B12 tells us what is in the blood but NOT what is in the cells where it is needed.
Thanks Marz, I think my next step is to get my hubby to test for underactive thyroid/ hasimotoes and maybe look more into if my hasimotoes needs different treatment to what I'm currently getting from gp (50 mg levothyroxin). We have both had chronic fatigue for years but hoping self injecting b12 will help.
Do you think I maybe need more than 50 mcg of levo? Does the dose usually increase over time? I've always put my fatigue mostly down to having Sjogrens but have occasionally wondered if it could be that my Hasimotoes isn't being treated correctly.
As I mentioned above - 50mcg is a starter dose and should be increased every 6/8 weeks until symptoms subside ... Seeing your results will give us more idea.
Recommend getting full Thyroid and vitamin testing..... can test privately if GP unhelpful
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin levels
Your husband may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3 £29 (via NHS private service )
There is a high (approx 40%) prevalence of B12 deficiency in hypothyroid patients. Traditional symptoms are not a good guide to determining presence of B12 deficiency. Screening for vitamin B12 levels should be undertaken in all hypothyroid patients, irrespective of their thyroid antibody status. Replacement of B12 leads to improvement in symptoms,
Low vitamin D virtually guaranteed with Hashimoto's....do you supplement vitamin D?
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.
Thank you for your very helpful response. I will read it again in the morning as I'm too tired to take it in properly now after having my granddaughter today😴. I did not know that people with Hasimotoes were prone to low vitamin levels. Me and hubby are both taking folate, multi vitamin, iron and vitamin D mouth spray since we started self injecting B12 about 2 weeks ago. I have found the PA forum very helpful.
Thanks again for all the advice and information, I will read again tomorrow after some much needed sleep💤😊
The PA Forum is excellent - I am there too. However they prefer thyroid issues to be discussed here. They also advocate multi-vits and Folic Acid - when with thyroid issues benefits have been achieved by taking supplements that are needed rather than a multi.
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