Is there a link between hypothyroid and duodenal ulcers?

[Dramlouie]

Is there anything linking peptic duodenal ulcers to low thyroid?

[LivingWithHT]

The only logical link I can think of is: low stomach acid is a symptom of hypothyroidism, which in turn, can contribute to the forming of ulcers.

[jgelliss in reply to LivingWithHT]

Yes .Yes . And Yes . Being Hypo has all of these symptoms and more . Many don't make the connections to many of their issues/ symptoms that they may be experiencing due to hypothyroidism . Thank You for addressing this very important point . Trying to go gluten dairy free for a while can be very helpful as well .

[LivingWithHT in reply to jgelliss]

Yes, although I never last that long on a gluten-free eating regimen 😄. That’s why I rely on supplements that help increase stomach acid levels, like Betaine HCL+Pepsin. I know Apple Cider Vinegar works for a lot of people, and is a more feasible long-term method, but it actually made my indigestion symptoms worse so I gave up on it.

[molliemdz]

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a side effect of the medicine! A few months after starting on levothyroxine (18 years ago) I started having something weird going on with my stomach — not so much internal symptoms (like acid reflux etc) but tenderness if pressure were applied externally (from something as basic as lying on my left side), and when palpating my upper left abdomen, just below my ribs, you could feel a hardened lump. The doctor ordered an ultrasound, but they didn’t find anything. I left off eating nightshades for a while, and eventually it went away (in the meantime, my brand of T4 changed at least once, as well). In the last month, I’ve developed the same thing again, and looking back, I’ve realised the brand of t4 the pharmacy’s been providing changed just around Christmas time.

My father, who was also hypothyroid, developed stomach cancer after years of suffering with an undiagnosed stomach ulcer.... (And he also had that external tenderness thing for years....)

My gut instinct is that there could be a link, but I’d be very surprised if there were medical literature supporting my gut feeling!!

[LivingWithHT in reply to molliemdz]

That sounds horrible, sorry to hear that :(. Unfortunately, no typical endocrinologist/doctor will believe that, even if you presented them with your below mentioned proof.

[molliemdz]

I just found this article from Brazil.... Has some interesting stuff about gastric issues / hypothyroidism / H. pylori infection and how it changes the pH of the stomach.... I haven’t gotten through the whole article yet, but it shows documentation of links between hypothyroidism, T4 use, and increased gastric issues.

tgc.amegroups.com/article/v...

[AnneEvo in reply to molliemdz]

Sadly, as all too often, the authors of this article are blaming patients for not achieving adequate levels of thyroid hormones:

"Although most patients achieve normal thyroid levels by taking regular doses of levothyroxine, that is not the case in some patients, despite high doses. In many cases, poor adherence to treatment and misuse of medications are main causes of inadequate control." Grrrr.

[Hidden]

I would not be surprised in the slightest if a great number of health problems were caused directly or indirectly to problems with the thyroid gland. When many educated and trained health professionals continue to believe that the main constituents of NATURAL bovine NDT (eg Armour) are SYNTHETIC Levothyroxine and SYNTHETIC Liothyronine, then I find it impossible to believe a single word they say about the thyroid gland.

They probably got this strange idea from the website of the manufacturers of Armour NDT where it used to say this obvious LIE. I wrote to them some time ago and they changed their site to say the truth, so if anybody comes across a doctor who now believes the impossible it is an opportunity for you to put them right.

I have every right to believe that my rotten treatment with levothroxine monotherapy rather than NDT for 8 years caused my kidney cancer through the total absence of the "extra" hormones not contained within Levothyroxine. Some reports have linked breast cancer to hypothyroidism but have stated that the cancer caused the hypothyroidism, ignoring the probable reason which is the other way round.

When, after 8 years of complaining about feeling rotten and needing an alternative medicine such as NDT, your GP tells you merely that NDT is "unlicensed", that she has lots of patients in the waiting room and that you should "go away and sort yourself out", what can you do?

[Hidden]

Duodenal ulcers seem to be a serious illness. Expect you are on a special diet. Gluten is a known irritant, but so are multi grains. Gluten intolerance is linked to thyroid and to the i and celiac disease Perhaps you could ask for tests for celiac disease. Enzymes are recommended to counteract lack of stomach enzymes. Certain minerals and vitamins are recommended to prevent tissue breaking down such as vitamin D and iron. Alcohol can cause stomach ulcers, so other substances such as vinegar pickles mustard pickles can burn a hole in the digestive system. Chili pepper may also burn the stomach. If you write down what you eat, and drink, may be your food is too acidic?

If your colon is ulcerated it needs high doses of vitamin C, ,vitamin groups vitamin d iron in

an easily assimilated form as your vitamins may be low. If the ulcers bleed this can make you anaemic. Heloise who co ordinates thyroid information, can forward you a list of enzymes which may help the acid levels in the stomach and intestines. She can explain how enzymes work to aid digestion.

[Dramlouie]

The reason I am asking this question is that my 95 year old Mum, on levothyroxine for 30 years and a couple of years on T3 died 2 weeks ago, cause was hemorrhage due to peptic duodenal ulcers contributing factor pulmonary embolism. Her carers were not giving her blood thinning and thyroid meds every day, a carer told me herself the day before she went into hospital. I wasn't informed of this. Mum got really sleepy and couldn't be roused. The hospital said she had pneumonia and sepsis. I knew something wasn't right and now the report has come back that it wasn't what we were told. I rang the care agency to ask what days she didn't have her meds and I was told that she didn't miss a dose, I am assuming that the carer was correct and the agency is lying. Mums T3 result for November 2019 was below the lowest normal range. So her thyroid was very low for some time. Mum wasn't eating properly as the carers didn't have time to encourage eating, the call was 4 minutes on one day. I think the stomach acid must have gone very low, contributing to the ulcers, leading to anaemia, Mum wasn't having her blood thinning meds so she developed a blood clot in hospital. Because the hospital a&e didn't know what was wrong she was shoved onto the dementia ward and given a quick diagnosis and the palliative care team was called.

[LivingWithHT]

So sorry to hear that :(. Many bad things can come out of having a thyroid gland that is not working optimally. A lot of people are still ignorant to just how important it is to make sure you get the right treatment for hypothyroidism (or hyperthyroidism) and its related illnesses. The pituitary gland is responsible for so many things that go on in the body so if it is even slightly impaired, a person will feel it, even if the blood tests don’t show it. A badly functioning body can lead to depression and other mental illnesses. I even read in a book on hypothyroidism that, long ago, women were wrongly diagnosed as bipolar or having borderline personality disorder, or having psychotic breakdowns due to psychosis and other severe mental illnesses because they didn’t know that these women actually had severe thyroid issues and needed medication and proper treatment.