Results are back

[Wwerty]

So my results have come back, my tsh has risen s little and t4 has dropped, antibodies have lowered, would this be enough for me to battle my gp

[Lalatoot]

In some countries a TSH of 3 is enough to trigger treatment.

[Wwerty in reply to Lalatoot]

I’m so tempted to try 25 of levo for a week to see if my symptoms subside as all my symptoms started after dr stopped it, or was she right to stop it and it’s just all my hormones out of whack, I don’t understand enough about it all and when I try and discuss it just get told health anxiety

[Lalatoot in reply to Wwerty]

You would need to be on levo for a couple of months at least. The other consideration is that often at 25mcg the thyroid says phew and takes a rest. This means that symptoms actually get worse and a dose increase is needed.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

You have Hashi's, but I think you already know this.

Your TSH is not high enough for a doctor to start you on Levo even you have raised antibodies, TSH needs to be over range along with raised antibodies for even an enlightened doctor to prescribe Levo.

Did you have the Ultravit test to check vitamins as well?

[Wwerty in reply to SeasideSusie]

All my bits are top of range except ferritin which I need to work on, I was out of range twice when given levo but she stopped it, my levels have never been below 2.

[Wwerty in reply to Wwerty]

They have said Hashimotos, what Else could I take to get it under control because my life is miserable, I’ve read about St. John’s wort and lemon balm but to blooming scared to try anything thanks to my gp putting the fear of god into me x

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Wwerty]

I’ve read about St. John’s wort and lemon balm

I would do plenty of research from reliable sources before taking those.

Some people have found that a gluten free diet helps with Hashi's, but it's not guaranteed and doesn't work for everyone. Maybe worth a try for a few months.

Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks.

You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.

Gluten/thyroid connection: chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily is said to help reduce the antibodies.

Other than that, do some research into Hashi's, here's some links to get you started:

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

hypothyroidmom.com/hashimot...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

[SlowDragon Administrator]

If you haven’t tried strictly gluten free diet yet ...that’s likely the next step

Gluten intolerance can be a cause of anxiety

Gluten intolerance extremely common with hashimoto’s

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

The obtained results suggest that the gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

Going gluten free is a strategy that everyone with Hashimoto’s should try. In some cases, we see a complete remission of the condition; in other cases (88% of the time), the person feels significantly better in terms of bloating, diarrhea, energy, weight, constipation, stomach pain, reflux, hair regrowth, and anxiety.

todaysdietitian.com/newarch...

Many clinicians report that eating a gluten-free diet may help improve thyroid function in nonceliac gluten intolerance. “Getting gluten out is primary for patients with Hashimoto’s, even without celiac disease,”

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Retest Thyroid and vitamin levels 2-3 months after going gluten free

[SlowDragon Administrator]

It’s only a week since this post

Are you now starting on strictly gluten free diet?

You really need to give it 3-6 months trial

[Wwerty in reply to SlowDragon]

I’ve been gluten free only for a week, no benefits as yet but I would assume it’s early days

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Wwerty]

Getting bloods retested including vitamins in 6-8 weeks....ideally a bit longer

[Wwerty in reply to SlowDragon]

All my bits are top of range only had them checked 5 weeks ago, just ferritin needs a bit of work, it’s in range but lower end of range

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Wwerty]

What are your most recent vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 results

Exactly what vitamin supplements are you currently taking?

[Wwerty in reply to SlowDragon]

Vit d is 86, I’m currently supplementing

B12 is above range as dr gave me a b12 injection as it was only 300ish

Ferritin 47

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Wwerty]

Presumably you are scheduled for further B12 injections

If very low Should start with loading dose B12....several injections over 2-3 weeks

When on B12/injections it’s recommended to also take a good quality daily vitamin B complex, one with folate in not folic acid may be beneficial.

chriskresser.com/folate-vs-...

B vitamins best taken in the morning after breakfast

Igennus Super B complex are nice small tablets. Often only need one tablet per day, not two. Certainly only start with one tablet per day after breakfast. Retesting levels in 6-8 weeks

Or Thorne Basic B or jarrow B-right are other options that contain folate, but both are large capsules

If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results

endo.confex.com/endo/2016en...

endocrinenews.endocrine.org...

Low B12 symptoms

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

Low vitamin D and low B vitamins may be linked as explained here

drgominak.com/sleep/vitamin...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Ferritin is still low. Was it so low that GP prescribed iron supplements?

Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

restartmed.com/hypothyroidi...

[Wwerty in reply to SlowDragon]

No she said I only needed one, again dr not following guidelines and has now made it impossible for me to get private test done as results would be false, I’m bout my own from Germany

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Wwerty]

How low was B12 before injection

Did GP test for pernicious anaemia

[Wwerty in reply to SlowDragon]

It was 300, she hasn’t done any test except serum b12, when I had first injection I was under the impression I would get loading doses otherwise I would have refused it until the proper test was done

[Arlie123 in reply to Wwerty]

Is that nmol/l for the vitamin d? If so it could probably be higher - some day 100, some say 150.

[Wwerty in reply to Arlie123]

Yeah, I’m currently supplementing, it has come up from 40 so going the right way

[Arlie123]

Regarding your self medication thread - have you considered going to see an endocrinologist privately? It is expensive but if you can afford it, it may be worthwhile. Much like gps not all are good though so get the recommended list from here. My gp would not treat me either so I went private. It cost me £250 for the first appointment and I have a follow up next week which will be less. After that I hope the gp will manage it with some nudges from me (i have done a lot of reading!!). pricey but maybe a little less stressful than going it alone completely.