Can ignorance be bliss...?

[Pippers]

O dear...diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in the 1970s, I read Slow Dragon's response to jjames66 query and have to admit to not having a clue about TSH, FT4, FT3, TPO and TG thyroid antibodies, ferritin, and their significance... anyone care to fill me in?

[fuchsia-pink]

Suggest you look at the thyroid UK site and helvella 's excellent glossary [pinned post on the right] - there's a wealth of really helpful info there x

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Looking at your previous posts...you are coeliac....so almost certainly your hypothyroidism is autoimmune...also called Hashimoto’s

Low vitamin levels are extremely common with Hashimoto’s (and coeliac)

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking?

Poor vitamin levels can result in poor conversion levothyroxine (T4) into the active form (T3)

So as vast majority of UK patients are only prescribed levothyroxine (despite a normal thyroid producing 90% T4 and 10% T3) ...it’s incredibly important to have good conversion of Ft4 to Ft3

Common for conversion to get worse as we age, especially after menopause

Many patients who have gluten intolerance/coeliac are poor converters

Helpful little film ...

drbradshook.com/understandi...

Clearly just testing TSH or a TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate

[Pippers in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you, I'm now on the way to understanding the various abbreviations. With several bells ringing after reading up on Hashimoto's I'll get checked out when the blasted corona virus releases it's hold. Stay positive and keep your heads down, everyone...

[Marz]

thyroiduk.org 💐

[RedApple Administrator]

Pippers, If you are one of the many fortunate people who can simply take their daily little white pill (i.e levothyroxine), and feel perfectly well, then yes, I think ignorance can be bliss You only really need to learn more about the disorder if you have unresolved symptoms and your doctor typically gives you all sorts of other pills to deal with them. That scenario can often indicate a wrongly treated thyroid issue that's being ignored or overlooked.

[Pippers in reply to RedApple]

Thank you RedApple, 'perfectly well' is stretching it a bit so I think a check-up will be in order...

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Pippers]

NHS rarely does anymore than test TSH

Do you get vitamins tests on annual review for coeliac?

[Pippers in reply to SlowDragon]

Annual review consists solely of a blood test...

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Pippers]

Vitamin D and coeliac

verywellhealth.com/do-you-k...

Vitamin D and Hashimoto’s

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/286...

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.

endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/...

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.

NHS postal kit test

vitamindtest.org.uk

GP will only prescribe to bring levels to 50nmol.

ouh.nhs.uk/osteoporosis/use...

But improving to around 80nmol or 100nmol may be better

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/218...

vitamindsociety.org/pdf/Vit...

Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Test twice yearly via vitamindtest.org.uk

Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is very effective as it avoids poor gut function. There’s a version made that also contains vitamin K2 Mk7

It’s trial and error what dose we need, with hashimoto’s we frequently need higher dose than average

Government recommends everyone supplement October to April

gov.uk/government/news/phe-...

Also read up on importance of magnesium and vitamin K2 Mk7 supplements when taking vitamins

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

livescience.com/61866-magne...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

Vitamin K2 mk7

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

Magnesium often low on gluten free diet

theceliacmd.com/magnesium-d...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/241...

[Pippers in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for taking such trouble... low magnesium could well be the problem.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Pippers]

Magnesium tests are notoriously unreliable

Many on here supplement magnesium

Any magnesium should be minimum of four hours away from levothyroxine

Magnesium best taken in afternoon or evening as helps improve sleep