B12 could I be deficienct : Had bloods done a... - Thyroid UK

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B12 could I be deficienct

Gary19610 profile image
12 Replies

Had bloods done a couple of months ago my folate was 2.6 and my B12 240 . I have had weakness and ache legs for about 2 years and feeling un well like of balanced some times to like am going to pass out put not yet belly problems and so on . I had thyroid bloods to . Low vitamin D to so on vitamin D to

TSH 0.2 T4 25 Doctors said this is normal well wrong that sent me hyper

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Gary19610
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SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Previous post shows you have Hashimoto’s

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Absolutely essential to regularly retest vitamin levels

B12 and folate are far too low

Have you had testing for Pernicious Anaemia ?

See GP for full testing, you may need regular B12 injections

Supplementing 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...

Obviously you need vitamin D and ferritin tested too

How much vitamin D are you currently taking?

When were levels last tested?

On levothyroxine we need OPTIMAL Vitamin levels for good conversion of Ft4 to Ft3

Hashimoto's frequently affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone

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

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find strictly gluten free diet reduces symptoms, sometimes significantly. Either due to 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, or buy test online BEFORE trying strictly gluten free diet

Suggest you buy online test kit, very easy to do.

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

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

Trying strictly gluten free diet for 3-6 months

If no noticeable improvement, reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

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

Gary19610 profile image
Gary19610 in reply to SlowDragon

Thankyou I do not get much help from the doctor has my last bloods a couple of months ago my TSH 0.2 T4 25 so when hyper and I am on vitamin d because that come back 25 . Doctor said thyroid results normal and when look at the there was not so I have dropped my levo 25 feel little better not having fast hart beat.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Gary19610

How much vitamin D are you prescribed?

With result of 25nmol you should be prescribed LOADING Dose

Loading dose vitamin D is 300,000iu over 6-8 weeks.thats typically 5000iu per day for 8 weeks or 7000iu per day for 6 weeks. Important to get levels retested at end of prescription

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

GPwill only prescribe to bring levels up to 50nmol

But improving to around 80nmol or 100nmol by self supplementing 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. A maintenance dose of 2000iu or 3000iu may be needed.

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...

Vitamin D and Covid

bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583

Vitamin D supplementation was safe and it protected against acute respiratory tract infection overall. Patients who were very vitamin D deficient and those not receiving bolus doses experienced the most benefit.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Your results don’t show you are hyperthyroid.

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)

Is this how you did this test?

You currently have high Ft4...but likely low Ft3

When vitamins are extremely low conversion of Ft4 to Ft3 is likely to be extremely poor...very likely you have low Ft3...meaning you’re still hypo

Previous Medichecks results 2 years ago showed poor conversion

Just testing TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate

Many people with Hashimoto’s need to supplement vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin B complex virtually continuously to Maintain optimal vitamin levels

Gary19610 profile image
Gary19610 in reply to SlowDragon

I been taking 10.000iu then dropped to 6000 thinking level must of gone up but when I had last bloods done it had gone up to 26 from 20

Gary19610 profile image
Gary19610 in reply to Gary19610

And yes when I eat some gluten lasagna I thought was gluten free I was ill nearly 2 week so do reck to gluten would not like that to happen again . Started of with margarine, belly pain , toilet a lot , hart beat up , feeling really bad . So try my best never to get gluten again not good

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Gary19610

Which vitamin D do you use?

Many Hashimoto’s patients find vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is good as it avoids poor gut function of Hashimoto’s

Any vitamin D you swallow needs to be minimum of four hours away from levothyroxine, so does any magnesium supplements

Supplementing magnesium too may help improve vitamin D

Magnesium best taken afternoon (if take levothyroxine at bedtime) or late evening if take levothyroxine in morning

Remember to look at vitamin K2 mk7 to help send extra calcium into bones, not arteries

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

drgominak.com/sleep/vitamin...

In YouTube video when Dr Gominak talks about vitamin D levels ...vitamin D at 40ng/ml (USA units) is equal to 100nmol (UK units)

youtu.be/74F22bjBmqE

Gary19610 profile image
Gary19610 in reply to SlowDragon

I started better for you about 3 week ago use to take Doctor best but change to better you. Tried better you with k7 but flust like blood pressure went up so went back to just d. I did start taking magnesium spray to but stop because I did not think it was doing anything for me . Hope fully from good diet i eat i will getting some vitamin,s out of it. But I have notice sorry about this but after a poo notice I have put of food that has not digested right . Sound like i in a right mess lol but you get use to living with it. And i would rather be like how i am know than like i was about 4 years ago when i was new to all this . Could not even get out or do anything.or yes bad sleeper to about 4 hours a day

Gary19610 profile image
Gary19610 in reply to Gary19610

Thank for your help I will start to doing the thing you have advised

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Gary19610

Calm vitality magnesium powder is cheap and easy to use. But best to start on low dose as too much can cause diarrhoea

Or ReMag is very good, as doesn’t upset gut, but expensive. Was developed by Dr Carolyn Dean, who wrote The Magnesium Miracle

Magnesium and Hashimoto’s

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

List of different types of magnesium (curtesy of greygoose )

Magnesium citrate: mild laxative, best for constipation.

Magnesium taurate: best for cardiovascular health.

Magnesium malate: best for fatigue – helps make ATP energy.

Magnesium glycinate: most bioavailable and absorbable form, non-laxative.

Magnesium chloride: for detoxing the cells and tissues, aids kidney function and can boost a sluggish metabolism.

Magnesium carbonate: good for people suffering with indigestion and acid reflux as it contains antacid properties.

Worst forms of magnesium: oxide, sulphate, glutamate and aspartate.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

It’s more unusual for males’s to have Hashimoto’s

Is there autoimmune disease is your close family? In which case it’s a genetic tendency

There are things that can cause Hashimoto’s, such as Glandular fever, H pylori and other gut infections

hypothyroidmom.com/hashimot...

Glandular fever (also called Epstein-Barr)

EBV

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drhedberg.com/epstein-barr-...

hypothyroidmom.com/hashimot...

drchristianson.com/epstein-...

It’s always a good idea to try and work out the root cause

Gary19610 profile image
Gary19610 in reply to SlowDragon

My mother had under active thyroid my sister to and some of my nieces to . So mother must of passed it on she passed away from cancer when she was 55 years old no age

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Gary19610

So you have likely genetic issues

You might want to consider getting DIO2 gene test.

thyroiduk.org/tuk/testing/D...

To explain this paper briefly, the DIO2 gene activates tri-iodothyronine (T3) and the researchers found that a tiny fault in this gene could mean that although the body gets enough T3, the brain doesn’t.

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