I have had heartburn most my adult life and it has been controlled on and off with different methods. I have had a 24hr PH study done a good 6-7 years ago which showed high levels and doctor wanted to do surgery. I didn’t want to do that at the time. Long story short I had been on lanzoprazole but came off when I realised how much they affect other parts of the body. I have been off them for a good 5 years now and only needed ranitidine to keep things at bay. Thing is iv had to go back to the lanzoprazole after big increases in heartburn pain. My diet hasn’t changed or my weigh and i had also noticed a slight return in want the asthma nurse through was exercise inducted asthma after running. The thing is I have no idea how and if this will affect my thyroid levels. I am taking vitamins B12, iron and vitamins D which I have been taking first thing and I take my levothyroxine at bedtime. I also have had a big increase in hip/joint pain and carpal tunnel. Any help would be appreciated
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Carpel tunnel extremely common hypothyroid symptom
As is joint and bone pain....can be low vitamin D too
Acid reflux is common when under medicated
How much levothyroxine are you currently taking?
Do you always get same brand of levothyroxine
What vitamin supplements are you currently taking?
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
You 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)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
I’m on B12 (1000ug), iron & vitiam c and vitamin D 2000 IU. Levothyroxine 125 mon-Friday and 100 sat & sun. My TSH was 0.684 range 0.27-4.2, Free T3 5.04 range 3.1-6.8, Free thyroixine 20.8 range 12-22. THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODIES 707 low range 115, THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 139 range 34. This was 18 February test with medichecks. Vitiams have been taken since this date as there doctor suggest this due to there levels. I always go to same chemist and get bloods done very early with the advice you give.
Folate test done 4x and every time came back with error. If I get full tests done again should I stop the vitiams before and how will the lanzoprazole affect the results of the TSH.
Iv been on lanzoprazole for 4days now but was on ranitidine before that but only just in the last two months. Lanzoprazole taken around 4pm and levo at least 10pm if not later. Vitamins taken first thing just a B12 and over the counter iron all from Holland and Barrett
We never recommend H&B ...better to get good quality vitamin supplements online
Not recommended to supplement iron based on just low ferritin levels. Iron and ferritin are complex and it’s possible to have low ferritin and high iron....hence why always advise to get full iron panel test via GP for anaemia
Better You vitamin D mouth spray is usually available in H&B ....might be cheaper online
So getting my bloods redone you would not take any vitiams for a week before and the usual not taking levo night before. Not sure I can’t have lanzoprazole as the rebound affect is extremely unbearable. Will get bloods done private again before bothering GP
Hi there. I don't have thyroid issues however I have very bad acid reflux, recently I have been bleeding from fibroids and have been taking iron tablets the iron tablets had a very bad effect they increased my hearburn, acid and caused suspected gastritis. I wonder if that is affected you in the same way?. I had to increase lanzoprazole to 60mg daily, but I stopped taking them and the irob and things are settling down. I hope thats helpful, best wishes.
I have 5 fibroids and I used to take Tranexemic acid tablets to control the bleeding. They have now shrunk because I went through the menopause 5 years ago. Someone on a site in the US said I should have a hysterectomy because of them but I decided to follow the advice of my Gynaecologist . I am not being critical about the US but I did notice a lot of young women on the site were advised to have a hysterectomy by their doctors. In this country they do a hysterectomy as a last resort and of course if you have cancer. They were quite small and gave me a bit of pain sometimes but because of my age I was told to wait until I went through the menopause because they would eventually shrink and they did. I had low iron because of the bleeding and took spatone which was easier on my stomach.
Hi lora7again. Thanks for the advice there. I took transexamic acid and had a coil fitted last month. But still bleeding bits every day. I was meant to see gynaecology but it was cancelled due to the pandemic so I am constantly worried about maintaining the iron levels. I'll try the spatone and keeping my fingers crossed 🤞 that that the coil works. Im glad to hear your menopause kicked in. How many years did you have the fibroids?
I had them for years before I was made to have the mirena coil fitted which did not suit me and I spotted blood for 15 months and I ended up with a inflammed cervix which had to be biopsied. The NHS push the coil on all the women and it does not suit everyone because I also became spotty at 47 years of age and my hair started to drop out. There were other side effects as well such as facial hair and I kept going back to the GP begging them to remove it. The hormone that they use in it is Levonorgestrel which is a artificial progesterone which is a steroid and loads of the women in the US have a class action against Bayer because of it. After I had it removed my periods stopped completely for 6 months and then I started getting symptoms of hyperthyroid. I do sometimes wonder if there is a connection but I don't know to be honest. I do know the mirena does suit some women and my friend has had 2 and has no problems with it.
Hi there, thanks for sharing your experience. Im not happy with the side effects of the coil eurhrt. Im eating more than usual and im getting acne again si u agree, i hadn't realised that it's an artificial hormone. I had it fitted in April because my gynaecology appointment was cancelled due to covid19. Im sad about it but understand however now that the lock down is changing i feel that the appointment should be remade. Im trying to sort life insurance out and one company won't do it due to my "unexplained anaemia"!.. Frustrating to say the least. I feel like I've ended up with a coil inside me that I don't want and can't get out , tge Gp wants me to wait 6 months to give it time. Im not sue what I will do but ive never been overweight and i so feel angry about that. Im 45 so like you I don't like having acne at this time in my life. Just want my menopause to come ASAP!!. Anyways thanks again for your advice, really does help. 😊
Im not sure about thyroid problems but im sure you will get to the root of the issues since having the coil iut.. Let me know how you get on if you want.
I knew within weeks that this coil did not suit me because I have had problems with artificial progesterone in the past. It also made me feel very moody and depressed and I also put on weight. My GP kept telling me to give it more time and I even googled how to remove it myself because I wanted it out. When I eventually persuaded her to remove it she fast tracked me to the hospital for a cervix biopsy because my cervix was swollen and inflammed and she suspected cancer. All this was caused by having the coil in for 15 months. If you feel unwell because of the mirena don't let your GP tell you to give it more time to settle in like mine did. I hope I am not alarming you because a lot of women love this coil because it stops their periods but it does not suit everyone.
I had lots of unexplained pain all over my body, I gave up dairy (except butter which is a fat) and all magically went away. It's worth a try worked wonders for me.
I have very bad hip, back and lower back pain but I run 3-4x a week and blame that but it is getting worse. I’m 45 and think I’m starting the 10 year cycle of the menopause
Do the bicarbonate soda test to check for low stomach acid - google it. Not exact science but gives you an idea.
Secondly , you need to try mastic gum. Get a good quality brand with good reviews - I used it and it works. Helps to re-stabilise the stomach acids when they are a bit off.
Some other things that worked for me:
Don’t eat after 6pm
Avoid high acidic foods for at least 3 months
Raise head of your bed with “elephant feet “on the bottom under the castors
Or use a raised wedge for your bed
If you have a memory foam mattress use another one temporarily till this resolves. Memory foam sags sometimes in the stomach area .
Reduce your cortisol level - avoid stress !!!
High stomach acid: don’t eat :
milk
Eggs
Bread
Chocolates
Processed Sugar of any sort in any food
Replace with sweetener if you absolutely have to - Plant sterols are ok but still not preferred
Eat blander foods with little spices .
It’s hard but you need your stomach to fix itself and it can.
If low stomach acid:
Use Apple cider vinegar before a meal
A table spoon in a small glass of water should be ok (careful use a straw for teeth)
There may be other reasons :
An ulcer causing it - mastic should fix that and a course of anti ulcer tabs from doctors
Just a thought. I used to get quite bad indigestion. I've lowered my carbohydrates and eat full fat Greek yoghurt every morning and this has really helped. It might be a case of looking at your diet. Also make sure your toothpaste doesn't contain SLS as this can irritate.
This might sound slightly mad but quite by accident I realised that when I have diet coke with a meal I never get heartburn. So now if I have any meal with a higher fat content, I have a diet coke. I know coke is acidic so that's probably why it helps but it works for me. I hate taking medication if I can avoid it. I also hate my hair falls out far more when I take either Lanzoprazole or Omeprazole. It might not work but anything is worth a try to stop heart burn or reflux.
Seems like this probably isn't the case for you, but I had a bad time with heart burn once when I tried a different T4 (levothyroxine) med. Also, manufacturers sometimes change fillers and such in their meds which can cause you trouble. Maybe look into all your meds and supplements. Hope you feel better and find an answer.
My stomach used to be a disaster. Get tested for celiac disease or gluten intolerance. (Wheat sensitivity) I stopped eating gluten and along with NDT my life changed. I know longer have to take heartburn meds. I keep my vitamin D around 70 and my ferritin around 140. I don't depend on the doctors. They give me the tests I take the vitamins. I once had a doctor tell me vitamin D of 14 was OK because it was winter!!!
Hi, For the heart burn I would suggest - if you haven't tried this already - taking Slippery Elm - as a powder - a teaspoon dissolved in hottish water and topped up with cold water. It has worked for me. Heart burn is a horrible thing to have. Also giving up gluten may well help. Best wishes.
Hi, a few things to consider... taking lanzoprazole and the like for acid reflux to lower stomach acid is most likely the wrong thing to do... often acid reflux is often caused by low stomach acid, what happens is that after a while the sphincter at the top of the stomach relaxes and let's some stomach acid up the oesophagus causing the burn, the saying USE IT OR LOSE IT is apt here... ive been there, signs of low stomach are improperly digested food particles in your stools, also on your blood test results MCV (mean corpuscular volume) is high over 86, this tells you the size of your red blood cells. Low stomach acid also causes low B vitamins and will show up as low B12.
Low iron could be due to other nutrients being low, like its cofactor nutrient vitamin C,
vitamin D, if supplementing and struggle to get the level up, that's probably due to its cofactor nutrient Magnesium.
Cofactor nutrients are needed for proper absorption/utilisation
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Silly question re vitamin supplementation 
T3 and heartburn?
Heartburn/acid reflux question inside, help needed. Many thanks.
Biotin in Vitamin B complex supplements 
