B12 maybe?

[Murphysmum]

I’ve posted this on the PA forum too so apologies if my story is a bit familiar to peeps on here! I’ve been wondering if my remaining issues maybe aren’t so much thyroid as something else.

I’ve recently been struggling with fatigue again. For a bit of background, I’ve been struggling to be consistently well for a couple of years now since I had a bit of a thyroid “crisis” for lack of a better description! However, I’ve been fairly stable with new meds and I am hugely better this year. I’m much more active and I’ve even been doing the couch to 5k to try to regain some fitness.

This last couple of weeks I’m really struggling with fatigue. I cannot do the runs I was doing no problem a couple of weeks ago. (Well, I say no problem, it’s not easy but you know what I mean!) I have nothing in my legs. I’m also generally feeling just not right, it’s so hard to describe... slightly faint, I don’t know, just off. Also, I have crazy pins and needles like a trapped nerve down my left arm and my shoulders are very heavy.

I’ve put off doing anything about it as I’ve had weird things like this before with my thyroid problems - it never surprises me now what can be attributed to that - but this is different and there’s no real thyroid/medication reason for it.

Could it be B12? I’m now wondering if there’s something like that running along in the background that’s making getting my thyroid meds consistent difficult.

I used to supplement every day with B12 - when last tested (may 19) i had an active B12 level of 70 with medichecks. I had been taking 3x the recommended daily dose of 1000mcg.

Can anyone offer any advice or am I barking up the wrong tree and it’s still thyroid issues? They’re so similar!

TIA 😊

Edited to add I get a strange feeling like my tongue is going to spasm 🤷🏼‍♀️, and I’ve had brain fog and difficulty finding words for ages now. I also regularly suffer with tinnitus and balance problems but just put this down to thyroid issues.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

What other vitamin supplements are you currently taking?

[Murphysmum in reply to SlowDragon]

Tbh SlowDragon recently I’ve been terrible!!

Since early 2018 after I became unwell, I’ve been fairly religious about taking vit D, b complex, b12, magnesium, selenium and iron/vit c but probably for most of this year I’ve not been so good.

I was concentrating on my iron so then I found it tricky to fit that in between my thyroid meds and the other vits/mins.

So for most of this year very little b anything, magnesium, iron and vit c

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Murphysmum]

When were they last tested?

[Murphysmum in reply to SlowDragon]

May last year 😳

Iron recently, but last May for B12, D, ferritin and folate

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Murphysmum]

Then the next thing is to get them tested ...see where they are

[Murphysmum in reply to SlowDragon]

Will do 👍🏻

[Hidden]

Hey, I have a good level of all vits including ferritin, and these symptoms would be present for me when I am hypo...it is good to check all vits again for sure. I know you mentioned feeling good on 100 t4 and 25 t3, or that you initially felt very well. How long were you on it? I am wondering if dropping all levo in a short amount of time could have caused it?

[Murphysmum in reply to Hidden]

This was what I had thought but now given the tingling, numbness in my feet and calves and the new tongue spasmy thing, I’m starting to wonder if actually my thyroid meds might not be the issue!

I originally stopped levo in November, my levels after a few months without it were around 3 on the medichecks range ( cant remember the ranges but it was low) and at the last test it was off the bottom of the scale. It’s not unlikely that this is causing me symptoms but I would’ve expected them months ago. All I noticed was the peaks n troughs of the T3.

I figure a test at the gp isn’t a bad idea, and I can rule that in or out. Stupidly though, I’ve taken some B12 in the last few days so I might have to wait for bloods 🙄

[Hidden in reply to Murphysmum]

Yeah some of these symptoms can sound like b12 issues, so worth checking for sure!

Personally, for me it took many, many months for overmedication to show, then another 6-8 months to fade. My suspicion is that you had an ample amount of t3 for a long time since you were increasing so your body wouldn't have noticed lack of t4 until later. But I may be wrong!

[Murphysmum in reply to Hidden]

Agreed. And this is probably the most likely explanation but now I’m thinking I’ll get checked out anyway!

Tbh I don’t hold out much hope as the go dismissed it with a wave of her hand the last time I asked them to check!

[Hidden in reply to Murphysmum]

Absolutely! Weird GP, what is wrong with them ugh