Suspected hypothyroid now suspected b12 and folate deficiency

[Jules29884]

Hi all,

Posted on here the other week about symptoms I thought were tied to hypothyroidism. All results came back to say not but low iron (borderline anaemia). I request further testing and had b12 and folate redone.

Results:

Folate - 3.2ug/L (3.0-14.4), previous result was at 8.8 for this 6 weeks earlier!

B12 - 241 ng/L (211 - 911)

My Dr won’t do anything and literally sounds like she is reading from a script “you are in the normal range, we would recommend over the counter supplements”.

I cannot get over how 0.2 into the normal range is satisfactory given both results are low in the scheme of things. I advised the low mood, agitation and fatigue were getting me down and she prescribed something that when Googled was an antipsychotic drug!!! What do I do from here? Private b12 injections and supplements for folate??

Any help would be great! Thanks 😊

[humanbean]

What do I do from here?

The one thing I wouldn't recommend is taking the anti-psychotic drugs. They are addictive, difficult to come off and they have all sorts of nasty side-effects themselves.

Low mood, agitation and fatigue are common symptoms when someone is deficient in all sorts of nutrients. Fix the nutrient levels (and the thyroid hormone levels if relevant), and the symptoms will go away. Taking anti-psychotic drugs will not increase your folate levels and your B12 levels.

I'm not an expert on what to do with such low folate and B12 levels - hopefully someone else will come forward and help.

I would suspect you should be tested for Pernicious Anaemia before starting any form of supplementation, but it isn't something I know anything about.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Recommended that you test MMA and Homocysteine along with active B12

Before starting on any B vitamins

Will add link shortly

What about vitamin D and ferritin levels

Please add results and ranges if you have them

Hypothyroidism frequently lowers all these vitamins

For full thyroid testing you need TSH Ft4 And Ft3 plus BOTH TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested

Frequently UK patients forced to test privately

[Jules29884 in reply to SlowDragon]

Ferritin was 23 ug/l (10.0 - 291.0) on first test from late May - not tested again on recent one

TSH from May was 1.9 (0.2-4.0) then 2.6 on most recent test

Vitamin D was 56.1 nmol /L (30-50 indicates insufficiency)

T4 level in May was 16.5 pmol/l (11.0-22.6)

Free triiodothyronine level from May was 4.8 pmol/l (3.5-6.5)

What is the best private test to have and from where? What would happen if they say I do require further treatment? Will my Dr take this on board?

Thanks

[Jules29884 in reply to Jules29884]

Also thyroid peroxidase antibody done recently and was 36 u/ml (0.0-60)

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Jules29884]

So ferritin is low

What's your diet like... vegetarian or vegan?

Iron and ferritin are complex - you would need full iron panel test for anaemia before considering any iron supplements

But increase in iron rich foods is ok without testing

Vitamin D is only just above insufficient

Improving to at least 75-100mnol by supplementing

Government recommends every one supplement vitamin D between Oct and April every year

Do you do this?

Retest vitamin D twice year while working out what dose you need to maintain levels around 80nmol minimum

Vitamindtest.org.uk

Suggest you work on improving all four vitamins and retest full thyroid and vitamin testing in 2-4 months

Medichecks or Blue Horizon are most popular options for testing privately

Come back with new post once you get results

[Jules29884 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks! Not a veggie or vegan - far from it so weird it says to eat even more red meat.

I don’t take any vitamins other than Dr put me on iron tablets after first set of test results!

Would you recommend private b12 injections or any particular brand of B12/folate/vitamin D/ferritin supplements to try and what strength I should be looking for? Baffled by the amount of choice available

Thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Jules29884]

Further testing of B12 before considering any B vitamins

Only start one supplement at a time anyway

So starting with vitamin D while get further B12 tests

Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is good as avoids poor guy absorption issues

Perhaps start on 2 sprays per day of 1000iu strength and retest in month or so

Trial and error what dose each individual needs

Hypothyroidism frequently lowers stomach acid and leads to low vitamin levels

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Here's link

nutris.viapath.co.uk/pages/...

Medichecks do test for pernicious anemia

[naturalista]

The most common blood disorder ON EARTH is iron deficiency. If you’re tired it’s a damn good vet that’s the problem. Doctors that miss that don’t deserve to be licensed. “Ranges” are for sick people. If you want to be sick, just tired that line. Olympians I know don’t fall into the bottom end of these “ranges”, and often exceed the top end. Large bariatric (wt loss clinics) in America give big doses of B12 intramuscularly. It promotes energy production (duh, read a damn book!) and can never become toxic. It’s water soluble and you’ll piss it out...after 10,000 or so mcg.

Get. 5,000 mcg shot of METHYL-cobalamin and hold onto your hat.

Geriatrics need it weekly til they feel great! Join me.

P.S.- Any doctor diagnosing “normal” thyroid function with a TSH “in range”, is walking a dangerous line, their patients paying the price. IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK AND QUACKS (🙄) LIKE A DUCK, ITS A DAMN DUCK. Oh but my test says it’s not. Wake up,

Trajectory control of your life back and demand great healthcare!

-shtdstrbr

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to naturalista]

Get. 5,000 mcg shot of METHYL-cobalamin and hold onto your hat.

Do NOT get a shot of methylcobalamin. Some members of the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum have reported negative experiences of injecting methylcobalamin. Mind, finding someone to provide such an injection is likely both not easy and expensive.

There is little, if any, reason to inject methylcobalamin rather than hydroxocobalamin.

I'll point out that hydrogen cyanide is also extremely water soluble. And one of the most effective poisons on earth. Water solubility alone is most definitely not the basis for cobalamins being tolerable in very high doses. It is just one of the necessary factors.

Indeed, if you can absorb B12 from any oral form, that will be an easier path to take than injections. Readily available over the counter. Cheap. No need for either help from someone else or learning self-injection.