Does anyone take Sea Kelp with Levothyroxine? I have taken it in the past but stopped recently. Research says both "Kelp is a type of seaweed known for its rich iodine content. In some individuals, the high iodine load can result in thyroid dysfunction" and "The National Institutes of Health (NIH) say that seaweed, such as kelp, is one of the best natural food sources of iodine, an essential component in thyroid hormone production. Low iodine levels can lead to: metabolism disruption. enlargement of the thyroid gland" so am not sure if I should start to take it again.
It definitely helps with stopping my hair loss and my nails are stronger, but obvs dont want to exacerbate thyroid problems! 😕
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Generally supplementing with iodine is not a good idea for us Hypos. However, if you want to be sure if it will help you then do a non-loading iodine test with Genova Diagnostics and if deficient then it's best to supplement under the guidance of an experienced practioner.
an essential component in thyroid hormone production
That's exactly it. Iodine is ONE OF the ingredients of thyroid hormone. So, it's not going to do much by itself. Plus, if your thyroid is failing, and can't make hormone, it's not going to help. Doesn't matter how many eggs you put in the batter, if your oven is on the blink, you're not going to get your cake.
Plus, excess iodine is anti-thyroid. It used to be used to treat Grave's patients before anti-thyroid drugs were invented. So, you could end up worse than you were before. And, if you have Hashi's, you could end up ten times worse, because it can trigger attacks on the thyroid, hastening its demise. So, it's not something to mess around with.
Before taking iodine, you should get tested to see if you actually need it. And, if you do, you should only take it under the supervision of an experienced practitioner.
Yes, that sort of test. I don't know an awful lot about iodine testing because I've only ever had a blood test for it, and they're not terribly reliable.
There are some foods and drinks that don't mix well with levothyroxine.
Drinks containing caffeine, like coffee, tea and some fizzy drinks, can reduce the amount of levothyroxine your body takes in. Leave at least 30 minutes after taking levothyroxine before you drink them.
Calcium-rich foods, such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and broccoli, can reduce the amount of levothyroxine your body takes in. Leave at least 4 hours between taking levothyroxine and eating calcium-rich foods.
Soya in food and supplements may stop levothyroxine working properly. If you regularly eat soya or take soya supplements your doctor might need to do extra blood tests to make sure you're getting enough levothyroxine.
Kelp (a type of seaweed) can contain high levels of iodine, which sometimes makes an underactive thyroid worse. Do not take supplements containing kelp if you're taking levothyroxine.
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 as you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin levels
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)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
Yes, that is right 100mcg. My consultant thinks it is Hashis and so do I with my symptoms, but 5 weeks after blood test and I am STILL waiting for his letter with the definitive results. When I have had thyroid tests I have always taken my tablet before the test, I wasnt told not to. Would this have thrown the results much? Annoying I havent been told that info before
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Always get blood test done as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test.....otherwise you get falsely high Ft4 result
important what time test is done for highest TSH ....
“According to the current TSH reference interval, hypothyroidism was not diagnosed in about 50% of the cases in the afternoon.”
“Further analysis demonstrated inadequate compensation of hypothyroidism, which was defined in 45.5% of the morning samples and in 9% of the afternoon samples”
TSH levels showed a statistically significant decline postprandially in comparison to fasting values. This may have clinical implications in the diagnosis and management of hypothyroidism, especially SCH.
I began taking kelp when my hair started falling out when I was 37. Back then I knew nothing about thyroid problems. Knew nothing about testing for iodine deficiency first.
I used kelp for about 4 years before I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem. I believe that it was a contributing factor in me having Hashi's now.
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Help me “translate” Thyroid U/S report
Vitamins information 
Kelp Powder - Barley grass powder - Spirulina -Organic Atlantic Dulce bad for thyroid!?
Can anyone help or advise please?
