Diagnosed Hashimoto’s since 2011 and I am currently on 100mg Levothyroxine daily.
One of main symptoms has been constipation. On 23rd and 24th August I took Movicol to relieve constipation. I lost 6lbs in six days and felt very unwell, my stomach and bowels in turmoil. It is only in the last 3 days a light has gone in my brain and my stomach is more settled. In the last 3 weeks I have stopped eating all grain as advised by my herbalist/functional medicine who suspects I am suffering from SIBO ( waiting for breath test result). I am supplementing Vit D with K2 in liquid form. Also taking Magnesium.
I have lost over 2 stone in the last 3 years unintentionally. My latest test results through Medichecks:
30th July
CRP 0.34 mg/L (<5)
Ferritin 108 ug/L (13 - 150)
Vit B12 Active 99.000 pmol/L (>37.5)
Vit D 75.7 nmol/L (50-175)
TSH 1.37 mlU/L (0.27-4.2)
FT3 4.02 pmol/L (2.1 - 6.8)
FT4 19.700 Pmol/L (12-22)
Thyroglobulin Anitibodies
96.000 klU/L (<115)
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies
150 klU/L (<34)
21st September
TSH 0.61
FT3 4.00
FT4 21.80
(Ranges same as above)
Any insight into why I continue to loose weight, had such a bad reaction to the Movicol and whether I am over or under medicated?
Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
Written by
SmPea
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Well, you're not over-medicatd, that's for sure. Your FT3 is only 40.43% through the range. Your FT4 is higher, but your problem is that you don't convert very well: FT4 high/FT3 lowish. Most hypos need their FT3 higher than that. Which is why you still have hypo symptoms.
And, believe it or not, unintentional weight-loss can be a hypo symptoms - not all hypos put on weight.
Your ferritin is good. But, I would want my B12 and vit D higher than that, and that could be having an effect on your conversion. So, it would be a good idea to increase those levels. You could also try taking selenium and zinc to try and improve your conversion. But, don't start both at the same time. Leave about two weeks in between starting each one.
Or, it could be just that fact that you have Hashi's that has a negative effect on your conversion - that happens. In which case, what you need is T3 added to your T4. But, you would probably have to buy it for yourself, because it's very, very hard to get prescribed, these days.
Thanks grey goose, I didn’t think I was overmedicated but an A&E doctor said I was going by TSH done just over a week ago amongst many other tests. I felt my arms were going to go numb and couldn’t lift my fork to my mouth for a while! 111 said I had stroke symptoms so to A&E! Nothing abnormal accept for query over thyroid. I must say my body had been feeling wired for a few days so I did alter my dose on the doctors advise 100gm/75mg alternate days. I’ll stop doing that now!!
I think the way forward is to get optimal vitamins/nutrients and sort my gut out.
Was that the TSH of TSH 0.61 he was going by? They just have no idea in A&E - worse than the average GP, sometimes. The TSH on its own means nothing much. But that certainly isn't the TSH of someone who is over-medicated. Under-medication, on the other hand, can cause muscle weakness and the usual complaint from people is that they can't lift their arms to brush their hair. We hear that a lot.
But, it sounds like you now have a plan, so here's hoping it goes well.
Good that you are seeing improvements on strictly gluten free diet ...extremely common with Hashimoto’s to have gluten or wheat intolerance
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct 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
Ideally you would have .......While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first
But no point going back on gluten just to do test now
The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported
In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned
Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.
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Am I still over medicated on NDT?
Am I over-medicated?
Over medicated again and have had enough of it all.
