Iodine when hypo?

[Holiday12345]

Hello I would like to take some iodine, selenium and molybdenum to help with my b2 and b12. But I am hypo on 50/75mcg levo with antibodies 950 (autoimmune thyroid). Just wanting to ask is it safe to take iodine in this case (just the recommended daily amount)? I find it all very confusing

[diogenes Remembering]

Iodine? Absolutely not with your condition. It can seriously disturb function.

[Holiday12345 in reply to diogenes]

👍 thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Holiday12345

Simple answer - No.

Iodine solution used to be used to threat hypERthyroidism so can make hypOthyroidism worse. It's also not recommended when Hashi's is present.

The daily recommended amount of iodine - 150mcg - can easily be obtained from diet in the UK - milk, yogurt, white fish, etc.

bda.uk.com/resource/iodine....

From British Thyroid Association:

If you are taking levothyroxine for hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) or for a goitre (thyroid swelling) there is no need to take iodine supplements.

Also, levothyroxine contains iodine (not as an ingredient - T4 contains 4 iodine atoms, one iodine atom is released when it's converted to T3. ). 100 mcg levo contains 65 mcg iodine which is recycled in the body.

However, anyone considering taking iodine should first test to see if they have a deficiency and this can be done with a non-loading iodine test with Genova Diagnostics, details on ThyroidUK's main website.

[Holiday12345 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for your reply, that’s great info, a big help

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase in levothyroxine

Have you had levels retested since Dose was increased to 50/75mcg

Previous post

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Low vitamin levels are frequently directly related to being under medicated

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

[Holiday12345 in reply to SlowDragon]

No due to be tested in three weeks, atm just taking Vit D (I know to take k2 and magnesium but have difficulty with the magnesium) and ferrous fumerate for my ferritin.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Holiday12345]

Which magnesium supplements have you tried

If you have low B12 and/or folate supplementing daily vitamin B complex

[Holiday12345 in reply to SlowDragon]

Loads of different capsules, powder, liquid drops, salts, and spray. I need to just keep going trying more till I find one that idiot react to. I was taking the. Berocca Vit b supplement for a while but was concerned it might have too much sodium in it(?) as my blood pressure is up and I m getting pounding in my ears/neck. So I stopped that.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Holiday12345]

See my second reply in post from 3 months ago regarding vitamin B complex

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Igennus vitamin B complex is cheap and nice small tablets

[Holiday12345 in reply to SlowDragon]

I’d forgotten I had ordered some of the igennus Vit b complex after reading your previous reply. Haven’t tried it yet, Thank you for you help, much appreciated

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Holiday12345]

Remember to stop taking any supplements that contain biotin a week before ALL BLOOD TESTS

[Holiday12345 in reply to SlowDragon]

That’s a really hard one to remember... I think I’ll have to put a post it note on my supplements to remember this !! Thanks

[Holiday12345 in reply to SlowDragon]

could that be a reason my ferritin keeps dropping? It dropped almost 30 points in three weeks from 59 to 32. My doc never mentions thyroid as reason levels are usually so poor.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Holiday12345]

Yes

When hypothyroid we almost always have low stomach acid as direct result

This leads to low vitamin levels

Low stomach acid a common hypothyroid issue

Thousands of posts on here about low stomach acid

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

Web links re low stomach acid and reflux and hypothyroidism

nutritionjersey.com/high-or...

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

healthygut.com/articles/3-t...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

List of iron rich foods

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

irondisorders.org/Websites/...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.

Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

restartmed.com/hypothyroidi...

Post discussing just how long it can take to raise low ferritin

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Guidelines on dose levothyroxine by weight is 1.6mcg levothyroxine per kilo of your weight. Unless extremely petite that’s likely at least around 100mcg levothyroxine daily

Suggest you reread previous post

[Holiday12345 in reply to SlowDragon]

Great that’s a huge help, thanks for this, I’ll read through the links and save them. Yes I’d wondered as I see most folk on 100-150mcg levo but my gp and endo don’t seem in a hurry to raise my level.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Holiday12345]

Likely endocrinologist is diabetes specialist

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I don't know of any reason whatsoever to consider iodine, selenium and molybdenum in regard to B12.

We cannot make it ourselves. We have to get it from diet, supplements or injections. B12 itself doesn't have any iodine, selenium or molybdenum in it. (Molecular formula - C₆₃H₈₈CoN₁₄O₁₄P)

Same again re B2 - riboflavin - C17H20N4O6.

[Holiday12345 in reply to helvella]

I thought iodine selenium and moly was required to activate b2 (co factors) which in turn helps to activate b12... ? (so much info online I’m not sure what’s correct and my brain fog doesn’t help 😐). I’ve had on and off extreme fatigue for several years an my doc has said I’m deficient in something and to take a multi vitamin/mineral. Thanks for your reply

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Holiday12345]

When I wrote "I don't know ...", I meant it literally. Others might know of such a connection.

An old Pernicious Anaemia Society thread might help (or not!): healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

[Holiday12345 in reply to helvella]

Thanks that was a good link.i must have read the same info the poster had read regarding the iodine, sel and moly