Numbness of toes & tongue : Have a 10 month... - Thyroid UK

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Numbness of toes & tongue

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator
19 Replies

Have a 10 month history of ?peripheral neuropathy? between underside of toes (both feet)

Now I have developed numbness of my tongue. It’s intermittent but it’s always the center of my tongue the edge seems unaffected. It doesn’t affect my taste.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this is it likely connected or related to thyroid?

Do I even bother telling the GP? According to notes they’ve given up trying the find the cause of toe numbness after normal nerve conduction study & didn’t even discuss it with me.

Last thyroid results.

TSH 0.06 (0.35 - 3.50)

FT4 12.5 (8 - 21)

FT3 4.3 (3.8 - 6.0)

10/5mg carbimazole alternate days, 40mg propranolol

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PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNails
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19 Replies
Marz profile image
Marz

Could be low B12 ??

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply toMarz

Last B12 result 561 ng/L (187 - 883)

Marz profile image
Marz in reply toPurpleNails

Sounds reasonable ! Were you supplementing at the time ?

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply toMarz

At the time I was finish a bottle of multivitamins I had. It included 2.5µg [100%RI]. I buy separate supplements now. The current b-complex has 25µg 1000%NRV] maximum of 6 daily - I take 2.

Marz profile image
Marz in reply toPurpleNails

Your test results do not look Hyper now - could be linked to your symptoms ...

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply toMarz

Possibly linked to Ft4 & Ft3 as they are lower in range.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Ft4 and Ft3 both look rather low

Numb tongue could be low Ft3 or low vitamins

What were most recent folate, vitamin D and ferritin results

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Have you tried very slowly reducing propranolol (max 5mcg at a time and wait at least 2-3 weeks before next reduction )

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply toSlowDragon

Ferritin 112 (23 - 300) ng/ml

Folate 11.7 ( 2.7 - 15) ng/ml

Never had Vit D tested but do supplement (don’t get much sun & I’m obese)

Supplements I take:

D3 & K2

Magnesium

B-complex

Usually I find L carnitine 500mg helpful (was able to reduce carbimazole) but run out, will have to reorder.

Was on 120mg propranolol daily & have very slowly reduced. I get migraines if I reduce any quicker.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toPurpleNails

Suggest you get vitamin D

vitamindtest.org.uk

MMaud profile image
MMaud

PurpleNails - do you have any other conditions sometimes related to peripheral neuropathy, like diabetes? If not, when was your last full blood panel done?

For me, that would by first step. A decent broad blood panel, covering the usual suspects a d go from there.

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply toMMaud

Type 2 DM diagnosed February my HbA1c was 51. The endocrinologist asked me what I was going to do to control blood glucose better? Then as I looked confused he asked when was I diagnosed type 2, but I hadn’t been. He said toe numbness and eye issues I had were down to this but GP disagreed. Said It not possibly high enough. I didn’t need medication, just reduce carbs. I lost 85lbs this year & my last HbA1c was 35, so it’s considered well controlled.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toPurpleNails

Well done.....brilliant progress

MMaud profile image
MMaud in reply toPurpleNails

That's a stellar turnaround, PurpleNails. How long have you been stable with your weight loss, or are you still trimming up?

Some people who make radical changes to their lifestyle, impacting their blood glucose can experience a period of peripheral neuropathy. Thankfully, it is most often transitory, so will ease over time, provided control remains in a decent place.

Swinging blood glucose low<>high<>low<>high can be damanging, as well as consistently high sugars.

Hopefully things will begin to ease for you.

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply toMMaud

The numbness began last year before the type 2 diagnosis February. I’ve been on low carb to lose weight & it seems the same. GP really rubbished the idea that it was caused by diabetes when I repeated what the specialist had said, which is why they referred me for nerve conduction test. I do still have more weight to lose but it’s going to be slower pace than at the start. The tongue weirdness is all new.

MMaud profile image
MMaud in reply toPurpleNails

Fingers crossed you get to the bottom of it all. Losing all that weight, and your fab A1c, you deserve a break.

Zizzy1591 profile image
Zizzy1591

Hi I had the same but not tongue. Although my blood tests came back normal I still felt hypothyroid I asked a reluctant GP to increase Levo slightly and that helped also someone here suggested taking Magnesium, and Vit K2 which I still take, had all over itching and tingling especially at night which drove me mad! Pharmacy had changed Levo from manufacturers Wockhardt to Teva which had acacia bulking in tabs and made me allergic causing the weird tingling and itching, so have gone back to Wockhardt! So far so good hope this is helpful.

humanbean profile image
humanbean

Do you take a B Complex tablet? And if you do, have you been taking it for very long?

Vitamin B6 can cause peripheral neuropathy in people who are deficient and also in toxicity.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perip...

Note the reference to sensory neuropathy in the above link, and the mention of numbness.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitam...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitam...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megav...

PurpleNails profile image
PurpleNailsAdministrator in reply tohumanbean

I when I read your post I thought that a B complex I started a few month ago might be causing toxic levels. How stupid of me not the check it properly. But I have just checked my b complex label and is doesn’t include B6? Now Im a little disappointed!

humanbean profile image
humanbean in reply toPurpleNails

It was worth checking.

If you haven't been taking B6 then perhaps you could be deficient? But I don't know your history of taking B vitamins, so I would only be guessing.

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