I’d really appreciate help with b/t results please.
It was a fasting test @ 8.30 a.m, no Levo since previous morning . No supplements for 1 month before test.
I would like to start any supplements needed but am going to order a private fingerprick test to check T3. Should I wait until I’ve done T3 test before starting supplements?
I asked go to test B12 /pernicious anemia, has that all been overed in these results or should I add anything else in the private test I order?
Surgery have booked a routine gp call in 10 days to discuss these Lipids:-
Cholesterol 8.3 (0 - 5.2)
Triglyceride 0.99. (0.28 - 2.2)
HDL 2.51 (1.2 - 10)
LDL 5.3. (0 - 3)
Cholesterol HDL Ratio 3.3. (0 - 4)
I’m gluten /sugar/junk free, only take Levothyroxine, walk daily but still feel absolutely exhausted.
Thanks in advance 😊
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Oakwood4321
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We don't know what effect stopping your supplements will have had on your levels. It might have been a better idea to continue with them and see if your dose needed altering.
I asked go to test B12 /pernicious anemia, has that all been overed in these results
No. To test for B12 deficiency/pernicious anaemia you'd have an MMA test. However, your B12 result doesn't suggest B12 deficiency so there would be no need unless you have signs or symptoms of B12 deficiency.
B12: 506ng/L - ng/L is the same as pg/ml
According to an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:
"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".
"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."
So your B12 level is just short of the minimum and would likely be better higher.
Folate: 12.88 (3.8-23.9)
Folate is recommended to be at least half way through range which with your range would be approx 18.5+
A B complex such as Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B would help both B12 and folate levels.
Ferritin: 47 (10-291)
This is low. Unless taking prescribed iron tablets already, it's not a good idea to self supplement with iron without an iron panel to see what your serum iron and transferrin saturation % levels are, if they are already good then taking iron tablets will likely raise them as well as ferritin and too much iron is as bad as too little.
You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet
The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health both recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L and to reach that level from your current level you'd be looking at supplementing with 4,000iu D3 daily, along with D3's important cofactors magnesium and Vit K2-MK7, retesting every 3 months until it's reached the recommended level then retesting twice a year to check levels and adjust dose if necessary.
Magnesium tends to be around 350-450mg daily, just take whatever it says. If you haven't already got magnesium then it's best to check the different forms and choose the correct one for your needs:
Magnesium helps the body convert D3 into it's usable form.
Vit K2-MK7 amount is recommended as 90-100mcg being sufficient for up to 10,000iu D3.
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and Vit K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
For Vit K2-MK7 I like Vitabay or Vegavero brands and at the moment I'm using Vitabay 200mcg tablets as they're the cheapest option. There is a score line so they can but cut in half and take 100mcg daily but I tend to take one every other day ('cos I'm lazy 🤣 )
For D3, tablets are the least absorbable form, make sure you take them with dietary fat, either the fattiest meal of the day or with some cheese, full fat yogurt, butter, etc. The most absorbable form of D3 which is swallowed with water is an oil based softgel, I like Doctor's Best as it's a nice clean supplement with no excipients, just D3 and extra virgin olive oil.
If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.
How much levothyroxine are you currently taking
Do you always get same brand at each prescription
Do you always take levothyroxine on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at an hour after
Recommend testing TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 via Monitor My Health as cheapest option
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)
Monitor My health test
£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code
The info about high cholesterol & underactive thyroid is really helpful and good to have for my gp call next week. I expect he will suggest statins again, I’ve said no before and tried to do with diet but no success.
I’m taking 75 mcgs and 100 on alternate days. Always take on empty stomach first thing with water & nothing for the hour afterwards.
Since reading about the different brands of Levo on here I now am getting the same brand, Mercury. This has been for the last month and took several calls with the chemist. Before that it was ‘whatever they have in the warehouse’ and sometimes I’d have a mix of brands each morning to make the 75 mcg dose!
I’ve ordered the Thyroid Test from Monitor My Health & will do before Levo.
Also ordered the D3 & K2-Mk7 that SeasideSusie mentioned. I’ve only ever taken Vit D tablets before & hadn’t realised about the importance of fat & K2-Mk7 to have with the D.
Lots of positive changes I’m learning on here that I can put into place myself.
I’ve also found an acupuncturist who had an underactive thyroid but had help with acupuncture. I’m seeing her next week.
You really need blood tests for T4 and T3 to really know what's going on with your thyroid. I use medichecks or Thriva for fingerprick tests online. Cholesterol is often high in hypothyroid so if you got your thyroid optimal that could come down naturally.
I ordered a Thyroid Test from Monitor My Health yesterday. I did one a couple of months or so ago for the first time, I’ll be interested to see how this one goes.
Hopefully with the things I’m learning from on here I can improve thyroid function and, in turn, cholesterol 🤞🏼😊
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