Hello, I have Hashimoto’s for quite a few years, last 4 years it gives me very rough ride. For third winter now my thyroid suddenly swells, on two occasions I became very electro sensitive as well and it lasted 3 months before I could feel any improvement.I’m on combination of 1/2 grain of ndt, with 62.5 Levo as cannot tolerate either on its own and 2.5 mg of bisoprolol. I’m 41 and for last year my period cycle shortened from 31 to 14-21 days, and my right hand side feels considerably weaker. Last test results: ferritin 9 ( 13-150ng/ml);serum folate 7.1 ug/L;serum b12 624( 197-771pg/mL;haemoglobin concentration 128g/L( 115-160). Last thyroid tests tsh -3.77 t4 -13.7 and t3 -5.1. I’m really puzzled as after last swelling on my neck I have now constant ear pressure problems, and frequently feel tired despite tfts being in range. Has anyone got any suggestions what could cause me such a problems and how to sort it out and stop from happening again? Thank you .
Help please with symptoms and test results - Thyroid UK
Help please with symptoms and test results
Last test results:
ferritin 9 ( 13-150ng/ml);
serum folate 7.1 ug/L;
serum b12 624( 197-771pg/mL;
haemoglobin concentration 128g/L( 115-160).
Last thyroid tests
tsh -3.77
t4 -13.7 and
t3 -5.1.
Please add ranges on these thyroid levels
Was thyroid tested as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test. Last 1/4 grain of NDT approx 8-12 hours before test?
What’s your diet like
Obviously ferritin is dire. GP must do full iron panel test anaemia and likely to need iron supplements for several months
No vitamin D result.
What vitamin supplements are you currently taking
Have you had thyroid antibodies tested for autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s
Hi, ranges are tsh 0.27-4.2 free t4 12.0-22.00 and t3 31-6.8. I have been tested for antibodies once in the beginning to determine hashimotos and I did have elevated antibodies then . They never done them since. Since finding out low ferritin and my symptoms getting so bad I’m supplementing for last 3 weeks with : 1x ferrous fumarate 210 mg taken in the evening, b12 700 ug once 2x organic turmeric with ginger/black pepper and 1x adrenal support which includes bit c, b6 and all other adrenal support herbs. I always take my thyroid medication first thing in the morning with water and allow at least an hour before I eat. For long time avoiding sugar, diet is close to fast 800 diet: veg, fruit, eggs, meet , not much pasta bread and other stuffy things. I’m moderately active too. vit D has been checked last year and it was in middle range- sorry don’t remember exact numbers.
Has GP prescribed ferrous fumerate?
Low iron and/or low ferritin frequently linked to hair loss
Heavy periods are classic sign of being hypothyroid and will lead to low iron and ferritin
Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet
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
Links about iron and ferritin
irondisorders.org/too-littl...
davidg170.sg-host.com/wp-co...
Great in-depth article on low ferritin
oatext.com/iron-deficiency-...
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...
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first
Post discussing why important to do full iron panel test
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Why low ferritin needs improving
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Iron/ferritin and restless legs
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Helpful post about iron supplements and testing
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Post about iron supplements
So your results suggest you are under medicated for thyroid
Being hypothyroid frequently causes LOW stomach acid and leads to poor nutrient absorption and low vitamin levels as direct result
If you tested high for thyroid antibodies at any test this confirms autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease
Was last 1/4 grain of NDT 8-12 hours before test?
On NDT you would expect TSH to be very low when adequately treated
Dieting and fasting badly affects conversion of Ft4 to ft3
Hi, yes I was aware I have hashimotos.GP didn’t notify me that my ferritin level are so low , I have requested copies of my results and I bought ferrous fumarate myself as they told me my result is low but not very low(! ) and not to worry . Last test for tfts has been done fasting in the morning after taking combined levo/ndt together. I generally do better in lower range of tfts as slight increases of just 6.25 msg levo can take me to hyper, as well as not tolerate increasing ndt either as same problem.Can I supplement with thyroid support formula as it contains kelp and iodine? I’m not sure if I should having hashimoto’s. Thank you for all support 🙂
These so-called thyroid 'support' formulas should be avoided like the plague. They will not help your thyroid - which is now totally out of the equation, anyway - but could do a lot of harm. You do not need extra iodine. As well as the iodine you get from food, you are also getting iodine from your thyroid hormone replacement - 1 molecule of T4 contains 4 molecules of iodine which is recycled in the body. Excess iodine can cause all sorts of problems, including cancer.
adrenal support which includes bit c, b6 and all other adrenal support herbs.
What are these adrenal support herbs? I'm always very wary of anything that calls itself 'support' - usually it's stimulation, rather than support.
There's no need to retest antibodies, once you've had an over-range result. Antibodies fluctuate, but that doesn't make any difference to the disease itself. Even if they disappeared completely, you would still have Hashi's, I'm afraid.
Luckily I didn’t take any thyroid support as I was thinking iodine and kelp don’t go with hashimotos. Adrenal support includes ashwaganda root,l-tyrosine, ginseng,acreola,licorice root,suma and holy basil. I’ll try as dragon suggested to go on gluten free and dairy free for 3-6 months, have been tested for celiac before (through gp )and came negative. Is there any good supporting vitamins I could take? Best wishes
Adrenal support includes ashwaganda root,l-tyrosine, ginseng,acreola,licorice root,suma and holy basil.
They are more likely to be reducing your cortisol than supporting your adrenals. In any case, adaptogens either stimulate or suppress, they don't 'support'. I wouldn't take that hotch-potch if you paid me.
Sorry to butt in here but do you feel that Chinese Herbs are also a bad thing Grey Goose as I've just literally started on with a Chinese Dr/Acupuncturist/Herbalist as I'm going through such a bad time and no, I don't even know what they are but she assured me they wouldn't interfere with thyroid medication or tests. I would be extremely grateful for your advice on this one.
I'm afraid I know nothing about Chinese herbs, although I'm a great fan of acupuncture. But, I wouldn't take anything unless I knew quite a bit about it. It's not just thyroid medication and tests you have to worry about, but also what effect they will have on your adrenals, etc. There's no reason to think that these Chinese doctors know any more about thyroid and its complications than any other doctor, because medical schools all over the world lack teaching in endocrinology. I would be very, very wary, if I were you.
Thank you so much - really appreciate your advice!
What would be best to take vitamins wise for hashimoto’s and support adrenal fatigue ? I usually buy from solgar as they tend to be good quality, apart from ferrous fumarate.
What's best to take is what you need. So, start with the basics and get your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested. Then supplement according to the the results.
There is nothing you can take specifically for Hashi's. Nothing is going to stop the progress of the disease. You can maybe slow it down by keeping your TSH suppressed. And, help symptoms by going gluten-free. But there are no magic supplements that are going to do much else.
Forget this idea of 'support'. It doesn't mean anything. Adrenals need a lot of TLC. Plenty of rest, freedom from stress, loads of vit C and plenty of salt and good protein. Also, you need to optimise your B vitamins. Apart from that, there's not much you can do.
No you don’t want iodine or kelp with Hashimoto’s
You’re getting iodine in levothyroxine anyway
If test was done AFTER taking levothyroxine and NDT then your Ft4 and ft3 are falsely high....confirming under medicated
humanbean has in-depth knowledge of how to improve very low ferritin
Hashimoto's frequently 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
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
healthcheckshop.co.uk/store...?
Assuming coeliac test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet
(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)
Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse
chriskresser.com/the-gluten...
amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...
thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
drknews.com/changing-your-d...
restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...
Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/296...
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
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...
The obtained results suggest that the gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease
nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...
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
restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...
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.
hypothyroidmom.com/how-to-l...
Eliminate Gluten. Even if you don’t have Hashimoto’s. Even if you have “no adverse reactions”. Eliminate gluten. There are no universal rules except this one.
annajon1
Thyroid 'support' formulas that include iodine & kelp can be helpful to people who are subclinical but should be avoided once we are medicating thyroid hormone replacement as make alterations to the way the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid/adrenal systems work. They can also induce a Hashi attack in those with thyroid antibodies by increasing thyroid activity.
Adrenal supportive herbs are the adaptogens which can be powerful so need to be used with caution but are generally much less aggressive and can be enormously helpful if you manage to choose the right ones. Taking a mix is a good support initially until you find what suits you best as the amounts contained are much smaller.
Adaptogens are gaining more recognition as scientific research is revealing further benefits all the time. Depending on which you choose and how your body responds adaptogens are known to help by ‘reducing’, ‘increasing’ or ‘balancing’ cortisol levels (as well as countless other benefits).
This happens by the influence adaptogens have directly on the adrenal gland system but also indirectly by the alterations it makes on other systems involved, and most importantly how our immune system reacts as most adaptogens have strong anti-inflammatory properties. The ‘balancing’ refers to a calming effect and making things work better by preventing the highs & lows of cortisol and encouraging a more stable circadian pattern.
If you feel very unwell, retesting thyroid antibodies can give you a reason if they have become extremely elevated, and a path to follow, ie steps to reduce them and the accompanying destructive inflammation. But as has been said above once you are a Hashi-person, it’s with you for life and elevated inflammation may be felt as aches and pains and the way it risks preventing our thyroid meds from working effectively.
The list of adaptogens in your adrenal support sounds a good start. I have also found curcumin (turmeric) to be highly beneficial.
I suffer with adrenal fatigue for prolonged time, hence tried adrenal support gently with 1 capsule to see if it makes me feel better, although I’m now worried ashwaganda is going to make things worse rather than better. Taking turmeric has helped immensely for me as aches and stiffness of joints and water retention seem to be better after talking them for now.
annajon1,
Ashwagandha can be tricky. If it isn’t suiting, then stop.
See my answer here.
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