Biotin

[Lilly12255]

What is the effect of biotin? Does it impact thyroid functions or the TSH blood test?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Biotin can affect any blood test…if lab is using biotin in that test

If you are supplementing biotin this can falsely affect any test results

[Lilly12255 in reply to SlowDragon]

So the effect is only on the blood test?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Lilly12255]

Correct

[Lilly12255 in reply to SlowDragon]

Does the biotin make the TSH come out higher or lower in the test?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Lilly12255]

Lilly12255

As helvella has mentioned below, it can raise or lower results

labtestsonline.org/articles...

Excess biotin in the blood from supplements can cause some, but not all, lab test results to be either falsely increased or falsely decreased, causing healthcare practitioners to misdiagnose and mistreat their patients.

One article I read said it causes high FT4 and low TSH, another says it causes low TSH but has no effect on FT4. So there is no agreement on exactly how biotin affects results so as labtestsonline is recommended by the NHS it's probably best to just accept that it causes false results but we don't know for definite exactly how.

[Timbutdim]

I've used biotin and there was no significant changes to thyroid function blood results In addition no dramatic results where achieved to reduce thyroid related dry skin and hair

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

At the start of the reports of interference from biotin, the issue was discussed regarding Multiple Sclerosis patients who were taking absolutely massive doses of biotin. Like "three daily doses of 100mg".

The maximum dose of biotin available from a UK chain is 5000 micrograms. That is, 5 milligrams. Just 5% of the dose being used for MS - and probably only taken once a day!

Most "B complex" and other multi-ingredient supplements will have far less.

Our actual established daily requirements are as low as 35 micrograms a day. We might get that much from our diets.

There has never been evidence of interference with tests from the sort of dose we get in our diet.

To begin with, the advice was that two days was plenty of time without biotin. This is very likely plenty for low dose biotin - somewhere near daily requirement level.

To be absolutely sure, it is often suggested laying off biotin for a week. It is a short, easy to remember, safe and probably universally acceptable time. But almost certainly excessively long for people who just get a little biotin in a multivitamin or B-complex.

I feel that while everyone should be aware of the issue, it is getting people excessively worried.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Lilly12255 in reply to helvella]

So biotin impacts the test rather than the actual thyroid functions?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Lilly12255]

Yes.

Tests which use streptavidin in their processing.

[Lilly12255 in reply to helvella]

Would it lower or increase the tsh level to take biotin ahead of the blood test?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Lilly12255]

You need to ask the lab. It could raise or lower a particular test result.