I have changed my dose from 175mcg levothyroxine to 150mcg about 7 weeks ago as my TSH was very low (0.01) and my T4 was above range (23.4). I have been on 175mcg for quite a few years (reduced from 225mcg about 8 years ago). I am fatigued a lot of the time and haven’t felt right for a long time. I suffering with extreme night sweats and hot flushes throughout the day and night, I am post menopausal so it could just be that, or is this a sign of being over medicated? I haven’t been able to lose any weight despite healthy eating and getting plenty of exercise for the past 3 months.
Anyone else been over medicated and struggle to lose weight still?
I have just ordered a thyroid function check from Medichecks as NHS no longer test T3.
Thanks.
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Gymbuni
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You're only over-medicated if your FT3 is over-range. If you didn't have your FT3 tested before reducing the dose then it could be that it is very low now, and that's why you have hypo symptoms. You could be a poor converter, and that's why your FT4 was above range. So, getting your FT3 tested, at the same time as your FT4, for comparison, is the best thing you could do.
Great that you are testing your T3 Gymbuni; do post your results when you have them, so members can advise on your current medication and see how well you are converting. Have you also tested ferritin, folate, B12 and Vit D? Having these optimal aids thyroid function.
I think they are being tested too. I did have these tested by GP a couple of months ago, I think they were all in range, but at the lower end. I have B12 injections every 10 weeks as don’t absorb B12 properly ( not PA) and I am also prescribed Vit D which I take one capsule per day.
Do ask your GP for a print out of the vitamin tests and post these too; I definitely feel better after following forum advice to get these higher in range.
I’m not surprised you feel unwell Gymbuni, as your vitamin D and ferritin are very low in the range. Has your GP run an iron panel test at all (generally advised before taking iron tablets)? How much Vitamin D are you prescribed? How long have you been taking it? Often GPS do not prescribe a high enough dose.
SeasideSusie is our ‘go to’ member for advice on supplements,
Looks like the GP did practically every test but iron panel test. I have been on Vit D for about 4 years, currently on Invita D3 800, one a day (was initially started on 2 a day.
They just told me it was just a starting/loading dose. I probably should just add some more supplements in as I doubt the GP will increase my prescription.
I have been on Vit D for about 4 years, currently on Invita D3 800, one a day (was initially started on 2 a day.
They just told me it was just a starting/loading dose.
Oh good grief, will we never be spared from the absolute stupidity of some doctors. It wouldn't have taken your GP long to look at the NICE guidelines to find out that loading doses are 300,000iu D3 over 6 weeks. No wonder it's taken 4 years to reach 65nmol/L. I dealt with my own severe D3 deficiency of 15nmol/L and raised it to 202nmol/L in 2.5 months. I now maintain my dose as close to 150nmol/L as possible (testing twice a year) and actually need quite a high maintenance dose of 5,000iu 6 days a week (many people need much less than that as a maintenance dose).
With a current level of 65nmol/L you are looking at a dose of 3,500-4,000iu D3 daily then retest in 3 months.
Once you've reached the recommended level of 100-150nmol/L (latest recommendation is at least 125nmol/L) then a maintenance dose will be needed to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. This can be done with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3. You will have to buy these yourself.
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.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking D3 as tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.
For D3 I like Doctor's Best D3 softgels, they are an oil based very small softgel which contains just two ingredients - D3 and extra virgin olive oil, a good quality, nice clean supplement which is budget friendly. Some people like BetterYou oral spray but this contains a lot of excipients and works out more expensive.
For Vit K2-MK7 I like Vitabay or Vegavero brands which contain the correct form of K2-MK7 - the "All Trans" form rather than the "Cis" form. The All Trans form is the bioactive form, a bit like methylfolate is the bioactive form of folic acid.
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form, and large doses of D3 can induce depletion of magnesium. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking magnesium as tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
Don't start all supplements at once. Start with one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Again, wait a week or two and if no adverse reaction add the next one. Continue like this. If you do have any adverse reaction then you will know what caused it.
I see that you are taking a multivitamin. These are not recommended here for a few reasons. They tend to contain too little of anything to help low levels or deficiencies, they usually contain the cheapest, wrong form and least absorbable of active ingredients, and they tend to contain things we should test for first and only supplement if deficient, eg calcium, iodine. If it contains iron then this affects the absorption of the other ingredients, iron needs to be takien 2 hours away from other supplements. So it's best to ditch the multi and supplement what is needed.
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
Just to add to SeasideSusie 's great advice, I'm curious about your folate level. Given your levels of B12, ferritin and vitamin D are not great I'm surprised at how good your folate level is.
Would I be right in thinking that you take (or have taken in the last few months) folic acid? (I'm just guessing.) If yes, what is/was the dose.
Hi Seaside Susie, which supplement would you recommend I go for first? I am trying raise my iron levels as you suggested, eating liver for dinner tonight for the first time in about 20 years, also going to try black pudding for the first time in my life, much to hubby’s amusement (he loves it).
I am awaiting the results of my thyroid tests, but am tempted to go back to my 175mcg thyroxine dose as the last couple of days I feel completely wiped out.
Do you know if Medi Checks usually take the 4 working days to report results?
Do you know if Medi Checks usually take the 4 working days to report results?
It could be possible if you've requested doctor's comments. I never have them and quite often they're back next day, never longer than 2 days, but when you have doctor's comments it can add at least another day on.
You can increase your Vit D straight away, there should be no problem with that, wait a week (if you are changing brand/type of Vit D) then add magnesium, that should helpt the Vit D work better. Wait 2 weeks, if all OK then add the Vit K2-MK7.
I've got liver tonight 😊. It took me a while to find which way I liked it best but I now cut it into strips and do a kind of stir fry type meal and have it with anything I fancy throwing in - peppers, mushrooms, peas, tomatoes, and of course plenty of onions, and I have it with rice. It does take a long time to raise ferritin level whichever way you do it.
I already take magnesium, so I am now taking the Vit D with it, I used to take my Vit D an hour after thyroid meds, didn’t know you need to wait at least 4 hours after. I need to get some higher dose Vit D, as only have to 800iu from doctor. The magnesium i take is Nu U Platinum Series super strength magnesium citrate 1480mg providing 444mg of elemental magnesium (2 daily) do you know if this is ok?Enjoy your liver, not thought of doing it in a stir fry, years ago I used to make an Italian style liver dish that was quite nice, must search out my old cookbooks for the recipe.
All blood drawn for hypothyroidism, should be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours from your last dose of levo and test and take hormones afterwards.
A Full Thyroid Blood Test consists of:-
TSH, T4, T3, Free T3 and Free T4 and thyroid antibodies tested. Did you get the earliest blood draw, fasting (you can drink water)
Many hypo patients complain of unexplained weight gain but if hypo many people can gain weight if they are on levothyroxine alone. I think (and am not medically qualified) that due to being hypo that our metabolism slows right down due to having insufficient T3 converted from levothyroxine (T4).
The last blood test at my GP was done around 3pm so 8 had eaten and taken my meds. The doctors have never advised this, which is bad. My blood test is booked for 8.50am and I will make sure I only drink water prior to this, I have stopped taking my multi vitamins, magnesium etc until after my test. I was also on Fuoresmide, which I have read can affect the readings, so i have stopped that.
Hi all my sympathies to you. Same position as me. Was taking 125mcg levo. Had bloods done GP TSH like you 0.01 text from GP to ring them re results. I didnt, as I knew they would 'talk down to me' and want to reduce my dose. I reduced myself as an experiment, and TSH shot up to over 2!!
Put in my repeat prescription request to GP for usual dosage 125 ( 100mcg & 25mcg tabs)....fingers crossed!! And guess what? Was approved! So i'm staying on 125mcg. When I reduced to 100mcg felt sluggish, and was constipated
Oh I too went with medichecks. Got Thyroid antibodies tested too. Still over range, but not as high as when first diagnosed 11 years ago.
I struggle to lose weight. Find exercise helps a bit, but best way is to practically eat nothing! No gluten either. But this does not help conversion. And...avoid stress! Haha.
Update, I have just received my Medi Checks results back
Ferritin 101.00ug/L (13 - 150)
Folate 10.74 ug/L (>3.89)
B12 active >150pmol/L (37.5 - 188)
Vit D 91.30 no longer/L (>75-200 optimal) range 50-200
TSH - 0.02 mU/L (0.27 - 4.2)
Free T3 - 3.80 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8)
Free thyroxine - 23.500 pmol/L (12 - 22)
Thyroglobulin antibodies <10 IU/mL (<115)
Thyroid peroxidase antibodies 22.50 IU/mL (<34)
hsCRP 1.3mg/L (0-5)
The doctors report came back as everything normal except TSH slightly low and free thyroxine slightly high so my current dose is perhaps a little strong. I feel dreadful and have been having extreme fatigue for the past 5 days, I have barely got off my sofa today. Also despite healthy eating using a nutritional coach and exercising (apart from these last few days) I have not lost a single pound in this past three months.
Please start a new post with the above last entry so these results appear in a fresh new post on the rolling screen for everybody to see and comment on, and not down here at the bottom of a10 day old post.
No one is going to see this post except a nutcase like me !!
I could answer you here but you deserve more than little "ole me :
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