17th August 2021 - TSH - 1.18, FT3 - 4.6, FT4 - 18.8 - > based on 125/150 levothyroxine (c. 5 days/10 days)
Symptoms continue to be an issue including muscle fatigue and soreness, brain fog, itchy/tired eyes, low mood etc. In recent weeks I have started various vitamin supplements:
- High strength vit d (25ug, supermarket brand), vitamin B complex (supermarket brand), vitamin K2 (vitabay brand), magnesium citramate (Thorne brand). Vit B and and vit D taken at lunch, magnesium and K2 taken later in day.
In terms of magnesium, I take 1 tablet daily, the suggested use on the bottle is 1 capsule, one-three times daily -> is one tablet daily sufficient ??
I also eat a large handful of brazil nuts daily for selenium and T3 conversion. I have tried going gluten free in the past but this can be hard to stick to 100% on a regular basis.
I drink c. 2 filter coffees daily and 2-3 cups of tea, at least an hour after taking levothyroxine which is always the same brand. Can coffee/tea hinder absorption outside the post 1-2hr window from taking levo ?
Last week I had a short synacthen test done (testing adrenal glands) and waiting for the results and have a thyroid ultrasound end of this month. At the moment I can't see an end to the ongoing symptoms. After I have the ultrasound, I am considering seeing a private endo as I think the issues could be related to T3 / poor conversion as per above results but not sure.
Any further advice on vitamins, diet, caffeine intake, and other aspects to manage symptoms would be greatly appreciated, many thanks.
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Mjpp84
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High strength vit d (25ug, supermarket brand), vitamin B complex (supermarket brand), vitamin K2 (vitabay brand), magnesium citramate (Thorne brand). Vit B and and vit D taken at lunch, magnesium and K2 taken later in day.
Looking at previous results
Vitamin D at 100nml
How much vitamin D are you currently taking
Vitamin B complex - which brand
Does it have folate in or folic acid
Remember to stop taking any vitamin B complex a week before ALL BLOOD TESTS as biotin can falsely affect test results
Too many Brazil’s won’t be a good idea.
17th August 2021 - TSH - 1.18, FT3 - 4.6, FT4 - 18.8 - > based on 125/150 levothyroxine (c. 5 days/10 days)
Vitamin levels were last tested in June this year as per the above. Currently taking 25ug vitamin d (supermarket own brand), vit B complex (supermarket own brand) containing B1, B2, Niacin, B6, folic acid, B12, biotin. Should I invest in other vit D and vit B complex supplements? Would this make a difference ?
Is there specific issues related to brazil nuts and amount eaten ?
I have been on the 125/150 levo (5 days/10 days) dose from January this year - based on test in August TSH looks at quite a good level.
Currently taking 25ug vitamin d (supermarket own brand), vit B complex (supermarket own brand) containing B1, B2, Niacin, B6, folic acid, B12, biotin. Should I invest in other vit D and vit B complex supplements? Would this make a difference ?
I believe it would make a difference. Supermarket brands are usually cheap, they are cheap because they use cheap ingredients which are usually the wrong and least absorbable forms of the active ingredients.
Your B Complex contains folic acid - this is synthetic and has to be converted by the body to folate, not all of us are good at this conversion so we tend to recommend a supplement that contains methylfolate rather than folic acid.
The B12 contained in the B Complex I expect is cyanocobalamin and again we suggest methylcobalamin which is considered the better form.
Also, what are the amounts of each vitamin? Folate you're looking at needing 400mcg to be of help for a low folate level. B12 less than 400mcg wont be much help, if the person's level was low they'd need nearer 1000mcg. Look at B6 in particular, this should not be higher than 10mg. If it contains biotin then the supplement should be left off for 3-7 days before any blood test as it causes false results.
Vit D - is this a tablet? Tablets are the least absorbable of all Vit D supplements. The best absorbed forms are oil based softgels (Vit D needs fat to be absorbed) or an oral spray.
25ug Vit D = 1,000iu. This is barely a maintenance dose for someone with a good level. In June your level was 88nmol/L - in the summer when we can make Vit D naturally from the sun (if we're lucky). The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L, with a recent blog post on Grassroots Health mentioning a study which recommends over 125nmol/L. So you should be retesting now and if you're not at this level you will need more than 1,000iu D3.
Is there specific issues related to brazil nuts and amount eaten ?
Not all Brazil nuts contain selenium, they have to be grown in selenium rich soil to contain any and then it depends in which area the nuts were grown in because the amount of selenium in soil varies. Eastern Amazon and Central Brazil have the highest amounts:
One member has said that M&S Natural Brazil Nuts say "harvested by hand in the Amazon forest and naturally high in selenium".
Also, check out Aldi's "The Foodie Market" Brazil nuts, the packaging is said to show selenium content as 79mcg per 30g serving.
Another one is 'My Garden of Eden' Brazil nuts from Home Bargains.. They say "High in Selenium and high in vitamin E" on the front of the packet and the Nutritional Information says "one serving (25g) gives 63ug of Selenium".
Hi two or 3 brazils a day can give you enough selenium, too many can be toxic and hair loss is a symptom. Problem is knowing if the brazils are grown in selenium rich soil. I love them as well but since reading they can cause hair loss and other side effects I've cut right back.
Thanks for the feedback. The brazil nuts packaging says rich in selenium (Aldi brand) but I am most likely overconsuming so will definitely cut back, thanks for the advice.
The brazil nuts packaging says rich in selenium (Aldi brand)
Are they "The Foodie Market" ones from Aldi, or another brand? Does it say how much selenium per serving? If it's different from The Foodie Market can you tell me the details so that I can add them to my list please.
Too much selenium over time can cause the following:
They are Foodie Market so I think you already have these covered. My thinking on taking vitamins would be vit d and B complex at lunch and magnesium and K2 dinner/evening time. Levothyroxine in taking early morning with water. Does this make sense to you ?
Hi SeasideSusie and SlowDragon, I have a few other questions related to this topic. For the Thorne vitamin supplements (Basic B Complex and Magnesium Citramate), the dosage for both on the bottles suggests one capsule, 1-3 times daily. I have currently been taking one capsule of each daily - do you think this is the right dosage and enough ? Also, in your experience and based on others on the forum, how long do you think it could be for me to see any benefit of taking these vitamin supplements? I will keep tracking any progress but I am not that confident after suffering for a while with symptoms but try to remain optimistic. Any thoughts you have would be appreciated, many thanks
For the Thorne Basic B I would take just 1 capsule. That amount raised my bottom of range folate level to top of range in 2.5 months and I still use 1 capsule as my maintenance dose.
As for the Citramate it tells you that the total amount of magnesium from the two forms is 135mg per 1 capsule and that is 32% of daily value.
Most magnesium supplements come as a serving of 350-400mg so 3 capsules daily of the Thorne would be a normal serving.
Personally I would re-think your magnesium supplement and look for another brand. I've just checked prices and it's £19 on Amazon for 90 capsules = 30 days worth. I think this is expensive as it's 63p per serving of 3 capsules.
Depending on what form of magnesium you want, if it's magnesium citrate (to help with bowels) then it would be much cheaper to use Natural Calm Magnesium Citrate powder £27.98 = 113 servings (25p per serving) - prices vary of course depending where you buy it and how much you would need may vary and you may get more servings from the pack.
You may not need Citrate so look at other forms, many can be obtained cheaper than you are paying for Thorne.
Also, in your experience and based on others on the forum, how long do you think it could be for me to see any benefit of taking these vitamin supplements?
What benefit are you looking for? The aim of taking the B Complex is to improve your folate level then maintain it, also maintain your B12 level and keep all B vits in balance.
As for the magnesium, this is needed when taking Vit D because it helps the body convert D3 into it's usable form.
Thanks for the additional input. I will finish this bottle of Thorne Magnesium based on revised dosage and look at other brands / options. There was a useful article I read that helped inform decision-making on magnesium. Essentially, this is to reduce my muscle pains and fatigue and to hopefully support better sleep. The B complex is to help with energy levels and to boost folate. My main concern is really improvement of my symptoms which are challenging (muscle pains & weakness, brain fog, low energy & mood etc.).
Currently taking 25ug vitamin d (supermarket own brand), vit B complex (supermarket own brand) containing B1, B2, Niacin, B6, folic acid, B12, biotin. Should I invest in other vit D and vit B complex supplements? Would this make a difference ?
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