Flabbergasted!!!: I am so shocked at my medicheck... - Thyroid UK

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Flabbergasted!!!

Bearthebishon profile image
29 Replies

I am so shocked at my medicheck results.

I am in so much pain in my joints and arm muscles I was convinced my inflammatory markers would be off the scale 🤷‍♀️.

Any thoughts lovely people? 😊

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Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon
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29 Replies
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking…..still only on 50mcg?

Dose should be increased to 75mcg ASAP

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine

Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Have you had coeliac blood test done yet

If not request testing via GP NOW before considering trial on strictly gluten free diet

Ferritin is virtually deficient

GP should do full iron panel test for anaemia

Vitamin D is insufficient

GP should prescribe 1600iu daily for 6 months

May be better to self supplement at higher dose

Are you currently taking B12 or vitamin B complex

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Dose levothyroxine should be increased slowly upwards in 25mcg steps until TSH is ALWAYS under 2

Retest 6-8 weeks after each dose change

ALWAYS test as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Most people when adequately treated will have TSH around 1, Ft4 in top third of range and Ft3 at least 50% through range

Typically that’s around 1.6mcg levothyroxine per kilo of your weight per day

Approx how much do you weigh in kilo

RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator in reply to SlowDragon

SlowDragon 'Dose levothyroxine should be increased slowly upwards in 25mcg steps until TSH is ALWAYS under 2'

It's very important not to fall into the same trap as the medics that are constantly failing to help us achieve wellness. There is no 'one size fits all' approach to this.

Not everybody needs their TSH to be always under 2. This may be true for the majority, but there are always the exceptions. The important thing is to find your own personal level.

And not everybody can tolerate 25mcg dose increases. Some people need to take it much more slowly and cautiously, in 12.5mcg steps for example.

People do react differently to replacement hormone therapy, whether that be thyroid replacement hormones or other replacement hormones.

Typically that’s around 1.6mcg levothyroxine per kilo of your weight per day

No, dosing by weight is not an appropriate way to calculate the amount an individual will feel well on. A person may be carrying excess weight for example, but that doesn't necessarily mean they need more thyroid hormone.

greygoose profile image
greygoose

Probably due to that very low vit D. Have you been supplementing vit D at all? If so, how much?

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon

Thanks for your replies.I am now on 75mcg levothyroxine. Brand is accord which I had changed from Teva about a month ago.

I'm going to start vit d today.

I will request coeliac test on my next blood test which is on the 25th.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Bearthebishon

So bloods should be retested again 6-8 weeks minimum after increasing to 75mcg levothyroxine

gponline.com/endocrinology-...

Replacement therapy with levothyroxine should be initiated in all patients to achieve a TSH level of 0.5-2.0pmol/L.

NHS England Liothyronine guidelines July 2019 state on page 13 that TSH should be between 0.4-1.5 when OPTIMALLY treated with just Levothyroxine

Note that it says test should be in morning BEFORE taking levothyroxine

Also to test vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin

sps.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploa...

Graph showing TSH in healthy population

web.archive.org/web/2004060...

Aim is to bring a TSH under 2.5

UK guidance suggests aiming for a TSH of 0.5–2.5

gp-update.co.uk/SM4/Mutable...

Marz profile image
Marz in reply to Bearthebishon

How much VitD will you be taking ?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Bearthebishon

You've made a lot of replies on here that people aren't going to see because you didn't click on the blue 'Reply' button under their comment. :)

Anyway, good idea to start on vit D, but how much are you planning to take? And, don't forget that you absolutely need to take vit D's cofactors: magnesium and vit K2-MK7.

Magnesium and vit D work together. You're probably low in magnesium - most people are, and being hypo will make that worse - so taking vit D will use up what little magnesium you have. You need to replace it, optimise your magnesium and take enough to help your vit D to work, say about 400 mg a day.

Taking vit D will increase your absorption of calcium from food. Taking vit K2-MK7 will make sure that extra calcium goes into the teeth and bones, and doesn't build up in the soft tissues and arteries, causing problems.

:)

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon in reply to greygoose

Thanks greygoose.I will be taking 375mg of magnesium along with vit k2 mk7 and 3000IU of vit D

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Bearthebishon

Is that 3000 IU daily or weekly?

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon in reply to greygoose

Daily

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Bearthebishon

That might be rather a lot. Marz , what do you think?

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon in reply to greygoose

Its roughly what medicheck have recommended

Text
greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Bearthebishon

It says 800 to 2000 IU.

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon in reply to greygoose

Well yes it does. I currently have a strip of 3000 so will use them up and get some lower dose ones to follow 😊. I think, like you said, that the more important thing is to take it alongside the vit k and magnesium

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Bearthebishon

Yes, but be careful, you can over-dose on Vit D, because it's fat soluble.

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon in reply to greygoose

I will be careful and make sure I reduce it as advised. Thanks for your help

Marz profile image
Marz in reply to greygoose

Grassroots Health used to have a chart indicating dose required based on results. 44 nmol/L = 18ng/L with 60 ng/L being suggested as appropriate to prevent many illnesses. They used to say that for every 10 points below 60 a 1000 iu's would be needed. So a dose of 4000 iu's would be appropriate.

As you often say - starting low and slow is good advice !

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Marz

OK. Just sure I read somewhere that at that level, 1600 IU a day for six months would be more appropriate. But, I'm no expert. Just cautious. :)

Marz profile image
Marz in reply to greygoose

Some people do have problems with VitD so being cautious is good ..

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Marz

Well, I wasn't actually thinking about people having problems with it, I was thinking more about over-dosing.

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon in reply to greygoose

Ok I will be careful....I'll reduce it 👍Thanks so much

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Bearthebishon

You're welcome. :)

AS14 profile image
AS14

Joint pain or more what I describe as bone pain is a classic symptom of low vitamin d, it certainly is for me.

Im very symptomatic hypo wise and muscle pain is severe, the worst are my upper body, shoulders, back ribs and sometimes arms. My muscles and tendons are also very tight and stiff.

I dont know about the other results but I can easily understand from your thyroid and vitamin d results why you hurt so bad.

Ive never had inflammation from severe vitamin d deficiency ( my level was 3 when detected), nor from hypothroid muscle pain . Its severe muscle pain so I was just as surprised as you to see normal inflammation levels, I thought they’d of been sky high.

Hypothyroidism causes the muscles to be less flexible, damage easy and the repair cycle is slowed down significantly.

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon in reply to AS14

Fingers crossed its the vit D then. Being in constant pain is no fun.Thanks for your reply 😊

AS14 profile image
AS14 in reply to Bearthebishon

Getting vitamin d to a good level got rid of the bone pain completely, took a little while but wow what a difference. Definetely your thyroid needs to much better too, you’ll feel very different when both of these are corrected.

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree

Hi Bearthebishon,

I also had terrible pains when I had a severe vitamin D deficiency. The pain was mostly in my forearms and I also had no strength in my arm muscles, very sore and achy in my bones too. I also had daily headaches that lasted all day.

It was some time ago now but I do remember the pain well.

Hope you get relief soon.

Bearthebishon profile image
Bearthebishon

Thank you....gives me some hope 😊

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

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