Hi, I fractured a vertebrae in my spine in September. I’m 66 with no family history of osteoporosis. Besides Hashimotos I also have Sjögren’s. My blood tests last year showed my vitamin D levels were inadequate so at my GP’s request I took vitamin D3. However, after a few months I began to have heart palpitations so I stopped taking it and the palpitations stopped. T had been enough to increase my vitamin D level to adequate on my next blood test.
Im awaiting a bone density scan (6 weeks wait) but in the meantime my consultant prescribed calcium/D3 tablets. After reading about this, I’m scared to take them as there’s a lot of adverse reactions to both, including the palpitations I had. Im wondering if I should wait until I have a definite diagnosis after the bone density scan. When I fractured my spine I had a very bad fall onto hard tiles and all the pressure was on the part of my spine I fractured. My point is it wasn’t a small knock and the pain was severe. I’m hoping I haven’t got osteoporosis but if I have I’d obviously take medication as I don’t want any more fractures. However, I’m scared of adverse affects. Also, the chewable tablets need taking twice a day, preferably morning and evening but 4 hours after levo. I take levo around 7 am so can’t take the tablet until 11.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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You might need to supplement magnesium first for 2-4 weeks BEFORE adding vitamin D
Which vitamin D have you tried
Better You vitamin D mouth spray is good as avoids poor gut function of Hashimoto’s
Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is very effective as it avoids poor gut function. There’s a version made that also contains vitamin K2 Mk7. One spray = 1000iu
High ferritin doesn’t necessarily mean high iron…..iron could be low
Request GP do full iron panel test for hemochromatosis
Coeliac blood test too before trialing strictly gluten free diet
Always worth trying strictly gluten free diet, after coeliac blood test has been done. Approx 86% of Hashimoto’s patients find strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential
GP can’t prescribe T3 has to be initially prescribed by endocrinologist for 3-6 months trial via hospital pharmacy
The treatment for osteoporosis is not calcium. Excess calcium can cause brittle bones that break more easily. There are other nutrients that are far more important than calcium for bones, but we have been brain-washed by the Dairy Industry to think all we need is high levels of calcium.
Calcium supplements are very difficult to absorb, and tend to build up in the arteries - causing heart attacks - and the soft tissue - kidneys, for example, causing kidney stones.
Just taking vit D will increase your absorption of calcium from food, doubtful you would also need a supplement. That is why we should also take vit K2-MK7 with vit D, to make sure that extra calcium goes into the bones and teeth.
Hi, that’s why I was afraid to take calcium after what I’d read - thank you I’ll read your line. Only thing is, how do I ‘correct’ consultant when he asks me if I’ve been taking Adcal-D3
You can't correct him, he wouldn't take kindly to that at all! And wouldn't believe you, anyway. So, you either lie or avoid the subject. Did he ever test your calcium level?
Well, he really shouldn't prescribe calcium without retesting your level. That would be totally unprofessional. Insist that he tests it before consenting to take it. If your levels are the same as last time, you are not deficient. And, as I said, taking vit D and magnesium will increase your absorption of calcium from food.
HiI have hypoparathyroidism ( lost parathyroids during TT), so have permanent low calcium levels. I also have hypothyroidism.
I take Alfacalcidol, fultium and calvive, vitamin d and calcium basically. Ive never had any side effects from any of them.
I take my thyroid meds very early and take everything else about an hour before dinner.
Im currently very symptomatic low thyroid wise but pretty good calcium. However Ive had enough low calcium episodes to recognise symptoms which are completely different to low thyroid.
I get palpitations from both low and high thyroid levels, probably more so with low than high but Ive never experienced palpitations with low calcium or when I had low vitamin d, and mine used to be extremely low.
I have also had palpitations from low serum iron but its usually very low for that to happen.
High ferritin can be caused by any kind of inflammation in your body, your cracked vertebrae could explain it but so could many things, an infection, injury diet related even being over weight.
Hemichromatosis is unlikely but to get the full picture you need a full iron panel including crp. Crp is a marker for inflammation. With Hemochromatosis there would be other levels out of balance along with high ferritin.
As SlowDragon said you can have high ferritin but low serum iron, I have and it seems to be pretty common. I dont have hemochromatosis.
You cant know if you need T3 until youve got the best out of levothyroxine and you need good levels of key vitamins for it to work well.
If T3 is needed in future its vital to have good nutrient levels too, with out good serum iron and cortisol it simply doesnt work or you can react badly too it. This is from my experience and again seems common when T3/ndt isnt working well.
Make sure your gp does the full iron panel if not test privately and make sure you get the results including ranges and if you post on here Im sure someone will help.
I was told my iron was fine so didnt do anything about it, took months for me to realise a low in range iron might be fine by my gp but far too low to get my ndt to work.
Follow SlowDragons advice and I wouldnt worry about the Adcal.
Hi again. Ive just seen your response saying your calcium is 2.38.
Thats not low, infact my doctor said a level like that is really good, you dont want it too high.
I wrongly presumed you had low calcium because you’d been prescribed Adcal .
I know with a calcium level like like yours I wouldnt be taking any more and would be asking for another test . Too much calcium is just as bad as too low and yours isnt.
As said vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption.
Hi, thank you very much for your information. I think you’re right I’m not going to take Adcal. I’ll ask my GP about other vitamins as slowdragon has advised. I’m s grateful for this forum and the help you experienced ladies give.
If your gp wont test everything you need you can always do private testing, very easy to do and many of us on here do. When you have results with ranges come back and you’ll be kept right.
Again a result in range does not necessarily mean its right for us, its where in range that matters. Hyothyroidism frequently causes low nutrient levels.
Im working on get everything right, but I would of stood no chance with out the excellent advice Ive had from here. Wish Id found this forum years ago.
Yes, it’s frightening how we can’t rely on the medical profession. The consultant who prescribed Adcal for me is a private rheumatologist - it’s only because I looked up all of the side effects that I decided to ask thyroid UK ladies for advice. My fears about taking it have been confirmed, even my calcium levels aren’t bad so I’d probably have done myself harm taking it.
It certainly is frightening, we believe what the doctor tells us after all surely they must know. I was very very wrong, unfortunately so many of us find this out.
In my experience private doctors arent always better, I saw an endocrinologist who to put it bluntly was a joke. I had high hopes, but it turned he was just as clueless as any other doctor Ive seen about thyroid . Scary thinking hes supposed to be the best .
Symptoms can be confusing, you cant always tell whats low thyroid and what isnt, some symptoms are similar to low nutrient levels. Skipping any of the nutrient testing now can make things more complicated later, so get the basic nutrients right from the start.
Yes it’s a minefield for us all, the ignorance from consultants doing something every day as their job is unbelievable, especially when we can find out so much on the internet. Before my Hashimotos was diagnosed I saw a heart specialist about palpitations and xanthelasmas. Following an artery/heart scan he didn’t know why I was getting palpitations. I had xanthelasmas around my eyes and it was only later I found out they were caused by underactive thyroid. Why didn’t he know that - I wasn’t diagnosed for a few years after that but if he’d known his job properly he could’ve diagnosed it much earlier.
Purely by accident a few years ago on seeing a new doctor after he went through my file he said “ oh I see you have Hashimotos”, I had no idea what he was talking about.
This was after many years of illness going from doctor to doctor with various symptoms which are hypo symptoms but not one doctor put it all together.
Ive been ill for over 30 years, I was told I had m.e all this time cant be my thyroid yet there was Hashimotos in my file all this time and I was never told.
I avoided doctors as much as I could for fear of not being believed or on occasion bullying and snide remarks . Worse still I started doubting my own sanity at one point especially as I was being told I was depressed, I wasn’t but I thought a doctor must know. Im sure Im taking meds I probably never needed too as well.
I couldnt be the mum or wife I wanted to be, my wonderful husband has had do practically everything. I could cry for the years that have been wasted and could of been avoided. Ive lost touch with one of my children because I couldnt be there for him when he needed me, he needed his mum badly and he feels I let him down, Ive just been to unwell look after him. When Im well Im going to find him and see if we can “fix” things
I feel so bitter and angry and just sad for all those years we all lost . However Im so grateful for this forum had I not came to this forum a little over 2 years ago Id of gone the rest of my life with no hope of getting well.
Ive already corrected several nutrient deficiency's and currently working on low serum iron and Id never of known had I not came here.
Im afraid I have no trust or faith in doctors any more and hell will freeze before I sit in front of another to tell me Im depressed.
Sorry if this is all sounds a bit miserable but people dont realise its more than just us our ill health affects our families and Im more angry for that than anything else.
Sorry thats a bit full on, not meant to be Im fine, Im positive and hopefully heading in the right direction.
I was told the best thing I could do was take control of my health and not rely on doctors to get me well and its so true. Ive learned so much in the last 2 years and home testing makes it simple.
This forum is excellent and I recommend Paul Robinsons books I have Recovery with T3 and CT3M handbook but he also has The thyroid patients manual. He also has an excellent website and fb page. Stop the thyroid madness has been of some help too.
Hi, I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. My poor mum started her nightmare thyroid journey in her 30’s with overactive thyroid, followed by radioactive iodine treatment. She was ok until her 50’s when Hashimotos struck. She begged her GP to see an endocrinologist and was refused saying, you’d be wasting their time. Finally when she’d piled on weight and was very sick she got to see an endocrinologist who put her on levo. She was never well on it and found one who would prescribe armour. She took that but still was never well. She over-medicated herself as she felt that made her feel a bit better and she read about adrenals and took DHEA. Unfortunately she developed arrhythmia but it was never diagnosed and in hospital with a virus she had a sudden cardiac arrest and they couldn’t save her. To this day (14 years ago now) I’m not sure what killed her, too much armour, DHEA or the antibiotic Ethromycin they gave her which I’ve since learned shouldn’t be given to people with heart problems. Not knowing has haunted me as I’ll never know if she could have been saved as she was only 72.
If the medical profession had dealt with my mum properly and not driven her to over medicate I’m sure she’d have lived for a lot longer but, like it seems us all with thyroid problems, we never seem to receive proper treatment.
Thats awful Im so sorry to hear about your poor mum, similar thing happened to my mum. She lost her thyroid due to throat cancer and was put on levo.
She recovered from the cancer but never got her health back and I in hindsight I see she was never treated properly for her thyroid.
Anything but her thyroid was blamed for her failing health and she continued to get sicker and sicker, and eventually she was admitted to hospital where she developed an infection.
She lost a vast amount of wait, she was barely 5 stone at the end, and at 5ft 8 you can imagine how she looked.
She died a short time after at 68.
I know just how you feel.
Thyroid treatment in this country is shocking, doctors need much better education and we need easy access to the meds we need.
I’ll stop there and climb back down off my soap box , but dont waste any more time relying solely on doctors to get you well, Im certainly not.
Hi, I’m so sad for you to see your poor mum suffer so badly at such a young age. I don’t know why more emphasis isn’t put on thyroid - I mentioned to the Rheumatologist who I saw re my bones that I’d ever seen an endocrinologist and his reply was, you won’t see a consultant for thyroid the GP handles that. Something which controls our whole bodies isn’t important enough to the medical profession. The Jack of all trades will do us in their eyes and it’s never improved.
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