Almost ready to test

[Joant24]

I won’t bore you lovely people with my recent story, until my blood results come back but need some advice before doing a Medicheck test.

I’m taking Solar's Gentle Iron 20mg, (ferritin was 24 with NHS test last time), Vit D spray with Vit K Mk2 and a pre/probiotic. I take Vit C once every few days as this seems to upset my tummy if I take it regularly with the iron.

So my question is, should I stop taking any of the above before the test? Nothing has biotin, I checked. I’m also waiting until the bank holiday is over and the backlog has settled so not rushing things even though I still feel rubbish.

Thank you 🥰

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Joant24

Are you just testing thyroid or are you doing the full thyroid/vitamin panel?

If including vitamins then it's advised to stop iron 7 days before testing. Vit D can be continued up to and incuding the day before the test. All supplements/thyroid medication should be taken after the test on the day.

Remember to follow general advice about thyroid tests:

* Blood draw no later than 9am. This is because TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. If looking for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, an increase in dose of Levo or to avoid a reduction then we need the highest possible TSH

* Nothing to eat or drink except water before the blood draw. This is because eating can lower TSH and coffee can affect TSH.

* If taking thyroid hormone replacement, last dose of Levo should be 24 hours before blood draw, if taking NDT or T3 then last dose should be 8-12 hours before blood draw. Adjust timing the day before if necessary. This avoids measuring hormone levels at their peak after ingestion of hormone replacement. Take your thyroid meds after the blood draw. Taking your dose too close to the blood draw will give false high results, leaving any longer gap will give false low results.

* If you take Biotin or a B Complex containing Biotin (B7), leave this off for 7 days before any blood test. This is because if Biotin is used in the testing procedure it can give false results (most labs use biotin).

[Joant24 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks you that’s very helpful. I’m doing full thyroid with vitamins. When I last checked 4 months ago my thyroid levels were better but my ferritin was dire. I want to check what’s happening now before I contact my GP who was of no use last time but I live in hope! I still feel exhausted, unmotivated and suffering muscle pain and weakness but I think much of that may be down to poor ferritin.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Joant24]

Joant24

but my ferritin was dire

Was it less than 30ug/L? If so then NICE class that as iron deficiency and your GP should confirm this with an iron panel and also do a full blood count to see if you have anaemia. If either of these then GP should treat.

Have you been taking anything for the poor ferritin? If taking iron tablets these should be left off for 7 days before any iron test.

[Joant24 in reply to SeasideSusie]

This is why I’m checking in to make sure I get the proper results. Ferritin was 24 and I mentioned it to my GP who literally just glanced at her screen and said everything was fine, even when I told her about NICE guidance. She just fobbed me off on that one. The only thing she suggested was a retest to see how my levels were in 3 months. I’m testing privately first to see if anything has changed after religiously taken the iron for 4 months. If it’s gone up I’ll carry on myself but if it’s no better I’ll get a NHS test and take it up with the surgery. I’m also interested to see what my thyroid levels are because for no reason the all just improved last test! Thanks for the help and have a good weekend xx

[humanbean]

I’m taking Solar's Gentle Iron 20mg

For someone who has very low ferritin your iron intake is very low compared to what a doctor would prescribe. I realise that iron tolerance is often a big problem though.

Just a personal anecdote... When I was very low in iron a few years ago I was prescribed ferrous fumarate 210mg, 1 tablet, 3 times a day. Each tablet contained 69mg of pure iron, making my intake 207mg of iron per day. I would consider that a maximum for anyone, and probably not ideal. It turns out that if someone takes too much iron per day for the body to cope with it will actively block absorption of the iron by creating something called Hepcidin. These links might be helpful to you :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepcidin

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human...

There are lots of iron supplements available without prescription in the UK. See this reply I wrote for another member :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

If I had my time over again I would probably try ferrous gluconate 300mg. Each tablet contains 35mg of iron and it is possible for an adult to take up to 6 tablets per day. It seems to lend itself to more tailoring of dose than the ferrous fumarate 210mg I took.

Anyone taking iron supplements should stop them for 5 - 7 days before testing anything iron-related.

[Joant24 in reply to humanbean]

Thanks for the info. I did mention NICE to my GP but she fobbed me off and started on about how we were the same age and we should expect our levels to be on the lower end! I did say I beg to differ and knew I was not going to change her mind. So that’s why I bought myself iron supplements but after reading your reply I can see my levels won’t have changed!! I’m going to stop the iron for a week get it checked at Medichecks and go armed with results and see the GP who actually organised the tests in the first place. Maybe I’ll get another NHS test and they’ll prescribe something stronger. Otherwise I’ll take your experienced advice and get some ferrous gluconate 300mg. I’m not the most patient of people but this time I’ll definitely hold out for 7 days🥴