Could this be Hashimoto's: Hey Guys, Thanks in... - Thyroid UK

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Could this be Hashimoto's

Teggie profile image
13 Replies

Hey Guys,

Thanks in advance, need some advice. I have had my Thyroid Bloods done recently after expereincing many symptoms of Hypothyroidism and/or Hashimotos. My blood results are as follows:

Thyroid Function Test

Serum TSH Level : 1.19 mU/L (normal range 0.30 - 4.20)

Serum Free T4 Level: 13.8 pmol/L (normal range 12.0 - 22.0)

Thyroglobulin Antobodies: 13.6 IU/ml

Thyroglobulin 14.1 ug/L (normal range: 0 - 0.1)

Thyroid Peroxidase Abs: 9 IU/mL (normal range 0 - 34)

Serum Ferritin 101 ug/L (normal range 30 - 200) (Ferrous Sulphate since April 2022 as was very low)

25 - Hydroxyvitamin D3 level: 74 nmol/L (normal range 51 - 250) (been on supplements since Jan 2022 as was very low)

I have Psoriaisis which is an autoimmune disorder and I know once you have one, you most likely will have other autoimmune conditions. Could I have Hashimotos? I am waiting to hear back from my GP but just wanted some idea from those more expereinced.

Many Thanks 🙂

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SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Teggie

Those antibody results are negative for Hashi's. However, because antibodies fluctuate one negative doesn't mean that you don't have it, they could measure higher another time. Also, it's possible to have Hashi's and not have raised antibodies.

Is this your first test?

Did you do it how we always advise:

* No later than 9am

* Nothing but water before the test

* If you take Biotin (B7), B Complex or any supplement containing biotin, this should be left off for 3-7 days before any blood test

Were B12 and folate tested?

Teggie profile image
Teggie in reply to SeasideSusie

Hi Seaside Susie

Many Thanks for your swift response.

This is my first Tyroid test. My test was at 10am I had eaten a banana before. I did not take my vitamins that morning until I got back home but just that day, they include iron, Bcomplex, Vit C and Vit D. I did take all my vits the day before...therefor did not take a break 3 - 7 days before, I was not told I had to by the GP/ Receptionist, but now I know for next time.

This time my folate and B12 were not tested but they were in Jan 2022:

Serum Vitamin B12: 291 ng/L (normal range: 160 - 925)

Serum Folate: 10.5 ug/L (normal range: 2.9 - 50)

Kind Regards

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Teggie

Teggie

It's unlikely the banana would have any effect on your results, we always suggest a fasting test because often other tests are done at the same time which do require fasting so it's always best to err on the side of caution just in case anything can affect results.

B12 is suggested to be over 550ng/L (which is the same as pg/ml) according to an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:

"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".

"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."

May people with a B12 level in the 300s have been found to need B12 injections. Have you had symptoms of B12 deficiency - you can check here:

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

b12d.org/submit/document?id=46

Folate is recommended to be at least half way through range so that would be 27 plus with that range. Does your B Complex contain at least 400mcg methylfolate (not folic acid).

The biotin could well have affected your results. Quite often with print outs of results you see the comment that biotin can affect results and should be left off for X days. You would expect medical professionals to know this as it's a comment by the lab and to pass it on to patients.

As you take Vit D then this should be tested twice a year to ensure you are taking the right dose. Do you also take D3's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?

Is your iron prescribed?

Do you take your iron 4 hours away from your thyroid meds and 2 hours away from other supplements (although Vit C should be taken with iron to aid absorption) and medication?

Do you take your other supplements 2 hours away from your thyroid meds?

Teggie profile image
Teggie in reply to SeasideSusie

Thanks again for your detailed reply. Initially when my symptoms were really bad in Januray I was tested for B12 and was told I was within range, but I decided to start taking a B Complex to keep on top of it. I think I need to have my B12 rechecked as it was a while ago. My B Complex does not contain Methylfolate.I was taking the Better You spray D3 with K2 but it got too expensive so am now taking just a plain D3 supplement, even though I was low GP said to get OTC.

I was on Prescribed Ferrous Sulphate 200mg twice a day until recently (bloodtest) but have not been prescribed again so just taking OTC.

I am not on any Thyroid medication at the moment but take my Iron and Vit C together.

Thank you :)

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Teggie

Teggie

Initially when my symptoms were really bad in Januray I was tested for B12 and was told I was within range, but I decided to start taking a B Complex to keep on top of it. I think I need to have my B12 rechecked as it was a while ago.

With B12 it's symptoms that should take precedence over results. Use the symptom check to see if you think you had any back then.

You need to retest B12 to see if your level has improved with taking the B Complex. If it has then that would mean you are absorbing it, if it hasn't then you should be tested for B12 deficiency and Pernicious Anaemia. You should not take any B12 or folate/folic acid before further testing of B12.

My B Complex does not contain Methylfolate.

So presumably it contains folic acid? That is the synthetic form which needs converting to folate, so methylfolate is the better form to take.

As it contains folic acid, does it also contain cyanocobalamin B12 and not methylcobalamin?

I was taking the Better You spray D3 with K2 but it got too expensive so am now taking just a plain D3 supplement, even though I was low GP said to get OTC.

What was your level? GPs aren't obliged to prescribe unless deficient (lower than 25nmol/L) although some do prescribe until it reaches 50nmol/L.

It is important to take D3's cofactors.

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. 90-100mcg K2-MK7 is enough for up to 10,000iu D3.

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.

90-100mcg K2-MK7 is enough for up to 10,000iu D3.

For Vit K2-MK7 my suggestions are Vitabay, Vegavero or Vitamaze brands which all 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.

Vitabay and Vegavero are either tablets or capsules.

Vitabay does do an oil based liquid.

Vitamaze is an oil based liquid.

With the oil based liquids the are xx amount of K2-MK7 per drop so you just take the appropriate amount of drops.

They are all imported German brands, you can find them on Amazon although they do go out of stock from time to time. I get what I can when I need to restock. If the tablet or capsule form is only in 200mcg dose at the time I take those on alternate days.

If looking for a combined D3/K2 supplement, this one has 3,000iu D3 and 50mcg K2-MK7. The K2-MK7 is the All-Trans form

natureprovides.com/products...

It may also be available on Amazon.

One member recently gave excellent feedback on this particular product here:

Here is what she said (also read the following replies):

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Magnesium helps the body convert D3 into it's usable form.

There are many types of magnesium so we have to check to see which one is most suitable for our own needs:

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

explore.globalhealing.com/t...

and ignore the fact that this is a supplement company, the information is relevant:

swansonvitamins.com/blog/ar...

I was on Prescribed Ferrous Sulphate 200mg twice a day until recently (bloodtest) but have not been prescribed again so just taking OTC.

Did your GP test after your course of iron? You need to do this to know whether or not to continue supplementing.

If you are continuing with iron tablets then it's important to continue with regular testing to avoid your levels going too high, too much iron is as bad as too little. It needs to be an iron panel test, not just ferritin, to include serum iron, saturation percentage, total iron binding capacity and ferritin.

Teggie profile image
Teggie in reply to SeasideSusie

Thanks SeasideSusie.I will ask at the GP to be rechecked for B12 to see if my levels have improved.

Yes, my Bcomplex contains Folic Acid and cyanocobalamin.

When my Vitamin D was checked in Januray my levels were: 38 nmol/L (normal range 51 - 250). Thank you for the supplemnt info, I will look into those.

So I requested iron blood test after completing 3 months of of the prescribed iron, it was just the serum ferritin that was tested: it went from 24 ug/L to 101ug/L. I should request the rest of the iron panel.

Many Thanks for your time :)

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Teggie

Teggie

Yes, my Bcomplex contains Folic Acid and cyanocobalamin.

So both those have to be converted by the body into the active form.

We aways recommend using the bioavailable versions and Thorne Basic B is one that is highly recommended here.

When my Vitamin D was checked in Januray my levels were: 38 nmol/L (normal range 51 - 250).

So with a level that low you should have been supplementing with 5,000iu D3 daily.

You might want to check out a recent post that I wrote about Vit D and supplementing:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

and you can check out the link to how to work out the dose you need to increase your current level to the recommended level.

Your original level of 38nmol/L = 15.2ng/ml

On the Vit D Council's website you would scroll down to the 3rd table

My level is between 10-20 ng/ml

The Vit D Council, the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health all recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml), with a recent blog post on Grassroots Health mentioning a study which recommends over 125nmol/L (50ng/ml).

So now you look at how much is needed to reach 50ng/ml and you'll see that they suggest 4,900iu per day (nearest is 5,000iu).

Once you've reached the recommended level 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 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:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

Teggie profile image
Teggie in reply to SeasideSusie

Thank you for the recommendation for the B complex once I have retested my B12 I will get those.I was supplementing 2 x 3000ius Vitamin D3 between Feb and June 2022 (Spray, one dose in morning and one in the afternoon) so 6000ius a day. my most recent test showed an improvement :

25 - Hydroxyvitamin D3 level: 74 nmol/L (normal range 51 - 250).

During the recent heatwaves in the UK and glorious sunshine I have dropped to 3000ius a day (tablets from boots).

I really appreaciate your replies and valuable information.

Thank you

😀

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Teggie

Are you vegetarian or vegan?

B12 and folate were very low

Which B complex are you currently taking

You probably need a separate B12 as well until B12 test result is over 500

supplementing a good quality daily vitamin B complex, one with folate in (not folic acid) . This can help keep all B vitamins in balance and will help improve B12 levels too

Difference between folate and folic acid

chriskresser.com/folate-vs-...

Many autoimmune patients have MTHFR gene variation and can have trouble processing folic acid.

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

B vitamins best taken after breakfast

Thorne Basic B recommended vitamin B complex that contains folate, but they are large capsules. (You can tip powder out if can’t swallow capsule)

IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results

endo.confex.com/endo/2016en...

endocrinenews.endocrine.org...

In week before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate methyl folate supplement (eg Jarrow ) and continue separate B12

Low B12 symptoms

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

With serum B12 result below 500, (Or active B12 below 70) recommended to be taking a B12 supplement as well as a B Complex (to balance all the B vitamins) initially for first 2-4 months.

once your serum B12 is over 500 (or Active B12 level has reached 70), stop the B12 and just carry on with the B Complex.

B12 sublingual lozenges

amazon.co.uk/Jarrow-Methylc...

cytoplan.co.uk/shop-by-prod...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

B12 range in U.K. is too wide

Interesting that in this research B12 below 400 is considered inadequate

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

How much vitamin D are you currently taking

Aiming for vitamin D at least over 80nmol minimum and around 100nmol maybe better

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/218...

vitamindsociety.org/pdf/Vit...

Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Test twice yearly via NHS private testing service when supplementing

vitamindtest.org.uk

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

amazon.co.uk/BetterYou-Dlux...

Another member recommended this one recently

Vitamin D with k2

amazon.co.uk/Strength-Subli...

It’s trial and error what dose we need, with thyroid issues we frequently need higher dose than average

Vitamin D and thyroid disease

grassrootshealth.net/blog/t...

Vitamin D may prevent Autoimmune disease

newscientist.com/article/23...

Web links about taking important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7

Magnesium best taken in the afternoon or evening, but must be four hours away from levothyroxine

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

livescience.com/61866-magne...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

Great article by Dr Malcolm Kendrick on magnesium

drmalcolmkendrick.org/categ...

Vitamin K2 mk7

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

Teggie profile image
Teggie in reply to SlowDragon

Hello SlowDragonI really appreciate your response, thank you.

I am a life long vegetarian and then became a strict vegan 4 years ago until April this year where I have added cheese and yogurt temporarily back into my diet as I was not feeling great at that time, and felt like my body needed some dairy. I have also been Gluten Free for abour 6 years after some gastro issues but my gp neglected to test me for anything, I made the decision to Gluten free and it has helped but not totally.

I am taking Boots Vitamin B Complex (vegan).

Thank you for the detailed information re B12 and folate, I will try and up my B12 levels by taking a seperate B12 dose.

Thank you :)

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Yes psoriasis is autoimmune

Request coeliac blood test via GP before considering trial on strictly gluten free diet

healthline.com/nutrition/gl...

Teggie profile image
Teggie in reply to SlowDragon

I have never been tested for coeliac as my doctor felt like I was exagerating my symptoms and he said 'an indian diet often causes these issues' wth??! I decided to go Gluten free and see how I felt, It has definitely helped. I know I have low stomach acid from doing the bicarb and water test first thing in the morning (no burp in 5 mins).

Many Thanks

:)

Teggie profile image
Teggie

Hello, I had a GP phone appointment yesterday to 'go through' my results and was told nothing to be do as 'we need to go by evidence' and theres no evidence any further tests need to be done. He said if symptoms persist to retest in a couple of months. With my iron and B12 he said no need to increase them too much as they are in the normal range, why can't all medical professionals sing from the same hymn sheet?! I am looking private healthcare for this possible thyroid issue, this may even include a face to face appointment (yippee!) Can anyone recommend a good private doctor who specialises in Thyroid and Endcrinolgy in London? Many Thanks in advance :)

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