Hashimotos

[Janeylou69]

Hi im hypothyroid ,my question is if i have positive antibodies does that mean i have hashimotos ,my last tsh was1 2.78 and that was without taking levythyroxine that day and the my tsh before that was 4.08 and i did take levythyroxine that day ,thanks for any help .

[Marz]

The presence of anti-bodies confirms Hashimotos .... which ones were tested ?

[Janeylou69 in reply to Marz]

hi marz ,im not sure because all it said in the results was positive and to keep an eye on my tsh ,im confused because my doctor never talked to me about this ,thankyou x

[Marz in reply to Janeylou69]

Probably because they don't understand auto-immunity ! Reading around this forum will help you understand more than your GP can tell you 🤔

[Janeylou69 in reply to Marz]

ive no clue either ,i get all my info from here and for some reason the lab wont test ft4 or ft3 ,im at a loss because ive not been the same and my health is deteriorating since before this started so im a complete mess and im in a very dsrk place ,i think i also suffer from sad which is some sort of depression in the winter months .

[Marz in reply to Janeylou69]

Read through your earlier posts and replies for some more info. I think it was suggested to increase your B12 injections. That would help your low mood. How much VitD are you taking ? Are you taking a GOOD B Complex to keep all your B's in balance. Take VitD away from your T4/Levo - around 4 hours. Same with Iron.

[Janeylou69 in reply to Marz]

Hi marz i take vit d at about 12 :30 each day 4 hours after i take the levy ,im still waiting to see doc about getting more b12 injections coz it takes ages to get an appointment at my docs ,im taking 800 iu d3 , and i take my iron 2 hours after the vit d .thanks x

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Just testing TSH is completely inadequate

However both tests show you need dose increase in levothyroxine

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking

On levothyroxine TSH should always be below 2

Most people when adequately treated will have TSH around one or less

Most important results are always Ft3 followed by Ft4

ESSENTIAL to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least annually

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

When were vitamin levels last tested

Have you had coeliac blood test done yet

If not, get tested BEFORE considering trial on strictly gluten free diet

[Janeylou69 in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi im on 100mg levythroxine, vitamins were tested a while ago so i could probably do with a retest ,im taking vitamin d at the moment ,iron tablet everyday ,im on 3 monthly b12 injections ,ive been tested for coeliac and it was negative ,i dont really put on weight ,ive lost some ,ive got digestive issues ,im having other investigations into that ,sorry to be crude but my periods are heavy ish ,the lab wont test ft3 or ft4 ,im so so tired and weak ,pains in my arms and legs my muscles are getting weaker ,my head feels light ,i seem to wake up in the night and cant get back to sleep ,i have 5 children at home twins that are 2 and an 18 year old ,13 year old and an 11 year old , its really hard to keep a brave face in front of them

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Janeylou69]

How long have you been taking iron supplements

Exactly what iron dose are you currently taking

You presumably know to take iron supplements at least 4 hours away from levothyroxine and 2 hours away any other supplements

GP should redo full iron panel test for anaemia every 3-4 months

100mcg levothyroxine may simply be inadequate dose

Your high TSH strongly suggests you need 25mcg dose increase in levothyroxine

Approx how much do you weigh in kilo

Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription

Email GP Request 25mcg dose increase in levothyroxine, also request iron panel test, folate, vitamin D and B12 levels tested

meanwhile it’s ALWAYS worth trying strictly gluten free diet

Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients are diagnosed as coeliac, but a further 80% find strictly gluten free diet either helps, often significantly or is absolutely essential

Are you currently taking vitamin D, if yes how much

Taking daily vitamin B complex?

Which brand of vitamin B complex …..or taking any B12 ?

[Janeylou69 in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi slowdragon im taking one a day of iron coz the doctor said it works better then taking 2 or 3 a day for some reason , and i take 800iu vit d which ive recently started taking again ,im on 3 monthly b12 injections ,im on the same brand of levo everytime ,i weigh about 124 kg ,i take vit d at lunch time 4 hours after levo and i take iron 2 hours after vit d thankyou .x

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Janeylou69]

400iu vitamin D is not going to improve a low level of vitamin D

Do you know how low your vitamin D was at last test

Someone with Hashimoto’s is likely to need at least 1000iu-2000iu daily…..often more

NHS Guidelines on dose vitamin D required

ouh.nhs.uk/osteoporosis/use...

GP will often only prescribe to bring vitamin D levels to 50nmol.

Some areas will prescribe to bring levels to 75nmol or even 80nmol

leedsformulary.nhs.uk/docs/...

GP should advise on self supplementing if over 50nmol, but under 75nmol (but they rarely do)

mm.wirral.nhs.uk/document_u...

But with Hashimoto’s, improving to around 80nmol or 100nmol by self supplementing may be 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 …..once via Medichecks or Blue horizon with thyroid test, folate, ferritin and B12 and once via NHS private testing service when supplementing 

vitamindtest.org.uk

Suggest you get tested now ….see where your levels are

We often need higher dose in winter than summer

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...

Vitamin K2 mk7

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

[Janeylou69 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks slowdragon for all this information ,i am definately going to look at all the links ,im not sure what my vit d was it was definately way below 50 ,ive got the clear little gel looking vit d capsule things ,are they any good ,its what the doctor gave me ,i will look at the spray as well coz it could be easier for me to take thankyou slowdragon .x

[Sandiij]

My periods were horrendous no pain just really heavy flow. I had an endometrial ablation (sort of microwaving top layer of cells) of my uterus. Never had a period follwing that. Also resolved my iron deficiency anaemia.

[Janeylou69 in reply to Sandiij]

Can being hypothyroid cause periods to be more heavier and cramps xx

[Sandiij in reply to Janeylou69]

I dont know as i was already on treatment for hypothyroid. Periods didnt become heavy until stopping the pill after being sterilised.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Janeylou69]

Yes, being under medicated and still hypothyroid frequently results in heavy periods and iron deficiency

Iron deficiency often results in heavy periods

Request/insist on 25mcg dose increase in levothyroxine and full iron panel test for anaemia including ferritin

Optimal vitamin levels are

Vitamin D at least over 80nmol

Folate and Ferritin at least half way through range

[greygoose]

Whether or not you take your levo the day of the blood draw will have no effect on the TSH level. That is determined by the time of day the blood draw is done. TSH is highest early morning, and drops sharply after 9 am until it reaches its lowest point around midday, then starts to rise again. Which is why one here it is always recommended to have the blood draw before 9 am.

We also recommend leaving a gap of 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the blood draw, because that will have an effect on your FT4 - if that is tested. Any longer than 24 hours will give you a false 'low' FT4, and any shorter gap will give you a false 'high' FT4.

[Janeylou69 in reply to greygoose]

Hi greygoose ,i didnt really know that about the tsh ,when they tested my tsh last time it was about midday and it was 2.78 and they dont test ft4 or ft3 ,i dont know why they dont test them x

[greygoose in reply to Janeylou69]

Because they don't know enough about thyroid to recognise the necessity.

If your TSH was nearly 3 at midday, it would have been quite a bit higher at 9 am. That difference can make quite a big difference to your treatment when your doctor is ignorant enough to dose by the TSH.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

On levothyroxine always test early morning for highest TSH

TSH should always be below 2

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

NHS England Liothyronine guidelines July 2019

 

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

Page 9 

Test for Deficiency of any of the following: Vitamin B12, Folate,  Vitamin D, Iron

See page 13 

1. Where symptoms of hypothyroidism persist despite optimal dosage with levothyroxine. (TSH 0.4-1.5mU/L)

Graph showing median TSH in healthy population is 1-1.5

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...

Persevere - have all guidelines printed and be ready to quote them 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...