vitamin D, Folate and hypochromasia: Hi... - Thyroid UK

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vitamin D, Folate and hypochromasia

Fluffyone profile image
12 Replies

Hi,

Daughter has had blood results, symptoms of tiredness and anxiety. Results back, Drs just text to say low and get supplements! I told her to get print out. Im posting on here because you’ve been very helpful to me. Is there some other group which I should post to for advice? She needs to know what to take and at what dose and for how long? Im on vitamin D protocol.

Thanks

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Fluffyone
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Fluffyone profile image
Fluffyone

bloods continued

2nd page of results
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Your daughter needs full thyroid testing including thyroid antibodies

you have Hashimoto’s

It’s quite likely she may do too

Suggest she spends next 6 weeks improving very low vitamin levels and then get thyroid levels tested

Test thyroid levels early morning around 9am latest

List of private testing options and money off codes

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning. 

Watch out for postal strikes, probably want to pay for guaranteed 24 hours delivery 

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

is your daughter vegetarian or vegan?

Vitamin levels

B12 260 - extremely low

Folate deficient

Ferritin virtually deficient

Vitamin D deficient

Optimal levels are

Serum B12 at least over 500

Active B12 at least over 70

Vitamin D at least over 80nmol

Folate and ferritin at least half way through range

Only add one supplement at a time

Then wait 10-14days before adding another

Suggest start with separate B12, before adding folate

Then Vitamin D

And meanwhile significantly increasing iron rich foods in diet

Fluffyone profile image
Fluffyone in reply to SlowDragon

no she isn’t vegetarian

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Does your daughter have Low B12 symptoms 

If she does she should get tested via GP for Pernicious Anaemia before starting on B12

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

methyl-life.com/blogs/defic...

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)

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

B12 drops 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

B12 sublingual lozenges 

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

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

B12 range in U.K. is too wide

Interesting that in this research B12 below 400 is considered inadequate 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

How other member saw how effective improving low B vitamins has been 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Note that improving folate when B12 is very low is not a good idea. Taking folate before B12 is good enough can lead to severe neurological problems.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subac...

It is vital if intend to supplement both B12 and folate that B12 is started a week before the folate.

GP should really be prescribing folic acid for folate deficiency

But don’t start until week after starting B12 supplements or 48 hours after first B12 injection if GP agrees to start B12 injections

if GP doesn’t prescribe folic acid

Or if does prescribe folic acid ….once the prescription is finished….then start a good quality 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 Hashimoto’s 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) 

Thorne currently difficult to find at reasonable price, should be around £20 

If you want to try a different brand in the meantime, one with virtually identical doses of the ingredients, and bioavailable too, then take a look at Vitablossom Liposomal B Complex. Amazon sometimes has it branded Vitablossom but it's also available there branded as Yipmai, it's the same supplement

amazon.co.uk/Yipmai-Liposom...

or available as Vitablossom brand here

hempoutlet.co.uk/vitablosso... &description=true

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 stop vitamin B complex, might want to consider taking a separate methyl folate supplement and continue separate B12

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

GP should prescribe 1600iu everyday for 6 months

But likely better off self supplementing at high dose

2000iu or 3000iu daily

Retest in 3-4 months

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 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...

Interesting article by Dr Malcolm Kendrick on magnesium 

drmalcolmkendrick.org/categ...

Vitamin K2 mk7

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

humanbean profile image
humanbean

Hypochromasia means that your daughter's red blood cells are paler than they should be. It is haemoglobin which gives red blood cells their colour.

Hopefully this is because her iron, B12 and folate are too low (but can be treated), and not for some more complex reason.

You might find this link of use :

irondisorders.org/wp-conten...

It mentions a few kinds of anaemia in which red blood cells can be hypochromic.

.

You might find these links helpful :

perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...

perniciousanemia.org/b12/fo...

Please note that it is essential that your daughter's B12 is improved before adding in folate supplements. So, it is a good idea for her to take B12 for a week before adding in any folate supplements. I am assuming that B12 would be taken orally.

If she gets B12 injections the folate can be started a day or two earlier than it would be with tablets.

.

We suggest on this forum that ferritin be raised to approx 50% - 70% through the range. For other iron-related levels see this link :

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

.

Your daughter's liver, kidney, and bone health results are all fine.

.

Since your daughter's B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D are all too low she may have a problem with her gut that causes poor absorption of nutrients. The major things to consider are :

Coeliac Disease - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeli...

Crohn's Disease - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crohn...

Ulcerative Colitis - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulcer...

Please note that many people with thyroid disease don't have any of the above (and test negative for them) but still get a huge benefit from eating a gluten-free diet.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Suggest you request GP test for coeliac disease BEFORE she considers trailing strictly gluten free diet

low ferritin

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anae...

In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency

Also See page 7 on here 

rcn.org.uk/-/media/royal-co...

Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet 

Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

List of iron rich foods

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

irondisorders.org/too-littl...

davidg170.sg-host.com/wp-co...

Great in-depth article on low ferritin 

oatext.com/iron-deficiency-...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below

Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

restartmed.com/hypothyroidi...

Post discussing just how long it can take to raise low ferritin 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing. It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron 

Medichecks iron panel test 

medichecks.com/products/iro...

Iron and thyroid link

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Excellent article on iron and thyroid 

cambridge.org/core/journals...

Posts discussing why important to do full iron panel test

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Chicken livers if iron is good, but ferritin low

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Shellfish and Mussels are excellent source of iron 

healthline.com/nutrition/he...

Heme iron v non heme

hsph.harvard.edu/nutritions...

Ferritin over 100 to alleviate symptoms 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Low Iron implicated in hypothyroidism 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Ferritin range on Medichecks 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

We have received further information the lab about ferritin reference ranges. They confirm that they are sex dependent up to the age of 60, then beyond the age of 60 the reference range is the same for both sexes: 

Males 16-60: 30-400 ug/L

Female's: 16-60: 30-150

Both >60: 30-650 

The lower limit of 30 ug/L is in accordance with the updated NICE guidance and the upper limits are in accordance with guidance from the Association of Clinical Biochemists. ‘

Fluffyone profile image
Fluffyone in reply to SlowDragon

Hi,

My daughter has spoken to GP. He has reluctantly agreed to test for coeliacs and thyroid in 3 months. Can she start taking supplements before these tests?

 Start B12 and B complex (what dose of B12 please?)

then intro folic acid (what dose please?)Does she need ferritin supplements?

Start taking Vitamin D now?

When should she stop taking any vitamins before blood test?

Thank you

Fluffyone profile image
Fluffyone

Thank you so much everyone, as I knew you have been so helpful. I can’t believe they just text to say get supplements!

Fluffyone profile image
Fluffyone

Hi,

My daughter has spoken to GP. He has reluctantly agreed to test for coeliacs and thyroid in 3 months.

Can she start taking supplements before these tests?

Start B12 and B complex (what dose of B12 please?)

then intro folic acid (what dose please?)

Does she need ferritin supplements?

Start taking Vitamin D now?

When should she stop taking any vitamins before blood test?

Thank you

Fluffyone profile image
Fluffyone

sorry I’ve just gone through thread again and found the answers, apologies

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