For my fellow Restless Leg Syndrome sufferers

[Swissgirl]

Hi everyone. Just thought I would share this info with you all, in case it helps. Just had a sleep lab done for disability pension process here in Switzerland, due to Chronic Fatigue from Hashis and MCAS. At follow up appointment to discuss results with Neurologist I mentioned that my RLS symptoms had slowly got better ( although not gone) as I increased my thyroid hormone - I’m on Armour Thyroid NDT (still not yet optimal after 2.5 years, but slowly getting there) and high- dose magnesium. She said it was also essential to keep Ferritin at ca 100 mcg/l. Think that taking low dose Naltrexone ( LDN) has also helped.

Thought it was very positive to find an enlightened doctor who actually recommends keeping eye on ferritin levels.

All the best to all you wonderful people on this forum. Thank you for all that you do🌸

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Sleep clinics are good with ferritin. I get asked if mine has been checked all the time there. Shame it goesn't creep out into other specialities.

[Alanna012 in reply to Jaydee1507]

It's interesting, I wonder if that's because due to the nature of the 'malady' they are forced to be more holistic?

I also think Dermatology can be good in this respect and be a bit more holistic.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Alanna012]

Not really holistic. Theres good scientific evidence that low ferritin worsens or even causes restless legs. I have a similar condition, periodic limb movement disorder which happens during my sleep and the effect of low ferritin is the same for that too.

[Alanna012 in reply to Jaydee1507]

I wonder if that's what's causing my muscles to twitch and jerk at night (and sometimes in the day)🤔. I take a lot of magnesium and found adrenavive has helped also, so it's less severe..but it still happens. When it has been really bad, even my eyelids will involuntarily blink at times. I put it down to excess histamine but maybe it's ferritin, which mine is low. I'm trying hard to get it higher.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Alanna012]

Likely low ferritin.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

We post about importance of GOOD vitamin levels on levothyroxine all the time

Vitamin D at least over 80nmol (40ng/mL)

Folate at least half way through range

Serum B12 at least over 500

Ferritin at least over 100

As vegetarian presumably you supplement B12 daily anyway and vitamin B complex

Extremely to maintain good iron and ferritin when hypothyroid/on replacement thyroid hormones, but especially if vegetarian

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

Serum ferritin level is the biochemical test, which most reliably correlates with relative total body iron stores. In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.

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 50.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

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...

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. ‘

[Swissgirl]

Hi all. Thanks for your comments. I just thought I’d pass on that tidbit in case it helped anyone. I was pleasantly surprised that a Neurologist should recommend this.

SlowDragon I presume the vegetarian/ vegan comment was meant for me? thank you. Need to update my bio asap! I eat meat and fish, only protein I tolerate. Am on very very strict and limited diet due to MCAS - no gluten, dairy, eggs ( except just discovered I do tolerate quails eggs- what a treat!) soya, allium family ( onion, garlic, etc), nightshades, pulses, high sulphur foods, nuts, seeds, oils ( except ghee), a lot of fruit and veg due to histamine…, Basically the things I can’t eat are more than those I can.

I keep a regular check on Vit D, B12, folate and Ferritin. Have Ferritin IVs due to gastro issues. Mainly due to MCAS but also Hashis. Take a ton of supplements as well as all the essential like bioavailability B complex, etc.