British Vits
Hi all - I'm trying to optimise my vitamins but can't get Thorn Basic B from my normal supplier. I noticed in the process of attempting this that they come all the way from USA.
I'm wondering if anyone knows of a British supplier to recommend. I am looking at BioCare presently. I need all the B's, Selenium and Zinc. I don't absorb very well from my gut so I'm thinking of getting their pre-methylated products.
Anyone got any other ideas about clean, methylated vits from a UK source?
Many thanks
I don't know if they have what you're looking for, but Viridian are a UK company viridian-nutrition.com/
Thyroid UK discount codes for various supplement companies are here thyroiduk.org/discounts-on-...
It's really nice to buy British if we have comparable products to other countries. I have to say that there are few products that compare to the Thorne Basic B for quality and also quantity of the vitamins. I just looked at the B complex by Viridian and it only contains 200mcgs folic acid whichis far inferior. Sad but true.
I have looked at BioCare and again the quantity in each product is reduced compared to Basic B. Here's the numbers for what you are looking for.
you can buy it from iherb, they are here in the UK and import it. I agree I’d prefer less vitamin miles on my Bs!
I’ve tried alternatives and they aren’t a patch on it.
Maybe we need to approach Viridian with a request for a local alternative and cite the 130,000+ potential customers they’d have 💡
Some years ago I bought mine from iHerb, when it arrived at my doorstep I was charged duty on it.
really? Mine ship from the UK, they must have resolved this. What a nightmare, I had that happen with shelves from Italy after brexit a very unpleasant surprise 😫
I didn’t believe they were customs and excise, thought they were scammers and refused to pay them. They went away and I was contacted about it, too long ago to remember who now, but after I accepted that they were actually real and telling the truth they delivered my package again and I paid up.
That put me off buying anything from abroad.
I get my supplements from Your Nutrition Shop. Based in High Wycombe, UK. I find them very helpful.
Here's their link for the basic B complex.
yournutritionshop.com/produ...
Hope that's helpful.
Thank you Anthea55. I have a family member living close to Wycombe so could get him to pop in. I have done okay on the Thorne but my Vit D is now also low so I'm going to have to supplement that too. Quite good business for the vit suppliers aren't we?
Hello, Bigvits in Britain have Thorn basic, i use they seem a good company. If any help 😃x
British supplements. Very clean no binders or fillers. Only buy from their website. I always use them. Take a look and read reviews...
That doesn't make sense. You cannot make tablets without binders or fillers, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are dirty (i.e. opposite of clean).
Sorry i meant no nasty fillers or binders like some companies use
Supplements are big business whichever way you look at it. That sounds to me like just another marketing ploy.
Trying to help someone asking for a good company. Its up to them if they want to read up on them and use them
StitchFairy
It looks like they only sell capsules, not tablets, so no binders necessary. I don't use them (they slag off other companies which goes against the grain as far as I'm concerned) but the "clean" capsules I do use have rice flour as a filler, another one has linseed flour.
I use BioCare’s Menopause Multinutrient, not because it’s marketed for menopause 🙄 but because it has the range and potency I’m looking for these days. Here’s the back label.
Wow, thank you MineAllMine...that looks very comprehensive and it's got methylfolate instead of folic acid so: great. What time of day do you take it? I notice it's got Calcium in and I think I read something about us needing to take that 4 hours post meds?
It's a bit of a minefield isn't it???
Have managed to get my folate levels up with Thorne Basic B four times per week but my ferritin has reduced a tad and my D is 'insufficient' so I'm hoping one like this would cover all the bases AND be British.
I’m glad it looks as if it might be a possibility for you. I take my Levothyroxine at 6am, then two capsules of Menopausal Multinutrient at 10am. Depending on my time commitments, I take the third capsule three or four hours after that.
Do you mind me asking how long you have been dealing with this thyroid problem and what sort of dosage you are on? I think I'm still titrating up. I'm on 75mg now but just as soon as I think I'm alright, I start getting symptomatic again! I know my dose is a bit light for my weight but I'm hoping that optimising the vitamins means I can stay on the minimum of meds. So I am going to try that first.
That said, I keep getting days when I feel really weak. Maybe it's the low Vit D. The BioCare meno vits look jolly good and might well help with that. If not, it's back to docs for another increase 
it should be noted the Biocare Menopause Multinutrient contains more than the RDA of iodine .and since we already get quite lot of iodine from Levo. (T4 is made of 4 iodine atoms) .. and since iodine supplementation is not recommend for thyroid patients unless they know they are deficient (and then it should be done under the supervision of an experience practitioner since it can have complex effects on thyroid function ~ in high doses it used to be used to control HYPERthyroidism , so it can sometimes worsen hypothyroidism , but it can also cause hyperthyroidism )...... and since our own thyroid is not using much iodine to make T4/ T3 since we are taking levo instead .. our bodies actually need much less iodine daily than someone who is not taking levo.
Also the biotin content needs to be noted and the multivitamin stopped for (a few days ?can't remember how long ,sorry ) before blood tests for TSH / fT4 / fT3 as biotin can sometimes affect test results.
Multivitamins in general can have issues with some of their ingredients compromising the availability of others .. particularly iron ( which this one doesn't contain), but also other stuff that i've forgotten . SeasideSusie greygoose know more than i do about that side of things .. they have often posted about the complex interactions with mutivitamins.
Yes, that is why I was concerned and stopped taking my previous multivitamins...I do seem to be quite reactive to certain substances...but it's quite an expensive game trying to get enough of the right things independently isn't it? I don't know, perhaps I should just stay on the Thorne and add in others like the D3K2 and the selenium and zinc individually. I know Isabella Wentz is big on this and has all her various supplements at different times of day as well.....
Goodness me, I feel a bit overwhelmed with it all tbh.
But thanks for the advice...because the very last thing I want to do is set back any progress that has already been made
I wonder if other civilians have the faintest idea how much trouble we thyroid patients have to go to in order to get the balance right. Other illnesses just require people to pop meds given by docs and then they maintain or even recover. This journey feels like one step forward, two steps back. And that you have to be your own advocate/doctor whilst you are feeling so rubbish, and nag everyone in the medical and pharmaceutical business just to get the help and also a consistent BRAND of meds etc. Never mind bear the expense of private blood tests and a whole tranche of supplementary vitamins etc whilst you are struggling to stay awake long enough to actually get any work done. Assuming you even CAN work enough to pay for it all. Right about now, I feel like throwing my toys out of the pram and screaming 'it's not fair!'
A very well summed up 'rant' SilverSavvy .. i totally understand the 'toys out of pram' feeling...
most of us have been there .. and we often throw our toys out the pram on here . Having a proper rant to those that 'get it' usually helps.
Then we realise the GP's knows bugger all about how to get us better if the "little white pill / TSH back into range" theory doesn't work very well.. and the only person who gives enough of a sh*t about fixing us ...is us ......so we all end up doing the equivalent of an 'A' level in Thyroidology online while struggling to comprehend more than 3 words at once.
Absolutely NOT FAIR .
Welcome to the the land of "D.I.Y."
it does all seem 'a bit much' at first ,.... just take bite sized pieces of info/ take a break when yo need to , to allow your brain a few months to figure out one bit at once .
The only consolation is now you've found your way here , you know you're not alone .
I wish the internet/ this forum had been around when i first got hypo ... i spent 15 yrs thinking it really was 'just me' and nobody else had any problems with it once they were given levo .
Don't look at levo as a medication, or think that staying on a low dose is better for you than taking a higher dose , it's not ,....... its a replacement hormone.. and if you don't replace the amount your body needs to work properly ,then your body can't work properly .
Staying on a lower dose than you need is not better for you than taking the right dose .. that would be like choosing to be a bit malnourished ... not helpful .
Thank you tatty. It IS a help to let off steam here to people who understand. You are right about that. Time to go for a for a sleep I think... 
I would add that calcium supplements are rarely a good idea - like swallowing rocks! Very difficult to absorb where it's needed.
And, possibly more importantly, it contains both zinc and copper. Now, I know these two need to be balanced. But in a hypo body they rarely are - one is usually too high and the other consequently too low. And it's usually the copper that is high and the zinc low. Taking extra copper on top is really not a good idea! Can make you pretty ill. So, I would consign this multi into the dustbin, just like all the others.
MineAllMine
SilverSavvy
Thanks for this Grey Goose...I was wondering about the whole copper thing and meant to ask.
You've been at this a long while I think? What would you recommend? Slow Dragon is big on Thorne Basic B and it has definitely helped me although I can't take it every day but it works for me four days per week.
But I've also got low Vitmin D... and my T3 is only at 20% through range...so would you advocate taking them all separately and (in my case) pre-methylated? I am aware that many folk thing Selenium and Magnesium are important too...
Thorne Basic B is what I take.
Yes, I would advocate taking them all separately. But, not necessarily everything every day. At the moment what I'm taking is B vits one day, with potassium, and iron/vit C the next. These are what I feel I need most at the moment.
But I've also got low Vitmin D... and my T3 is only at 20% through range...
Sorry, I don't see the connection.
Good levels of selenium are necessary for good conversion. Conversion is not my problem though, and when I tried taking selenium (just in case!) it didn't suit me at all. What is important is what you need. Which is another reason I object to multis, they contain a lot that you don't need, and more is not better - and can be dangerous.
Magnesium is a different case. Absolutely essential to take magnesium if you're taking vit D because the two work together. And taking vit D without magnesium will deplete your magnesium. And most people are low in magnesium, anyway - hypo or not hypo - because modern farming methods have depleted the soils. So, yes, best to take it in one form or another.
I started reading about nutrients long before I was diagnosed hypo - although I already was if anybody had bothered to test. And then started experimenting. Magnesium was the first I tried, and it made me feel so much better! But, when I mentioned this to my doctor, he laughed at me! Literally laughed out loud!!! It made me feel so stupid that I stopped taking the magnesium, but it's my guess that I was magnesium deficient for a long, long time - B12 deficient, too, come to that. But I've never found a doctor that believes in the power of nutrition.
greygoose, ' I would advocate taking them all separately.'
I second that if you have any reason at all to be suspicious about symptoms from supplements. It was only by resorting to taking separate Bs years ago that I discovered I was reacting badly to biotin in the complexes.
Thank you Red Apple. I'm not totally sure about Biotin either. It's bit by bit for me, by the look of it. I can't tolerate anything like as much Thorne BB as it suggests on the label but I can manage one tablet about four times per week.
Would supplementation of B's cause Vitamin D to reduce do you think? Or might that just be the levo?
I have managed to get my ferritin and folate levels up and stabilise my B12 (always a problem) but now I'm 'insufficient' in D which I never was til now
Doctors...so sorry you were subjected to ridicule about something you needed and that it put you off taking it. I will go back to Thorne Basic B, get some magnesium and selenium as well as my Vit D3/K2 and take them all separately then. The Dr Sarah Weyhill clip posted earlier this morning was a real eye opener, especially from a former NHS doctor herself. I'm pretty sure that, like you, I was hypo long before I got diagnosed. Maybe decades. In fact, I would never have BEEN diagnosed at all if I hadn't actually demanded a T4 test and stuck at it through the surgery 'forgetting' to book me a blood test and the labs 'losing' my second go at getting a T4 result. And I'd been asking for years and years of many different docs before having to get stroppy.
I'm one of those who don't absorb vits very well from food and I'm not sure I convert T4 very effectively either. Although exercising/walking seems to really help with that of a morning.
It's all trial and error isn't it?
Thanks for your help. I hope you are feeling okay yourself.
Pink Tribe Liposomal Vitamin B complex soft gels from Amazon. Pretty well the same ingredients as Thorne B.
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed here: really useful assistance. Lots to think about....
Me and my daughter use these , (only cos i found them on half price special offer last yr at sainsbury's so i bought a few bottles....... dunno if it's just placebo effect cos the yellow box matches the paint in our kitchen so it looks pretty on the shelf in front of a plant ...or because i'm a secret supporter of all things 'elderberry' ... but we both think we feel better when we take them .
"VITL Immune Support"
Made in UK ...... about £10 for 30 (dose one per day)
per capsule ................ quantity ............ % NRV (nutrient reference value)
Vit D3 ........................... 25ug .................. 500% ..........as Cholecalciferol from algae
Vit E .............................. 12mg a-TE ...... 100% ......... as D- Alpha Tocopherol
Vit C ............................. 180mg ............. 225% .........as Ascorbic Acid
Vit B6 ........................... 1.4mg .............. 100% ......... as Pyridoxal -5- Phosphate
Vit B12 ........................ 10ug ................. 400% .........as Methyl Cobalamin
Folic Acid (folate) ..... 200ug ............. 100% ...... L-5- Methyltetrahydrofolate (B9)
Zinc .............................. 15mg ................ 150% .........as Zinc Picolinate
Copper ....................... 1000ug ........... 100% ............ as Copper Gluconate
Selenium ................... 85ug ..................165% ........... L- Selenomethyonine
Beta Glucon (70% 1.3 - 1.6) ......................................140mg
Curcumin Extract (95% curcuminoids) .................100mg
Elderberry 30:1 extract..30mg................................30mg (equivalent to 900mg of berry)
Black Pepper Extract (bioperine) ...........................1mg
Discussed it on related post here: healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... @radd thought it looked pretty good .
Oh, they look very interesting...especially for maintenance once optimal - and no iodine...nor iron. Could this be the perfect British supplement and only for £10???? It's a miracle and excuse me, I'm off to Sainsburys!
Hello again Tatty...just to let you know they have changed the formula for this now...they've taken all the B's out
Where did you read that ?.. still contains B vit's & ingredients seem unchanged on Vitl website.
vitl.com/product/immune-sup...
Just bought one this morning. Got it in Boots. Holland and Barrett website (and Sainsbury's now alas), say there has been a new formulation
Ah, i see what you mean re. sainsbury's page ... the original still seems to be available on Vitl website .. and no mention of the new formula on there .. i have emailed them to ask them to clarify whether the original will still be available in future .. (and dropped in that we have over 130,00 members and we rather liked the look of the original).... will let you know if i get reply .. in the meantime i might try to buy some originals off the website .
I hate buying things online.... (luddite) .... might get my kid to do it .
I bought the new one but I can't find any info on the type of folic acid (they are just calling it 'folate') so if it's not methylfolate I'm stuffed. So annoying when they just swap things around randomly like that. Even if I get some old stock they'll be out of it before too long so it's back to square one. If I can ascertain that it IS methylfolate I'll just add other B's in on top of this new Immune Support.
Well done for pointing out the potentially huge demand from TUK.
Good luck getting enough of the old stuff to last you a while. Problem with buying online is that you can't tell the sell by date....
Oh they do say...it's L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate...so it looks methylated.
Here's what the new Vitl Immune Support has:
Vitamin D3 (1,000 iu) 25ug (Cholicalciferol from Lichen)
Vitamin C 320mg
Folate 400ug
Zinc Citrate 15mg
Copper Gluconate 1mg
L- Selenomethionine 55ug
Turmeric (95% curcuminoids) 100mg
Ginger Root 20:1 Extract (equivalent to 800mg of ginger) 40mg
Elderberry 30:1 extract (equivalent to 900mg of berry - 30mg
Capsule shell is Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Well ...... i've just been out for a bike ride the rain..... if anybody was thinking of going to Lancaster sainsburys to see if they have still got any of the original ones .. you're too late ... i've got them all 6 of them . Sell by dates up to 11/24
(and i've got the 3 from the Morecambe store too... cos i'm greedy)
So it seems they are still out there ... but best hurry up
The new ones have a little green circle on the front of the box saying 'new formula'.. the original ones don't .
Hd a reply from Vitl :
"Thanks once again for getting back to me,
So, the immune support you are looking for is still available via our website. The new formula (without vitamins B6 and 12) is only sold in shops like Sainsbury's at the moment.
Would you be interested in ordering via our online shop and also share that link in the forum, highlighting that if they want this exact formula, they can shop it from our website? 😊
The link to our immune support with the formula you are looking for is indeed this one: vitl.com/product/immune-sup...
Good to know tatty, thank you for going to source. It looked really good for those who can tolerate copper...and so much cheaper than having to get them all separately...
metabolics for Bs I really like as ionic is very well absorbed
Have a look at thesewater-for-health.co.uk/prod...
They have only just become available, they used to sell a sublingual range but the US supplier went under.
So they have developed these, made in the UK with minimal exipients and no magnesium stearate.
Hope they're helpful.
Vit B12 deficiency or Thyroid?
Vit b12 advice please
Help with results and vit D
Vit K2 + Magnesium supplement
Hols in France and Meds/vits
Sorry, should also have added D3 and K2...
Yes they do that too...