Blood test results

[Dadof5]

I had my bloods redone by the hospital after seeing my doctor last week. I did ask for the full thyroid panel but they only did TSH.

[Dadof5]

Other vitamin and folate and ferritin

Text

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

The majority of people here have to pay for private tests to see the results needed to optimise thyroid treatment. List of labs and discount codes here. thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

Your TSH is still above 1. Some people need it slightly below, how do you feel?

All of your vitamins are on the low side due to low stomach acid and poor absorption.

D3 - Buy a good D3 with K2 to help it go to the bones. Use this calc to work out how much to take to get it to 100. grassrootshealth.net/projec...

B12 - Are you vegetarian or vegan? This a very low but within range result.

Folate - people report feeling better when their folate is at 20.

Ferritin - should be 90-100 for best use of thyroid hormones and to be symptom free. Focus on iron rich diet - chicken livers a few times a week or pate.

[Dadof5 in reply to Jaydee1507]

Thanks for the reply. Doctor sent me text saying that my vit D was low and that I should buy a supplement from the pharmacy. I’m not vegetarian or vegan but I don’t eat any fruit but I try and eat a lot of broccoli and cauliflower each week.

I’ll try and eat some pate more often but not sure what to do about the folate.

I’ve previously done a private blood test and don’t mind doing them more often but I don’t know how to get the doctor to prescribe an extra 25mg seeing as my TSH is reasonable.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Dadof5]

First step is to improve all four vitamins to optimal levels

Low vitamin levels tend to lower TSH,

Obviously just testing TSH is completely useless

B12, folate and vitamin D all need supplementing

Have you been taking any vitamin D before this test?

GP should prescribe 1600iu everyday for 6 months

NHS Guidelines on dose vitamin D required

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

However with thyroid issues we frequently need higher dose than average

Suggest you start on 3000iu daily and retest in 3-4 months

Test twice yearly via NHS private testing service when supplementing 

vitamindtest.org.uk

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 thyroid disease , 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, you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Trial and error what that dose is

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...

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...

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Dadof5]

Only add one supplement at a time

Suggest starting with vitamin D, followed by B12, then folate and then magnesium

Meanwhile working on improving low ferritin with red meat daily, with orange juice (vitamin C) to help improve absorption. Liver or liver pate, black pudding etc

Vitamin levels are low in all likelihood because your thyroid levels are low

Retest FULL Thyroid and vitamin levels privately 6-8 weeks after adding last vitamin supplement

Test early morning, around 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

[SlowDragon Administrator]

B12 is far too low

Do you have Low B12 symptoms 

If you do, you ideally should get GP to test for Pernicious Anaemia, but if they won’t then you need to start supplementing

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 separate B12 supplement and after a week or so add a separate vitamin B Complex 

Then once your serum B12 is over 500 (or Active B12 level has reached 70), you may be able to reduce then stop the B12 and just carry on with the B Complex.

B12 drops - very effective

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Or

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...

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 

healthline.com/nutrition/fo...

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-£25. iherb.com often have in stock. Or ebay

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 and separate B12

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

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

You have a lot of information to go through about vitamins from SlowDragon.

As far as getting an increase goes, find the most helpful and open minded GP in your practice. Take along some of the references from this post. healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

Suggest you trial the increase to start with, be insistent and don't back down too easily. Its a matter for negotiation. If one GP refuses then try another, be persistent - nicely.