Any guidance appreciated - photos in comments

[jodes86baldwin]

Please find attached my latest bloods from gp. Prescription for 5mg of folic acid has been issued one a day for four months. Any advice on this be greatly appreciated.

See attached photos in comments.

[jodes86baldwin]

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Blood test

[jodes86baldwin in reply to jodes86baldwin]

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Blood test

[jodes86baldwin]

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Blood test

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

What dose are you on now and how do you feel?

When did you last take levo/t3 before test?

Free T4 (fT4) 21.9 pmol/L (10 - 22) 99.2%

Free T3 (fT3) 5.7 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8) 70.3%

These are pretty good results. Your vitamins not so much.

B12 is below 500. I would recommend a good B complex such as this one. amazon.co.uk/Liposomal-Soft...

Ferritin is only a few points above deficiency. NICE state that ferritin 30 or less is deficient. I would recommend getting an iron panel done by GP or privately. see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

No Vit D result which if you're not supplementing is likely to be a lot less than optimal or even deficient also. Cheapest home test is £31. vitamindtest.org.uk/

[jodes86baldwin in reply to Jaydee1507]

175 levo was taken yesterday morning, I take 4000iu vit d. I feel better than I did but still feel tired, I also can't shift weight, since having my baby 2021 I've gained 2 stone.

Also still breastfeeding.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to jodes86baldwin]

If your vitamins are off then your thyroid hormone cannot work well.

If you have just started B12 injections that alone will take a while to take effect. In the mean time get going with the B complex, add in lots of iron rich foods to your diet a few times a week - hecken livers, pate, red meat. Would be good to see where your vit D is at on 4,000iu. Some pople do need more and it should be checked twice a year anyway.

[jodes86baldwin in reply to Jaydee1507]

I eat a fair bit of red meat. We have it at least twice a week. I'm not sure I could stomach liver though. In 6 weeks I'll ask for my vit d to be checked when they test my thyroid again

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to jodes86baldwin]

You're obviously not absorbing things well. Get GP to run an iron panel but your ferritin is too low.

[jodes86baldwin in reply to Jaydee1507]

Just ordered the b complex thank you

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to jodes86baldwin]

Don’t take vitamin B complex and folic acid

Either wait until finished folic acid on prescription or alternate days folic acid and vitamin B complex

[SlowDragon Administrator]

no vitamin D test results

NHS rules usually say no retest for 2 years

You can ask GP to test again as it’s 3-4 months since test showed your vitamin D was too low

But otherwise test here

vitamindtest.org.uk/

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Folate, ferritin and B12 all on low side

Think you’re dairy free?

Are you also gluten free?

[jodes86baldwin in reply to SlowDragon]

Introduced dairy back into diet and not gluten free. I take 4000iu daily

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to jodes86baldwin]

Is it possible thyroid and/or vitamin levels have got worse since you started back on dairy?

[jodes86baldwin in reply to SlowDragon]

No I'd say they are worse since having my son 2 years ago and spending the last 2 years breastfeeding but no one not even the gp is interested in supporting breastfeeding mothers and helping them find the right supplements.

I also asked the gp if I could be peri menopausal as my symptoms are very similar and my mum went through it young. The gp told me not to be so stupid!!

I asked for an endo referral and she said she only refers when patients are on 200mg levo, I'm on 175 wouldn't it be more beneficial to send me and see what's going on.

Sorry not ranting at you. Just frustrated.

I felt absolutely awful being dairy free, worse than I am now.

I said to my husband maybe this is just how I'm meant to be at nearly 40, breastfeeding a 2 year old, working full time and running a home!

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to jodes86baldwin]

Once you finish folic acid on prescription

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 try ebay 

Other options 

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

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 folate supplement (eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg)

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

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Also ….

Your ferritin is terrible and will make you feel very tired

you need full iron panel test for anaemia

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...

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

An article that explains why Low ferritin and low thyroid levels are often linked 

preventmiscarriage.com/iron...

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...

Effective supplement 

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...

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...

Good iron but low ferritin 

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...

Great research article discussing similar…..ferritin over 100 often necessary 

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

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. ‘

[jodes86baldwin in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for all that wonderful advice.I'm reluctant to take the folic acid to be honest.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to jodes86baldwin]

Try taking vitamin B complex one day and folic acid next day

When finish folic acid prescription move to vitamin B complex daily

[jodes86baldwin in reply to SlowDragon]

I've started the vit b that was suggested by someone in the post