I’ve been on 50mg Levothyroxine since September 2022. My mother and grandmother had the same under active condition. Recently put on 75mg but still tired and unmotivated. I am wondering if anyone has heard of using Amla powder to treat condition instead of Levothyroxine.
I have also been put on statins and baby aspirin after a sensory stroke. Amla can apparently thin the blood and reduce LDL without the potential side effects. Has anyone here had any experience of Amla.
Your replies greatly appreciated.
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Levothyroxine is the replacement hormone that your thyroid gland can no longer make. Amla powder is a nutritional supplement. Maybe it will help you to feel better in some way, but it cannot replace the deficient thyroid hormone, so you cannot take it instead of levothyroxine.
It sounds very much as though you were badly let down by your doctor/GP surgery. 50mcg levothyroxine is a starter dose for hypothyroidism and highly unlikely to be a replacement dose. So you’ve most likely been left undermedicated for a considerable length of time, which may have contributed to your other health woes.
I don’t know very much about Amla powder but a quick google suggests it’s high in selenium, zinc and Vitamin C. Not sure how it’s claiming the other health benefits.
So. Back to basics. You say you’ve recently had your dose raised to 75mcg. Do you know your current thyroid blood test results? It will take between 6-8 weeks to start to feel the benefit of a dose increase. The other issue about being undermedicated for a long time is that you’re probably low in Vit B12, folate, iron/ferritin and Vit D, because being undermedicated affects your gut’s ability to absorb nutrition from food. Being deficient in just one of these can leave you feeling awful—we frequently see that undermedicated hypothyroid folk are deficient in multiple vits /minerals.
Happily, you’ve found us. There’s lots to learn but it’s not that hard once you start to understand how it all works.
I think I have to be more proactive about my health as GP’s are so swamped.
I had a TSH of 12.8 3 months ago and 6.6 a month ago. I believe it needs to come down a lot more. On reading more I have seen Amla mentioned to be of benefit to hypothyroid patients but not as a replacement for Levothyroxine. Luckily there are no negative no interactions; so I may be able to replace statins and aspirin with it (and specific dietary changes) as it can achieve similar results without the possible side effects.
You don't need statins. Not only don't you need them but they aren't recommended for hypos or women. What you need is correct thyroid treatment because high cholesterol is linked to low T3.
In the meantime, the cholesterol isn't doing you any harm. It doesn't cause heart attacks or stroks, low T3 does. Your doctor won't like it because he just wants to prescribe as many statins to as many people as possible but he actually knows nothing about cholesterol nor the drug he prescribes so freely.
And don't bother with the dietary changes, either. Cholesterol levels have little to do with what you eat. It's made in the liver and the liver keeps the level steady by making more the less you eat and vice versa. It's just that when T3 is low, the body cannot process cholesterol correctly and it tends to build up in the blood. Also, there's no such thing as 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol, there's just cholesterol and the body needs it. The good and bad labels were just invented by Big Pharma to scare people into taking statins!
Wherever they make you feel well. And only you can know that. But most hypos feel good when their FT4 is around 75% through the range, which the FT3 slightly lower.
Just as a comparison, I was started on 50mg levothyroxine for 8 weeks in May. Went back to GP on Monday with my latest test results (TSH at 2.06, free T4 16.6, free T3 3.8). My GP put me up to 100mg in response as I have felt completely exhausted and lethargic for the previous 4 weeks after an initial surge in energy. He is concerned I may not be converting T4 to T3 as well as I should, so it remains to be seen what will happen next after my next blood tests in 6-8 weeks time and how I respond to the new dose. Being left on 50mg for so long is brutal, and I honestly don’t know how you’ve coped 😞
I don’t feel I’m getting proper service from doctors. They’re never checked my T3 or T4!
I’m planning a blood test with these and TSH….and vitamins suggested on here though I am on3x100g Thiamine a day due to long term alcohol use. (Which I have ceased)
I have been shattered and having to rest each day after a few hours awake. I thought it was due to stroke in 2022 but from comments on here I can see my newly acquired vertigo may be due to thyroid imbalance.
I have been getting my tests through blue horizon (gold thyroid panel, which has a good range of vitamins and other things such as ferritin included, and TPO and TG antibodies). They are quick and seem reliable. I’m unsure if thiamine would impact test results, but you can always contact the provider and check before ordering a kit.
Yes, it does sound as though you’ve been massively disserviced by your GP, which is sad but also not uncommon. I ended up seeing a private GP as my NHS one was disinterested as I wasn’t sick enough based on blood tests, and she wasn’t interested in how I was actually functioning… It’s incredibly disappointing and disheartening - thank goodness for the wonderful people here who are willing to share and support others 🥰
50mcg levothyroxine is only the standard STARTER dose
High cholesterol suggests you are likely on inadequate dose levothyroxine
what is the reason for your hypothyroidism
Do you have autoimmune thyroid disease
Seems likely as close family also hypothyroid
Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine
75mcg is still a low dose
Which brand is the 75mcg …..if a single tablet it will be Teva
Teva brand many people
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested
Also both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once to see if your hypothyroidism is autoimmune
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
Low vitamin levels are extremely common when hypothyroid, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease, usually diagnosed by high TPO and/or high TG thyroid antibodies
Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s
Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis.
Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.
Significant minority of Hashimoto’s patients only have high TG antibodies (thyroglobulin)
20% of autoimmune thyroid patients never have high thyroid antibodies and ultrasound scan of thyroid can get diagnosis
In U.K. medics hardly ever refer to autoimmune thyroid disease as Hashimoto’s (or Ord’s thyroiditis)
Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Lower vitamin levels more common as we get older
For good conversion of Ft4 (levothyroxine) to Ft3 (active hormone) we must maintain GOOD vitamin levels
What vitamin supplements are you taking
Also VERY important to test TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 together
What is reason for your hypothyroidism
Autoimmune?
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.
There’s a lot to take in there. My diagnosis always seems to be the TSH. 3 months ago it was 12.8. Last month after going to 75mg (a 50 and a 25) it was 6.6. I believe it sill needs to come way down and have only been told my thyroid does actually function.
I was put on Statins and aspirin not because of high cholesterol but after a thalamic infarct which lead to a sensory stroke. My levels of LDL and HDL are good.
I now realise that Amla can assist with hypothyroidism but cannot replace thyroxin.
Lactose free brands - currently Teva or Vencamil only
Teva makes 25mcg, 50mcg, 75mcg and 100mcg
Many patients do NOT get on well with Teva brand of Levothyroxine.
Teva is lactose free.But Teva contains mannitol as a filler instead of lactose, which seems to be possible cause of problems. Mannitol seems to upset many people, it changes gut biome
Teva is the only brand that makes 75mcg tablet.
So if avoiding Teva for 75mcg dose ask for 25mcg to add to 50mcg or just extra 50mcg tablets to cut in half
But for some people (usually if lactose intolerant, Teva is by far the best option)
Vencamil (currently 100mcg only) is lactose free and mannitol free. 25mcg and 50mcg tablets hopefully available from summer 2024
If a patient reports persistent symptoms when switching between different levothyroxine tablet formulations, consider consistently prescribing a specific product known to be well tolerated by the patient.
Physicians should: 1) alert patients that preparations may be switched at the pharmacy; 2) encourage patients to ask to remain on the same preparation at every pharmacy refill; and 3) make sure patients understand the need to have their TSH retested and the potential for dosing readjusted every time their LT4 preparation is switched (18).
was cholesterol tested before dose was increased to 75mcg …..or after
Book a follow up blood test 2-3 months after increase to 75mcg
Quite likely ready for next increase by then
Even if we frequently start on only 50mcg, most people need to increase levothyroxine dose slowly upwards in 25mcg steps (retesting 6-8 weeks after each increase) until eventually on, or near full replacement dose (typically 1.6mcg levothyroxine per kilo of your weight per day)
In the majority of patients 50-100 μg thyroxine can be used as the starting dose. Alterations in dose are achieved by using 25-50 μg increments and adequacy of the new dose can be confirmed by repeat measurement of TSH after 2-3 months.
The majority of patients will be clinically euthyroid with a ‘normal’ TSH and having thyroxine replacement in the range 75-150 μg/day (1.6ug/Kg on average).
The recommended approach is to titrate thyroxine therapy against the TSH concentration whilst assessing clinical well-being. The target is a serum TSH within the reference range.
……The primary target of thyroxine replacement therapy is to make the patient feel well and to achieve a serum TSH that is within the reference range. The corresponding FT4 will be within or slightly above its reference range.
The minimum period to achieve stable concentrations after a change in dose of thyroxine is two months and thyroid function tests should not normally be requested before this period has elapsed.
Some people need a bit less than guidelines, some a bit more
TSH should be under 2 as an absolute maximum when on levothyroxine
If symptoms of hypothyroidism persist despite normalisation of TSH, the dose of levothyroxine can be titrated further to place the TSH in the lower part of the reference range or even slightly below (i.e., TSH: 0.1–2.0 mU/L), but avoiding TSH < 0.1 mU/L. Use of alternate day dosing of different levothyroxine strengths may be needed to achieve this (e.g., 100 mcg for 4 days; 125 mcg for 3 days weekly).
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