Iodine and Selenium

[Elsabounre]

Recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism..but not prescribed any meds as total result still seems to function...I have done some research and have seen that this disease can be because of a lack of iodine and selenium..at the time my b12 was low, but now ok with me buying b12 drops..methylcobalamin..has anyone tried these suppliments?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Regarding selenium, maybe have a look at my document (which is in need of revision!)

helvella - Selenium Document

A few notes about selenium.

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

Regarding iodine, there are ongoing arguments with many advocating caution and avoiding any supplementary iodine. While others take gigantic amounts and seem to ignore potential dangers.

[greygoose]

Hi Elsabounre, welcome to the forum.

Hypothyroidism can be cause by iodine deficiency, of course, but that's rather rare in the Western World.

The most common cause of hypo here is Autoimmune Thyroid Disease, where the immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid. To know if you have that you need your TPO and Tg antibodies tested. Did they do that?

To know if you are iodine deficient you need to have your iodine level tested with a reputable test such as a non-loading urine test. If you are not deficient then taking iodine supplements is not going to do anything for you and could be dangerous. Iodine is not something to mess around with.

What to you mean by: not prescribed any meds as total result still seems to function...? Do you mean your thyroid is still functioning? I hope it is! You really shouldn't wait until it stops functioning to take thyroid hormone replacement! That would make you very ill.

Do you have a copy of your blood test results? The best tip I can give you is to always, always get a print-out of your results. If you are in the UK it is your legal right to have one. You need to know exactly what was tested, and exactly what the results were, and learn to interpret them - we can help you with that if you post them here, with the ranges.

[Elsabounre in reply to greygoose]

Yes I do have a report..will try to post

[Elsabounre in reply to Elsabounre]

My goodness..why can't I post the pics here??

[Elsabounre in reply to Elsabounre]

T3....4.2T4.....10.6

TSH...9.49

ANTI TG....49.9

ANTI TPO..31.0

ANTI TSH RECEPTOR 0.8

TRIGLYCIDERIDE 1.3..

NOT ABLE TO POST PICS OF RESULTS..SORRY

[Tinkerbell_84 in reply to greygoose]

So sorry greygoose to jump in what would be the readings if it has stopped working as my husband asked me this.

Many thanks

[greygoose in reply to Tinkerbell_84]

If what has stopped working? Your thyroid? It would be FT4 0, FT3 0 and TSH through the roof, probably. But I think you would be very, very ill long before it got to that point. It can't happen over-night.

[Tinkerbell_84 in reply to greygoose]

Yes thyroid stopping working. Is it best to not take thyroid therapy until it stops or do you take it before that point.

[greygoose in reply to Tinkerbell_84]

Long before! The time it would take to completely stop would make you very ill.

[Elsabounre in reply to greygoose]

ElsabounreElsabounreA few seconds ago

T3....4.2.........2.4 to 6.0....3.3 .....6 MTHS AGO

T4.....10.6......9.0 to 19.0.....10.1 ....6 MONTHS AGO

TSH...9.49.......030 to 4.30.... 8.20 ..6 MTHS AGO

ANTI TG....49.9.......4.1

ANTI TPO..31.0.....5.6

ANTI TSH RECEPTOR 0.8......3.1

TRIGLYCIDERIDE 1.3..

B12....482.....220

VIT D3......105........50 TO 150

NOT ABLE TO POST PICS OF RESULTS..SORRY

[greygoose in reply to Elsabounre]

Your TSH is 9.49 and they are refusing to treat you?!?!? Oh, there'd be a few plant pots thrown in my doctor's surgery if it were me! Your thyroid is not still functioning, it's being flogged to death.

And your Frees look low, too - although hard to say for sure without the ranges - I did say we needed the ranges. Plus you have high antibodies. Treatment should have been initiated a long time ago, before it got to this stage. Time to start putting your foot down.

[Elsabounre in reply to greygoose]

Not my first thyroid test..do blood tests every 6 months...was always told still ok...blood test st 11.30 am with no food consumed.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Elsabounre]

blood test st 11.30 am with no food consumed.

TSH would have been higher if tested at 8-9am

Next test ….book earlier

How low was B12 ?

Low vitamin levels are more common as we get older

Low vitamin levels are especially common when hypothyroid

Have you had vitamin D, folate, ferritin levels tested too

Please add results

Low vitamin levels tend to lower TSH

TSH over 3 …..let alone very nearly at 10 says your thyroid is struggling

See Graph showing median TSH in healthy population is 1-1.5

web.archive.org/web/2004060...

Starting levothyroxine - flow chart

With TSH over 10 GP must prescribe levothyroxine

With TSH between 5-10 and symptoms GP can elect to start you on levothyroxine

gps.northcentrallondonccg.n...

What are previous Thyroid results

[greygoose in reply to Elsabounre]

So, doing your blood draw before 9 am would more than likely get you a diagnosis and treatment.

[tattybogle]

can you add the lab ranges used for fT4 and fT3 tests (usually shown after result in brackets.

(your fT4 result looks low enough to be below most ranges )

is this your first thyroid test ?

NHS guidelines say TSH of 9 .4 is high enough to be started on levo if you have symptoms of hypothyroidism , (doctor would need to see 2 over rangeTSH results taken 3 months apart before prescribing (to rule out a 'one -off' temporary raise in TSh for some other reason)

when TSH is over 10 then NHs guidelines say levothyroxine should be prescribed even if there are no symptoms of hypothyroidism. What time oif day was this test done ? ( TSH ha a circadian rhythm , it is higher early am ~ falling to lowest around 1-3pm, so if this test was in the afternoon , then TSH may already be over 10 if tested around 9am

[Elsabounre in reply to tattybogle]

T3....4.2.........2.4 to 6.0

T4.....10.6......9.0 to 19.0

TSH...9.49.......030 to 4.30

ANTI TG....49.9.......4.1

ANTI TPO..31.0.....5.6

ANTI TSH RECEPTOR 0.8......3.1

TRIGLYCIDERIDE 1.3..

[tattybogle in reply to Elsabounre]

have you previously had a TSH result over 4.3 ? if so, then the GP should be seriously considering starting you on levo unless they have a very good reason not to .

tested at 11.30am ... so it's a very good bet that if by chance you'd done that test at 9 am it would have been over 10 .. meaning they should start to treat you (regardless of having any hypo symptoms or not) because the NHs guidelines say the risks of all sorts of other things increase significantly when TSH is at this sort of level .... eg cardiovascular problems , raised cholesterol , all sorts .

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng145 nhs thyroid treatment guidelines

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Elsabounre]

ANTI TG....49.9.......4.1

ANTI TPO..31.0.....5.6

These are unusual ranges

Most common ranges in U.K.

TPO over 34 = high = autoimmune

TG over 115 = high = autoimmune

But different labs have different ranges

Both results are over range - therefore the cause of your hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease

Even more reason GP should be starting you on levothyroxine

Standard STARTER dose if over 65 years old is 25mcg levothyroxine daily

Retest after 6-8 weeks and then get dose increase to 50mcg daily (standard starter dose if under 65 )

You will need further increases in dose over coming months

You also need coeliac blood test at diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease (hashimoto’s)

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

A trial of strictly gluten free diet is always worth doing

Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential

A strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential due to gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and may slowly lower TPO antibodies

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first as per NICE Guidelines

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20/c...

Or buy a test online, about £20

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet 

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially) 

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too. Approx 50-60% find dairy free beneficial

With loads of vegan dairy alternatives these days it’s not as difficult as in the past

Post discussing gluten

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...