results and triglycerides

[Auntyp62]

Hi, I posted my daughters results on here 5 months ago. Her gp has just contacted her to say he had just noticed on a NHS. Blood test from August 24 that her triglycerides were 13.5 and in October they were 8.8. He did explain there could be a connection between this and under active thyroid but dismissed it as her TSH was 2.2. He now wants to put her on an 8 week course of a drug with lots of side effects to lower the triglycerides, without re testing to see if it has changed since last blood test.

She is having a new private test for triglycerides and cholesterol on Wednesday so we can establish a new baseline. And see if things have changed.

Her latest private thyroid tests still show low T4 and T3 and for the first time she has raised antibodies.

I feel like this is all pointing to her being hypo. She also has all the symptoms but as usual everything is done with gp on the phone and phone put down when he has said what he wants to say.

I am very tempted to buy thyro gold and start a very low dose and see if that changes things. Advice would be very welcome.

[GlowCoach Administrator]

Has daughter also tested key vitamin levels? With low thyroid levels, vitamin deficiencies go hand in hand.

Raised antibodies indicate autoimmune hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's disease.

Has she tried a strictly gluten free diet to help symptoms?

Where have you got to with the GP regarding hypothyroidism?

No doubt her rock bottom FT4 & FT3 are raising her cholesterol but she may need an Endo appointment to look for secondary hypo (low FT4, normal TSH) and possible treatment.

[Auntyp62 in reply to GlowCoach]

thank you for the advice …..not tried gluten free, maybe that is next step

[Auntyp62 in reply to GlowCoach]

Gp says no problem with thyroid as tsh is ok. Ignoring t4 and t3. All vitamins now in high quadrants as she worked hard on that.

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Auntyp62]

She needs to be pushing to see an Endo with those below range/bottom of range FT4. If you don't starat driving her diagnosis she will languish like this for years. If you can afford to see one privately then so much the better. Email: [e-mail] for a list of Endo's. make a post with a few names and ask for feedback by PM only.

What time of day was this test taken btw? Highest TSH is at 9am or earlier.

[Auntyp62 in reply to GlowCoach]

It was at 9.40

[PixieElv in reply to Auntyp62]

It could be central hypothyroidism, where her pituitary gland isn’t working properly. TSH is normal/within range by T4 or T3 is low.

If you can, go to a private Endo. They will diagnose properly for you/your daughter and write to your GP. GPs normally accept the diagnosis but will not make it themselves.

I hope all goes well

[SlowDragon Administrator]

post 5 months ago

Vit d 55

B12 85. >37.5

Vitamin D too low

B12 borderline

No folate and no ferritin results

What vitamin supplements is she taking

Test vitamin D twice yearly when supplementing

Can test via NHS private testing service

vitamindtest.org.uk

test folate and ferritin and B12

monitormyhealth.org.uk/anae...

[Auntyp62 in reply to SlowDragon]

She has done well on her supplements and all results are now in upper quadrant. She fells better than 5 months ago but still symptomatic. All tested privately in January except for cholesterol which will be done Wednesday

[humanbean]

Personal anecdote...

My triglycerides reduce when I reduce my sugar intake.

A lot of doctors tell patients that triglycerides reduce when the patient reduces their fat intake. This is not true.

I would suggest that anyone with high triglycerides should check on the types of fats and oils they eat in their diet. Any kind of fat that is "new" i.e. invented in a lab in the last 200 years is usually not that good for people. Instead they should be eating fats and oils which were recognised by people somewhere in the world 200+ years ago i.e. animal fat, e.g. lard, dripping, fats/oils from oily fish, ghee, butter, non animal fats e.g. coconut oil, olive oil. I'm sure there must be others.

Things like plain vegetable oil or sunflower oil didn't exist until 100 or so years ago. After all, when did you last see oil dripping out of wheat or corn or sunflowers?

But the biggest factor for my triglycerides has always been excessive sugar. Alcohol can also affect triglycerides and the liver. Exercise helps to reduce triglycerides and fatty liver.

[DavePhoto in reply to humanbean]

Excess sugar yes, but surely that should also include excess carbohydrates which are essentially the same thing?

[humanbean in reply to DavePhoto]

Yes, I would agree that excess carbs are an issue too. Although vegetables contain carbs and I don't believe they do very much to triglycerides. But cakes, chocolate, ice cream need to be avoided.

[SmallBlueThing in reply to humanbean]

Sunflower seeds and their oil were consumed by Native Americans, and sesame seeds and their oil by Ancient Greeks etc., thousands of years ago.

Here's a page from Zoe with current thoughts on the issue: zoe.com/learn/are-seed-oils...

My triglycerides are fine despite eating lots of cheese, but not so good when eating plenty of home made dark rye sourdough bread, brown rice etc., and on the way to prediabetes. Nevertheless, not nearly as high as Auntyp62's daughter's. As well as an assessment for central hypothyroidism, help from a dietitian may be necessary.

[humanbean in reply to SmallBlueThing]

Sunflower seeds and their oil were consumed by Native Americans, and sesame seeds and their oil by Ancient Greeks etc., thousands of years ago.

I have no issues with eating sunflower or sesame seeds. But the way some modern oils are produced requires chemical solvents to extract the oils from the seeds. This alters the chemical composition of the oils from what you would get from unprocessed seeds.

[Auntyp62 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for your reply, as a family we use olive oil to cook with. A 2 kilo bag of sugar lasts 6 weeks and we don’t eat processed food. I do make my own bread but she eats very little preferring a chicken salad. She doesn’t drink alcoholic and carries a water bottle with her so I don’t really know what she can change.

[humanbean]

I found this link that may be of interest :

Title : Prescription omega-3 fatty acid medications effectively lower high triglycerides

Link : eurekalert.org/news-release...

I haven't followed this up myself, but you could research it, or try it out. Omega-3 supplements usually don't require a prescription.

[Auntyp62 in reply to humanbean]

This is very interesting as she only eats salmon once or twice a month. Thank you

[Headinjuryhypo1]

The worry of it all must be awful. I am wondering if her other hormones may be affected. If her pituitary gland has ever been damaged eg by head injury/ concussion it might not just be thyroid but growth hormone and gonadotropins and cortisol too. Growth hormone deficiency causes high triglycerides. I hope you manage to work out what is wrong.

[healthkiwi]

I agree with Headinjuryhypo1 . If your daughter has ever had a knock to the head or neck ( sports, whiplash, surgery, even a tricky birth) there can be subtle dysfunction of the pituitary or hypothalamus which can result in hormone disturbance. Happened to me, and because of the arrogance and misogyny of the consultant I saw later, I lost 12 years of my life - unable to work, unable to function normally. If she has any history like this, it's important to get an assessment of Central hypothyroidism (secondary or tertiary).Tell GP that you need a referral - "TSH normal, T4 consistently at bottom of or below range , plus history of trauma = red flags for central hypo".

( I would be so tempted to tell him to pull his finger out and look it up, but I dare say that would be counterproductive for you. )

[Shelleyblue]

Hi - looks like your daughters GP is ignorant to other issues linked to hypothyroidism. These tests clearly show that when your daughters fT4 & fT3 are low the triglycerides are higher. Therefore your daughter needs levothyroxine treatment to get the fT4 & fT3 higher in the range. Giving your daughter just statins will do more harm than good and will not improve her thyroid issue. If they had tested her thyroid when her triglycerides were as high as 13 then they would have most likely found her TSH very high and ft4 & fT3 very low. The fact that the thyroid test results are going up and down means there could be autoimmune disease happening. Or has your daughter had lots of other illnesses such as covid and other viruses ? If no viruses then ask GP to test for autoimmune thyroiditis. If GP will not do it ask to be referred to an endocrinologist. There is clearly something not right and the GP is put of their depth. :/

[Transalp]

Your range for Triglycerides says 1 to 7 - are you sure that is correct? I think it should be <1.7.

[Auntyp62 in reply to Transalp]

I will check, if that is right it makes the results even higher

[Transalp in reply to Auntyp62]

Indeed - which might be why the Dr wants to be aggressive in treating it.