Been on Levothyroxine 30 years all good. Howver read recently in What Doctors Don’t Tell you.
That some times drug over prescribed and causes bone loss. Obviously at 68 am anxious to avoid this. Is there anyway I can be tested ie full profile of gland. ?Would I have to stop taking thyroxine to,get accurate reading ?
Simply taking levothyroxine does not cause bone loss.
Excess or insufficient thyroid hormone certainly seem to contribute to bone loss and might actually be a direct cause.
In order to find out if your thyroid can produce enough thyroid hormone, yes, you would need to stop taking levothyroxine.
The huge problems which include:
◉ It would take time. Not hours or days. Rather, weeks or months.
◉ In that time, you would very likely go through a period of being hypothyroid, possibly seriously so, before your own body, you own thyroid, pick up and start making as much thyroid hormone as you need.
◉ If you find you cannot make enough thyroid hormone, you'd then end to go through a long process of starting to take levothyroxine again, and titrating you dose. It might well be that your final dose is not the same as the dose you are now taking - so there is no obvious shortcut.
Much of the inappropriate prescribing of levothyroxine seems to have come from the USA. Some doctors appear to have looked at minimal evidence - like one slightly high TSH and prescribed on the basis of that.
In the UK, many actually struggle to get diagnosed even with long-term and substantial increases in TSH (and low FT4, and FT3).
What Doctors Don’t Tell You has some merits but it can also cause concern about things that are actually just fine.
Ideally, you would have blood tests for TSH, FT4, FT3 and the usual other things which contribute to thyroid health. And also have a bone density test (often DEXA or DXA - but not always).
Thanks not easy situation.
Ok should I take iodine ?
I would say absolutely DO NOT TAKE IODINE.
Even if you would benefit from iodine, you need to consider it carefully. Not just go out and get some to take due to one answer on an internet forum.
Remember, your levothyroxine already contributes to your iodine intake. (Approximately 65% of levothyroxine is iodine.)
Maybe star by reading this pinned post?
Iodine ~ a collection of useful information ( because the search facility on Health Unlocked is totally pants)
Levo contains all the iodine you need
If you are concerned about bones get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing at least annually
Are you in U.K.
what vitamin supplements are you taking
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.
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
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)
Internet scaremongering and bad journalism again.... telling only half the story!!
Levothyroxine per se doesn't cause bone loss though over or undermedication may play a part
If the dose is correct there shouldn't be a problem.
When did you last have a full thyroid test?
TSH, FT4, FT3, vit D, vit B12, folate. ferritin and if not already tested thyroid antibodies TPO and Tg
Stopping thyroxine is not advised if you are hypothyroid, you would start to feel unwell fairly quickly and amongst other things your metabolism would start to slow down
If you have any concerns test your current levels as above, then adjust the dose if necessary but I suspect if you feel well after 30 years it is likely fine.
How much levothyroxine are you taking?
Post any results you have if you wish help.
You are legally entitled to request copies of test results from your surgery....ask at reception.
You might wish to discuss a bone scan with your GP to put your mind at rest
It is also important to optimise vit D which should be taken combined with vit K2. The latter directs the vit D to the hard tissues to strengthen them i.e. bones and teeth... rather than to soft tissues/ arteries where vascular calcification and arterial stiffness can result
I understand your concerns but hopefully they are unfounded!
We're all here to help....just ask.
Good luck!
I had no idea this publication (what doctors don’t tell you) was still available. I used to get it regularly when it was first published, about 25 or so years ago.
My comment would be that the degree of misunderstanding endemic amongst our medics re: hypothyroidism, is of such colossal proportions that almost any view of hypothyroidism by this magazine could be completely without basis. This is not so much a dissenting voice against this publication itself but a reference to the basis of NICE guidelines re: treatment of hypothyroidism perse, which our medics allegedly follow (although there are grave doubts about the capabilities of their understanding of these also!)
Treatment is an utter shambles for 15% or so of hypothyroid patients in any case and unless that was the starting point of the article its information will mostly not be useful and/or misleading.
Me too I had it from the start - it was amazing - monthly - then it went online and I lost touch with it after a while ! Great info for its time though American couple if I remember rightly.
Do I really need a biopsy?!
Confused. Do I really need Levo?
Do I need an increase in Thyroxine
Do I need increase in thyroxine dose?
Do I need to go back on Thyroxine?
