I suffered from Graves’ disease (hyperthyroidism) for a number of years. In September last year I went through Radioactive Iodine therapy. By End of October I ended up with hypothyroidism. Was started on 25mg of levothyroxine which had been gradually increased to 100mg. I’ve had my recent blood tests and the consultant has said my thyroid is now in normal range. However, I am still experiencing symptoms of hoarseness in the throat, constipation, cold, tiredness that I can’t shake and low mood. Consultant would not increase meds and has said I won’t be seen again for 6 months even though it was acknowledged that I have hypothyroidism symptoms.
Can anyone recommend a supplement or diet that can improve my symptoms ? I’m so frustrated, if I’d known this would be the situation I was left in I wouldn’t have had the treatment. I’m desperate to feel some sort of normality.
Written by
ValHunter2605
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If you normally take levothyroxine at bedtime/in night ...adjust timings as follows prior to blood test
If testing Monday morning, delay Saturday evening dose levothyroxine until Sunday morning. Delay Sunday evening dose levothyroxine until after blood test on Monday morning. Take Monday evening dose levothyroxine as per normal
Monitor My Health (NHS private test service) offer thyroid and vitamin testing, plus cholesterol and HBA1C for £65
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
In days before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate folate supplement (eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg) and continue separate B12 if last test result serum B12 was below 500 or active B12 (private test) under 70
Can you please share with forum members your latest blood test results and ranges that the consultant deems ' acceptable ' .
RAI is known to trash vitamins and minerals, amongst other things, so it will be in your best interest to get your core strength vitamins and minerals those of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D run as these need to be maintained at optimal levels for any thyroid hormone replacement to work well and if any of these co-factors are low in range this can compound your health issues further than necessary.
RAI slowly burns out the thyroid in situ and generally speaking most people find themselves primary hypothyroid within 6 months from ingesting this toxic substance.
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg.
T4 is a pro-hormone and needs to be converted in your body into T3 the active hormone said to be around 4 times more powerful than T4 - and we need optimal levels of ferritin folate, B12 and vitamin D to assist in the conversion of T4 into T3 :
The thyroid is a major gland and responsible for full body synchronisation from your physical ability and stamina through to your mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.
Some people can get by on T4 monotherapy - Levothyroxine :
Others find that at some point in time T4 only doesn't seem to work as well as it first did and that by adding in a little T3 - likely at a similar dose to that their thyroid once supported them with - they are able to restore thyroidal hormone balance:
Some can't tolerate T4 and need to take T3 only - Liothyronine.
Whilst others find their health improved taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as that of the thyroid gland and derived from pig thyroids, dried and ground down into a powder that is medically graded and then made up into tablets and capsules as required with each tablet/grain/capsule containing a declared T3 and T4 content.
We all start off on T4 - Levothyroxine which is the easiest and cheapest treatment option and works well for some :
We generally feel best when the T4 is up in the top quadrant of its range at around 75-80% with the T3 tracking just behind at around 70% through its range.
It is essential that you are dosed on your Free T3 and Free T4 results and not a TSH reading :
With Graves Disease your TSH may never recover nor move back into the range - and the TSH a very unreliable measure of anything -
Without a thyroid the HPT axis - on which the TSH relies on as working well - is now down regulated as your Hypothalamus - Pituitary - Thyroid feedback loop is now broken as you have no thyroid in situ and this circuit loop now open ended :
I found the most well rounded of all I researched ( though around 8/10 years after my RAI thyroid ablation for Graves 2005 ) that of Elaine Moore's books and website - now archived -
I'm not sure how well you were before RAI thyroid ablation - but we need to eat healthily, ideally cook from scratch and need good fats for good conversion and absorption of all thyroid hormone replacement options.
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