Does topical retinoic acid effect the thyroid??

[Peachface1]

I believe that 25 years of daily topical Retin a has had an effect on my ability to convert t4 to active t3 based on my blood work. I do not have an autoimmune disorder. Wondering if it has something to do with retinol binding receptors and thyroid receptors?? Any ideas!????

[MaisieGray]

A study on rats would seem to indicate the opposite effect being a possibility:

FINDINGS

Serum T4 and thyrotropin levels remained unchanged, while serum T3 increased in animals treated with all-trans-retinoic acid for 14 days. No changes were observed in hepatic or renal type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase (D1) activities, while thyroid D1 was higher in animals treated for 14 days with all-trans-retinoic acid, which could be related to the increased serum T3 levels. 13-cis retinoic acid increased thyroid iodide uptake after 28 days. These results show effects of retinoic acid treatment on these thyroid proteins: sodium/iodide symporter and deiodinase.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Retinoic acid is able to interfere with normal thyroid function, increasing thyroid type 1 deiodinase activity, serum T3 levels and sodium/iodide symporter function. However, the effects are time- and retinoic acid isomer-dependent. Since serum thyrotropin levels did not change in any group, the effects observed are probably mediated by a direct retinoic acid effect on the normal thyroid.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/192...

There are of course a number of reasons for poor T4:T3 conversion including variation of DIO2 gene, poor selenium & zinc, gut and liver issues, high cortisol, betablockers .....

If you post your most recent blood test results and their ranges, folks can comment.

[Peachface1 in reply to MaisieGray]

Hmmm so weird because my mother is in the same predicament. And she’s been using topical Retin A for 30 plus years. We both show signs of hypothyroidism with normal Tsh, normal free T4 and zero thyroid antibodies. However our free t3 is below the normal reference range. And we are suffering with symptoms of hypothyroidism which no doctor wants to address.... because of TSH being normal. And this has been happening to me for 6 months now. For my mom it started 5 years ago. I see the study indicates something different and almost the opposite of what I am saying, but it was based on 14 days of use....perhaps initially all the extra retinoic acid is helpful because vitamin A is important for the thyroid. But long term I keep thinking that retinoic acid being added to the body without it happening naturally, where the body converts vitamin A from the liver into retinoic acid causes long lasting changes to the process and the body....

[RockyPath in reply to Peachface1]

If you “don’t have thyroid antibodies” it could be because the test was not for the kind you and your mother produce. This is the case with me. I produce a rare antibody, so tests suggest I’m not producing any.

There is a DIO1 gene polymorphism that impairs conversion of T4 to T3. I have that one too. My TSH was looking normal and the GP said it was a waste to treat me. But I was severely hypothyroid.

[Hannahytfdcxvb in reply to RockyPath]

What is the name of the rare antibody you produce? My antibodies did not make the mark but there was a lot of damage done to my thyroid! Please let me know if you get this.

[vocalEK in reply to Peachface1]

I went to PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) and searched on "low T3 syndrome." I had 1122 hits. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?ter...

[MaisieGray in reply to Peachface1]

Peachface1 Correlation is not causation, as the saying goes. You're looking at it, that because you both use a medication, your Mum and you have been affected. However, hypothyroidism is a familial condition, so it could be that you are both developing hypothyroidism because you are mother and daughter, and in part, it's a coincidence that you both use the medication, or perhaps not even a coincidence because again, you may both have similar familial skin issues, for instance. I offered the study results only to help you consider other possibilities. If your Mum has been using Retin A for 30 yrs, and it was having an adverse effect on thyroid functioning, you might reasonably expect it to have shown itself before just 5 yrs ago. However, if you have been tested only for your TSH level, which is a pituitary hormone and not a thyroid hormone, you might do what so many of us do, and have a comprehensive set of tests carried out privately. That would give you a better indication of what might be going on, and you could post your results here for folks to comment.

[Hannahytfdcxvb]

You need to go to a functional medicine doctor or an integrative medicine doctor (that specializes in both western and holistic health). You need to be on medication because your body will become significantly damaged from low thyroid hormone. They will put you on medication! I can't believe the general doctors didn't put you on medication. They are sincerely uneducated morons. Thyroid disease is or is one of the most undiagnosed diseases in the world, up to 60% go undiagnosed their entire life. This is why, because doctors have limited education on thyroid health.