Good morning all - I had a question re iron deficiency and most likely incorrect t4 dosage. For a few weeks now, I have experience SEVERE hair loss- probably the worst bout since Ive been diagnosed 4 years ago. Had phone consult and asked for iron tests- the gp seemed reluctant as he said I am a menstruating woman (but dont have heavy periods!) but agreed in the end and much to my suprise, he ticked a complete iron study. I am waiting for a proper phone consult but that's not until 5th November. I saw a gp in the meantime for something else and she mentioned that my bloods came back and that I was a 'a bit low in iron'. I asked for the blood results to be printed to see my thyroid levels as well and couldnt quite believe the results esp re iron. Please could you advice on what to do at this point. She just prescribed iron tablets but there must be some underlying issue here surely. I have been low on iron before but never seen these numbers before. My main question is: which fire do I put out first? I know I need optimal iron for thyroid meds to work. I havent got ft3 results atm but from past private tests, I dont think my conversion is great. I should also mention i Had covid in July. I am on 75mcg euthyrox.
The tests are quite detailed (i am including what i thought was most relevant/out of range)
White blood count 3.6 (3.9-10.2)
Red blood cell count 3.9 (3.9-10.2)
CRP <4 (0-6)
!!!Ferritin 6.5 (10-291)
Iron level 9.2 (10-30.4)
Transferrin 3.17 (2.5-3.8)
% iron saturation 13% (16-50)
TSH 2.57 (.35-5.5)
FT4 13.4 (10.5-21)
Thanks for all your help.
Written by
Ivanab
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Low vitamin levels are linked to being hypothyroid
Thyroid results show you need 25mcg dose increase in levothyroxine
Looking for Ft4 at least 50-60% through range
Retest thyroid levels in 6-8 weeks
Always test thyroid levels as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
When hypothyroid we frequently have low stomach acid this leads to poor nutrient absorption and low vitamin levels as direct result
In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency
Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones
Hi! thank you so much for such a quick reply. I tested with Medichecks in February so I will include those results but havent got any more recent vitamin results. I will speak to the GP about an increase in t4 but I suspect they will say I am within range. I have tried explaining to them before about the ft4, ft3 ration, but it fell on deaf ears. I did change surgery recently though so perhaps it's worth another try. At the moment, my worst symptoms are the severe hair loss which is most alarming and low libido which has been ongoing.I eat a very balanced diet- red mean, recently finally started eating fish, liver (although not weekly), plenty of veg and fruit. One thing I have not done is gone gluten free- Ive done AIP and whole30 before which was great but the AIP especially has mentally scarred me a bit and while it sounds immature, I have 0 symptoms after eating gluten so my brain cannot comprehend the restriction. Perhaps this is the reason for my malabsorption though.
I have plenty of Euthyrox here to increase my dose but will it even work if my iron is so tragic? The gp said i am not anaemic and that I just need iron pills. To me that's just a plaster
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Hair Loss - Ferritin Results
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