Finger nail splitting and hypothyroidism

Hi FrannieNN,  As you will see from my original post I have been hypothyroid since my mid 40's and I am now nearly 68.  My nails have got worse over the years.  I think menopause has not helped either.  My gp halved my dose of vitamin D but recently I have gone back to the original dose 22.000 i.u.  I have my blood tests taken yearly I have other health problems as well.  Funnily enough my aunt had pernicious anaemia which I believe is to do with low B12.  I did ask my gp about it some time ago but she said they only test if your blood count results suggests further testing.  So it is interesting you mention B12.  I would be interested to know how you get on.

 

Ooooh, I made a bad typo! 1-5 MILLIgrams of B12... not grams! OMG...

Libralady, I was blaming menopause for my symptoms too, but when the fatigue took over my life and I was shivering under a blanket in August in Arizona, I figured it was more than that! Interesting about your aunt having pernicious anemia! Did she have splitting nails too? The woman behind "Stop the Thyroid Madness" (STTM) set up a deal with a national lab in the US to get testing done on our own (since docs who are truly knowledgeable about hypothyroidism seem to be so rare), and she's got a B12 deal too.

BTW, STTM notes that stomach acid production inhibitors (antacids like Prevacid and Prilosec) can make you anemic by decreasing absorption of B12.

Libralady, I just responded and took a chance that I could add a website link, but I guess links need to go to the moderator for approval.

In case that post gets tossed, one point that might affect you is that some antacids make people anemic by decreasing B12 absorption. The ones that decrease production of stomach acid are worse than the ones that neutralize acid.

Crossing my fingers that the moderator sees value for others in my link! If not, look for Stop the Thyroid Madness (STTM) for loads of information on hypothyroidism. For those in the US who haven't found a knowledgeable doc yet, STTM set up special lab pricing so you can get the labs done that you need for a proper diagnosis.They also have a reduced price on B12 lab testing.

Yes I know about the problems with PPI's.  I was on them for around 8 weeks but the side effects as I suffer from IBS were bad, never mind any other problems they cause.  I weaned myself off them, it took ages to get them out of my system even after just 8 weeks.  I would never take them again.  I have heard of stop the thyroid madness, so I will investigate.

I am in the UK so thank heavens for the NHS even though it gets a slating about waiting times etc it is still free at point of need.  I also know the controversy about hypothyroidism and under diagnosis and under 

treatment.  I am sure you know what I mean.  I was interested to hear you take armour.  Let me know how you get on with any change to your dose.

Take care

Hello,  I'm not sure about my aunt in her later years but I do remember her having lovely nails when I was a child.  Sadly she had severe rheumatoid arthritis (another auto immmune condition) and very poor eyesight from glaucoma and was bed ridden for some time before her death at age 83. I am other forums and it is noticeable however many people seem to suffer from the same conditions.  Not just auto immune one  R A, Diabetes etc which I have in my family.  My mum also had hypothyroidsim but had lovely nails.  Luck of the draw I suppose my gp told me some people lose their hair.  I have noticed that lots of people have arthritis,IBS,reflux anxiety problems, fibromyalgia  and so on.

There is obviously a connection somewhere and maybe one day the medical profession will treat people as a whole and not send them off to different specialists.  Maybe that sounds all a bit too simple but I am sure you get what I mean.

Hi Libralady,

Sorry for the delay in responding. Got busy at work, which is a good thing when you're self-employed and your thyroid meds are working to get you through the day without a nap!

I think you are right about the autoimmune problem. I've tested negative for Hashimoto's, and I don't have IBS, fibromyalgia, etc. that others have. I have a friend who is also hypothyroid who has RA and fibromyalgia. Now you've got me curious if she's got Hashimoto's.

I wanted to get back to you and let you know that I had some sublingual B12 that I started taking... and the split in my thumbnails went away! I guess I'll only know for sure if it was the B12 if I stop taking it and the splits return, so I'll get back to you if I try that. The pills are 2500 mcg (2.5 mgm) of methylcobolamine and are marked as suglingual.

I totally agree with you in hoping the medical profession figures out how to treat us as a whole. And, I hope there is change in treating thyroid disease. There are too many of us suffering because our lab tests look "normal" but doctors are afraid of being "pioneers" against what they learned in med school. I just hope enough docs saw the article about the hypothyroid person who woke up in a Milwaukee morgue last month because he'd gone into a hypothyroid coma and appeared dead. Maybe then they'll understand that our fatigue is not psychosomatic!

Hello  I have been hypothyroid for well over 20 years.  I have always had ridges in my nails but they always grew well and did not break more than the average person.  When I became hypothyroid I noticed one thumb nail started splitting vertically but I did not at the time connect the two.  Up to date my nails still grow ok but they now have more ridges and about half of the nails split vertically.  I have to keep them short now.  I used to loved wesring nail polish but only do so for special occasions now.  Like you I take D3 and calcium.  I have been told it is the thyroid.  I have just had my dose of levothyroxine reduced fto 100mcg after being on 125mcg for years as blood test results showed I was being over medicated.  This tied in with some out of breath and palpitations  which can be symptoms of over medication.  I even had heart scan to see if I had angina which came back clear.  As soon as I reduced the dose these symptoms started to go.  I do though suffer with anxiety so that does not help matters.  I do not know what else to suggest for your nails sorry.  I just live it as I have other personal and family health problems to deal with.  I do know though how frustrating it is.  I hope you find something to help.  Th only other thing I can think of is to kkeep the nail well moisturised.  Dry skin if of course one of the symptoms of underactive thyroid.  Good luck.

Hello I can't offer you any advice other than moisturising the nails to stop them drying out and drink plenty of water.  Mine are no better and whilst it started with just one thumb over 20 years ago in now affects both thumbs and nearly all fingers.  I have just accepted it and keep them short.  I have some other health problems and tests coming up so they are occupying my mind now  I have just had my thyroxine reduced from 125mg to 100 after many years on 125 don't think it is making anything difference to the nails though both the ridges and splitting.  Hope you can find something to help let us know if you find anything helpful.  I did think about having false nails but that would probably make  existing nails worse and of course the cost being on a pension.  Take care and best wishes to you.

Thank you, Dianne, sounds worthwhile.   May I ask what dose of CoQ10 you are taking, so I can follow suit?

200 mgs