Thyroid & Vitamin D Deficiency

I have been reading this discussion with interest, I have been put on tablets this week from my doc my Vit d wa 10 and I am taking a variety of tablets every day for the next 15 weeks.

I also got my Vit B12 feritin folate tested and all were low in range so I am suplementing them as well.  Very low Vit D can effect the absorbtion / converstion of you levo you may find that as your Vit D improves then your thyroid figures should get better also.

If you can get you TSh down to 1 or under you will be amazed at how much better you feel.  You need to know your results not just that they are normal but the actual figures and ranges from the doctor, also try the health unlocked thyroid forum they are very good at helping with documents and research papers to help convince your doctor to try other ideas, also be prepared to ask for FT3 and FT4 tests this confirms exactly how the levo is working for you.  It has taken me two years to get my dose acurate 2 private endo appointments and a battle to get a prescription for Lithothyronine as an add on.  Ps I have to pay privately for my blood tests once a year as NHS will not always do the Tests.  

I have also changed doctor 3 times I have no loyalty at all it is important to find one who will work with you in beating your condition.

 

My doctor told me as I live in Scotland I should be taking vitamin D supplement with my levothyroxine and have done this as I was suffering from joint pain after having my thyroid removed 14 months ago. It helps but some pain still there.

Hi Julie I am not an expert but from what I know TSH is the hormone that stimulates your body to make  T4 which is then converted into T3 which is what the body/ cells  actively uses your body cannot use T4 it has to convert it.  TSH level is high your body is not being told to make to T4(your thyroid is not making it) so there is none to convert hence your blood TSH level is high and you are diagnose hypothyroid.  (This is bear basics of how I understand how it works it might not be 100%.)

So if you have a low tsh then your body is not being asked to produce T4 hence your levels are ok.  Beware....this is why I have asked for the extra tests, In some cases you tsh might be 3.5 and you FT4 could still be low and so could your FT3 this would suggest you need more T4...The doctor gives you T4 which is Levothyroxine.   That is why sometimes you labs results say I you normal within range but you still feel like you have all the symptoms because they are not being converted properly.  Some people benefit from an extra bit of T3 if the FT3 level are still low even after raises of Levothyroxine.

The adrenal and thyroid systems do seem to work together and one does effect the other so it is good if you can get the B12,folate ,feritin and Vit D checked out.  As our systems are already being depleted by the hypothroidism (especially when first diagnosed) these levels could be low.

I did not know this two years ago when I was diagnosed and I have only in the past few weeks discovered how low mine  were.  So I am trying to raise the vitamine and iron levels to at least two thirds up the range this will help your body convert t4 into t3 more effectively....so I have been led to believe.   Many doctors will disagree and also refused to test, however I got my tests done privately and my doctor went away and got me vit D.....I would say some doctors are better than others.

I have a really short fuse since being on levo like 123 bang....I have to put my toungue between my teeth so that I do not snap sometimes....another legacy of levo.

I hope my explanation is somewhere helpfull prob not totally acurrate but enough to give you the I have a book called your thyroid and how to keep it healthy it is a bit technical in places but does explain a lot,  there is another one which people recommend called Stop the thyroid Madness. ( not sure if this is a book or a site) but I do see it quoted a lot.  

Do be prepared for it to take some months before you feel better on the vit d my doc has said it may not even have any effect, I also have started getting mega periods and this too can be attributed to either thyroid or menopause but i am a bit young for that, that can affect the iron levels so always worth considering.

I hope you feel better soon.  Please also try the thyroid support uk forum it is very good.

 

Hi its great to find this discussion as i can identify with much of it. My problems really started around a year ago when i was admitted to hospital for what turned out to be pancreatitis. An ultrasound later revealed a large gallstone which was not picked up by ct scans in the hospital. Since those days i have suffered with what appeared to be gallstone attacks, but after a battery of blood tests and further scans other things came to light. A scan showed cysts on my kidneys and liver and nodules on my adrenal gland. A blood test showed i had high colesterol levels of 7.4, raised sodium and potassium levels and more worryingly vitamin d reading of 1.9 mmol/l. I confess i am in pain through my body 24hrs a day, dont get much sleep, muscles ache, shortness of breath after any light activity with heart racing, high blood pressure, low libido, and am 17st 5lbs overweight for my height 5ft 11. I have been off work for 3 months now and worryingly no real signs of improvement. I am on blood pressure tablets, statins, omeprezole, kapake, and anti nausea tablets. My wife got me vitamin d tablets too but this has only helped marginly after last blood test. I have been referred to an endocrinologist in a weeks time and really need answers to all of this as my wife has felt she may have to work more as things are'nt improving with me. Another thing that comes to mind is the urgent need to pass urine at times. Yesterday i went 14 times and the urine was clear. I hope something positive can come soon with answers to this.

Hello Juloe...I have been exhausted feeling and joint pains for about 4 years even short of breathe and not usual for how I was so active 4 or so years ago~

?Then I found out I was extreme Hypothyroid and then my bloodwork came back very low levels of Vitamon D...so my Endocrynologist put me on 50000 units of Vitamon D and it was a prescription not over the counter (don't know if that makes a difference or not)I am also on 125 Synthroid as he took me off the Levothyroxine saying sometimes the generic is not as effective on some people Just started the Vitamin D yesterday! I hope you are doing better and was wondering .....can you tell a difference?

?Linda

I have same dose of levothyroxine and was given Vitamin D when I first presented symptoms of mild depression and severe joint pain. It took months and months to get it back into normal field. When it was at normal I was told just take it in Winter months, so I stopped about 6 weeks ago. Big mistake! The pain in my hips, thighs, knees and hands has been waking me at night 😢.  I just wish GPs understood more about our condition. I've started taking the vitamin D again and painkillers at night when needed.

I have had underactive thyroid for 25 years and never been told about Vit D. Thyroid meds did not agree with me and made my legs sore so tried to manange this on reduced doses . When I started 2 years ago to find out about Vit D I was refused a blood test for it and told "of course you have a deficiency if you have a thyroid issue! (although never told this by doctor or consultent) Just by a suppliment.  I did this and took 1000 iu for 2 years. 2 months ago I mistakenly picked up 4000 dose and took it for 10 days wondering why a lot of my pain had gone (not all as have osteoarthritis in hips) my ankles and stomache stop swelling up and realised the only change was the tabs I had bought. When I checked this out I discovered it was 4000 not 1000.  I am angry at having no support with this and dont know wheather to tell doctor as they disaprove of anything over 800iu.'s 

Having said all that it took 2 years for them to diagnose my thyroid and only when sent to gynie for my condition and symptoms and asked the phlebotimist to check my thyroid did it turn up the diagnosis so dont have much confidence here.