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TSH & Biotin (Immunoassay interference)

Posted , 5 users are following.

JayValle
JayValle

Great news for my daughter!  She was told her TSH was zero and sent to an endo, who diagnosed her as hyperthyroid, even without any symptoms. Fast forward, 2nd endo was excellent and wise enough to ask her about supplements. When she told him she took Biotin he had her stop for 2 weeks and retest. Her readings came back Normal!!  TSH & T's normal. 

I was also retested after stopping Biotin. I'm still low but higher than I was last test when on Biotin. I have a nodule suppressing my TSH but only by a small amount. So I'm not taking Methimazole, which made me sick as a dog as I don't believe I need it. I think it made my hypo. I'm still taking supplements and L Carnitine and watching it. I don't think my nodule is active enough to warrant meds. 

Wanted to share the good news about my daughter and let others know Biotin does not affect your thyroid but it can affect the TSH test depending upon the lab. Even though I'm still considered very mildly hyper, my TSH almost doubled when stopping Biotin prior to test. My T's are normal. It's a good day! 

0 likes, 28 replies

28 Replies

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  • madge1979
    madge1979 JayValle

    Posted

    It's a GREAT Day  !!  🌸🌺

    I'm so pleased to hear all went well for your Girl 💁  ... and for you Jay ... you work hard at this game  !   and you deserve good results ..  i'm so very pleased for you Both .

    Its great that you are keeping us all up to date ..... for two reasons, sharing you good news about you and your daughters health ... and giving us all advice about what to do and what not to do for the betterment of all of our health.  

    Thank you Jay ... it's a very generous thing to do  💐

    Luv Mx🌹

  • sophieannejune
    sophieannejune JayValle

    Posted

    Hi Jay, I'm so happy for your daughter and  for you.  So what are your numers looking llike right now?  Will you continue taking anything?

    • JayValle
      JayValle sophieannejune

      Posted

      Hi Linda and Madge. It's my pleasure to share. You have given me so much valuable information and support, I'm happy to be able to give back even a little :-)

      Hi Sophie. I hope you're doing well. I stopped Methimazole in August, at the same time that I stopped Biotin. Last blood was .17.  This test is .25.  Normal range is .50 - 5.00.  I can't take Methimazole. It gave me horrible mood swings and a depression I've never felt before. Far beyond grief. I believe because I don't really need the med and it was messing my hormones up so bad. I looked back in my records to 2013 to find that my TSH has always been on the low end. I would bounce around from .25 to .50. But the zero started when I started Biotin.  I'm wondering if I wouldn't have had a higher count this time if not for being sick with a virus and on Augmentin for a bad sinus infection.  I think being sick can suppress your immune system, and I was fighting that flu-like cold for at least 2 weeks before the blood work. 

      I see my (un) favorite Endo on Oct 19th. After that I'll see the wonderful doc my daughter saw who told us about the Biotin. I can feel my nodule is smaller. Hopefully it will reverse on its own. I feel so much better now that I'm off Methimazole. Not sick, and more like my old self. 

      What did you decide to do? How do you feel? I keep an eye open for alternatives to RAI and surgery. Have you read about Focused Ultrasound Ablation?  From the Internet

      "High-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of thyroid nodules: first human feasibility study. ... BACKGROUND: Thyroid surgery is common, but complications may occur. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a minimally invasive alternative to surgery."

      They do this in other countries. I still don't understand why they can't just inject the nodules with the same iodine as in the RAI pill? Seems to make more sense to do it locally rather than through your entire system. They also do ethanol ablation in other countries where good surgery isn't an option. I wouldn't opt for ethanol! But they do use the Ultrasound here in USA for other parts of the body. Hopefully they'll do it for thyroid some day.

      Keep the faith :-)

      hugs

      Jaye xo

    • madge1979
      madge1979 JayValle

      Posted

      Wow ...

      Jay , just been reading about the ultrasound ablation technique ......  I'd definately be trying for that if I had nodules ... it would be worth an appointment , at least , with the top man who does it ... even tho it's only done ( i pressume )  for cancer at the moment ... if it's used to treat  minute  or microscopic  cancer cells ... then surely it can be used to find nodules within  the Thyroud Gland too ... 🦋

      Mx🌹

    • JayValle
      JayValle madge1979

      Posted

      I know. It's exciting. I'm trying to find a doctor who does it. All I come up with is one trial in another state and that might be from a few years ago. Did you come across any clinics doing it? It would be amazing. 

      Thanks Madge xo 

    • madge1979
      madge1979 JayValle

      Posted

      Jay  huge long article  on subject 

      Department  of Radiology 

      Stanford university

      Stanford CA 

      Maybe you could contact them for info ..

      Mx🌹

    • madge1979
      madge1979 JayValle

      Posted

      Also ...

      Look up 

      Focused ultrasound foundation 

      For further info ...

      Mx🌹

    • JayValle
      JayValle madge1979

      Posted

      Madge, could you PM the link to me? I can't find it. Thanks :-) 

    • madge1979
      madge1979 JayValle

      Posted

      Jay ... I've been trying to send you it ... but doesn't seem to work .. I'm sooo sorry 

      Try to find by typing into google 

      .......Stanford university  

      ........Radiology  dept 

      You could email them or phone them ...

      Luv mx🌹

  • martha01898
    martha01898 JayValle

    Posted

    I've heard about the biotin interference also.  Was it necessary to stop the biotin for 2 whole weeks?   For the last round of tests I stopped the biotin boy for only a week.  My TSH was up a bit from 0.01, but still only  0.02. My T's we're now in range.  Would like to not take the methizole!

    • JayValle
      JayValle martha01898

      Posted

      Hi Martha

      Our doc said to stop Biotin for 2 weeks. We stopped just about all supplements, definitely all "B"s and Biotin.  I take Stress B - B2 - B12 - and Biotin so I imagine that really interfered in past tests. Even though the B's are water soluble, it might be a good idea to refrain for more than a week, so you don't have any doubts. 

      Do you have symptoms? Did you have other tests to diagnose a reason for your low TSH? My daughter had a normal iodine uptake. Mine showed normal on the left side but higher on the right side, coinciding with my largest nodule. Neither of us had any symptoms and the odd part was we were both zero TSH at the same time and we do take the same supplements. 

       

    • JayValle
      JayValle martha01898

      Posted

      I forgot to add, our T3 and T4 were always in range too, like you noted with yours. Just the TSH was off.  Maybe stop supplements for a couple weeks and give it another try. Good luck. I hope all goes well. 
    • martha01898
      martha01898 JayValle

      Posted

      Hello JayValle,

         Glad you got this straightened out!  Definitely no need to take Methimazole if you don't need it.  Thanks for your answer.  Yes I had symptoms before being diagnosed about 6weeks ago:  palpitations, pounding heart, weight loss, sweating, etc.  

           I had antibody tests also that were high.  The endo said these confirmed Graves.  An ultrasound showed "some snakes nodules  that the endo said weren't important. 

           

    • madge1979
      madge1979 martha01898

      Posted

      Huh !  ....  important to whom ?

      Maybe not to him !

      Another Prima Donna Endocrinologist !

      Good luck mx🌹

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