Very low Ferritin levels, Hypothyroid symptoms, Normal TSH/T4

hi 

My first hypo symtoms were extreme brain fog ,depression and anxiety ,wanting to be alone alot and feeling cold ,i felt like this for 2 years i was very bubbly and loved socialising before ,i had numerous blood tests which came back normal ,i knew there was something wrong with my thyroid as my mum and sister had the same symptoms when there thyroid was low ,it got to the point were i was sleeping most of the day and night and was so mentally exhausted i gave up on life ,the dr decided to start me on thyroxine 25mcg ,after 2 weeks i couldnt believe how alive i felt,it was like i got my brain back and energy i felt euphoric ,i stayed on that amount for 8 months then the exhaustion started again couldnt get of the sofa ,i had a blood test and my thyroid was seriously low so i was put on 100mcg instantly,i lost weight got my zest for life back and felt great for a year .then i started having trouble with ovarian cysts and had to have my ovarys removed since then ive felt really awfull anxirty which i think is hormonal ,my consultant said my thyroid was slightly low at 05.5 but my dr says its fine ,i have felt like a guinea pig for years ,i know from experience that low thyroid causes anemia and that will make you feel tired but hypothyroidism causes crashing fatigue ,if you have brain fog and depression keep on at your dr for a referal as if it is your thyroid it will only get worse ,hope this helps x [color=#3a2e28] [/color][color=#3a2e28]Follow this discussion to receive reply notifications[/color] 

Hi MBIS, Biochemically this makes sense, but very few people make the connection. Being hypothyroidic, your ability to convert riboflavin (vitamin B2) to FAD and FMN is low. Now what is not generally appreciated is that you need FAD to make the heme molecule and to trap iron. Thus, you serum levels of ferritin and iron will be low. It is actually not a bad way to follow how effective your thyroid function is. You need to take more vitamin B2, as well as getting your T3/T4 levels right. I would also get your vitamin B12 levels checked. 50% of people with hypothyroidism are B12 deficient.

Please look in to Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS which is often associated with low ferritin, blood pooling, b/p issues, fatigue, etc. It is poorly understood by many doctors.

Hi one year on how is it going got you I've the excat

Bloods and my mum has under active thyroid and they told me to just take iron

Hi one year on how is it going for you I've the excat

Bloods and my mum has under active thyroid and they told me to just take iron I feel that it's not enough as I already take iron in a supplement

Did you get diagnosed with any condition ?

Hello, You sound like a model match to me as far as body type, your eating habits and your symptoms go. My thyroid however, is fine. My Hemaglobin and iron were low but came back up. My ferretin however still remains very low. And I am wondering if it the cause of me still feeling the way I do. My lab's normal range for ferretin is around 100. My level 5 weeks ago was only 5!! I am now up to 10. The doctor said it could take months to come up to normal range. Although my numbers are rising, I am having the feeling that I am going to faint often. I also have a strange sensation I guess you would call it. I just don't feel like me I guess I should say. I am going to rule out anything scary like cardiac first. Then I am going to perhaps see an endocrinologist again. Maybe the symptoms will subside once my ferretin rises more. I am still weak and tired and just not my bubbly self.

 

TSH levels have recently changed. 1-3 is considered ideal range. My endocrinologist is okay with them being below 1 based upon the person. In short 5.5 is too high. T3 and T4 need to be in range as well. My T3 previously was high in the morning and plummeted in the afternoon. But my averages looked good. I was not. Not many docs will check this close for detail.

One more comment, I have supplemented iron over the past 15 years. I must typically take 3 times the recommended daily value, just to stay above minimum normal level. I also now take 150mg daily during my cycle. This has been determined by repeated testing for what my body needs.

I also must take 4,000iu of vitd3 every day. My levels are too low with 1,000iu or even 3,000. Just because you are supplementing does not mean that's enough for your body.

Repeated blood tests and being actively involved is required to get these right. It is worth it when you feel the results!

Hey. This post is going to be a little long but be sure to read it right till the end, it sure is going to be a lot helpful.

Firstly, to begin with, iron deficiency over a period of time leads to low ferritin levels. This def could be due to suboptimal diet or malabsorption. The former can be easily be corrected through perseverance and mind over matter. If you have iron deficiency, you're most likely going to have a lot of other def as well and some of these need to be addressed quickly.

Signs of low ferritin levels- fatigue, depression, hair fall, pallor to name a few. It affects the overall health and immunity as well.

The normal ferritin levels are stated as between 10 and 300microg/dl. But, for restoration of your good health you need these levels atleast over 150.

So, here's the treatment I have seen work wonders by God's grace.

I used ferrous ascorbate containing 100mg of elemental iron in each tablet, 3 times a day for over 4 months with gradually reducing the dose to about 100mg a day in the fourth month. You have to apply the dosage according to your body weight. If you take a lot more than required, you'd have iron toxicity which will worsen the whole condition. Ideally, 2-5mg of iron per kg body weight per day should be your maximum dose. Do not exceed this dose ever.Take Vitamin C tablets along with this to increase absorption. This should be taken in between meals or else the food you eat especially caffeine, calcium and milk interferes and decreases it's absorption. Most importantly, consult your doctor for this. Other forms of iron preparations cause gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, gastritis, etc. I haven't had any of these with ferrous ascorbate.

You need to monitor your ferritin levels every 2 months to keep an eye on toxicity.

Apart from this iron therapy, you need to improve your diet. Include vegetables(green leafy especially), fruits, red meat, milk,eggs(basically a lot of protein), dry fruits, adequate carbohydrates for best recovery. Water is a boon, remember that.

Vitamin D def also causes hair loss and lowers immunity. Get your Vit D levels checked and consult your doctor to have them restored to a mid level in the optimal range.

Take a multivitamin (especially calcium but don't take iron and calcium together; they inhibit each other's absorption)everyday for a month or two to correct other deficiencies because most times, iron def does not occur as an isolated def if you've had a poor diet for a long time.

Mild to moderate(not strenuous) exercise daily mainly walking for 10 to 20 minutes improves your blood circulation, mood and overall health.

For best results, you have to develop a positive attitude. It's really hard to do this, but you need to consciously make efforts. Your body more readily accepts healing when you're positive. Have faith in God. Have patience and perseverance. You will make it.

P.S. I don't make absolute recommendation for the above dosages and medication for everyone. I have shared what worked for me. This is mainly for isolated multi-nutrient deficiencies. If you have any co-morbidities, you have to consult a doctor or specialist.

You left out a very important test, Free T3. Your Free T4 tests tells you how much stored hormone you have, but then your body converts it into useable hormone that runs through your body like gasoline runs to a car engine. You need to find out what your Free T3 levels are.  You might be like many people and your body does not properly convert stored hormone to useable. That's me. I had to go on natural treatment.. Armour, which has both T4 and T3 in it. It changed my life. I felt the difference in ONE day! I have my life back after wasting 22 years on 8 MDs, 3 of which were endocs and not a ONE OF THEM did the right tests or gave me the right treatment. I had to find my very wise MD on the Thyroid Top Docs List. Google it.

Hi! I am going through the same thing. I don't know what to do. I was so sure I had hypothyroidism but my results were normal. I don't know if I should do the free T3 test.  

It's been a while since you published this.  What did you do? Did the iron pills helped you will all the symptoms? 

Thank you. 

Bea n