Is Iodine supplement safe for a post thyroidectomy patient ?

[ERNURSE86]

Hi--I am a 10 year vet of a thyroidectomy for CA. I have been on Armour Thyroid with a quite well suppressed TSH. Continue to have severe hypothyroid sx--very cold, fatigue,poor endurance to exercise, etc. I eat VERY healthy--no processed food, etc. Have severe problem with fibrocystic breasts...and reading alot about iodine supplementation for this--so much in the literature--but it really is aimed at those  people who have thyroids---is it useful for a person with no thyroid ? And safe in my situation ?

[Renee1417]

Very similar situation. Taking Tirosint 75 mcg's per day. Also supplement with selenium and various other supplements. Tirosint is the cleanest thyroid medicine on the market.  That I know of.  

I use Pink Himalayan Coarse Sea Salt for a supplementation of Iodine. I also use a medical food product called Ultimate Detox Formula. It's great. However, it is expensive. $70.00 for 14 servings. Although I spread it out and supplement it with Karen's Coconut Keifer, a probiotic. The company is based in Winter Haven, Florida.  I put selenium into the Detox Formula also with Glutamine. It is great! Eat baked mostly organic kale, collard, mustard, sweet potato chips with apples, pears, beans and other items as they come in season. Load up on many fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, basil, etc... Will be starting organic garden soon. Already grew collard greens! Will not eat them due to chemtrails and lack of nutrients in current soil. Best wishes to you. Hope this helps. V

[gimel]

I'm curious as to what your thyroid levels were  while taking the 175 mcg of T4 plus liothyronine.  Also, if tested for Vitamin d, B12 and ferritin, please post those results as well.   What symptoms you were having when you described yourself as miserable?

[tam_hod]

I have had a thyroidectomy 10 years ago. I am currently doing miserably on a dose of 175 mcg of levothyroxine as well as lythyronine.  I don't have insurance and cant afford adequate care and labs let alone the rx.  So, do to my sorry state I have been spending countless hours researching diet remedies.  I have gone paleo, but not just paleo.  I have incorporated every anti-inflammatory theory.  It's not so bad.  I can handle this, and if I can so can you.  Now with the most important fact I have found to be the holly grail...Your body needs 90 essential nutrients.  Google Dr. Glidden and fully understand what he is trying to say.  Also the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome.  These will open your eyes to what your body needs.  The tricky part is how to get these nutrients into your body.   Supplements - Do they work?  I don't know I can't afford them, But would they work? Does your body absorb the nutrients in them without damaging the cells in your body?  So ... MY theory...  you need good nutrition coupled with good probiotics.  You cant just get all the available nutrients even from supplements with out the proper balance of bacteria in your gut.  My answer for this is fermented food.  Now more specifically to address the issues of mammary cysts,  Selenium is key.  Selenium is magic with turning t4 to t3 as well.  Also concentrate on proper liver function and supplement your diet for those three specific issues no matter who you are really.  Summery- get all the VITAL 90 nutrients either from food and/or supplements and properly manage your gut microbiology.  Don't just do one without the other, they are hand in hand.     Iodine - There seems to be no answers as far as needing it if you have had a thyroidectomy, or if they interfere with thyroid hormone therapy.   I am very discouraged by the medical profession having no answers for this that I can find at this time.  No one seems to understand what it is like to not have a thyroid.  Why MDs think that treatment will work for us that they prescribe to those with even a partial thyroid.  Why Why Why are we just being ignored when we say that synthroid is not enough.  I will be my own guinea pig thank you very much.  Proper diet and unpasteurized fermented probiotic rich food could not hurt.  Understanding "that" could have prevented the cancer in the first place, and its never too late, or is it?  Please let me know what you think.  (I have been implementing this research for the last two weeks, there have been bumps in the road, and paleo takes adjusting to.  In time I will give and update on how I feel.  I have been into the Dr. for monitoring proper levels. My hopes are that I will improve my quality of life and not be dependent on the such things that the MDs would advise that in reality would only make my symptoms and finances worse.)  

[Iwantmythyroidback]

I know exactly how you feel, it's not like we are the first people to have a thyroidectomy you would think they would know how to treat it. All doctors seem to care about are numbers, they don't care that you're constantly tired and that you can't lose weight (I've gained 50 pounds since my surgery). They treat you like you're lazy and stupid. I did find selenium and zinc and started taking it and I do have a little bit more energy. I'm also taking kelp and was wondering about the iodine too. Will have to look into the fermented foods and probiotics.

[Iwantmythyroidback]

I know exactly how you feel, it's not like we are the first people to have a thyroidectomy you would think they would know how to treat it. All doctors seem to care about are numbers, they don't care that you're constantly tired and that you can't lose weight (I've gained 50 pounds since my surgery). They treat you like you're lazy and stupid. I did find selenium and zinc and started taking it and I do have a little bit more energy. I'm also taking kelp and was wondering about the iodine too. Will have to look into the fermented foods and probiotics.

[gimel]

What are you thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report?  What is your thyroid med and daily dosage?  Have you been tested for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin?  

[jtp78]

I'm planning a family trip in Santa Barbara and we want to visit the Salt cave there.  I am on 200 mcg of synthroid (a high dosage for someone with my build) after having a total thryoidectomy 3 years ago for a papillary carcinoma.

Should I opt out of visiting the salt cave? On their website they caution against people with hyperthyroidism visiting.  I have no idea what my iodine levels are. ....and prior to my surgery my TSH levels were good- neither hyper or hypo.  

As usual, I'm sure I'm just over thinking this but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask...  

[merylynn7]

I have no thyroid and I have wondered about iodine supplements also. I just started taking iodine. I recently read that thyroid problems can be caused by iodine deficiencies in the first place. So people with thyroid problems are very likely to have iodine deficiencies.

Even though my thyroid was removed, I thought that it probably didn't change the fact that I had an iodine deficiency and that the iodine was needed for more than just my thyroid. I have read that breast cancers and cysts can be caused by iodine deficiency, which means that iodine is necessary for other reasons than just thyroid function.

I had this thought regarding iodine after a thyroidectomy--having the thyroid removed may free up any iodine intake to serve other needs. If there is no thyroid to absorb it, perhaps it either decreases or eliminates the deficiency that one had when the thyroid was sucking up any iodine that was taken in. I don't know whether this is true, but it does stand to reason.

Does anyone know if iodine can help you to lose weight if you don't have a thyroid for it to act upon? Can it work with the artificial thyroid hormones to increase the metabolism? If you have any answers or any experiences that could shed light on this matter, please post a response. Thank you. Lynn

[3naib]

This is an excellent question!
I had RAI in '00 and am wondering the same questions and striking out finding any clear answers...
As this thread was posted in '08, have you found any new information??

[ERNURSE86]

I have never checked the iodine--don't really see much benefit for my purposes--which is for fibrocystic breast pain-even if I found it high--i would want to try anyway. I am more interested in seeing if there is any contraindication for a thyroid cancer patient--such as will iodine supplement effect thyroglobulin levels, etc..

I haven't checked free t3-t4 for awhile--but it is usually fairly normal--the usual high t4, normal t3.  I don't check too often or pay much attention to it anyways.....I adjust my doses according to palpitations--too many I back down....although I just started increasing myself by 0.25 grain daily---I seem pretty sensitive to palpittions .....so I'm going to increase slowly...I take 2.5 grain daily--have for years.

[laura1967]

What were your latest Free T3 and Free T4 test results? It sounds like you are still hypo. You cannot go by the TSH so much with Armour. You may need an increase.

[AR-10]

Do you know what your iodine level is?

Iodine is still required even if you have no thyroid. Taking a supplement, if you need it, should not affect your Armour dosage. You don't need iodine to metabolize the T4/T3 hormones.

I think it is safer to tinker with iodine if you have no thyroid than if you still had one. I would still excercise caution, if you find you need to supplement your iodine.

That's just my opinion, and this may be one of the posts that I am not on target.

We want more opinions!