kelp

i have been on thyroid treatment for over 3yrs now and to tell you the truth i am worse now than i have ever been.I have been on 75mgs of levthyroxin which has just been put up by another 25mgs just last week,I have read the leaflet enclosed and it states that people over 50 should only be taking 50mgs.Well never the less the problem with a thyroid  is that it does'nt produce enough iodine, can i take this as well as my medication as my tablets do not have this in them,I take my medication faithfully every morning,so why am i not feeling better?My weight has balloned ,i cant shift it i am fed up being tired,im fed up being over weight.I eat in moderation,i dont eat a lot of sweet stuffs i like my veg and fruit,i really am asking for help.Can i take kelp with my tablets.Please help as im now getting really depressed and i dont seem to be getting much help from my doctor,
                                                          Regards
                                                          Cath Cruickshanks

[gimel]

Please post whatever thyroid test results and reference range data that you have, so that members can assess the adequacy of your testing and treatment.  

[artfemme]

Dear Cath,

Please post your thyroid labs (TSH, FREE T3, FREE T4, any antibody tests, even the obsolete Total T4, T3, etc. )  To make it easy to read, you might post like this :

TSH             **   (.40 - 4.5 ) or whatever range your lab uses
FREE T3      **    ( ***-*****)          "
FREE T4      **    (****-*****)          "      

Have you studied your metabolic panel ? Of interest are your cholesterol levels including HDL and LDL, your calcium, potassium, glucose, creatinine and eGfr levels, and ferritin, iron, and TIBC levels. Leptin is also of interest. Have you noticed a change in any of these levels since you've been feeling unwell ? Has thyroid medication changed them in any way ? Has your bone density changed ? Has your doctor tested your Vitamin D or B12 levels, or magnesium ? Have you any signs of pernicious anemia ? Have any of  the elements in your panel changed in comparison to older tests ? Abnormalities in these can often indicate that your thyroid isn't working properly and your doctor should be monitoring them. Has he felt your neck or otherwise tested for an enlarged thyroid gland? What symptoms other than weight gain are you experiencing ? How is your blood pressure ? What is your body temperature, both when you awake and throughout the day ? As you can see, diagnosing the problem with  thyroid is a complicated business, as it so profoundly regulates the way your body functions !

I am surprised that the insert in your medication states that 50mcg is a limit for people over 50. Really the limitation can only be determined by the amount of circulating hormone available for use in your bloodstream. This is determined by your FREE T3 and T4 tests, and is very individual regardless of age.

I am surprised that you say your thyroid isn't producing enough iodine. Is this something for which you have been tested ? Iodine, iron, and excess soy can bind thyroid hormones and it is inadvisable to supplement until you know what is causing your problem. For most, the iodine found in table salt is adequate.

If you can give us more information, we will try to help you. In the meantime, there is a lot of helpful information that you can read if you go to the top right of this page and click on "Health pages".