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Iodine Deficient with hypothyroidism
I am new here and want to make a long story short...here goes...I am a 50 yr old female with family history of hypothyroidism and an aunt that had Hashimotos. Since I was approx 25yr old I have been told I have enlarged thyroid. I had sonograms a couple times & blood work more often over the years that always resulted "normal". I always thought I felt fine but I might not have known what fine was. Over the last few years the tired feeling was making me think I was fading away, usually around 2pm, I wanted to lay on the floor wherever I was. After 3 children (all grown) a recent total hysterectomy (April 2015). My thyroid levels dropped to where my physician decided it was time. I tried Nature-Thryoid but felt very nervous and shaky after a week (lowest dose), then put on levothyroxine .25 and now currently on levothyroxine .50mcg. I feel pretty decent, not dragged down tired. My primary doctor (he listens better than the endocrinologists) ordered iodine blood test and results are 50 (normal is 52-149 something like that). He wants me to take 225mcg of kelp (natural iodine). I also forgot to mention I was tested for Hashi's but negative for antibody, (I do have auto-immune issues). I read that it may be dangerous for someone on thyroid meds to take iodine....I am hesitant and think maybe seeing an out of town endo or just eating a bunch of shellfish. I also have to say I use pink himalyan sea salt and don't think it contain iodine. I really don't have any source of dietary iodine and if I thought it would be better I would rather eat foods rich in iodine..Anyone with any thoughts or comments?
Hi, just wanted to say that I was iodine deficient in a hair test and do supplement with Logul's Iodine 5% I take 8 drops divided. I am hypo but not Hashi, it took me a while to get to the 8 drops a day. If you decide to try it look up on the supporting vitamins to help along. I do not have flouride in the water where I live, it makes it easier. David Brownstein has written few books on Iodine, you can watch some clips on youtube, like the way he explains. I had another hair test done, but don't know the results yet. One thing I noticed for sure, my breast are not sore anymore because of it. I don't feel any different as far as thyroid goes. Sometimes I feel it helps. Make sure to do all the reading before you decide to try it.
Sorry my comments did not nest under what you wrote. Maybe I can get used to new format ;)
The digestive yeast I don't think ever goes away when I try a regular diet (I strayed off the diet 1 year ago), I don't eat bad but have pecan pie and some sugary no-no's more often. My doctor says gluten is bad for anyone with auto-immune issues. I bought a book recently over Amazon called The Auto Immune Solution written by Amy Myers, M.D. Have just started reading it and it starting to make sense in that area.
My T4 has improved with the start of thyroid med. The TSH has gone down though, and was fluctuating in the past 2 years (up & down). Now its just down. I stay with my family doctor because he is open-minded and if you give me a test to ask for he will order it. The ANA test? Let me know what we are looking for with this test and why and I will ask him.
My mom's brother and sister also had rheumatoid arthritis. If you can give me some advice on what I could discuss with my doctor, he is willing to listen to me.
My symptoms mostly are ears ring (I got used to it) and I remember my aunt having the same issues. I used to be tired until I started thyroid med.
I somehow feel diet is the key at this point - no gluten as being #1. I cannot tolerate dairy and I must stay away from sugar. I use Sweet Leaf stevia for tea and such.
I am going to hold off on the iodine for now. I would do any test to find out exactly what is going on. I would even go to an out-of-town doctor. Pittsburgh is in my network and where I live everybody scratches their heads. Its a 1 1/2 drive but would be worth it. I was there a couple years ago and chose the wrong endo. Finding a good doctor is hard. Look forward to your response, thank you so much for your advice
My T4 has improved with the start of thyroid med. The TSH has gone down though, and was fluctuating in the past 2 years (up & down). Now its just down. I stay with my family doctor because he is open-minded and if you give me a test to ask for he will order it. The ANA test? Let me know what we are looking for with this test and why and I will ask him.
My mom's brother and sister also had rheumatoid arthritis. If you can give me some advice on what I could discuss with my doctor, he is willing to listen to me.
My symptoms mostly are ears ring (I got used to it) and I remember my aunt having the same issues. I used to be tired until I started thyroid med.
I somehow feel diet is the key at this point - no gluten as being #1. I cannot tolerate dairy and I must stay away from sugar. I use Sweet Leaf stevia for tea and such.
I am going to hold off on the iodine for now. I would do any test to find out exactly what is going on. I would even go to an out-of-town doctor. Pittsburgh is in my network and where I live everybody scratches their heads. Its a 1 1/2 drive but would be worth it. I was there a couple years ago and chose the wrong endo. Finding a good doctor is hard. Look forward to your response, thank you so much for your advice
COMMUNITY LEADER
Okay - I didn't mean to sound like I was grilling you to death... lol Everything you're saying makes sense...
It does look like your RA factor is sitting right on positive and I'm surprised they didn't dx you with Rheumatoid Arthritis... I'm really surprised they didn't do an ANA.
I certainly don't blame you for not taking the plaquinil when you had no symptoms; I'm actually rather surprised the rheumy even prescribed them, but since he did, I wouldn't have gone back to him, either...
Digestive yeast makes sense instead of celiac. Have you tried adding gluten and dairy back in, in small amounts to see how it works once you got the digestive yeast cleared up?
Are the reference ranges for your FT3 and FT4 the same for all the testing events? Each result has to be compared with the reference range for that blood draw so ranges need to be posted with results. If the ranges have remained the same, your FT4 and FT3 have remained quite low, but have come up with the October labs... when were you switched to the 50 mcg?
One problem with many doctors is that they don't see a need to test for antibodies because it's the number 1 cause of hypothyroidism, so they simply "assume" that anyone who is hypo has Hashimoto's, which could be why there's no explanation for your mom's hypothyroidism. It's very possible that she has Hashimoto's and was simply never tested for antibodies. Her sister's hypothyroidism was caused by Hashimoto's - that "is" the cause, which is autoimmune.
Autoimmune diseases tend to run in families, though not every member of the family will get the same disease... For instance, I have Hashimoto's and Pernicious Anemia; my son has Type I Diabetes and my daughter has Lupus. Those are all autoimmune, but no 2 of us have the same disease - yet..
I still can't tell you what to do about the iodine/kelp, but personally, I'd hold off on it, since iodine can make any autoimmune response worse, and see what the thyroid hormone med does... if your thyroid isn't functioning adequately, taking iodine isn't going to make it start functioning properly anyway, so you won't be losing anything by not taking it.
It does look like your RA factor is sitting right on positive and I'm surprised they didn't dx you with Rheumatoid Arthritis... I'm really surprised they didn't do an ANA.
I certainly don't blame you for not taking the plaquinil when you had no symptoms; I'm actually rather surprised the rheumy even prescribed them, but since he did, I wouldn't have gone back to him, either...
Digestive yeast makes sense instead of celiac. Have you tried adding gluten and dairy back in, in small amounts to see how it works once you got the digestive yeast cleared up?
Are the reference ranges for your FT3 and FT4 the same for all the testing events? Each result has to be compared with the reference range for that blood draw so ranges need to be posted with results. If the ranges have remained the same, your FT4 and FT3 have remained quite low, but have come up with the October labs... when were you switched to the 50 mcg?
One problem with many doctors is that they don't see a need to test for antibodies because it's the number 1 cause of hypothyroidism, so they simply "assume" that anyone who is hypo has Hashimoto's, which could be why there's no explanation for your mom's hypothyroidism. It's very possible that she has Hashimoto's and was simply never tested for antibodies. Her sister's hypothyroidism was caused by Hashimoto's - that "is" the cause, which is autoimmune.
Autoimmune diseases tend to run in families, though not every member of the family will get the same disease... For instance, I have Hashimoto's and Pernicious Anemia; my son has Type I Diabetes and my daughter has Lupus. Those are all autoimmune, but no 2 of us have the same disease - yet..
I still can't tell you what to do about the iodine/kelp, but personally, I'd hold off on it, since iodine can make any autoimmune response worse, and see what the thyroid hormone med does... if your thyroid isn't functioning adequately, taking iodine isn't going to make it start functioning properly anyway, so you won't be losing anything by not taking it.
I looked again at results from previous of what stands out:
9/23/14- Lupus Panel- Complement C3 80; no SB + was present
9/24/13- " " -Complement C3 89 L & Rheumatoid Factor 14 (normals are < 14IU/ML)
The antibodies tests read like this: <20 & <10
My doctor did not say a cause for the hypothyroidism.
I saw the Rheumatologist twice because I did not feel symptoms at the time of anything and he was telling me I needed to take the plaquinil and I thought to myself why should I, I have no symptoms. They were going off bloodwork and family history.I am not seeing rheumy. I had a EGD done a couple years ago and ruled out Celiac's but positive for digestive yeast (which led me to the diet for candidiasis).
Oct 21,2015- Free T3-2.9, Free T4-1.17, TSH-0.66
Aug 18,2015- Free T3-2.5, Free T4- .99, TSH-1.60
Jun 29,2015- Free T3-2.5, Free T4- .94, TSH-2.49
Started thyroid meds (.25) to .50 currently..
I was never diagnosed with Hashi's but I went to an endo a few months ago and she stated " you have no antibodies that indicate you have Hashimoto's but I'm not saying you don't, come back and see me in 6 months".
I hope this can help with my story, I appreciate any input/feedback? Also, no doctor has ever said a cause for my mom's hypothyroidism or her sister's Hashimoto's. My mom just informed me her cousin's (her dad's side) have thyroid disease too. They are not close so my mom does not know but by the looks of them it seems it could be hyper-thyroidism.
9/23/14- Lupus Panel- Complement C3 80; no SB + was present
9/24/13- " " -Complement C3 89 L & Rheumatoid Factor 14 (normals are < 14IU/ML)
The antibodies tests read like this: <20 & <10
My doctor did not say a cause for the hypothyroidism.
I saw the Rheumatologist twice because I did not feel symptoms at the time of anything and he was telling me I needed to take the plaquinil and I thought to myself why should I, I have no symptoms. They were going off bloodwork and family history.I am not seeing rheumy. I had a EGD done a couple years ago and ruled out Celiac's but positive for digestive yeast (which led me to the diet for candidiasis).
Oct 21,2015- Free T3-2.9, Free T4-1.17, TSH-0.66
Aug 18,2015- Free T3-2.5, Free T4- .99, TSH-1.60
Jun 29,2015- Free T3-2.5, Free T4- .94, TSH-2.49
Started thyroid meds (.25) to .50 currently..
I was never diagnosed with Hashi's but I went to an endo a few months ago and she stated " you have no antibodies that indicate you have Hashimoto's but I'm not saying you don't, come back and see me in 6 months".
I hope this can help with my story, I appreciate any input/feedback? Also, no doctor has ever said a cause for my mom's hypothyroidism or her sister's Hashimoto's. My mom just informed me her cousin's (her dad's side) have thyroid disease too. They are not close so my mom does not know but by the looks of them it seems it could be hyper-thyroidism.
COMMUNITY LEADER
What were the actual results of those antibody tests, with reference ranges? If your doctor says you are negative for Hashimoto's, what is the determined cause of your hypothyroidism?
You took one plaquinil and stopped because of anxiety? Your rheumy was okay with that? He didn't tell you that many side effects go away once you get used to the med - not that I'm gung ho for plaquinil, by any means? How long ago did you test SB+? Have you ever had an ANA test? What about RH factor? Do you have celiac? Are you still seeing the rheumy?
What are your current thyroid hormone levels? Your doctor should be testing your for TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. Please be sure to include reference ranges, which vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report...
I simply can't answer your question about the iodine. Here's what I see: You've had an enlarged thyroid, which is, often, characteristic of Hashimoto's, hypothyroidism runs in your family (what was the cause?) and you have an aunt who is known to have had Hashimoto's; you've been diagnosed (?), then undiagnosed (?) with Sjogren's or do you just control it with gluten free, dairy free and sugar free diet?
If there's more information you can add that might clear up some of my confusion, I'm more than open...
You took one plaquinil and stopped because of anxiety? Your rheumy was okay with that? He didn't tell you that many side effects go away once you get used to the med - not that I'm gung ho for plaquinil, by any means? How long ago did you test SB+? Have you ever had an ANA test? What about RH factor? Do you have celiac? Are you still seeing the rheumy?
What are your current thyroid hormone levels? Your doctor should be testing your for TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. Please be sure to include reference ranges, which vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report...
I simply can't answer your question about the iodine. Here's what I see: You've had an enlarged thyroid, which is, often, characteristic of Hashimoto's, hypothyroidism runs in your family (what was the cause?) and you have an aunt who is known to have had Hashimoto's; you've been diagnosed (?), then undiagnosed (?) with Sjogren's or do you just control it with gluten free, dairy free and sugar free diet?
If there's more information you can add that might clear up some of my confusion, I'm more than open...
Thank you for responding. I just looked back and I did have those tests done Feb 2015 and both results were negative for antibodies. The auto-immune marker is not indicating anything at this point. I did test SB+ for Sjogrens but that mysteriously disappeared. Not sure what is happening with all that. I did see a rheumatologist with that and he wanted me to take plaquinil which one pill gave me anxiety. I am currently ok with gluten free, dairy free, sugar free diet, other that ears ring still. So really not sure if thyroid and auto-immune is connected. I am wondering what to do about this iodine. Do you think I should try the kelp or start eating diet rich in iodine? If those tests you mentioned were negative, which they were, even with family history,wondering if Hashimotos is lurking..
COMMUNITY LEADER
There are 2 antibody tests for Hashimoto's... were both of these done and found to be negative? Many doctors only do one of the 2 antibody tests and end up missing the diagnosis for Hashimoto's.
The tests you need are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). They are both markers for Hashimoto's. Some of us have one or the other; some have them both. Since you have an Aunt with Hashimoto's, and it's the # 1 cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world, I'd be real surprised if you don't have it. Not everyone has positive antibodies.
Iodine is contra-indicated with Hashimoto's as it can make the autoimmune response more severe.
What other autoimmune condition(s) do you have? When one has one autoimmune condition, the chances of getting another (or more) are more likely...
The tests you need are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). They are both markers for Hashimoto's. Some of us have one or the other; some have them both. Since you have an Aunt with Hashimoto's, and it's the # 1 cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world, I'd be real surprised if you don't have it. Not everyone has positive antibodies.
Iodine is contra-indicated with Hashimoto's as it can make the autoimmune response more severe.
What other autoimmune condition(s) do you have? When one has one autoimmune condition, the chances of getting another (or more) are more likely...
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