Weight gain/thyroid issue after taking Iodine

[kkowen]

I took Nascent Iodine for about a month and gained 8 pounds.  Initially I felt great but slowly started feeling bad.  Stopped the iodine but the weight has not gone away.  Got lab work recently and no one seems concerned.  Everyone says it's just perimenopause.  Any thoughts or what I can do to readjust myself naturally.  All I take right now is KAL Blood Sugar Defense
thyrotropin .67 (range.5-5), free thyroxine .85 (range .8-2.7), TSH 1.45 (range .27-4.20)
I have other labs if they would be helpful.  Thanks in advance

[gimel]

Please double check your lab info.  Thyrotropin is the same as TSH.  Could the one you show as TSH really be Free T3?  Do you have any symptoms other than the weight gain?  Have you been tested for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin?

[kkowen]

Oh that's interesting.  I had two separate labs done.  One was in June and one in July.  So the first two I gave were from June, then the TSH was from July.  Quite a change in a month if those two are the same?  I am quite irregular in my cycles and they tested my female hormones, which I'll be glad to share if helpful.  Most symptoms are weight I cannot lose and water retention.  Other symptoms have been helped by 1) the blood sugar supplement and 2) stopping iodine.  the weight gain happened rapidly so I really believe the iodine did it, rather than anything else.  I stopped the iodine around April/May

[gimel]

Sending you a PM with info.  To access, just click on your name and from your personal page click on messages.  

[gimel]

From my usual sources for good thyroid doctors I did not locate one in your area, so I will continue looking.  In the interim, do you think you could get the recommended tests done by your current doctor?  Specifically I suggest testing for Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3 (if possible), cortisol, Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.  Having that test info would be very helpful in understanding what you need.

[kkowen]

yes, I am going to call to get an appointment asap.  Also, something very very interesting I just ran across.  So, I quit smoking Dec. 2016 and wore the patch until around March when I started back.  I also took the iodine during that period.  Then, I quit smoking in June again and started vaping (almost zero nicotine).  I did a google search about vaping making you sleepy since I wondered if maybe vaping was contributing and, low and behold I found tons of information about smoking and cessation causing hypothyroid.  So now I'm reading and reading and reading!!

[Meels123]

Exercise and eating a balanced diet. My mom had Iodine treatment in her early 20s so she could have us, and she does gain weight easier, but she stays fit and doesn't over eat and has been able to not gain a lot. Mind she's just going through Menopause at the moment and so is finding it harder. Weight gain is very very normal with hypo and menopause and in both cases twice as hard to get rid of. Probably why the doctor weren't concerned. Just stay active and eat well and it won't get out of control. My mom goes on hill walks once a day (goes up a local small Mountain and back down) for about one hour and does occasional bike rides on the weekends. She used to run, but found her joints bugging her. You will be fine !!

[gimel]

Exercise and a balanced diet is always good; however, when thyroid hormone levels are too low, it is extremely difficult /impossible to lose related weight, since the metabolism is reduced so much.   kkowen did not gain the weight due to a change in her diet and exercise routine. Instead it occurred due to the effect of taking way too much iodine, with resultant detrimental effect on her thyroid function, as evidenced by her Free T4 result being less than 3% of a range that is far too broad.  So to lose the weight she gained, her thyroid hormone levels have to be optimized to normalize her metabolism.  

[kkowen]

I concur gimel.  10+ lbs in a matter of months is not diet/exercise.  And I do eat Paleo and walk every day.

[Red_Star]

Too much or too little iodine causes hypothyroidism. Too much iodine also is a noted trigger of Hashimoto's thyroiditis if you are genetically predisposed. Hashimoto's thyroiditis antibodies to test for: thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb).

You might want to try selenium.  I prefer brazil nuts to supplements. One brazil nut can contain 68–91 mcg per nut. There are numerous studies on selenium (most would be based on taking 200mcg per day of L-selenomethionine supplementation) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Excerpts from Dr Wentz's article Iodine and Hashimoto’s...

"Iodine from foods and supplements is processed by the thyroid gland so that the body can properly use it. During this process, hydrogen peroxide, a free radical, is released. In cases when the body has adequate levels of selenium and it is used properly, the selenium neutralizes the hydrogen peroxide. However, in cases of iodine excess, excess hydrogen peroxide can cause oxidative damage to the thyroid gland. (4)

Studies have shown that excess iodine causes thyroid injury by generating reactive oxygen species, which lead to premature damage and programmed cell death in thyroid tissues. These iodine-overloaded cells then release the danger (or damage)-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) which turn on the autoimmune process in a person with the right genetic predisposition and intestinal permeability."

"Taking a high dose of iodine can exacerbate Hashimoto’s and accelerate thyroid cell destruction. The American Thyroid Association cautions against using doses of more than 500 mcg per day in the general public and noted that doses above 1100 mcg may cause thyroid dysfunction. These warnings are for the general population, but studies have found that people with Hashimoto’s may be sensitive to even smaller doses."

***

Excerpt from Medscape - Selenium and the Thyroid Gland...

"Most authors attribute the effect of supplementation on the immune system to the regulation of the production of reactive oxygen species and their metabolites.  In patients with Hashimoto's disease and in pregnant women with anti-TPO antibodies, selenium supplementation decreases anti-thyroid antibody levels and improves the ultrasound structure of the thyroid gland."

[kkowen]

very informative.  About selenium; would there be any negative effects of taking it if I did not have Hashimoto's?

[Red_Star]

Negative effects are when taking too much selenium. Upper tolerable limit of selenium is 400 mcg a day.

[gimel]

First thing is that you should make sure they always test for both Free T4 and Free T3 every time you go for tests.  

You have a number of symptoms that are frequently related to being hypothyroid.  Your TSH result doesn't reveal much since it is well within range.  Your Free T4 level is much too low, even though within range.  Due to the erroneous assumptions used to establish ranges for FT4 and FT3, the ranges are far too broad to be functional for everybody, especially in the lower half of the range.  You really need to know Free T3 as well, but I expect that it will also indicate hypothyroidism.  

The high dose of iodine has caused you to become hypothyroid.  The question is whether your system will return to normal, and if so, when.  I found this article that makes me think you should have returned to normal by now, if that was going to occur.  

  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11396709

So it may well be that you are going to remain hypothyroid.  So for now, you should talk to the doctor about getting some additional testing done and also about getting on thyroid medication.   Specifically you should test for Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3 (if possible), Vitamin D, B12, ferritin, and cortisol.  If you can get these done, then post results and reference ranges and we will be glad to help interpret and advise further.  

[kkowen]

Thank you for all your help gimel.  I will go back and see if my dr. will do all the tests you recommended.  Problem is we have no good endocrinologists in my area.  Do you think natural remedies are possible?

[gimel]

You just need a doctor that will treat clinically, by testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as necessary to relieve hypo symptoms, without being influenced by resultant TSH levels.  Unfortunately that seems to preclude most Endocrinologists, who usually rigidly follow the "Immaculate TSH Belief" and use "Reference Range Endocrinology".  If you will tell us your location, perhaps we can suggest a doctor that has been recommended by other thyroid patients.  

[kkowen]

I am in Madison AL.  You are correct about doctor's just going by the ranges.  I've begged them to take me seriously..that I know my body and I am not right but they all say, "well, you're in range so nothing to worry about".  

[kkowen]

Too add more info on symptoms. I stay cold. I am frequently tired. I swell if I am out in the heat. I sometimes have puffy eyes/face. Every so often I have bouts of what I call heart flutters. I have a good/low blood pressure. Anywhere from 109-120/70-80

[gimel]

Before further discussion I should ask about the daily dosage of iodine you were taking and when you started it.

[kkowen]

1950 mcg/day.  I  took it for 4-6 weeks, stopping around April of this year. I've read on the net that I didn't take it right, with the correct accompanying supplements etc but no one can tell me what to do now. I used to maintain my weight pretty easily. I eat better now and move more and have gained 15 lbs total. 8 right away with the iodine then about 5 more in these last few months