Vitamins or supplements to help Hypothyroidism

[advent23dog]

Hi
I have had hypothyroidism for 15 months now and still waiting for the doctors to get my levels under control. I am currently taking 100mg Levthyroxine. I feel awful, I feel tired all the time, low mood, freezing cold just generally run down. Is there anything I could take to help boost my energy levels or make me feel better?

[Red_Star]

I found this info from British Columbia Medical Journal.."The transition to menopause or perimenopause was formerly thought to involve dropping estrogen levels. Estrogen levels are now known to average 30% higher, to be chaotic, and to be associated with less progesterone."

[Red_Star]

Hey Barb, caffeine increases estrogen too.

[Barb135]

It wasn't working for me... lol  I was in peri-menopause and my estrogen levels were too low, but I drank a lot of coffee because I was tired all the time (that undiagnosed Pernicious Anemia I struggled with for years).  As soon as I cut my caffeine intake, my breast swelling/tenderness went away.

That was when I was in my early 40's.  I've since had a hysterectomy and been on a variety of HRT; for me, the problem is directly linked to caffeine... one of my quirks, I guess.  :-)

[Barb135]

It would be helpful if you would post your actual thyroid hormone levels, with their corresponding reference ranges, so we see your current status.  Since you're taking 100 mcg levo, already and symptoms don't seem to be improving, it's very possible you might not be converting the T4 to the active T3, which is what individual cells actually use.  

In addition, if you've been tested for Vitamin B-12, vitamin D and/or ferritin or iron, please post those levels, too.  Iron is necessary for the proper conversion of Free T4 to the usable Free T3.  Ferritin is the iron storage hormone, so if ferritin levels are low, that's an indication that iron is also low.  

Studies also show that selenium can help in the conversion of Free T4 to Free T3...

Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause horrible fatigue/tiredness.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle soreness and other symptoms, as can magnesium deficiency.

Breast soreness can also be caused by excessive caffeine usage, which many of us turn to in an effort to keep going when fatigue starts getting the best of us... Mine resolved when I, drastically, cut my caffeine usage.

[Red_Star]

Breast soreness comes from an increase in the level of estrogen. Causes of estrogen dominance include birth control pills, estrogen replacement therapy, stress, poor diet, obesity, xenoestrogens (excess estrogens found in anything from pesticides to plastics).

Estrogen dominance can affect conversion of T4 to T3 as well as increase thyroxine binding globulin (if there is too much thyroid binding globulin, thyroid hormone is bound and unable to get into the cells).

[Red_Star]

Selenium! The selenium tablets have no notable effect for me but Brazil nuts sure do! :)

Excerpt from Sensible Alternative Hormone Clinic - Most Thyroid Disease Is Autoimmune...

"Effective strategies for addressing the autoimmune aspect of Thyroid disease include:

*Avoid wheat.
*Selenium to reduce autoimmunity.
*Correct vitamin D deficiency
*Improve gut flora
*Reduce stress
*Correct underlying adrenal issue, such as DHEA or cortisol imbalance.
*Correct oestrogen dominance. *Consider using Natural progesterone.
*Detoxify mercury and other toxins. (Testing for mercury toxicity is available at Sensible-Alternative Clinic).
*Supplement selenium to lower thyroid antibodies. Also helps with conversion of T4 to T3.
*Correct an iron deficiency.
*Herbal medicine Bupleurum, *Turmeric, Rehmannia and others.

Other Naturopathic treatments for thyroid:

*Herbal medicines Withania or Coleus to increase production of thyroid hormone. (See Best Herbs for Women article.)
*Iodine (not kelp) but in LOW dose. *Use with caution in Hashimoto's disease.
*Amino acid tyrosine which is the building block for thyroid hormone.
*N-acetyl cysteine to detoxify
*Vitamin B6 and Vitamin A to improve the function of the thyroid gland.
*Selenium and zinc to ensure conversion of T4 to T3.
*Coconut milk/ coconut oil provides medium chain fatty acids to normalise gut flora and stimulate metabolic rate.
*Exercise
*Sleep
*Thyroid hormone supplements. See below.

Thyroid hormone supplements:

Supplementation with thyroid hormone is the standard medical treatment for underactive thyroid.  Some hormone medication, however, is better than others.  This is because many people to not respond well to T4 (thyroxine) alone.

Thyroxine does normalise blood tests, but it cannot relieve low thyroid symptoms until is has been converted it to T3, the active hormone.  Failure to make this conversion is common.  (Selenium, zinc, vitamin B6 and other co-factors are required.)

Two alternative prescriptions are available:

T3 (Standard T3 or the much preferred, but more expensive, slow-release T3) used together with T4 long term or by itself for a short-term correction.

Thyroid Extract (desiccated thyroid, Armour thyroid) is popular. It can be a good choice for non-autoimmune thyroid problems, or for Hashimoto's if the antibodies are not too high. High thyroid antibodies may be aggravated by thyroid extract. Thyroid extract is available by prescription from compounding chemists."

[advent23dog]

Thank you for your reply. I Will have a read up of the information you provided. Also TMI but my breasts have been so sore for the past 7 weeks - I am definitely not pregnant. Can this be caused by Hypothyroidism or an affect from Levo?