Levothyroxine and iodine supplements
Common Questions and Answers about Levothyroxine and iodine supplements
synthroid
Hi. My question is, am I likely to have caused myself permanent damage by stupidly taking iodine supplements as well as levothyroxine for six weeks?
I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid about six weeks ago and put on 25mcg levothyroxine daily. At the time, I suspected that the vegan diet I had been following for nearly a decade had probably caused the thyroid problem, as vegan diets can be notoriously low in iodine.
I think there is some confusion about iodine in Levo. Levothyroxine doesn't contain "added" iodine. The T4 in Levo is a molecule of tyrosine (an amino acid - the T) with 4 iodine atoms attached (the 4). When already taking the 200 mcg of Levo, I can't see why you need the iodine supplement.
What symptoms do you have? What are your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report?
I've been reading about Levothyroxine and Osteoporosis. Can anyone share their thoughts/articles etc. with me. I feel like damned if you do start the treatment and damned if you don't which isn't a good feeling.
I've also been reading about using kelp and other supplements via a natural MD and trying to get your thyroid healthy that way. Has anyone ever done that successfully? It sounds too good to be true.
), do not take any calcium- or iron-containing foods or supplements within four hours of taking the levothyroxine. This means avoiding milk and yoghurt – two classic breakfast foods. It also means avoiding eggs and baked beans, which are surprisingly high in iron. (But eggs are also rich in iodine, so they are a brilliant food to pick for lunch, once you've safely converted any thyroxine tablets from T4 to T3).
All thyroid meds are made of iodide or iodine (I can't remember which) and are converted into iodine. That's what the T4 and T3 mean, it's how much iodide/iodine are in them.
Sorry for multiple responses.. but I notice Thyroid Px has high levels of iodine. That is good for someone with a known iodine deficiency, but most people with thyroid problems have an autoimmune condition that's causing it. Taking iodine supplements can actually irritate and worsen the thyroid condition. Did your doctor explain anything like that to you or did the naturopath do any thyroid blood panels to confirm a specific condition?
Iodine supplements will not likely help shrink the goiter.
If there are compressive symptoms (trouble swallowing, hoarse voice, cough, choking) then attempts to shrink the goiter are indicated. Ultrasound would help identify if there is any nodule that needs FNA biopsy as part of the consideration
Options would then be I-131 (radioactive iodine treatment) which sometimes can shrink goiter even in Hashi....OR surgery to remove the thyroid.
5 to 2 x the usual amount needed, so patients often have increase their iodine supplements and thyroid medication accordingly. Patients with high TSH numbers, such as you, will get their thyroid blood tests repeated (including checking for iodine deficiency) every 6 weeks (at least) until the TSH comes down, other tests normalize, etc.
It is true that severe iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism. But iodine deficiency is rare in the United States and other developed countries since the addition of iodine to salt (iodized salt) and other foods. If iodine deficiency is not the cause of hypothyroidism, then iodine supplements provide no benefit. Hypothyroidism is safely and effectively treated with the synthetic thyroid hormone levothyroxine. Generally, there's no hypothyroidism diet.
Have not been able to stabilize symptoms in last 2 yrs, despite dose changes of Naturethroid, and addition of levothyroxine. Serum iodine somewhat low, using iodine supplement in low dose. Currently additionally troubled with palpitations over the last several months, coupled with increased anxiety...new PCP wants to increase Sertraline from 100 to 150 mg for the anxiety... literature suggests that Sertraline interferes with thyroid Meds.
My thyroid was removed in August 2020 and I stated using levothyroxine. In 2020 I took my Iodine, serum plasma test and it was 86 mcg/L with range 52-109.
Last week I took it again and it was 57 mcg/L. A month ago i started taking Armour thyroid 90 mcg because 88 mcg of Synthroid would give me a very low free T3 and good free T4.
My free T3 last week was 3.3 pg/mL with a range of 2-3-4.2
My free T4 was 1.0 ng/dL with a range of 0.8-1.8.
Thank you!
Has anyone that is Hypothyroid had success with iodine supplements. I read pro's and con's but I am frustated and willing to do a little experiment.
Consult a good endocrinologist. He may order some additional blood tests and put him on levothyroxine. Dont leave it like this.
I have been hyperthyroid ever since, now I have had a radioactive iodine for my nodules and goiter, now I am a little hypothyroid and the doctors have not given any thyroid meds. I have been feeling terrible forever. My recent labs were 2.18 for TSH and .67 for my T4. Help me if you can. What should I do now?? Feeling the symptoms of both the hypo and hyper from time to time.
I also have pain in the joints of my hands. My knees, arms and legs and neck are always in pain. At the end of a 7 hour work day, I feel like if was picked up off the ground and dropped crushing every bone in my body.
I went to my family doctor. He tested me for rheumatoid arthritis which was negative and other autoimmune diseases. Only thing that came out abnormal was the peroxidase ab 577.0. T4 normal. Tsh normal.
I have a goiter of the thyroid, nodules, pain.
ve been regularly supplementing with iodine whereas before supplements and only on synthroid, my temperature was jumping up and down, but consistently trending lower.
Part of me is wondering if it's the thyroid medication finally kicking in and not due to the iodine. Did any of you get worse while on synthroid for the first 2-3 weeks? I could understand not getting better, but is it normal to feel worse? And would iodine have that quick of an effect on thyroid issues?
Thanks!
So the following week they took out the other side and all the tissue they could find.They started her on 150 levothyroxine. The encocronologist called yesterday and said her levels were high and they needed to be low/normal. Will this delay her radio iodine? Does this mean her chances for reocurence are higher?
When they took out the other side of her thyroid they found a small cancer but it was in her vessels. Should the radioiodine therapy take care of all that?
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