[kay2thej]

#1060731

There is a lot of quackery out there about healing your thyroid by fixing out of balance vitamin and mineral levels. So Im curious if anyone has actually found any vitamin or mineral supplements to be of help in their treatment. Id be even more interested to hear if anyone has had their bloodwork taken to determine their levels of vitamins and minerals when diagnosed with hyperthyroid. Did you find you were deficient in anything? Thank you for your feedback.

[Kimberly]

#1184369

Hello and welcome! Yes, the Internet is definitely full of bad information when it comes to supplementation. It’s always important to check with your doctor before adding any vitamins/supplements to your regimen; some can be harmful in excessive doses, and others can interfere with other meds that you are taking.

In general, research has linked low Vitamin D levels with autoimmune thyroid disease: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21278761. So you are starting to see more endos test Vitamin D levels (it’s a simple blood test), with supplementation recommended if levels are low.

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For patients dealing with mild thyroid eye disease, there is some evidence that Selenium could be of benefit, although the most well-known study was done in a selenium-deficient area, so more research is needed. Again, check with your doctor first, as Selenuim can have negative side effects at excessive levels (gastrointestinal upset, fatigue, hair loss, and mild nerve damage).

Calcium would be another supplement to ask your doctor about, as some patients experience bone loss during periods of hyperthyroidism. Of course, there are some mixed reviews out there on the benefits of calcium supplementation.

[snelsen]

#1184370

Kimberly covered it all well.

The selenium study was done in a selenium deficient population, so I don’t think it has much value.

Re calcium, my understanding is that it is metabolized by us in food, and the pills don’t do much except contribute to constipation.

As she said, there is a simple test for Vitamin D level There definitely are very troublesome and serious side effects from taking too much Vit D orally. Better to have sun and food.

Having a sensible doctor is very helpful, too…..(:

Shirley

[kay2thej]

#1184371

Thank you both very much. Very helpful

[terppsi]

#1184372

My endo gave me supplements when I was first diagnosed, as I had lost a lot of weight but I later realised (afetr my endo had told me to chek other meds for lithium, as it tends to increase thyroid activity), that the vitamins I was taking had Iodine at 60% DDR. So I stopped the supplementation after checking with her.
I am taking selenium for my eyes (prescribed by my endo), because they were itchy and prickly. And it my case there seems to be a distinct correlation between selenium intake and decreasing internal eye pressure (thoguh I am fully aware this is purely anecdotal).
And she tests me every few months for calcium and B12 levels. Don’t remenber the viatmiin D though.
Anyway, these days I just take the selenium which comes with vitamin C and vitamin E. I am even afraid to take vitamins for my hair just in case it has some strange interference with MMI.

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