Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Hypothyroidism

skelly247

By skelly247
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

skelly247 Rookie
skelly247
Posted

I recently got a hold of all the bloodwork my doctor ordered when he tested me for celiac and a whole host of other gastrointestinal problems and noticed he didn't mention was that my TSH levels were elevated but within the normal range (3.8 with a range of 0.5-4.0 being normal).  Many of the symptoms of decreased thyroid function are similar to symptoms of celiac, but I'm always cold and have fairly low blood pressure (105/60 is normal for me) which are both flags for hypothyroidism.  I've read that some people regain thyroid function (lower TSH levels) in response to a gluten free diet and was wondering if anyone here had any experiences of that happening and if so, how long it took.

 

(I would love to go back to my doctor and get a more concrete answer but my insurance only covers once a year well visits until I hit my $5000 deductible so I would prefer to not do that as of right now) 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Going gluten free has not affected my thyroid function.  I think it has calmed down my autoimmune response, so that I'm no longer fluctuating from hypo to hyper.  My meds are still the same as prior to my thyroid "storm" which occurred just prior to my celiac disease diagnosis.  I am still monitoring my TSH, etc. levels as they may change after I experience healing, but after a year, they have not.  

 

Did you get a complete thyroid panel?  Do you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?  I have some nodules on my thyroid (prompted all testing back in '97) and my doctor prescribed a small amount of Armour back then to try to reduce my antibody levels as they were through the roof!  It did help.  Since you have symptoms, you might ask for a small dosage.  

 

Your TSH level would be fine for me.  I would not have symptoms at that level.  I'm down to a .8 now but I feel the same when I'm at a 3.  0.  But, everyone is different.  

 

Can you just pay for the doctor's visit out-of-pocket?  Will your insurance cover the lab charges?  Investigate paying cash (labs offer substantial discounts for cash) at the lab and doctor.   

 

Your blood pressure is comparable to mine and the cold feeling may be related to celiac disease.  Hard to say.  It took me about six months to feel the effects of going gluten-free and my main symptom was anemia.  Turns out that celiac disease affected me in so many ways that I didn't realize it!  It also did not pay to eat a loaf of bread and masses of cookies/cakes between my blood test and endoscopy!  That's when the intestinal crud kicked in!  Ha!  All recovered now, I think!

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted

Hi Skelly and Welcome to the Forum.

 

Your numbers are also comparable to mine.  My BP runs low and resting pulse in the 50's.  My hypothyroid has been stable before and after celiac diagnosis and is around 3.  I still have cold hands and feet, have all my life.  Like Cyclinglady said, you can always pay a lab for further testing if you wanted.  But I wouldn't go running to find something wrong with those numbers.  They are pretty normal.

 

Good luck to you.

 

Colleen

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Your TSH could be a bit high for you, but as the others said it could be fine.  For me, a 3.8 is hypothyroid... You really need more tests to be sure. For someone investigating hypothyroidism, I would recommend these tests:

  • TSH - Many with hypothyroidism say the feel best near a 1. I feel best below a 1.
  • free T4 and free T3 - Should be in the 50-75% range of your lab's normal reference range.  When my TSH was in the teens, my FT's were still in range although low; I feel quite a difference when I get it to about 75% of my lab's range.
  • TPO Ab - Should be low. Mine never tested abnormally high but I am on an almost full replacement dose of hormones. My TPO Ab did fall a bit about 7 months after going gluten-free but I don't know if it's related or not.

Next time you see your doctor, ask about the tests.  My cold extremeties did warm up some after I found a good med match for my hypothyroidism, and after I got my free's up and my TSH down. My blood pressure wasn't affected though.

 

I hope you find answers.  :)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to BIg Nodge's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      Opinions on my test results/symptoms

      Many of the symptoms, there are over 200, associated with celiac disease and NCGS are vitamin and mineral deficiencies caused by small intestine damage in the case of celiac disease and food avoidance and the poor nutrittion of the Modern American Diet (MAD) I used to turn the heat on even at 78 degrees. The 600 mcg of Liquid Iodine helped. Also...
    2. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Nicbent35's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      3 year old gluten intolerance?

      If you mean continueing on Gluten Free my answer is yes. She showed significant improvement in her behavior and that translates to a happy family. Do get her tested as sooon as you can. You might want to investigate genetic testing for Celiac Disease. Children recover more quickly than adults. It took my son about 6 months on Nutramigen before going...
    3. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Nicbent35's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      3 year old gluten intolerance?

      Hi @Nicbent35, When my son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when he was weaned, so I understand your frustration. With improvement so dramatic, it cannot be a coincedence. Get her to the doctor and tell the story and insist on testing. In the meantime, though, continue on GFD. Her health is more important than convincing...
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to plumbago's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      3

      Anyone else with very high HDL?

      @plumbago, Are you taking any folate with your B12? Folate helps regulate HDL levels. You may try taking a methylfolate supplement with your B12. If there's a folate deficiency because you aren't absorbing sufficient folate, or have the MThF mutation causing a functional folate deficiency (methylfolate trap), you can have a functional B12 deficiency...
    5. Nicbent35
      - Nicbent35 replied to Nicbent35's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      3 year old gluten intolerance?

      Thank you for all that helpful info, does that mean it’s not a good idea to do what I’m doing? Or since it’s only been a week should I see if I could get her tested now? Would it show up still since it hasn’t been long if they tested her?
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,890
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Missymid
    Newest Member
    Missymid
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.5k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      Opinions on my test results/symptoms

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Many of the symptoms, there are over 200, associated with celiac disease and NCGS are vitamin and mineral deficiencies caused by small intestine damage in the case of celiac disease and food avoidance and the poor nutrittion of the Modern American Diet (MAD) I used to turn the heat on even at 78 degrees.  The 600 mcg of Liquid Iodine helped.  Also good for hair, nails, skin and brain fog.  Another good thing for brain fog is phosphatyl choline.  It is essentil for acetylcholine- a brain chemical. I have familial hyperlipdemia and instead of a statin I got a prescription for Nicotinic Acid, 2000 mg a day.  I was already taking 500 mg a day and was really surprised when my HDL when up to  44 and I began sleeping better and my legs and back are getting more flexible.  In addition after the first few doses of itchiness I get a warm fuzzy feeling Raising your vitamin D is crucial.  Low vitamin D allows the immune system to run amuck. intermittent bouts of fatigue, chills/cold intolerance, and shortness of breath/air hunger (sometimes feels like a hollowness in my chest, hard to describe).  Look at Thiamin deficiency. consistently ran hot, was always cranking the a/c, to someone who wears a down vest.  Any combination of deficiencies in B1, B2, B3, B5, choline and Iodine can cause this.  Likely all of them. After a lifetime of mouthbreathing GFD cleared my sinuses.  Post nasal drip is my first symptom of cross contamination nowaday.  
    • Wheatwacked
      3 year old gluten intolerance?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      If you mean continueing on Gluten Free my answer is yes.  She showed significant improvement in her behavior and that translates to a happy family.  Do get her tested as sooon as you can.  You might want to investigate genetic testing for Celiac Disease.  Children recover more quickly than adults.  It took my son about 6 months on Nutramigen before going to regular food, gluten free.  Blood tests are not always accurate in very young children. You may be advised to see a gastroenterologist instead of relying on blood tests results. Logic: She is better off gluten than before.  Wheat flour has no nutritional value and has an omega 6: omega 3 ratio of 22:1.  Our bodies do better at 3:1.  Omega 6 causes inflammation. When my son was diagnosed, back in 1976, his doctor recommended my wife and I also go gluten free.  We declined and lived to regret it.  I started GFD at 63 and have spent the last 10 years undoing the damage, some of my symptons went all the way back to my childhood and things I lived with all my life got better.
    • Wheatwacked
      3 year old gluten intolerance?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Hi @Nicbent35,             When my son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when he was weaned, so I understand your frustration.       With improvement so dramatic, it cannot be a coincedence. Get her to the doctor and tell the story and insist on testing.  In the meantime, though, continue on GFD.  Her health is more important than convincing a doctor.  Bring videos of her behaviors if you can.  Even if the blood tests and biopsy prove negative, that is part of the diagnosis process for NCGS and later when she is recovered you can always do a Gluten Challenge.      This is an important time in her developement.  Celiac Disease causes malabsorption syndrome, leading to malnutrition, regardles of what she eats.  Though NCGS may not cause malabsorption, it will affect food choices which can lead to malnutrition.  There may be benifits that an official diagnosis may have, but they don't trump a healthy child.      Get her healthy, then worry about validation later.  Celiac Disease is difficult to diagnosed, especially in children, because doctors look for antibodies in the blood and young children have immature immune systems.  Also you don't mention any gastrologic symtoms and celiac disease is traditionally considered gastrolic only.  Not true.  There are over 200 symptom that celiac disease and the accompaning malnutrion mimics or causes that often causes misdiagnosis and delay in recovery. While at the doctors, ask them about vitamin D deficiency and Iodine deficiency in particular. Milk being the primary source of iodine in the diet, but concerns exist regarding the lower iodine content in organic milk and reduced milk consumption in certain demographics.  Vitamin D deficiency is 40% of the industrialized population and a recent study in the Great Britain showed a wopping 60%, beaten only by some areas of Canada at 70%. And B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6.  Deficiencies in these are common in untreated Celiac Disease and they affect energy production. Are You Confused About Your Celiac Disease Lab Results?
    • knitty kitty
      Anyone else with very high HDL?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @plumbago, Are you taking any folate with your B12?   Folate helps regulate HDL levels.  You may try taking a methylfolate supplement with your B12.   If there's a folate deficiency because you aren't absorbing sufficient folate, or have the MThF mutation causing a functional folate deficiency (methylfolate trap), you can have a functional B12 deficiency despite supplementing, resulting in HDL levels not getting regulated, but running high or low.   Pushing the envelope in explanations, too. P. S. Are you taking a B Complex?  Folate and B12 Cobalamine need enzymes made from B6 Pyridoxine's interaction with Thiamine, and B2 Riboflavin's interaction with Thiamine.  Is your Vitamin D low?
    • Nicbent35
      3 year old gluten intolerance?

      By Nicbent35 · Posted

      Thank you for all that helpful info, does that mean it’s not a good idea to do what I’m doing? Or since it’s only been a week should I see if I could get her tested now? Would it show up still since it hasn’t been long if they tested her?
×
×
  • Create New...