Feeling 'wound down' like a broken toy - thyroid, iodine, peri menopause, or nutrition?

[Datafan55]

For about 15 months, I have been feeling very ‘wound down’.
Mentally I feel fine, but physically I am dragging myself around.
Sometimes it’s from first thing, other times it comes on later in the day.
Sometimes I feel like a toy that has wound down completely.
When I get moving, I can feel better.
The frequency has possibly increased (at first it lasted eg five days, then better).
Odd days I feel fine!
I just can’t work out what is corresponding to.

I am 48, so could be peri menopause. However women talk more about being ‘tired’: I wouldn’t describe it as tired, but maybe it’s what people mean by it?

I default to a vegan diet, so someone suggested iodine (sources dairy, fish: depleted by green veg). I really hadn’t considered that before and it might fit. Got a phone appt with surgery pharmacist on Thursday am to discuss a supplement (I’ve got nodules on my thyroid so don’t want to overstimulate it).

I am sure I lack in minerals too, but what?
Possibles - magnesium, zinc, vit a or d, copper, other?
Sometimes I perk up if eg I eat chick peas, other times, no difference.

if I ask GPs re mineral tests/peri menopause hormone tests, they say not possible.
All they’ve given is full blood count, thyroid, iron, calcium (fine), b12 (fine).
My sister works in a lab and says serum magnesium levels etc are very easy.

One doctor suggested they could try me on a low dose of HRT and see if I feel better. I’d prefer to know rather than just dabble!!

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Relevant to add;
I do have an underactive thyroid and take medication. Have antibodies, and a recent scan showed nodules. Don’t know my results, eg if top of range/bottom of range. The brain stimulating thyroid is completely normal. No one is adjusting medication so currently in range. Blood tests increased to every six months.

I take an iron supplement and it doesn’t seem to correlate to that.

My GPs have been very helpful for something else recently, but for this – which I’ve mentioned several times to several different doctors - I just seem to hit a blank.

Any relevant experience?
Thanks all, appreciate any responses.

vitabionics are small, they even say “mini tablets” on the box.

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/vitabiotics-ultra-vitamin-d3-4000iu-tablets-60051912?skuid=051912&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&gclid=Cj0KCQjw27mhBhC9ARIsAIFsETFYODAXuFVSHTysoyQplXUiM1lLroIQ9TIglKg-61TPvmNzTioaFroaAkhwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Good to know, thank you

The BTF specifically says not to take iodine if taking levothroxine for hypothyroidism, it's unnecessary and could make things worse:

www.btf-thyroid.org/iodine-and-thyroid

It's all so confusing 😩

You can get vit D spray that works really well.

I've read that as the other way round;
Hypothyroidism (under active) - don't need iodine, no point. Directly contradicting that other article. The BTF seem definitive about it.
Hyperthyroidism (overactive) - can worsen.

I have an underactive but due to lumps/enlargement am looking out for an overactive one ....So which condition do I follow there?
And if you don't get any of something from food, then normally you could look to a supplement ... But they're saying iodine in food is fine to eat, supplements are not ...

Odd that my GP surgery didn't really seem to care either way!

I may take an 'all in' supplement just a couple of times a week, instead of daily.

---

Iodine is an element that plays an essential role in the functioning of a healthy thyroid. It is used for the production of thyroid hormones. ...
Adults need 150mcg of iodine per day.
Iodine and hypothyroidism. If you have hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and are taking levothyroxine you do not have a functioning thyroid to absorb iodine and therefore you do not require iodine supplements.
Iodine and hyperthyroidism. If you are being treated for hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), taking an iodine supplement is unnecessary and can worsen the condition.
However, unless instructed by your doctor to follow a low iodine diet, thyroid patients can have iodine-containing foods (milk, eggs, cheese, fish etc) within the recommended daily as part of a balanced diet.

I agree - confusing!

@PinkLemonadee I really am going to have no excuse but to get Vitamin D down! Ta.

Bit expensive but you can get home urines tests https://www.cerascreen.co.uk/products/iodine-deficiency-test?gclid=Cj0KCQjw27mhBhC9ARIsAIFsETGRsE-RqY6P_LNQqOZbN5KkT4NzgFrPZpuh_x5jzGXkoNYW4HqYcY8aAmAFEALw_wcB

It's half my weekly income.... But I have to admit, I am curious.
I think there is advice somewhere saying they're not always worth doing though (on an iodine group possibly).

I have no idea about them really, it just came up when I searched. 😊

The problem with lack of energy/tiredness is that there are so many possible causes but thyroid should be a priority. Ask for a printout of your blood results and have a look at the Thyroid UK website if you haven't already.
My experience was that the GP wanted to get my results within range and wasn't interested beyond that, but when my TSH is close to the bottom of the range I feel much better (there's more to it than that for me but that's the short version of the story). Not an immediate dramatic improvement but over time I felt much better.
Good luck!

@Can2022getanyworse said something similar. I must find out what my levels are. I agree re GPs - mine only ever look at if I'm in range, and then just leave it. As patients, can we simply ask them if it's okay to increase our dose?

Bloody annoying that we have to chase and/or second guess the doctors though.

I posted on this same problem just the other day.

Similar age. Not sleepy tired, but just no get up and go. Can’t be bothered running, just want to laze around.

some posters suggested Vit D, and going for tests at GP.

havent had a chance to explore these yet, but just wanted to post in solidarity !

If your TSH has room for improvement and your T4 (if they test it, which I suspect they no longer do) isn't close to the top of the range, there's no reason why you can't ask to trial a higher dose, to get your TSH down closer to 1. TUK can point you in the direction of supporting evidence to help back up your request if you think that would help.

@Datafan55 it's so confusing that I've lost the ability to read properly 😁

So basically it's saying iodine is pointless for under active thyroid because it wont do anything? But taking it won't cause more problems.

I must confess I didn't look at other threads, just because each one by itself has so many rabbit holes to get stuck down.

Let's hope we each/all work it out! In theory, a good multivitamin/mineral mix, decent thyroid levels, and looking at mini doses of HRT should fix us all up, at least to a certain level.

(Although a random fb friend of mine did post the other day about having no energy and then finding out she had blocked veins!) (probably about the time I started screaming and shutting my eyes :-) )

Good luck....

This is all good to know, thank you!

:-)
That's how I'd read it.
So in theory it would then be fine to include it in, say, a mixed supplement like Centrum.

The bonus MAY be - if we believe that other article I linked to - that we do benefit after all.

and an iodine test could auto show no iodine if one has an underactive thyroid, by the btf explanation, so not necessarily any point in doing anyway.

I felt like this and understand exactly. Also have under active thyroid and prone to anaemia so I get what it feel like to be running on empty.

Hit a point around 47 where my thyroid and iron were stable but I still felt like I was wading through treacle every day and couldn't keep up with life - even the mildest activity felt utterly depleting. I'm going to be honest and say the only thing that made any difference was HRT. It gave me my life back and I intend to stay on it for as long as is safe.

Ah, that's interesting to hear to hear from someone with similar factors (and we know it can be very frustrating when eg iron pops in a blood test and the GPs mark the issue as 'complete'). I might have to prioritise/try it.

Simplistic question, but did you try it TO see if you felt better (as a GP has suggested to me), or were you fairly sure it could have been that?

@Datafan55
I was fairly sure if was peri causing the problems because I was getting a lot of related symptoms - night sweats, hormonal migraines etc. HRT sorted it all right out within a few weeks.

Im not really having anything else like that... But if it's that quick to know...

Glad its working for you.

I felt like you for years. My energy levels improved in a few weeks when I started taking:

• plant-based iron supplements (Feroglobin capsules from Boots are best value. Floradix is great but £££)
• Vit D in spray form. Spray under your tongue. It's absorbed more easily than in tablet form
• B-complex tablets
• Magnesium
• drink more water and herb tea - 2 litres a day

Cut back on refined carbs and sugars.

If you are vegan, you need to make sure your protein levels are OK. Peanut butter with stoneground wholemeal bread is allegedly an almost perfect source of protein. Have lentils, beans or chickpeas, tofu, edamame etc every day, and sprinkle food with seeds and chopped nuts.

That's really useful, thank you!
i am pretty sure its a mixture of all of those for me (too).