Hypothyroidism Support Group
Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...
You might remember I was complaining about peripheral neuropathy recently. My doctor had suggested that my low levels of vitamin B was the cause of that, but because I've been taking a supplement my levels are normal now and she said it should start getting better. Well it's been getting a lot worse and it caused me to do some research.
Long story short, it seems that most OTC B vitamins are "inactive", and your body is supposed to convert it to active as needed. But a large portion of the population (up to 40%) has a problem with converting it (seems to be the MTHFR gene mutation). So while the lab work shows normal Vitamin B levels, I was still suffering with the symptoms of a deficiency. I don't know if I have the gene mutation or not, but I do know that my dad, brother, and grandmother all suffer from PN too so it seems to be something genetic.
As an experiment I switched my vitamins over to the active form. So I'm taking Methyl B-12 5000MG per day, P-5-P (active B6) 50MG per day, and Folate (Metafolin) 4000MG per day. By the end of the second day the feeling of bugs crawling on me went away. By the end of a week my neuropathy was GONE. Just gone. My dad has been taking the same vitamins and he said his is remarkably better too. And I've noticed I'm sleeping better.
I just wanted share that because I know that Vitamin B deficiency is common with thyroid problems and thought it might be helpful to someone else.
Long story short, it seems that most OTC B vitamins are "inactive", and your body is supposed to convert it to active as needed. But a large portion of the population (up to 40%) has a problem with converting it (seems to be the MTHFR gene mutation). So while the lab work shows normal Vitamin B levels, I was still suffering with the symptoms of a deficiency. I don't know if I have the gene mutation or not, but I do know that my dad, brother, and grandmother all suffer from PN too so it seems to be something genetic.
As an experiment I switched my vitamins over to the active form. So I'm taking Methyl B-12 5000MG per day, P-5-P (active B6) 50MG per day, and Folate (Metafolin) 4000MG per day. By the end of the second day the feeling of bugs crawling on me went away. By the end of a week my neuropathy was GONE. Just gone. My dad has been taking the same vitamins and he said his is remarkably better too. And I've noticed I'm sleeping better.
I just wanted share that because I know that Vitamin B deficiency is common with thyroid problems and thought it might be helpful to someone else.
I am really curious - how do you tell the difference between the active vs. inactive types of B's?
There are three types of B12: cyanocobalamin, hydroxycabalamin, and methylcobalamin. Of these three, experts agree that methylcobalamin is the most beneficial.
The Methyl B12 is the active form. I take one of these every day:
http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Methylcobalamin-5000mcg-Lozenges/dp/B0013OQGO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436812411&sr=8-1&keywords=methyl+b12
And then P-5-P is the active type of B6. I take one of these every day:
http://www.amazon.com/Solgar-Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate-Tablets-Specially-Coated/dp/B00014ELKK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1436812521&sr=8-3&keywords=p-5-p
And I also take Folate, which is the active form of Folic Acid:
http://www.amazon.com/Folate-1000-mcg-Solgar-Tabs/dp/B00E8NAE4C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1436812582&sr=8-2&keywords=folate+solgar
- StillIntheProcess1644