Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

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Iodine vs. the thyroid

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Syriene
Syriene Posts: 238
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So far, a lot of the material I've read says that iodine is good for the thyroid, yet the doc told me not to have shellfish right now, due to iodine. This leaves me very confused (and unhappy since I live in the south). I've been using sea salt instead of iodized for years, so I am already probably lacking. I plan to ask the doc if I still need to avoid it when I go for my next bloodwork results, but wanted to see if anyone in the group had some clarification on this.

About a week ago, I started taking SR T3 for a problem with my reverse T3 and we are waiting on results for my adrenal gland to see if my cortisol levels are messed up too.

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  • Juliste
    Juliste Posts: 298 Member
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    The way I understand it, is that it depends on if your hypothyroidism is caused by iodine difficiency (unlikely if you live in the US) then taking iodine would be recommended. But if you have Hashimoto's then iodine could be problematic as iodine could be the source of your autoimmune condition. There is a lot of controversial information floating around; best to check with your doctor.
  • Syriene
    Syriene Posts: 238
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    Ok, thanks for replying. Luckily, I don't have Hashimoto's, so I am hoping that maybe this was a "do this till we find out your results" thing. I'll definitely double check when I go back.
  • emcdonie
    emcdonie Posts: 190 Member
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    I think it depends if you are hyper or hypo thyroid. Hypo's need iodine as they often are deficient. But too much can cause you to swing hyper from what I understand.

    In general, many folks are deficient in iodine. It is something that has to be supplemented(or avoided if need be) pretty carefully to get the right balance.

    Personally I am in love with taking kelp as it helps things to work better for me. But I am also a hypo thyroid.
  • Syriene
    Syriene Posts: 238
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    I'm Hypo too. The things I was reading kept saying "as long as you use iodized salt, you probably get enough iodine", but since I don't use that, it had me wondering.
    Last appointment, I was more fixated on the fact that there is no getting off the meds. Once she told me that, I pretty much forgot everything else I wanted to ask. Next time I'll have a written list.
  • kats3boys
    kats3boys Posts: 61
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    The thyroid uses iodine to produce thyroid hormones.
    The recommended RDA is 150 mcg, the north american average is 600-700 and if you add in fast food it can be over 2000 mcg. ( 2000 and higher also goes for high seafood areas like Japan)
    In 3rd world countries, iodine deficiency is real.. and by adding iodine to the diet it helps.

    Unfortunately too much iodine can also have a reverse effect. Consider it like giving your car too much gas and flooding it..it can actually block the thyroid ( they use this in emergency situations for that exact reason)

    When I first started with thyroid issues everyone told me to add iodine, after lots of research ( check out world health organization etc) and a very scary way too much salt on a restaurant sandwich, I decided to limit my iodine uptake and when I go on a yo yo level I can almost always trace it back to too much iodine.

    I don't have the links etc but if you check out WHO I believe it is about 5 % of the population who will have an autoimmune response to adding iodine to the diet. Collateral damage if you will to the other 95 % of the population that benefits from it. ( iodine deficiency is real and needed) Problem is because of processed foods it is in a lot more than it was ever designed to be in.

    Your doctor can do a test to check your iodine levels, but unless you have a test to show you are low, I would stay away from any extra iodine.
  • mirandacox
    mirandacox Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm hypo and I take Iodoral tabs and they make me feel way better. Except once when I lost 30 pounds in the matter of 2 months because of stomach surgery andbeing on a clear liquid diet. I didn't reduce my thyroid meds and the combo of the meds and the iodine gave me major heart palpitations and some nasty hyper symptoms. Now that my thyroid is more regulated I am back on iodine and I love it!
  • Syriene
    Syriene Posts: 238
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    I'm hoping with all the tests they did, that iodine was one of them. I'll have to see what my levels were.
    Sadly, it was probably high since shellfish is a staple around here. :frown:
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
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    I'm hypo and I take Iodoral tabs and they make me feel way better. Except once when I lost 30 pounds in the matter of 2 months because of stomach surgery andbeing on a clear liquid diet. I didn't reduce my thyroid meds and the combo of the meds and the iodine gave me major heart palpitations and some nasty hyper symptoms. Now that my thyroid is more regulated I am back on iodine and I love it!

    Thank You for recommending a non prescription form of Iodine. I went to Amazon and they sell it I am going to buy it. Do you just take the pills according to directions? Are they small pills and easy to swallow?

    I know I have a very under active thyoroid and have had a hypothyroid problem for many years. I use to be on synthyroid and it would work for a few months and than needed to be increased. I would feel energetic lose weight only to end up with worse symptoms and increasing the synthyroid only made my thyroid worse. I stopped taking all meds about 11 years ago. I now rely on holistiic approach to healing and shun Medical Doctors.

    When I was a Teenager I had a hyperactive thyroid and could drink Milk Shakes 3 times a day and never gained weight or was at a loss for energy. I am convinced hyperactive thyroid turns into hypothyroid because the thyroid gland overworks and eventually it just wears itself out. Now I have Chronic fatigue, adrenal gland fatigue, Fibromyalgia, heart issues just to name a few battles to get my health restored. I am convinced it all began with my Thyroid gland.
  • Syriene
    Syriene Posts: 238
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    When I was a Teenager I had a hyperactive thyroid and could drink Milk Shakes 3 times a day and never gained weight or was at a loss for energy. I am convinced hyperactive thyroid turns into hypothyroid because the thyroid gland overworks and eventually it just wears itself out. Now I have Chronic fatigue, adrenal gland fatigue, Fibromyalgia, heart issues just to name a few battles to get my health restored. I am convinced it all began with my Thyroid gland.

    I used to be the same way- could eat whatever I wanted with little to no problem. However, I used to be a lot more active then.
    At first, I just figured that since I was aging, my metabolism must be slowing down with it. Then when things got extreme, I realized there may be more to it than aging.

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