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Lyme Disease and Thyroid Antibodies

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Posted 9/5/2015 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone!
I am currently being treated for early lyme after a bullseye rash in July. I'm on cefdinir, azithromycin and tindazole (I'm on about week 7 with those and have at least 6 more weeks to go). Plus Vit D, B12 and probiotics. I had stopped taking iron supplements but she had me start those again because my iron is very low.

As part of my treatment my Dr ran a massive blood test which included thyroid tests. I have had my T3, T4 and TSH tested many times before by GPs as part of my yearly check-ups, but this time she also tested for thyroid antibodies (never had that test before). One of them came back HIGH. She said "You need to watch that because it might cause problems later." but she isn't an endocrinologist and didn't refer me to one yet.

I'm just wondering if those of you battling lyme have had this increase in Thyroglobulin Antibodies? Mine was 7.8 when 0-0.9 is "normal". The other antibody, TPO, was negative (<6 when 0-34 is normal).

Can this high antibody be related to the lyme infection?
Posted 9/5/2015 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hi HealingHMM!!
Welcome! I'm so glad you joined our community!!

​If you haven't ​yet​, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists, helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, information on probiotics and much more.

I had Hashimoto's thyroiditis while battling Lyme and company, but once that healed, my Hashi's disappeared! So, while it may not happen for everyone, it most certainly can happen!!
Posted 9/5/2015 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
There is no way of knowing for sure. Thought is that any all-body infection can cause thyroid autoimmune dysfunction. Its been a "thought" for a while, but not proven.

Its a wise Dr that tests tgab and tpo. You usually need to twist their arm to do it.
Posted 9/5/2015 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome HealingHMM!

Sorry for the reason you're here but, glad you found us.

Not surprisingly, I join Traveler with the suggestion that you read the "New to Lyme" thread - it's so very helpful.

Without a doubt, Lyme is known to disrupt thyroid function. Still, I would think it could take some time.

Since you are relatively new to Lyme, there's a chance you've been unknowingly dealing with a thyroid issue before you got the EM rash.

If you are willing to share the results of your most recent thyroid tests (TSH, etc.), we can tell you whether or not your thyroid function is appropriate. All too many doctors look at "normal" (aka in-range) thyroid test results and declare the patient "normal" when he/she is anything but.

Ideally, your doctor has been checking the levels of T4 & T3 that are usable to the body. Specifically, the FreeT4 (T4 or thyroxine, free, direct) and FreeT3 (triiodothyronine, free, serum) tests.

You'll need to post the reference ranges that correspond to each result because different labs use different ranges and your results can only be properly interpreted within the context of your lab's ranges. The ranges are usually listed to the right of the result on the lab report.

For whatever it's worth, I wouldn't be in a rush to see an endocrinologist even if your bloodwork shows that you need treatment. Many of them haven't kept up with advances in thyroid diagnosis and treatment.

LLMD's are usually very much aware of healthy thyroid levels so, if you do indeed have a thyroid issue, you might want to seek care with your LLMD.
Posted 9/5/2015 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
I will add, high thyroid antibodies (both) are the first thing that conventional MDs found when my body went wacko years ago. And that was 7 years after my oval bullseye rash which they blew off.
Posted 9/5/2015 4:54 PM (GMT 0)
My daughter has the thyroid antibodies, but her thyroid is functioning well for now. It used to be low, until a high fever corrected it. Our doc is keeping an eye on it in case it does affect her thyroid again.
Posted 9/6/2015 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone! Another fun thing to deal with for my poor body.
Here are my most recent labs:
Thyroglobulin Antibody 7.8 (normal range 0-0.9)
TPO <6 (normal 0-34)
TSH 2.2 (normal .45-4.5)
T4 Free 1.19 (normal .82-1.77)
T3 free 2.8 (normal 2.0-4.4)

The T4, TSH and T3 have been tested by my GP over the years at my yearly exams and they have remained almost exactly the same for at least 6 years. This is the first time I have ever had the antibody tests though.

I'm not really experiencing any classic hypo or hyper thyroid symptoms, although I guess that can be hard to tell with the lyme stuff going on. I have some fatigue in the late afternoons, but nothing like the "lyme fatigue" I had been feeling before I started my abx (ie emptying the dishwasher and having to nap for 3 hours to recover.) Now it's just mild fatigue, which I have felt before lyme when my iron was low (which other Drs have said is probably due to heavy menstruation). I had to stop my iron supplements when I started lyme treatment, but we'll see if adding them back in makes a difference. My LLMD has me taking them in the middle of the day away from my abx.
Posted 9/6/2015 3:05 AM (GMT 0)
I should also mention that my LLMD put me on a strict no gluten, dairy or sugar diet when I started treatment which I have been following. I don't know if that effects the thyroid stuff one way or another but thought I would mention it. And really THANK YOU. What a great forum, and a wonderful place to come when feeling overwhelmed and a little scared of all this new health stuff I'm dealing with! I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon you all!
Posted 9/6/2015 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
We are all really glad you found us too!! :-) We can all remember what it was like finding this forum for the first time too, it's a relief to be able to openly talk this stuff over with others that have lived or are living through it all!!
Posted 9/6/2015 4:56 PM (GMT 0)

HealingHMM said...

Thyroglobulin Antibody 7.8 (normal range 0-0.9)
TPO <6 (normal 0-34)
TSH 2.2 (normal .45-4.5)
T4 Free 1.19 (normal .82-1.77)
T3 free 2.8 (normal 2.0-4.4)

Thanks for sharing your labs! Here's how they shake out:

Thyroglobulin Antibodies are actually markers of thyroid destruction. It's clear you have some going on....and it's reflected in your thyroid function tests.

As mentioned already, TSH 2.0 or higher is suspect for hypothyroidism since healthy people have TSH that can be anywhere between .3 and 1.0.

The true indicators of thyroid function are the FreeT4 and FreeT3 levels. Both of your levels are well below mid-range.

Healthy people have both levels well above mid-range...usually around 75% of range since lab ranges are skewed towards sick people (they are the ones getting blood drawn most often)

That said, based upon your lab's ranges, a healthy person will have a FreeT4 level at least 1.5 and often higher....and a FreeT3 level at least 3.8 and often higher.

Thyroid hormone is like the gas in our tank....it fuels every single cell in our body. Sorry to say, it looks like you're running on watered-down gas :(

I think your GP is confused by your "normal" (aka in-range) levels.

The following article explains much about the proper diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism:

www.thyroidscience.com/hypotheses/dommisse.feb.2008/dommisse.feb.2008.pdf

Without a doubt, sugar and gluten can affect thyroid function. Dairy can affect it as well if you have any sensitivities with it. Have you discussed your thyroid levels with your LLMD?
Posted 9/6/2015 5:59 PM (GMT 0)
I liked this site for it's breakdown of the different thyroid issues. Here is a link to the page on tests & test results to help back up what CD has posted:
www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values/
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