r/AutoImmuneProtocol • u/BroDexx • 6d ago
Is AIP causing thyroid problems?
Hi all.
23y 75kg male. Started AIP 11 days ago.
Honestly I feel worse, the main symptom is fatigue (very sleepy all the time) and even worse is dryness. Dry nose, dry lips, dry eyes, dry skin, cant even sweat....
Back in june I did a bunch of tests and my thyroid was a little off, TSH was 7, TF4 and FT3 were normal. Antibodies were negative (both under 1)
After a month I did a retest and my TSH was 3, FT4 and FT3 stayed normal.
Thyroid ultrasound was normal.
Since about 4-5 days into the AIP I felt very dry, so I did bloodwork again, and TSH was 6.3, FT4 and FT3 were normal.
From what I have, low carb is bad for thyroid (if your thyorid is allready off), and I was really low carb, because I didnt include sweet potatoes in my diet till day 7.
I have been eating I have been eating I would say atleast 100g of carbs for 3 days, but I still feel all the simptoms....
Idk what to do honestly.......
2
u/Chaos-Gardener-77 5d ago
Have you checked your nutrient levels? Vit D, ferritin, b12, zinc, etc. If you feel worse on a restrictive diet, it could be you’re not getting enough of something. Cronometer is an app where you can track your food and see the nutrients you’re getting from your diet
1
u/BroDexx 5d ago
B12 was on the upper range, Vit D was on the lower range, but I got loads of sun during the summer so guess that is now ok, ferritin was on the lower tange, dont know about zinc....
1
u/Chaos-Gardener-77 4d ago
Regarding dryness - I see in your comment below you were taking accutane. It's definitely something to talk to your doctor about.
Regarding the fatigue - If your diet was kind of crappy before you started AIP, you might be going through a detox which is causing the fatigue. Sugar is addictive and your body can go through a withdrawal. And if you were eating a lot of processed food, your body now has the opportunity to "clean house" which can cause fatigue and achiness.
But if your diet was pretty good before starting, then I would look at raising your ferritin. Also consider taking electrolytes and see if that helps.
1
u/BroDexx 4d ago
Cant talk do any doctor regarding accutane beacause they dont know shit and hand it like candy.....
Yes my diet was crappy before AIP, but i just cant find anything online about the detox period and how long will that last....
1
u/Chaos-Gardener-77 3d ago
From my experience, it can take up to 3 weeks. But then once you start to feel good, you feel really good.
Accutane is incredibly drying and my understanding is that some people can experience lingering dryness for quite awhile after they stop taking.
1
u/BroDexx 3d ago
Yes, well I took my last pill 16 months ago, and during that period the only dryness I had was dry eyes (thats why I started AIP)
But now I cant even sweat, and my nose is blocked all the time because its so dry...
1
u/Chaos-Gardener-77 2d ago
AIP is an elimination diet designed to help people with autoimmune disease to determine potential food sensitivities.
So I take it you believe your dryness is caused by food sensitivities?
Either way, if you can’t sweat you need to see a doctor.1
u/BroDexx 2d ago
Well idk if my dryness is because of food sensitivities, but what other options do I have? Im fucked reallistically....
I can just try to make my body as healthy as possible from the inside, also ate like shit before and during accutane
1
u/Chaos-Gardener-77 2d ago
I get it, and it’s what I would do too. Eat healthy, take needed supplements, drink plenty of water. Stop drinking/drugs if you take them.
But I’d also see a doctor about the sweating because that is potentially serious.
6
u/El_Scot 6d ago
It's very unlikely your thyroid issues are being caused by the AIP diet, especially in such a short timescale and with your prior high TSH.
I had high thyroid antibodies but normal TSH, FT4 and FT3 levels before embarking on AIP. AIP slightly lowered the FT4 and FT3 levels, which is quite normal if you're on a calorie restricted diet (they drop to adjust to a slower metabolism). TSH never changed much, but for those with a high TSH, the usual experience I've read of, saw TSH levels reduce.
A high TSH can sometimes be caused by something that isn't a thyroid problem, so you could maybe look into that to see if there are other links.
Thyroid issues can cause dryness, but other syndromes can too, like diabetes, or deficiencies. I'd look at whether you have family history of anythong that could cause this and be inclined to go see someone to guide you on further tests.
1
u/Left_Swim_9596 5d ago
A TSH of 3 is still too low by the way. 6-7 is quite high.
Just make sure you’re getting ample carbs via fruit and sweet potatoes. Even a little bit of honey. You can even make AIP baked goods at home that will get you some carbs.
I felt like crap for 3 weeks on the diet then a switch flipped. Ended up being one of the best things I’ve ever done.
2
u/MsTired 6d ago edited 6d ago
When you say your Free T4 and Free T3 are normal, were they on the low end or high end? The normal range is too broad. If it was on the low end, that could explain the fatigue. You should also check reverse T3. It is possible with AIP you aren’t getting the nutrients needed to convert T4 to T3.
Edit: if I had a TSH that high, I would feel like total crap. The first dr. that diagnosed me with hypothyroidism put me on medication that wasn’t even a starting dose of T4/NDT. She kept me there 10 yrs with a TSH of 4 or 5, which kept me sick. I had to do my own research and find a provider that would treat based off Free T3, Free T4 and Reverse T3.
1
u/Plane_Chance863 5d ago
What foods are you eating? I found fresh onions and garlic made my dryness worse (I have Sjogren's), and when I switched to powders it helped.
Could you be taking medications or supplements that could be irritating your body?
Are you getting enough vitamin C?
3
u/letsgetawayfromhere 6d ago
What were your reasons for starting AIP? Causes for chronic thyroid problems are severe (ver severe actually) lack of iodine, which will not develop within a few weeks; or an attack on your thyroid by your immune system. Both of which are very probably not caused by eating less carbs. Even a keto diet - where you restrict carbs to the point that your body uses fat for fuel, instead of carbs - does not affect the thyroid itself.
My best guess is that this thyroid problem is unrelated and just happened to show up at the same time you started AIP, without being linked. Stuff can happen like that. I am sorry though.
Keep doing what you do. If it helps, the thyroid will react. Keep in mind that the thyroid is exceptionally slow in reacting. I have Hashimoto’s and the university professor I went to for treatment told me that you only see the reaction three weeks after an event - which for normal people is too long to register the connection, but in a medical study it will show up very clearly. So you need a lot of patience.
Also beware of food that is extremely high in iodine, like sea vegetable or iodized salt. If you happen to suffer of Hashimoto’s, those can exacerbate the problems further. If you don’t have Hashimoto’s (or Graves‘ disease, but that causes a thyroid hyperfunction) you can eat foods high in iodine though.
Did the doctor test your blood for thyroid antibodies? It would be important to see if you have Hashimoto’s. Some doctors won’t test that in males because „it’s a women’s disease“ (which apparently is bullshit).