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How Biotin Interferes with Thyroid Lab Tests & Causes Falsely Elevated Results

The Dr. Westin Childs Podcast
The Dr. Westin Childs Podcast
Episode • Jul 16, 2019 • 13m
Download my free thyroid resources here (including hypothyroid symptoms checklist, the complete list of thyroid lab tests + optimal ranges, foods you should avoid if you have thyroid disease, and more): https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/

Every patient with thyroid disease should be aware of how biotin interacts with and interferes with thyroid lab tests.

It's important to understand, however, that while biotin does interfere with the accurary of your thyroid lab tests it does NOT interfere with your thyroid itself.

Biotin interacts with the thyroid lab testing assay and can make your thyroid lab tests look higher than they actually are.

It does this by increasing free t3 and free t4 levels and by decreasing TSH levels.

This can lead your doctor to falsely believe that you are receiving too much medication. Obviously, this is an issue for many thyroid patients who are already undertreated, to begin with!

How do you fix this issue?

You can simply avoid taking biotin 2-3 days PRIOR to when you get your labs drawn. Up to 5 days may be necessary in some cases but 2-3 days should do the trick.

It's also very important that you look at the back of all of the supplements that you are taking to see if biotin is in them. Only 30% of people know that they are taking biotin in their supplements which means that many of you reading/watching probably aren't aware that you are taking it!

If you are, be sure to avoid taking it before your lab tests to ensure that it doesn't interfere with them.

You can read the entire blog post here: https://www.restartmed.com/biotin-and-thyroid/

Recommended thyroid supplements to enhance thyroid function:
- For thyroid hormone production and conversion: https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-adrenal-reset-complex/ + https://www.restartmed.com/product/t3-conversion-booster/
- For hair loss: https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-hair-regrowth-complex/
- For weight management: https://www.restartmed.com/product/gut-bomb-350-billion/ + https://www.restartmed.com/product/functional-fuel-complete/
- For gut health: https://www.restartmed.com/product/ultra-biotic-x100/
- For energy and adrenal health: https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-adrenal-reset-complex/ + https://www.restartmed.com/product/power-b-complex/

I'm Dr. Westin Childs and I focus on thyroid health, hormone balance, and weight loss. I write about thyroid disorders, weight loss, insulin resistance, estrogen/progesterone balance on my blog. I truly believe that hormone balance is the key to managing your weight, your mood and your quality of life which is why I'm so passionate about it.

If you enjoyed this video please subscribe on youtube or leave a comment on my podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-westin-childs-podcast-thyroid-weight-loss-hormones/id1141207688?mt=2

This video is not intended to be used as medical advice. If you have questions about your health please consult your physician or primary care provider. Dr. Westin Childs goes to great lengths to produce high-quality content but this is NOT a substitute for medical care.