Dr. Izabella Wentz, PharmD

Thyroid Pharmacist

Podcast Episode 36: Thiamine for Thyroid Fatigue, POTS, SIBO, & More: Formulations & Dosages That Work | Elliot Overton

36: Thiamine for Thyroid Fatigue, POTS, SIBO, & More: Formulations & Dosages That Work | Elliot Overton

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During my healing journey with Hashimoto’s, fatigue was one of my most significant symptoms. I also had low blood pressure. One of my physicians said, “No wonder you’re so tired, your blood pressure is so low!” After doing a test, I found that I was deficient in thiamine, and started supplementing with a megadose of it based on an article I saw on the topic.

Within days, my fatigue lifted and my blood pressure normalized!

I’ve shared this story with my readers and so many people have recovered their health as well. In this episode of The Thyroid Pharmacist Healing Conversations Podcast, I’m so excited to have had the pleasure of interviewing the world’s top authority on thiamine, Elliot Overton, Functional Nutritional Therapist and founder of EONutrition. Elliot is one of the leading voices in thiamine research and its wide-ranging impact on energy production, mitochondrial health, and chronic illness. We talked about how thiamine deficiency — often overlooked in mainstream medicine — can masquerade as or even contribute to symptoms of Hashimoto’s, adrenal dysfunction, POTS, SIBO, and more.

If you’ve been struggling with debilitating fatigue, digestive issues like SIBO, or symptoms related to POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), there may be a surprising root cause — and a surprisingly simple solution.

We covered how people can experience symptoms even due to marginal deficiencies, who might benefit from supplementation, and the various types and dosages of thiamine that are available. If you’ve tried everything and still feel tired, wired, or inflamed, this episode could be the breakthrough you need.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Why thiamine deficiency is more common than you think – and how even people eating a “healthy” diet can be functionally deficient due to multiple factors that impair absorption. This deficiency often goes unnoticed, and might be at the root of persistent fatigue or neurological symptoms.
  • The connection between thiamine and POTS, SIBO, and thyroid dysfunction. Low thiamine levels can impair the autonomic nervous system, gut motility, and energy metabolism — leading to a host of common symptoms that might surprise you!
  • Stress, antibiotics, alcohol, tea, gut inflammation, and diet can deplete thiamine even if your intake looks sufficient. Thiamine is a delicate nutrient that gets used up rapidly during times of physical or emotional stress.
  • There are multiple forms and dosages of thiamine, each with a unique profile. A few we discussed include benfotiamine (fatigue, nerve pain, diabetes), TTFD (gut motility, POTS), and sulbutiamine (mood, brain fog, dopamine).
  • Thiamine Co-Factors: Combining thiamine with B-complex, magnesium, and potassium helps prevent paradoxical reactions like increased fatigue or heart palpitations when starting supplementation.
  • High-dose thiamine way above the RDA (e.g., 600 to 1800 mg/day) can rapidly resolve severe fatigue and other symptoms in thyroid, POTS, SIBO, and fibromyalgia patients — even without lab-confirmed deficiency.
  • Conventional and even functional lab tests often fail to detect thiamine deficiency because it can be functional or localized to specific tissues like the brain, gut, or heart.

Free Resources

Guest Resources/Connect with Elliot Overton

Supplements We Discussed

  • Thiamine HCl or mononitrate is the standard, water-soluble form of vitamin B1 found in most supplements. It’s inexpensive and widely available, but it’s poorly absorbed — only about five percent makes it through the gut — so therapeutic doses often need to be quite high (600 to 1800 mg/day). While it can help some people, especially in basic deficiency states, it’s often not effective for more complex brain, nerve, or gut-related symptoms.
  • Benfotiamine is a fat-soluble derivative that bypasses the gut’s limited absorption mechanisms and raises thiamine levels in the blood efficiently. It’s best known for helping with peripheral neuropathy, fibromyalgia pain, and diabetic complications. While it doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier as easily as other forms, it’s well-studied, gentle, and a great first step for many. I’ve used it extensively for thyroid fatigue! Read my article on Benfotiamine and use code: PODCAST for 20% of Rootcology Benfotiamine.
  • TTFD (thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) is a sulfur-based, highly bioavailable form of thiamine that gets into cells and the brain very efficiently. It’s often the most effective choice for POTS, dysautonomia, adrenal fatigue, and gut motility issues like SIBO or constipation. Some people notice a sulfur odor or even a truffle-like smell when using it, which is normal and not harmful. TTFD can be found in Objective Nutrients Thiamax.
  • Sulbutiamine is a synthetic form of thiamine designed to support the brain and nervous system. It readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and supports dopamine production, making it useful for improving mood, motivation, mental clarity, and focus. It’s often used in nootropic formulas and may help with low dopamine states or executive function challenges. Objective Nutrients Thiamega is a combination product containing TTFD, thiamine hydrochloride, sulbutiamine, and benfotiamine.
  • Combining thiamine with B-complex, Magnesium, and potassium helps prevent paradoxical reactions like increased fatigue or heart palpitations when starting supplementation
  • Other Objective Nutrients Supplements: Thiavite B-Complex, ThiActive B, ThiAssist
  • Read more about electrolyte solutions
  • Read more about digestive enzymes
  • Read more about carnitine

Other Tools and Resources

Books and Articles About Thyroid Health

Learn More About My Fatigue and Brain Fog Fix in Six Program

Get the Full Episode Transcript

Let’s Connect!

If this podcast resonates with you, don’t forget to share with a friend who needs this information!

Got questions? Drop them in the comments! 🙂

About Our Host

Dr. Izabella Wentz 

Dr. Izabella Wentz is a compassionate, innovative, solution-focused integrative pharmacist dedicated to finding the root causes of chronic health conditions. Her passion stems from her own diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in 2009, following a decade of debilitating symptoms.

Dr. Izabella Wentz has written several best-selling books, including the New York Times bestseller Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause, the protocol-based #1 New York Times bestseller Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back, the Wall Street Journal bestseller Hashimoto’s Food Pharmacology: Nutrition Protocols and Healing Recipes to Take Charge of Your Thyroid Health, and her latest book, Adrenal Transformation Protocol.

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About Our Guest

Elliot is a nutritionist based in France and the founder of EONutrition. His primary research area focuses on the clinical use of high-dose thiamine (vitamin B1) for managing chronic disease. Elliot frequently lectures and speaks at educational events aimed at practitioners, helping to broaden the understanding and application of thiamine in clinical settings. He also runs the YouTube channel EONutrition, manages the website thiamineprotocols.com, and is the cofounder and director of Objective Nutrients, a nutraceutical company specializing in excipient-free thiamine derivatives and related supplements.

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