For those on synthroid - food interactions?

servilia
servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
edited October 8 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I'm on synthroid for hypothyroidism. My doctor told me that if I take it in the morning, not to eat anything for four hours afterwards which means I skip breakfast. I've been following this advice, but now I am wondering if it's too strict? I have heard of others being told they can wait just half an hour.
Thoughts, advice? How long does your doc tell you to wait before eating?

ps she also said I can take it before bed on an empty stomach (ie not eat anything for four hours beforehand) but for various reasons I simply cannot do that in the evening.
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Replies

  • voluptuous_veggie
    voluptuous_veggie Posts: 476 Member
    Yep, that's about right. I keep mine right next to my bed. As soon as my alarm goes off, I take it. This is around 5:30am. I usually eat breakfast around 9-9:30ish. You should still definitely eat breakfast. Avoid anything with soy in it for the first half of your day...this will include most processed foods, as they are loaded with soy products. Also avoid raw cruciferous vegetables until about lunchtime. Other than that, there really aren't any other food interactions. But definitely still try to eat breakfast...even if it means you have to get up a little earlier just to take your meds.
  • andijohn
    andijohn Posts: 23
    WOW! four hours! I am on Synthroid too, I was told to wait 1/2 hour to eat, but mainly not to have any dairy within the 1/2 hr because that neutralized the drug. I also have another friend on Synthorid also and she was told to wait an hour, I don't know if the wait period changes with the amount of the dosage. Maybe contact your pharmacist they would know about wait time and food reaction, maybe more than your Dr. would.
  • sarahrue
    sarahrue Posts: 4
    I have been taking Synthroid for years and have ALWAYS only waited 30 minutes before I eat. My levels have stayed within the normal range on my dosage, so a half hour must be sufficient. I too take mine in the morning, and sometimes 30 minutes is even too long to have to wait to eat lol! I could never wait several hours.
  • NewLife_11
    NewLife_11 Posts: 964 Member
    I have been on synthroid since 2005, when i was diagnosed with thyroid Cancer. I was told to wait 3 hours to eat or even drink coffee but for me that just didn't work. I usually take my pill and have my coffee 20 min later, I wait about 1.5 to 2 hours and then I eat breakfast. I can't go all morning with no breakfast. I was told not to take mine at night. My point is, I feel fine with taking it the way I am and I get tested every 6 months and my levels are always normal.
    Good luck to you.
  • mrpurdy
    mrpurdy Posts: 262 Member
    I've been on Synthroid for years, and I've always taken it first thing in the morning when I wake up and eat breakfast 30 - 45 minutes after taking it. This has never been a problem, and my thyroid bloodwork has measured in the normal range since starting this routine. I have been told that calcium can interfere with the absorption of the drug, so do make sure you wait AT LEAST 1/2 hour before drinking milk or ingesting anything high in calcium.
  • Jana9559
    Jana9559 Posts: 29
    Hi, I'm on Synthroid as well and my instructions are not that strict and my thyroid levels are fine. I take my Synthroid first thing in the morning when I wake up. Then I can eat after 1 hour. Sometimes I forget and eat and it's ok. Just try not to do it everyday. It is best to take it in the morning because once you eat something and forget to take the pill, you have to wait 2 hours after you eat then take the pill and have to wait another hour before you can eat again. So it does get a little confusing. That's why I take mine first thing in the morning with my daily baby aspirin so that I never forget. Hope this was helpful for you. Good luck!
  • SusanneWhittington
    SusanneWhittington Posts: 339 Member
    I take Synthroid for years and was told to wait 30 min before eating, never was told to avoid any kind of food and i don't and my levels are good. My husband takes it too and he takes it with food though he should wait 30 minutes, but his blood work comes back good too.
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    It says a half hour on my bottle. Sometimes I wait, sometimes I don't. It doesn't seem to affect anything for me.
  • YogiGirlLucy
    YogiGirlLucy Posts: 290
    I'm on Levoxyl for hypothyroidism, same basic idea. I was told to take first thing in the morning and to wait a half hour to an hour to eat. I confirmed this with doctor and pharmacist. I typically wait several hours just because I'm never hungry in the mornings, but I wouldn't sweat it if it was only an hour.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Thanks so much for all your help guys. I think I'll speak to the pharmacist and doctor again. I also checked on synthroid's website and even there it says 30 minutes to one hour is enough, as long as it's not heavy in calcium or iron. And I will avoid those other foods for the specified times as someone mentioned so kindly. Yay! Looking forward to breakfast now!
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    I've been on thyroxine since 23 months old and no doctor has ever told me not to take it with food and I'm now 42!

    In fact my mum always used to give me it with breakfast., usually crushed with weetabix to get them down me when I was little. so I've always taken them WITH my breakfast.

    Recently after hearing about this I switched to night time, my GP hadn't heard of this and didn't think it would make any difference as long as I took them?
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I've been on thyroxine since 23 months old and no doctor has ever told me not to take it with food and I'm now 42!

    In fact my mum always used to give me it with breakfast., usually crushed with weetabix to get them down me when I was little. so I've always taken them WITH my breakfast.

    Recently after hearing about this I switched to night time, my GP hadn't heard of this and didn't think it would make any difference as long as I took them?

    Well even the synthroid website talks about avoiding taking it with food or right after eating, or eating afterwards for a while..
  • thegoodflea
    thegoodflea Posts: 1 Member
    The four hour window after taking your thyroid medication is for foods high in calcium or calcium supplements, as well as foods very high in fiber. Calcium and fiber both block the absorption of the thyroid meds. Otherwise, just wait your thirty minutes to an hour. I found out the hard way that the calcium and fiber render the meds ineffective and don't recommend messing with it.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    My daughter is on Synthroid. Her instructions are to take it with a full cup of water 30 minutes before breakfast.
  • sharilstott
    sharilstott Posts: 1 Member
    I'm also on Synthroid and take it in bed when my husband leaves for work, I get up half our later and get ready and eat breakfast then work out. My issue is I can't lose any weight, my levels are fine. I've been documenting everything I eat and keep within my 1200 calories and work out every day and lost 3 lbs and gained 1 back in two months. What am I doing wrong?
  • LokiOfAsgard
    LokiOfAsgard Posts: 378 Member
    Yeah, I couldn't eat anything for about a half hour after I took mine. It made me really sick.
    I have eaten, then taken it. I got a little sick, but I'm not sure if that was because of the pill or not.

    My mom takes hers at the end of the day, though it's preferred that you take it in the mornings on and empty stomach. Just find what works for you :)
    You may not have to weight a few hours, just a little while.
  • LokiOfAsgard
    LokiOfAsgard Posts: 378 Member
    I'm also on Synthroid and take it in bed when my husband leaves for work, I get up half our later and get ready and eat breakfast then work out. My issue is I can't lose any weight, my levels are fine. I've been documenting everything I eat and keep within my 1200 calories and work out every day and lost 3 lbs and gained 1 back in two months. What am I doing wrong?

    I don't know your stats, but you maybe eating too little. That could possibly be the reason.
  • cpsoroff
    cpsoroff Posts: 22 Member
    I have been on synthroid for about 2 years and I take it as soon as I get up. I try to wait an hour before I have a cup of coffee. I have never heard of the 4 hour wait period. I don't think I could wait that long, without my cup of java!!!
  • tgwiz120
    tgwiz120 Posts: 2
    I am in the exact same situation, can't lose weight to save my life but the doctor says he can't give a higher dose or it will affect my bones. I also write down everything I eat, 1200 calories, and walk 3 to 5 miles every day. The kicker is I am 6 lbs overweight, not just those 'last' 10 lbs. Also take Met for in for pre-diabetes. It's really got me down. Any advice?
  • tgwiz120
    tgwiz120 Posts: 2
    I meant 60 lbs overweight, not 6 lbs.
  • karina1910
    karina1910 Posts: 1
    I've been on synthroid for several years. I seem to be very sensitive to medications and find I cannot eat cabbage family type foods, drink certain herbal teas (ie. chamomile, earl grey) until later in the day. It seems to rob my body of the medication. I take it first thing in the a.m. and wait for an hour before I eat. I adjust my medication based on my level of activity for the day. I break off a teeny crumb if I won't be that active in the day or if I know I'm going to be doing lots I may add a tiny, tiny crumb to the full dose. It is a powerful medication so caution must be used. However, if you're gaining weight I don't think you're getting enough medication and also not enough exercise. An increase in medication must be accompanied with more activity to burn off medication & calories. I find my exercise must remain constant from one day to the next. I cannot go for a hike one day and sit around the next day. I get a headache if my exercise exceeds the amount of medication my daily intake is set for based on a lazier day. The doctor may say that your levels are fine when in fact there is a bit of 'play' in those ranges. You have to find what is 'normal' for you and your level of activity. Hope this helps and makes sense.
  • Sleyvas
    Sleyvas Posts: 1
    Ive been reading about so many people saying.

    " i take mine for years and my levels are normal"
    " all you need is blank"
    " my doctor says this"

    Lets clear the floor. Synthroid and generics should be taken on an empty stomach. You should wait at least 30 mins to 1 hour before you eat.

    You SHOULD wait 4 hours to absorb minerals that bind with the drug. Iron, Calcium, Multivitamin, antiacids etc.

    This is science, you are not doing anything but cheating yourself by doing anything out of the norm.

    Now for those that have "normal" readings, i have a few statements.
    1) you fast when you take your blood test
    2) most doctors go abit higher than recommended dose for your numbers due to the fact you are human i.e they know you wont be a robot and some of the pill will NOT be absorbed.
    3) not waiting to have calcium and iron will just lower the effectiveness. Again this is for everyone. This is the science. Your body isnt some magical my little pony body that can bypass the way the drug works.

    If that sounds too combative, everyone is different. If i miss a dose or have too much calcium or iron after my pill i NOTICE a difference. I get really irritable. My mother who has been on the same medication for years does not react the same. So just because YOU "feel" fine, should not give you a forum to give out bad or misinformation.

    fyi, i took my pill this morning lol.

    Hope this helps the few.
  • voni2086
    voni2086 Posts: 9 Member
    I'm also on Synthroid and take it in bed when my husband leaves for work, I get up half our later and get ready and eat breakfast then work out. My issue is I can't lose any weight, my levels are fine. I've been documenting everything I eat and keep within my 1200 calories and work out every day and lost 3 lbs and gained 1 back in two months. What am I doing wrong?

    I don't know your stats, but you maybe eating too little. That could possibly be the reason.


    I'm also on Synthroid & I was the same eating within my 1200 calories and working out 5 times a week & for 5 weeks running I gained weight (around 8 lbs). I had a chat with my instructor at gym & she suggested I wasn't eating enough & that I shouldn't go more than 4 hours without eating. I haven't increased my calories as much as I should have so not sure if it's that or if it's because I am eating more regular (just never seem to be hungry) I have lost 5.2 lbs in the last 3 weeks.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Synthroid was a disaster for me. It just didn't work. I was switched to Armour Thyroid and now I feel like a normal human again and am able to lose weight with the normal methods.
  • viera2647
    viera2647 Posts: 1
    I was put on synthroid 2 months ago and have lost 10 lbs. My pharmacist told me that the best way to take it because so little gets absorbed into the body is to chew the pill in the am and don't eat or drink for 2 hours.
  • sowrongitsemily
    sowrongitsemily Posts: 25
    Four hours is insane... I've been on synthroid for 4 years and I've always eaten 30-45 minutes afterwards. It's usually absorbed into your system by then. I also take nexium with it though, and I have to wait an hour with that one :(
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Four hours is insane... I've been on synthroid for 4 years and I've always eaten 30-45 minutes afterwards. It's usually absorbed into your system by then. I also take nexium with it though, and I have to wait an hour with that one :(
    It's not insane. 30-60 before eating, yes.

    But you need to wait at least three hours before taking in iron, calcium and other things that can interfere with absorption. Your doctor should've told you this. It's on the info you get at the pharmacy. It's also on the Synthroid website.

    I'm not telling you what to do! Your decisions are yours to make!

    But it is NOT insane to avoid the things that interfere with your medication.
  • Maryam2014mfp
    Maryam2014mfp Posts: 174
    Bump.
  • irleshay
    irleshay Posts: 102 Member
    I have my alarm set to a few hours before I get up each morning. I take a minute just to wake up and take my Synthroid, then I go back to sleep. When I get up at my usual time, I can chow on breakfast right away.
  • epido
    epido Posts: 353 Member
    I've been on synthroid for 25+ years. If I was ever told not to eat with my meds, I don't remember it. I get up in the morning, take my meds and fix breakfast. Sometimes it ends up being 10 minutes between taking it and eating, sometimes it is an hour. It just depends upon how many things distract me in between taking it, and getting breakfast together.

    I'm certainly not saying I take it the "correct" way, but if I do it any other way, then I don't remember to take it at all. It's what works for me, and my labs have been steady, without needing a dosage adjustment for several years. Am I on a higher dosage because of how I take my synthroid? Possibly. All I know is that I feel tons better than I did before being diagnosed.
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