For those on synthroid - food interactions?

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  • karina1910
    karina1910 Posts: 1
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    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
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    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
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    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: 4,598 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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: 9,626 Member
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    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
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    Bump.
  • irleshay
    irleshay Posts: 102 Member
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    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
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    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.
  • irleshay
    irleshay Posts: 102 Member
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    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.

    Supposedly iron interacts with Synthroid also, so wait a few hours before taking a multivitamin or iron vitamin. Or red meat, I guess.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
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    I take my Synthroid before bed because the whole "waiting to eat" in the morning was a pain. No issues for me.

    I do recall though that anything with calcium, including multi vitamins, should not be taken within 4 hours. And also veggies such as kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are not good for absorption.

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