Trying to schedule different meds etc is a pain in the butt.

Saz94

Saz94

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
My brain fog can't figure out how to do this.

I've recently started thyroid meds, and there are a tonne of things which can negatively affect absorption of them. Including various foods!

I thought I had it all figured out, if I take them at bedtime then that avoids any of the unwanted interactions.

But no...

My acid reflux has started up a bit again (it had gone away for a few months), so now I need to take Gaviscon at bedtime (at least some nights), but can't because this would interfere with thyroxine absorption. ARRRRGH

So now I have to rethink it all.

But how can I do that. It needs to be 4 hours apart from eating any fibre, iron or calcium, for goodness sake!

WHAT A FAFF.
 
The Gaviscon packet says 2 hours separation... now that might be more doable... but other places say 4 hours separation between levothyroxine and antacids / levothyroxine and calcium.

I suppose the version of Gaviscon that I use is quite a weak antacid - it mainly works via the 'raft' effect.

My version of Gaviscon is:
1000 mg sodium alginate
534 mg sodium bicarbonate
320 mg calcium carbonate

(Which means 128 mg of actual calcium. Hmm, I don't know whether that is a lot, in this context, or not.)

Hmm...
 
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OK... doing some research... found a study where levothyroxine was co-administered with 1250 mg calcium carbonate, and the blood level of thyroxine was then 80% of what it was without the calcium carbonate. And that's 4x as much CaCO3 as there is in my gaviscon. So maybe it won't be too bad if I have a 2 hour separation.

Edit: oh damn but that's just means and it seems to depend on the person. One subject had no reduction, but one subject only got 34% of the thyroxine.

Gah...
 
Well, I'm gonna give up on trying to figure this out for tonight. I'm late to bed, and it's consequently now several hours since I took my levothyroxine dose, so I can take Gaviscon now.

And hope that my acid reflux disappears for a few months again... otherwise, I don't know how I will make this work...
 
But maybe I am overthinking regarding the potential food interactions. Doctors just say either always take it with food or always without food (and then we can find the right dosage for me). The main advice (i.e. not just stuff from obscure internet sites) is to take it 4 hours apart from antacids, from anything high in calcium, and from iron supplements. That would be doable.
 
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Sarah94 said:
Gah I'm really pissed off about this. WHY CAN'T ANYTHING EVER BE SIMPLE.
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I agree - WHY CAN'T ANYTHING EVER BE SIMPLE!

I've been through 2 rounds of taking things too close to thyroid meds, (calcium in the form of antacids, and iron) and had noticeable problems.

I decided to take my thyroid pills in the middle of the night, as to avoid all dairy products until four hours after taking my pills in the a.m. seemed a nuisance and more deprivation.

I wake up anyways during the night, and so I have my pill bottles on the dresser beside me.

Been doing this for quite some time now, and no more problems with thyroid doses.

I wish the pharmacy had put reminder stickers on my pill bottles about avoiding calcium and iron.

That way it would have been more likely I would have avoided the problems in the first place, as I read labels.
 
DokaGirl said:
I agree - WHY CAN'T ANYTHING EVER BE SIMPLE!

I've been through 2 rounds of taking things too close to thyroid meds, (calcium in the form of antacids, and iron) and had noticeable problems.

I decided to take my thyroid pills in the middle of the night, as to avoid all dairy products until four hours after taking my pills in the a.m. seemed a nuisance and more deprivation.

I wake up anyways during the night, and so I have my pill bottles on the dresser beside me.

Been doing this for quite some time now, and no more problems with thyroid doses.

I wish the pharmacy had put reminder stickers on my pill bottles about avoiding calcium and iron.

That way it would have been more likely I would have avoided the problems in the first place, as I read labels.
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Which things do you have problem with - just iron supplements, antacids, and dairy products?

Does butter count as dairy, as I think it has much less calcium compared with milk or cheese?

What about other foods containing calcium like broccoli, or products containing calcium-fortified flour? (Most breads, and cereals)

What about foods containing iron? Including products containing iron-fortified flour? (Most breads, and cereals)

What about foods containing fibre?
 
DokaGirl said:
I agree - WHY CAN'T ANYTHING EVER BE SIMPLE!

I've been through 2 rounds of taking things too close to thyroid meds, (calcium in the form of antacids, and iron) and had noticeable problems.

I decided to take my thyroid pills in the middle of the night, as to avoid all dairy products until four hours after taking my pills in the a.m. seemed a nuisance and more deprivation.

I wake up anyways during the night, and so I have my pill bottles on the dresser beside me.

Been doing this for quite some time now, and no more problems with thyroid doses.

I wish the pharmacy had put reminder stickers on my pill bottles about avoiding calcium and iron.

That way it would have been more likely I would have avoided the problems in the first place, as I read labels.
Click to expand...
What time gap did you find that you needed for iron?
 
Wits_End said:
If you're overthinking, then so's my caree :( If I don't post here soon, chase me up and I'll ask her what she's worked out.
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Thanks. I was just hoping that I was overthinking, because it really shouldn't ought to be this complicated!
 
Sarah94 said:
Which things do you have problem with - just iron supplements, antacids, and dairy products?

Does butter count as dairy, as I think it has much less calcium compared with milk or cheese?

What about other foods containing calcium like broccoli, or products containing calcium-fortified flour? (Most breads, and cereals)

What about foods containing iron? Including products containing iron-fortified flour? (Most breads, and cereals)

What about foods containing fibre?
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I definitely had a problem with both antacids and iron supplements.

With iron, I now take it several hours away the thyroid pills - often take the iron in the afternoon.

I have had low iron levels, and dipped into very low a few times over many years.

I used to take a lot of antacids due to vicious reflux - it's now very much less frequent, and not much trouble at all.

I don't know about fibre foods and thyroid, or other foods that contain calcium or iron.

Hopefully, doctors and pharmacists could advise on this.

Would there be info on the NHS website about what to avoid when taking thyroid pills?
 
@Sarah94

Looking into this now myself, I see that some reputable websites say avoid eating a lot of soy and foods with iodine in them, and don't even mention iron or calcium.

Other websites don't mention avoiding excessive iodine, or soy, but do note avoiding iron, and calcium for a few hours.

Sometimes pharmacies warn people not to eat foods or supplements that contain iron or calcium near when they take their thyroid pills.

Good grief! It's not surprising people get frustrated and confused.
 
TigerLilea said:
Have you tried changing your diet? You need to figure out what your trigger foods are for reflux. Also, don't eat three to four hours before laying down.
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Unfortunately, I can't sleep on an empty stomach. I have to eat before going to bed, or I don't sleep.

And of course the "don't eat 3-4 hours before laying down" advice doesn't work for those of us who are bedbound or who have to spend a lot of time lying down (I'm the latter).

I already cut out my trigger foods (cheese and tomato), but it still happens from time to time. It's just how it is for me.
 
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I take my thyroid med as soon as i wake up. An hour later i eat and take my GERD meds, and used to take my CA/Mg tablets as well (i recently stopped Ca/MG and D, with no problem at all, so i am saving money) . I would take my iron pill at lunch time, along with Complex B vitamin. I would also take Ca/Mg tablet at bed time along with my other pills, but now that i have stopped those, i am now taking my iron and B tablets with my bedtime pills.
 
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