topic Thyroid question Re meds. Question in Wellness

Thyroid question Re meds. Question

dulwich — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 18:50:17 GMT

Dr recently reduced my daily thyroid meds dosage then had new b/w done and he said all looks good. I am now on Levothyroxine 75mcg.

However, since new dosage I seem to be hot all the time, also put on a bit of weight too though no change in my routine or eating.

Told Dr this but he said b/w good so to take my thyroid pill Mon to Fri, skip Sat and Sun for a month, see how I feel, then get new b/w done. All this told to me yesterday.

Has anyone else experienced this direction to ‘skip’ meds - just wondered.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

ahoymate — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 18:53:24 GMT

Not skip but cut in half a tablet one day a week, vs. taking the whole tablet. If you are questioning your MD, maybe consider a 2nd opinion from another MD, perhaps an endocrinologist, they specialize in this.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Sooner — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:06:11 GMT

The last refill I got said to take on empty stomach and wait 4 hours before eating food with calcium or iron . So if I take it when I get up, no cereal.

With the four hour and empty stomach issue, I'd like to know when one is supposed to take the danged thing? I'm going with the wait 1 hour thing and figure I haven't died yet . . .

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

dulwich — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:10:45 GMT

@ahoymate I only thought about this today as I had not heard about being able to skip daily meds - I do trust my Dr but did wonder if anyone else has done this - I can always ask my Dr this question too but did not think about it yesterday! Thank you for reply.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Laura14 — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:12:15 GMT

@dulwich Call the pharmacist. He or she is the best expert on pharmacology. It's who your doctor calls if they want to give you a correct answer.

Thyroid meds are crazy touchy including dosage, brand name, ingredients, etc. It's highly personalized to your body and can take some time to get it right.

Give the pharmacist a call and I guarantee they will have the best experience and advice for you to double check what's going on with you including dosing tweaks and/or possibly switching manufacturers which could be all you need.

And don't worry. They can do nothing without the okay of your physician so you're not going behind anyone's back. Just expanding the village with a more experienced specialized medical person in this area.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

dulwich — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:12:28 GMT

@Sooner Mine are always on empty stomach then wait 1 hour never had 4 hours !

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

ahoymate — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:01:13 GMT

I've spoke with my MD about taking Synthroid before bedtime. She said not a problem as long as I haven't eaten.

The pharmacist had a fit. Best to speak with the MD who knows this best.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Icegoddess — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:30:36 GMT

@dulwich , the wait 4 hours is specifically for Iron or Calcium supplements. I wouldn't worry too much about milk or yogurt. The reason is that Calcium and Iron (and it also should've said Soy) interfere with your absorption of the medicine. Same with other foods within one hour. Coffee, in particular, has been shown to interfere with absorption.

All that being said, even the FAQ on Synthroid's website says consistency is more the key. If you consistently drink your coffee before the 1 hour wait or consistently eat something with calcium in it, your meds can be modified to account for it.

If you're really concerned about it, some people take their meds at night before going to bed, as long as you do it on an empty stomach. Someone was asking about when they should be taking their meds, but I don't remember who it was.

EDT: Yes, I have seen directions to skip a day from people in a thyroid group I follow.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Peaches McPhee — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:29:20 GMT

Actually, yes! I take levothyroxine 6 days a week, skipping Sundays. Have been on this regime for years. Works for me (and my blood).

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Icegoddess — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:34:52 GMT

@ahoymate wrote:
Not skip but cut in half a tablet one day a week, vs. taking the whole tablet. If you are questioning your MD, maybe consider a 2nd opinion from another MD, perhaps an endocrinologist, they specialize in this.

@ahoymate I have seen as many complaints about endocrinologists as I have about PCPs. I thnk they must spend more time training on diabetes than they do on thyroid disorders.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

SXMGirl — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:56:05 GMT

@dulwichI have never heard of skipping the meds for a day or a weekend. Nor, have I heard of waiting 4 hours before eating certain foods.

I take mine as soon as I get up and I eat if I am hungry. I have been on almost every dosage that is made, except for the lower ones, and I really believe that my workouts contribute to my falling numbes. Who knows?

What I do not understand, and someone here can help me to understand, is how skipping a day or two of low dosage helps. I know that too high a dosage can cause many problems, but how does skipping help?

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

violann — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 20:53:47 GMT

@dulwich wrote:
Dr recently reduced my daily thyroid meds dosage then had new b/w done and he said all looks good. I am now on Levothyroxine 75mcg.

However, since new dosage I seem to be hot all the time, also put on a bit of weight too though no change in my routine or eating.

Told Dr this but he said b/w good so to take my thyroid pill Mon to Fri, skip Sat and Sun for a month, see how I feel, then get new b/w done. All this told to me yesterday.

Has anyone else experienced this direction to ‘skip’ meds - just wondered.

I have. But I now take Armour Thyroid and I've been stable for several years.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Sooner — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 22:22:22 GMT

@dulwich wrote:
@Sooner Mine are always on empty stomach then wait 1 hour never had 4 hours !

@dulwich Well, this little label popped up on my new refill and that's what it said. Sounds absurd to me. I have done well to wait 30 minutes! LOL!!!!

AND I like my tea in the morning good and strong with MILK! No sugar.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Bhvbum — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 23:01:54 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
@dulwich wrote:
@Sooner Mine are always on empty stomach then wait 1 hour never had 4 hours !
@dulwich Well, this little label popped up on my new refill and that's what it said. Sounds absurd to me. I have done well to wait 30 minutes! LOL!!!!

AND I like my tea in the morning good and strong with MILK! No sugar.

Mine is One Hour, which is more than enough time to leave your already empty stomach in the a.m..

I don't understand how anybody could wait four hours on an already empty stomach.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Boomernichols — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 23:17:28 GMT

@dulwich When I was first diagnosed with a multi-nodular goiter my endocrinologist put me on Synthroid with weekends off. He never addressed the coffee issue, only to eat an hour after taking meds. I was also diagnosed with Hashimotos and now I am in search of another endo doctor as mine had a massive heart attack at 53 years old in his office. Good luck in your medical journey

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

KarenQVC — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 23:58:14 GMT

@Sooner I sort of read those instructions years ago. I thought it meant supplements, so I take those at lunch--the calcium and iron.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Sooner — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 00:48:15 GMT

@Bhvbum wrote:
@Sooner wrote:
@dulwich wrote:
@Sooner Mine are always on empty stomach then wait 1 hour never had 4 hours !
@dulwich Well, this little label popped up on my new refill and that's what it said. Sounds absurd to me. I have done well to wait 30 minutes! LOL!!!!

AND I like my tea in the morning good and strong with MILK! No sugar.

Mine is One Hour, which is more than enough time to leave your already empty stomach in the a.m..

I don't understand how anybody could wait four hours on an already empty stomach.

@Bhvbum I pondered this issue for most of the morning and finally decided that's stupid! There would never be a time in my world!

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

HLP — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 15:11:42 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
The last refill I got said to take on empty stomach and wait 4 hours before eating food with calcium or iron . So if I take it when I get up, no cereal.

With the four hour and empty stomach issue, I'd like to know when one is supposed to take the danged thing? I'm going with the wait 1 hour thing and figure I haven't died yet . . .

I wait one hour after eating. I think he means don't take a calcium pill for 4 hours.. You can eat your breakfast wait 1 hour only. This should be on your med bottle.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

wilma — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:02:36 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
The last refill I got said to take on empty stomach and wait 4 hours before eating food with calcium or iron . So if I take it when I get up, no cereal.

With the four hour and empty stomach issue, I'd like to know when one is supposed to take the danged thing? I'm going with the wait 1 hour thing and figure I haven't died yet . . .

@Sooner

I take my thyroid medicine before bedtime. I never eat after 7pm so taking it between 10-11pm is on an empty stomach. I take my vitamins in the morning.

I've taken thyroid supplements since 1989 when I had most of mine removed due to a tumor. I’ve had my dosage adjusted a few times through the years, but I've never been told to skip days.

Re: Thyroid question Re meds. Question

Q4u — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 18:47:13 GMT

Interesting thread. I'm a relatively new hypothyroid patient. I'm at 75 dosage a day, 7 days a week. I take mine in the evening right before I go to bed. I drink at least 8 oz of water with it as I understand that the blasted pill can expand and we need the extra water to push the pill down. It's made all the difference to me as I was chilled ALL the time and had horrible joint and body aches and other annoying symptioms. My dosage has been adjusted once in the first six months but was told to wait at least 3 more months to see if my current dosage might "sink in" further, which it did! But I do find that this medication (Levothyroxide) is rather particular/peculiar to take. I think I've got it now (for me).... hope you all get yours under control and feel good!