How To Take Levothyroxine Properly | Best Way To Take Thyroid Medication | When To Take Synthroid

How To Take Synthroid Properly | Best Way To Take Levothyroxine Correctly | When To Take Thyroid Medication After Eating

Hey guys! This weeks video is all about how to take your thyroid medication properly to get the most out of it.

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Levothyroxine is a medicine used to treat an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) which affects 1 in 70 women and 1 in 1,000 men in the UK.

The thyroid gland makes thyroid hormone which helps to control energy levels and growth. Levothyroxine is taken to replace the missing thyroid hormone.

KEY FACTS:
• Levothyroxine starts working straight away, but it may be several weeks before your symptoms start to improve.
• The most common side effects of levothyroxine are caused by taking a bigger dose than you need. Your doctor can lower your dose to help reduce any side effects.
• Before you start taking levothyroxine, your healthcare professional will do a blood test to see what dose you need. Once you start taking the medicine you'll have regular blood tests to see how well it’s working.

HOW AND WHEN TO TAKE:
• Unless told otherwise by your prescriber or healthcare professional take levothyroxine once a day in the morning, ideally at least 30-60 minutes before having breakfast or a drink containing caffeine like tea or coffee.
• Both breakfast and caffeinated drinks can stop your body taking in levothyroxine properly so it doesn't work as well.
• If you can't take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach take levothyroxine at least 2 hours after eating food.
• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are safe to take with levothyroxine. Levothyroxine should not be taken at the same time as indigestion remedies or preparations containing calcium or iron (which are contained in some vitamin products). These types of medicines reduce the amount of levothyroxine absorbed by your body. Leave at least 2-4 hours between taking your dose of levothyroxine and any such preparation.
• Soya interferes with thyroxine absorption, therefore if you are taking thyroxine you should try to avoid soya. If you wish to take soya, there should be as long a time interval as possible between eating the soya and taking the thyroxine.
• Avoid products such as kelp, as they may interfere with thyroid function & wellbeing. Kelp is derived from seaweed and is naturally high in iodine. Because of this it is sometimes marketed as a "thyroid booster" and can be purchased in dry preparations and tablets. As with iodine itself, it is of no health benefit to those with thyroid disease.

BLOOD TESTS:
Your healthcare professional will do regular blood tests to check the levels of thyroid hormones in your body before and after starting levothyroxine. These will allow your doctor to adjust your dose to suit you.

At the start of treatment you can expect to have blood tests often. Once your hormone levels are stable, you’ll usually have a blood test after 4 to 6 months, and after that once a year.

You may need blood tests more often if you:

• Are pregnant
• Start or stop a medicine that can interfere with levothyroxine
• Have any symptoms that could mean your dose is not quite right

MISSED DOSES:
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it's almost time for your next dose. In which case just skip the forgotten dose. Do not take 2 doses together to make up for a missed dose.

If you forget doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.

DISCLAIMER:
This video is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Abraham The Pharmacist has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Always consult a doctor or other healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

[AbrahamThePharmacist]

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[patsystonejones]

Thank you so much. This helped me a lot. I've been taking my levothyroxine on an empty stomach with a full glass of water now and I'm feeling like a new person. No words can describe how I'm thankful for this.

[kanza-]

Dry, brittle hair and hair loss is also a common symptom of underactive thyroid.. and yes enjoyed the fun fact 😂 (pharmacist here)

[johnplant]

I've been taking my medication regularly and I now find that I can play Modern Warfare 5 hours straight without getting tired

[nancybarnett]

I usually have to get up around 5 AM to use the bathroom, so I take my tablet at that time. I'm then good to go when I get up at about 9 AM for the day.

[mr.liontop]

This explains why I'm up at 3 am after taking my medicine

[bernadettegreen]

New subscriber from Pittsburgh, Pa This boomer for yrs. been taking thyroid medicine at night because I need to eat some-
thing upon waking up. I will start tomorrow with my thyroid pill, wait one hour then woof down my toast.

[soraphantomlover]

Heck I was surprised to hear Iodine interacts negatively with Levothyroxine! I was under the impression that it helped! Thanks for the tip!

[dellacooper]

I was told to take my Levothyroxine, first thing in the morning. ;)

[NickC-zjcu]

I have never clicked on the subscribe button so fast in my life

[medicineshome]

Fantastic information for all patients on thyroid medication.

[oldegoatee]

I have nocturia, so I take my meds when I wake up to pee in the middle of the night. Stomach is empty of interfering foods or other meds/vitamins.

[charitdixit]

After taking the thyroxine medicine how long I need to wait to have lemon juice, Banana and apple. Fantastic video..! make more about thyroid👍

[jeanlouisgene]

So no iodine? I thought it was good for hypothyroid

[ip]

How do I get my GP/s to take me seriously? I'm too scared to call the GP again in fear of not being taken seriously and I am here asking on yet another YouTube video after simply searching Levothyroxine as I've been researching the NHS website and many others, and of the most common conditions that come up, and am convinced I have a non diagnosed thyroid problem, specifically overactive hyperthyroidism. Abraham I'm 25 in a few weeks but the last 10 years (that should have been the best years of my life - I should have completed my school, college and undergraduate studies by now and be at least started in a career by now) have been wasted away suffering a range of non diagnosed illnesses/conditions including chronic pains, chronic skin lesions, chronic fatigue. It doesn't matter how well/how long I've been asleep the night before, I am always falling asleep sat up at the desk, on the bus, sat in a cafe, sat in a library, sat on a public bench, even once I was in a first aid class and banged my head straight into the table falling asleep. It might seem like no big deal to whoever is reading but I am telling you this is really detrimental. I will have what I would describe as sleep fits then jolt awake, multiple times a day, whatever time it is, regardless of my healthy habits. I am very suicidal and depressed. I am not in work. I have no qualifications. I'm living with disabled, immigrant, uneducated, inactive, problematic parents. I have no social support. I am a very unattractive, skin diseased, undeveloped, bullied, stifled, unproductive adult female living in an all white neighbourhood of healthy, productive, on the go neighbours who have full time jobs, nice cars, happy families and many other privileges I cannot relate to. I am not getting any help from the organisations I am reaching out to. This falling asleep all the time could be due to exhaustion from the extreme levels of stress I am still enduring but how do I explain this to a GP? Please can somebody help me because I am not coping, I get nothing done, I am suffering a lot and I would like to experience major improvement in whatever remainder I have of my life. Thank you

[blahblah]

I have to get up in the middle of the night. That's when I take mine. Then go back to bed for an hour or two. Better uptake on very empty tum.

[Naz-Ali]

I already knew all this. But thank you for this informative video.

One tip from me ( told by my doctor) : take thyroid medication with just five or six sips of water. Too much water dilutes the medicine, thus affecting it's complete absorption.

[jcyensen]

I talked to 5 friends and family members on levothyroxine and they all said no they were not told to take it 1 hr before eating and after and can't be bothered with that.
But nurses and one doctor only told me when and how to take that pill so I take mine around 1 or 2 am because I have an empty stomach and have no trouble going back to sleep besides its around the time I go to the bathroom nightly. What is so great about this is I no longer have to worry about not having coffee when I get up or eating when it posed a problem before watching the hour before and after during morning or day time. Plus I don't have to worry when I take my vitamins or other meds should I have to take other meds for some reason since there has to be 4 hours to lapse before taken vitamins. That is a lot work to think about during the day when you are busy or get distracted.

[pixiemermaid]

The weird thing for me is I cant take levothyroxadine in the morning it knocks me out asleep .I hav to take it at bedtime.

[KJ-cyif]

Hi Abraham!
I am a pharmacist too and this was the first video from you that I watched.
Never subscribed to fast in my life!!