Synthroid (levothyroxine) is a medication used to treat hypothyroidism, certain types of goiters, and thyroid cancer. It takes the place of thyroid hormones that your body isn’t producing because of disease. When this tiny, butterfly-shaped gland becomes diseased or inflamed, it can cause a lot of discomforts. It’s possible that the pain will decrease over time as your body heals itself from the effects of Shingles.
Thyroid meds for the thyroid hormone and thyroid gland are most effective when taken on an empty stomach, usually 30 to 60 minutes. This is why many people take this prescription first thing in the morning. However, after waking up, many people also use another substance: Coffee. Is it okay to combine Synthroid and caffeine?
Is it okay to take Synthroid and coffee together?
Take Synthroid with a full 8-ounce glass of water for it to be effective. Otherwise, the drug might dissolve rapidly and cause your throat to swell. Chasing your pill with a cup of coffee instead of drinking water can prevent your body from absorbing the medicine fully.
“This impact does not last long, but it might lead to undertreatment of your thyroid disease,” says Dr. Nisha Jayani, a board-certified endocrinologist with Paloma Health in Arizona. You’re not getting enough of the medicine to relieve your symptoms, which may make you feel bad or cause fatigue, mood swings, and other side effects of an underactive thyroid.
Fortunately, you won’t have to wait long for your morning coffee. “You can drink coffee an hour after taking levothyroxine,” says LifeMD’s Dr. Puopolo. So, take your thyroid hormone pill when you wake up and set a timer for 60 minutes before pouring yourself a cup of joe.
What else should you avoid when on Thyroid Medications like Synthroid?
If you’re not a coffee drinker, there are things in your diet that can influence how effectively Synthroid works. Walnuts, Soybean flour, Cottonseed meal, and dietary fiber all might make it more difficult for thyroid hormone absorption.
Beans, Broccoli, apples, berries, avocados, and quinoa are all examples of foods high in dietary fiber.
Because grapefruit juice interferes with the absorption of Synthroid, it can also decrease your medicine’s effectiveness. If you eat these meals, check with your doctor to see whether you can continue to do so.
If you’re having trouble avoiding these foods during the day, your doctor may propose altering your drug regimen—even though the manufacturer recommends taking it in the morning. Taking medicine at night allows you to easily avoid anything that would keep you from getting the most out of your thyroid medication and other prescription medications.
There are two problems. It’s tough to maintain an empty stomach for 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed, and many people forget to take medicine before retiring. That’s especially true if your routine is altered by a late night or trip. Over a period of time body becomes thyroid and alcohol intolerant.
Is it possible to take vitamins and other medicines when on thyroid medication?
A variety of medicines can affect the effectiveness when taking Synthroid. Calcium, iron supplements, antacids, and [certain] other medications might hinder your thyroid medicine from being completely absorbed by your body.
Calculate your dosage for four hours before or after taking your daily thyroid medication schedule. Taking Synthroid without any other medicines or nutritional supplements is the most excellent way to prevent any interactions. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your daily routine and any medications you take to interact with Synthroid.
In a nutshell, the wait time for a tall glass of H2O is 30 to 60 minutes, except for thyroid medication. It should be taken alone, on an empty stomach. If you can wait at least four hours before taking other drugs that might interfere with absorption. If you do not follow this advice, you may be inadvertently over-or under-medicating your thyroid problem.
You may need to wait for the sake of your overall health, even if you want that cup of coffee with a splash of soy milk and a cup of orange juice first thing in the morning. If you don’t know how to take your vitamin, talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
What can cause thyroid hormone medication to be ineffective?
- if you drink coffee within an hour of taking levothyroxine, it can harm how well your thyroid medication is absorbed by your body
- eating foods high in fiber or taking drugs that interfere with absorption may cause Synthroid to be ineffective
- calcium, iron supplements, antacids, and other medications may make it difficult for Synthroid to be absorbed
Thyroid medication should not be combined with the following:
Certain thyroid medicines may interfere with other medicines, supplements, and even meals if you’re new to taking daily prescription drugs. Here, primary care doctors address the thyroid drug interactions you should be aware of.
Changing brands
Switching between brand names of thyroid medications may appear harmless since they all contain the same active ingredient (levothyroxine). However, there’s evidence to suggest that switching between brands or generics might affect how your body reacts to or absorbs the artificial hormone.
The American Thyroid Association urges doctors to stick with the same treatment regimen. To put it another way, unless you consult with your doctor first, continue taking the same generic (i.e., from the same pharmacy) or brand name medicine.
Certain foods
Levothyroxine should be taken on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before meals,” says Rajnish Jaiswal, MD, associate chief of emergency medicine at Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York City. “Taking it with food has been shown to reduce absorption from the gut.”
Certain foods, such as soy-based products or flours, such as edamame, tofu, or miso, cottonseed meal, grapefruit or grapefruit juice, walnuts High-calcium meals like milk, yogurt, cheese, and Broccoli. Cabbage and kale are also high in fiber.
Low-calorie, fatty, fried, or sweet meals might slow down your metabolism and make it more challenging to absorb the medication. If you have trouble remembering to take the pill before eating, consult your doctor about alternate options.
Coffee is your daily routine.
Coffee is a popular beverage. Do you have to stop drinking coffee after taking thyroid medicine? Yes, but if you want the treatment to be effective, you must do it properly.
“Drink no coffee, not even a sip, until at least an hour has passed since you took your levothyroxine. Coffee will also decrease the amount of medication that is absorbed by your body,” warns Tricia Eichenlaub, MSN, APRN, FNP-C., Internal Medicine Clinic in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Mornings are busy enough as it is without having to remember to wait 60 minutes between taking your thyroid and ordering a Starbucks latte. Fortunately, however, coffee and levothyroxine don’t have to be a hassle. Eichenlaub further states that “levothyroxine may be taken along with a full glass of water at night on an empty stomach. Just remember to take it at the same time every night,” she says. This can also help those who have difficulty avoiding foods.
Vitamins and supplements
Avoid any medicines or supplements that include iron, calcium, or magnesium for at least four hours after taking your thyroid meds, says Dr. Jaiswal. This also applies to multivitamins that contain these elements.
When having your thyroid levels tested for thyroid hormones function, you should avoid taking biotin since it might interfere with the accuracy of the test. Typically, it is advised that you stop taking biotin for 1-2 weeks before getting your thyroid lab results. Excess iodine can also cause problems with levothyroxine therapy.
If you take supplements or other medicines regularly, it’s always a good idea to contact your endocrinologist or primary care doctor first.
Other medications that may not agree with the thyroid gland
Some popular medicines cannot be combined with thyroid medication because regulating hormone amounts in the body is vital. Which drugs should you avoid taking when taking thyroid medicine? Ask a healthcare provider for professional medical advice.
According to Dr. Jaiswal, some of the standard prescription and over-the-counter medications that interact with levothyroxine are: Antibiotics: ciprofloxacin, rifampin, Seizure medications: phenytoin, fosphenytoin, and carbamazepine, Antidepressants: amitriptyline, fluoxetine, Antacids, and indigestion remedies: Omeprazole, Pantoprazole, Ranitidine, Tums, and Pepto-Bismol.
It all boils down to getting the right thyroid medicine at the correct dosage, as well as avoiding these factors that can disrupt your intestinal absorption or the overall thyroid medication absorption levels.
The following six common food-drug interactions are worth keeping in mind.
Grapefruit juice
Is your doctor treating you for high cholesterol with prescription medication, such as Lipitor or Zocor? If that’s the case, you should avoid grapefruit juice. Compounds in the fruit (known as furanocoumarins) can hinder an enzyme in your intestines from eliminating the drug. This can result in a higher level of the medication in the body, which might induce a toxic response.
Even if you aren’t on a statin, grapefruit-drug interactions might be worth considering. “People don’t realize that it can interact with a wide range of medications, not just statins,” says Dr. Morton Tavel, MD, author of Health Tips, Myths and Tricks: A Physician’s Advice. “Anyone who is taking practically any medicine should avoid grapefruit juice completely.” This includes over-the-counter antihistamines and even birth control, which is taken orally.
Dairy
Don’t wash your antibiotics down with a glass of milk if you’re on a course. Dairy can reduce the effectiveness of certain medications, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and doxycycline.
“The bioavailability of medicines is reduced if milk product is present in the stomach,” Len Horovitz, MD, an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, explains.
People on monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) should avoid aged, firm cheeses like Parmesan and Camembert. Tyramine is a neurotransmitter that helps maintain normal blood pressure levels. Migraine attacks and hypertension increases are linked to high tyramine levels.
“MAOIs inhibit the tyramine metabolizing enzyme, which can cause it to accumulate and raise blood pressure if it is not broken down,” Dr. Tavel explains.
Bananas, plantains, and avocados are all high in potassium.
Bananas are healthy for most people because they contain a sufficient amount of potassium. However, if you eat a lot of bananas while taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor such as lisinopril or captopril, you may end up with an overload of potassium. These medications might cause the body to retain extra potassium, which the kidneys would otherwise eliminate.
“Potassium is a wonderful mineral and one that we need in our diet, but it can cause issues under specific circumstances,” Dr. Tavel adds. “An excessive amount of potassium might induce dangerous heart rhythm disturbances.”
Bananas are among the most well-known sources of potassium, but they aren’t the only food that contains a lot of it. When taking ACE inhibitors, avoid eating sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and other high-potassium foods. Salt replacements frequently contain potassium chloride rather than sodium.
Black licorice
Black licorice is a divisive confection. If your doctor writes you a prescription for digoxin and you enjoy black licorice, Dr. Tavel advises that you consider switching to red Twizzlers if it’s prescribed for you. Black licorice contains glycyrrhizin, which can cause a toxic reaction when digoxin is consumed.
Even if you quit taking medicine, you may consider giving up black licorice for good. The FDA warns that just two ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks can induce an arrhythmia in persons 40 years or older, necessitating hospitalization.
Green leafy vegetables
Broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, and cabbage are just a few vegetables with a high vitamin K content. Vitamin K aids in blood clotting by preventing excessive bleeding. However, it has the paradoxical effect of combating a commonly used blood thinner called Coumadin (also known as warfarin).
If you’re on warfarin, your doctor will tell you not to change your diet drastically. Eating more green leafy vegetables than usual might decrease the impact of warfarin and boost the risk of undesirable events like heart attack and stroke.
Alcohol
When combined with numerous prescription drugs, alcohol may be deadly. Combining alcohol with medicines might produce more unpleasant effects such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, or loss of coordination. Alcohol has also been linked to a reduction in the efficacy of medications and the potential toxicity of those same pills.
Alcohol can make you drowsy or dizzy when used together with anti-anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines. The combination of alcohol and opioid painkillers has a similar tendency to cause sleepiness and vertigo, and it might even result in a deadly overdose. Overall, using alcohol while taking certain medicines is not recommended.
