Vitamins and Thyroid medication

Hey everyone - is anyone out there taking thyroid meds post surgery - and how do you space them out with all of the vitamins you have to take? The Synthroid (thyroid medication) I take has to be taken either 4 hours before or 4 hours after vitamins. So that's an 8 hour window when you're not supposed to take any. I also know that certain vitamins need to be taken apart from each other as well, so this is doubly confusing to me.

I had thyroid cancer 8 years ago and had my thyroid completely removed, so I depend on Synthroid for my thyroid hormone entirely. I'm concerned about how to time my meds with my vitamins after surgery. Does anyone else have this issue too? And how do you manage?

Thanks!

Hi Dee,

I imagine from what you're saying you're in full remission from your cancer... I'm going to be presumptive and say congratulations!!

What stage of the process are you at? No doubt, the centre will work with you to come up with a schedule that makes sense with you based on your cir****tances. If you are at a late stage in the process and this hasn't been addressed, I would recommend getting a hold of your centre and asking for that assistance. Contraindications with meds really should be handled by regulated professionals.

They'll get it sorted out for you. :)

Hi oneatatime - Thanks for your response! Yes, I am in full remission - cancer free for 8 years now. (yay!), and thank you for your well wishes :)

I am very new at the process - having my orientation in Hamilton on October 30th. I certainly will follow up with the pros on it, but was curious about what other people do. I meant to ask my endocrinologist yesterday when I saw her, but completely forgot - that's why it was top of mind for me today. She did say that she wanted to meet with me more frequently after surgery and thought that surgery was a great idea for me - so that part was good. Made me feel good about the decision.

That is all great news!!!! Congratulations :)

Hi Dee!

Again I am going to assume you are in remission so congratulations!

While I still have my thyroid in, it does not function at all so I am also reliant on a very high dose. What they do with me is that I take it at night before I go to bed so that solves the 4 hours after problem. Luckily it does not counter with any of my other meds that I have to take at night. I take my multi-vitamin in the morning then wait 2 hours and have the calcium and D around morning break and I have my next round of calcium and D with my afternoon break. This was what was recommended to me by the dietician in the screening phase and the internist is happy with it as well.

I should add that I have always taken my thyroid meds at night since I can't get the gap without calcium any time during the day.

I hope this helps!

Hi gbears - yes, i am in remission - thanks for asking! Just considered it a bump in the road and kept going. :)

I usually take my thyroid meds at bedtime as well, but wasnt sure with all of the other vitamins in the mix that it would be a problem, so I thought i would ask. Sounds like you are on a really good routine for them. I will definitely be asking for recommendations from the specialists as well.

Sorry to hear that your thyroid isn't working for you. Before i was sick, my thyroid was fully functioning. It was a total fluke that the cancer was discovered at all because i had no issues with it. Now my TSH levels are kind of all over the place for me. If i lose weight, my pills work too well and then when my dose is lowered, it doesn't seem to be enough and i gain weight again and need a higher dose. A bit frustrating! Have you found that after surgery you needed less thyroid medication as the weight came off? I haven't had surgery yet - still new to the process.

Thanks for responding!

Hey Dee

It has taken me almost 2 years to find my sweet spot - and it was almost 12 years of testing before that to figure out what was wrong. Because I am still in child bearing age, and plan on trying 18 months after this surgery, they have my target level at 2-2.5 as opposed to the 2-4 range. My recommendation is to not let the weight be the main driver but go by what your body feels like. Are you always hot (your function is a little high) are you always cold (function is low). Is your hair falling out (low). Is your body aching (low). Are you anxious (high). Depressed (low). Hyper (high). Just want to sleep all day (low). Constipation is a marker for both high and low. Skin dry during even the summer (low). Since I am on such a high dose you would be right to assume I don't really see the high function thyroid so my signs are normally aches and pains and hair falling out. I have been told that if you are a swinger (function not in the bedroom way haha) the body temp is the one to go by.

Unfortunately I am pre-surgery but I have asked the question and some people are getting lower and some stay the same.

Because i had thyroid cancer, they want my level to be around 0.1 - 0.3. When i got bloodwork last week it was 0.19 but two months ago it was 0.8 (too high of a number, so low functioning for me). A year and a half ago i had lost a bunch of weight and my TSH was 0.006 - i was getting heart palpitations because it was too high of a dose. Crazy how it shifts so quickly. I can't really tell by temperature or anything but i do feel tired when it is underfunctioning.

I'm still technically childbearing age - but don't want any more, lol! - and i am also pre-surgery. Have you had orientation or any appointments yet? Wondering how you are finding the process so far. I am out of St. Joe's Hamilton too.

:)

DEE, so happy you are ok..... and I get that will be challenging... you will have to get a schedule worked out with your NUT. Definitely.

Take Care- Jo

I too had a TTA in 2012 and an RNY in November 2016. On my Endo's advice, I take my levothyroxine first thing at around 630, drink my coffee at 730 and then take my calcium at around 11, 2 and 5 pm, and my multivitamin after dinner at around 9. Seems to be working well although I'm not great at remembering to take the calcium when not at work.

You will find a routine that works well for your daily grind as well - good luck with your surgery!

helfer