should i take levo and calcium (4 hours apart) on the morning before blood test ? and what difference would it make if i did?

[Tatty10]

[susymac]

no idea with the calcium, but no, you shouldnt take the levo before your blood test. levo is slow acting, but your levels will spike on taking, giving an inaccurate reading on test results. Ideally you should get your bloods drawn first thing in the morning (preferrably at the same time each time) and not have taken levo in the past 12 hrs although if you really need an dose before bed the night before if thats when you take it, then that shouldnt make any difference.

[Heloise]

You don't want a dose of Levo in your bloodstream when you are testing since it will be higher than normal for a time and they may try to adjust your dose.

If you take calcium before you take Levo, you have to wait four hours to absorb but if you take your Levo first, you only need to wait one hour.

[Hidden in reply to Heloise]

Oh - that's interesting, I've never seen it expressed like that before - I thought it was a standard 4 hours both ways!

I would be interested in the source of this info please.... thanks!

L

x

[Hashoo in reply to Hidden]

Hiya,

Sorry, but everything I've read seems to suggest that you do still need to leave 4 hours before AND after taking levo before injesting any calcium products or food especially suppliments....

mayoclinic.com/health/hypot...

worstpills.org/public/page....

[Heloise in reply to Hashoo]

Hi Hashoo, I will try to retrieve my source as this is an important issue.

[Heloise in reply to Hashoo]

I guess this is why there isn't a definitive answer.

Other Forms of Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate is also a common ingredient in many forms of antacid, so doctors advise patients who are taking thyroid medication to avoid taking antacids within several hours of taking thyroid medication. No standard has been set for how long you should wait between taking thyroid medication and any form of calcium carbonate. Most doctors advise you take these medications as far apart as possible. For instance, take your thyroid medication in the morning and calcium in the evening.

Read more: livestrong.com/article/4782...

[Hashoo in reply to Heloise]

In the first link I put (from an endo) it states:

"Take any products containing calcium at least four hours before or after taking levothyroxine."

mayoclinic.com/health/hypot...

The second link has the following paragraph:

"Antacids often used to treat heartburn and other intestinal distress, including calcium products such as TUMS or ROLAIDS and other antacids, may have absorption-inhibiting effects on thyroid medications. People should take levothyroxine four to six hours before or after taking these antacids."

worstpills.org/public/page....

I'm not sure how far you need to go with this but I know that some people even say you shouldn't eat or drink things containing calcium in them within 4 hours of taking thyroxine.......up to you

[Heloise in reply to Hashoo]

Yes, each person should decide. I quit taking my calcium because I was taking multi doses of thyroid and it was too difficult to manage. But I'm not sure that was all bad considering what they now know about the importance of K2 when taking calcium supplements.

Still good to consider all options.

[Hashoo in reply to Heloise]

There's just so much to learn when you take suppliments!!...I don't take calcium myself as I take Vit D which increases your absorbsion of calcium (and when I tested my calcium it was fine) but because I read on here to avoid having calcium too close to levo I wait for my morning cuppa....it almost kills me but I do find that I enjoy it a lot more now

[Heloise in reply to Hidden]

Hi Louise, I will try to locate it as it was something recent, but I read so many articles it's difficult to bookmark everything. It made sense to me as calcium seems to break down slowly especially with low acid conditions.

I think it is a big problem to plan around both 4-hour restrictions.

[Heloise in reply to Hidden]

Louise, this pertains to iron but similar caution from STTM:

Can I take iron at the same time I swallow my desiccated thyroid? If you swallow your desiccated thyroid instead of doing it sublingually, it’s important to avoid swallowing iron at the same time, since the iron will bind to some of the thyroid hormones as they mix in your stomach and bind some of that NDT. Take your desiccated thyroid one hour before you take iron, or several hours later…or try your best to keep them apart somehow. If you are doing your natural thyroid sublingually, some may end up still being swallowed and thus mixed with that iron, but we’re not sure how much of a problem that is…. So just use your best judgment.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/f...

[Heloise in reply to Hidden]

Other Forms of Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate is also a common ingredient in many forms of antacid, so doctors advise patients who are taking thyroid medication to avoid taking antacids within several hours of taking thyroid medication. No standard has been set for how long you should wait between taking thyroid medication and any form of calcium carbonate. Most doctors advise you take these medications as far apart as possible. For instance, take your thyroid medication in the morning and calcium in the evening.

Read more: livestrong.com/article/4782...

[LouiseRoberts in reply to Heloise]

Thanks for all this info!

xx

[jezebel69]

Is it really important to have bloods done early morning? I've had to book mine for 5pm because I work.