taking tablets sublingually: good morning! I was... - Thyroid UK

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taking tablets sublingually

55 Replies

good morning!

I was wondering if anyone does this? apparently if you put the medication under your tongue it goes straight into the blood stream so you dont need to worry about an empty stomach or missing out on your morning COFFEE!!

does anyone do this with armour? i have ordered some....i heard its smells so am worried it will taste bad :o/

55 Replies
Hennerton profile image
Hennerton

I take T3 sublingually and love that method, because it dissolves very easily. Does Levothyroxine? Not sure but it must if you are taking it that way. I am just starting to introduce some in combo with T3 and it is such a nuisance waiting to take it, especially when one takes supplements too, all with their own agendas. I shall try tomorrow. Thank you!

in reply to Hennerton

Same with me xxxx

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to Hennerton

This isn't advisable as it can give the heart an instant hit of thyroid medication and cause you problems, I wouldn't advise anyone to take T3 this way.

Moggie x

in reply to Moggie

I chew both my t3 and t4 and have had no heart problems , surely this way is better than tablets sticking in my gullet and if at all reaching my stomach and burning my guts and causing extreme pain and heartburn!!!! I have gall stones and GORD and a hiatus hernia !!!!!!!!

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to

The reason endo's and GP's do not like T3 is because of how it effects the heart (and that's when taken as prescribed) as it can cause the heart rate/beat to fluctuate so to take it under the tongue, which means it is going straight into the bloodstream, could (and does) cause people problems.

Moggie x

in reply to Moggie

It doesn't if you split the doses, 3 or 4x daily. Same for NDT too.

Oh, and split them over the FULL day, not take the full amount over about 7 hours like some Doctors suggest!

nobodysdriving profile image
nobodysdriving in reply to Moggie

I am sure it can be like that for someone somewhere (as always in life you will find there is a 'never say never'). However there are many people taking it this way effectively, I am one of them (of course).

PS am talking about T3 here, that's what I take

nightingale-56 profile image
nightingale-56 in reply to Hennerton

I held 75mcg in my mouth while walking from bathroom to bedroom last week (about ten steps) and it was burning my mouth, so don't think I will try it again. Guess this is why I have been having stomach aches since going from Eltroxin to Mercury Pharma Levo earlier in the year (even though they say it is the same). Janet.

in reply to nightingale-56

why dont new replies go to the bottom of the page?....well i hate mercury! i cant have those at all...they give me migraines x

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to nightingale-56

Someone on here has just spoken to Mercury Pharma and Eltroxin is coming back - don't know if its due to them having had so many complaints regarding their generic brand (people with side effects) but whatever the reason I'll be happy when it does.

Moggie x

in reply to Moggie

thats good news, i stick to almus/actavis...theyre produced in devon! but soon ill be trying armour EEEEEK!!

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to Moggie

Hi,,, did they give any time frame for this? I've not been great since going merc p ,,

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to ianessex

I'm afraid not but you could phone yourself and ask, and then maybe share with us on here.lol as I am desperate to know but am at work and cant phone.

Moggie x

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to Moggie

ok will do,, although I'm not sure they'll tell me much. I can think of quite few people Inc me who'd like to have eltroxin back..

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to ianessex

Here is a comment from janiebell yesterday on another thread. Maybe you could ask to speak to the same lady.

Ok, v interesting. I spoke to a rep called Kim who was very informative unlike other reps I've spoken to there in the past who were almost robot like. Must be a new set up.

Anyways, Kim confirmed Eltroxin wil be coming back and that they have had many, many complaints re the generic v Eltroxin. How can this be? I asked when the ingredients are exactly the same and they are manufactured in the same factory. All she would say is that Eltroxin went through adifferent compliance protocol to the generic - what ever that means - but suggests to me there is a difference.

Moggie x

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to Moggie

I've just spoken to them, they assure me it's not back yet and no idea when,, cited technical issues. the medical team also assure me the two products are completely identical in every way.

Moggie profile image
Moggie in reply to ianessex

Just goes to show how different people get different reactions - I am just in the middle of submitting a yellow card over this as I think the more people that bring it to the MHRA's attention the quicker Eltroxin will be back. If you want the link let me know. I will also be contacting Mercury Pharma by email, as you seem to get a better response that way.

Moggie x

nobodysdriving profile image
nobodysdriving in reply to Hennerton

if you are on T3 only you do not need to wait in between foods/drink to take it as T3 is 95% unbound and as such other things do not interfere with its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, I have confirmed this with the manufacturers themselves. All you have to do is contact them and ask them, sometimes they reply to you a few days later but they still do.

Good morning, I also chew my thyroxin at 6am then at 9am I chew my t3 . Do I need to get up early to chew my thyroxin ...xx

Hennerton profile image
Hennerton

Have just seen your question about Armour. It smells and tastes dreadful and I tried it sublingually but could not stand it. It doesn't seem to help me much anyway. I hope you do well on it. I keep trying and giving up but would love to take it, as would be best for me, having had TT,

oh no! sorry to hear that hennerton....this is my concern about the armour :(

I dont take my current medication that way...i am on t4 and t3

i take t4 in the middle of the night and t3 on waking but i have never tried sublingually with ANYTHING...

maybe i should try with my current meds? interesting....x

the thought of chewing tablets is horrid! x

in reply to

My T3 doesn't taste of much at all, it just crumbles and disappears in the mouth, the Levo is salty but crushable so I reckon it's the best way to take them both as swallowing levo gives me shocking heartburn , I just would like to know, if because I chew it , do I need to take it 2 hours before my breakfast???? By the way I have stomach problems and think I could be suffering from malabsorption xxx

susymac profile image
susymac

I take armour sub lingually, after the last reformulation, the taste is not as strong as it was before, I have no problems with it, you get used to it within a couple of days and dont even notice the taste or smell :)

in reply to susymac

Not sure you still reply to messages in this thread, but I will try anyway...when you say "last reformulation", do you mean the one in 2009, or later?

oh great! thanks.....i mean i know i will find out myself soon enough, but its so nice to talk to other people....x

I think anything you swallow goes thru to your stomach but i would imagine if you chew it you probably wouldnt need to wait 2 hours....x

bantam12 profile image
bantam12

Levothyroxine is designed to be swallowed, an exert below

The consensus? The active ingredients in thyroid medication have molecules that are so large that it is difficult for them to pass through the mucous membranes. Most of the dissolved/crushed medication ends up swallowed, and moves through the digestive system in the usual way. Other factors also affect sublingual absorption, including oral pH, and salivary enzymes.

Thyroid expert Kenneth Woliner, MD in Boca Raton, Florida said that some medications are designed to be taken sublingually -- for example, drugs that need to be fast-acting, and when where seconds count (like nitroglycerine, used to treat angina and heart attacks) -- and have a molecular structure that lends itself to sublingual absorption. But thyroid is not one of them, according to Dr. Woliner.

Thyroid expert Kent Holtorf, MD, founder of the National Academy of Hypothyroidism, and the Holtorf Medical Center network of clinics in California and the Midwest, also agrees that thyroid medication was not designed for sublingual use, therefore the size of the thyroid hormone molecule means that sublingual use of thyroid medication may not be optimal for some patients as far as absorption, and may not prevent interactions that can reduce absorption of thyroid medications.

i just found this on stop the thyroid madness:

Yes, you can swallow natural desiccated thyroid and get excellent results. It works. But, doing your desiccated thyroid SUBLINGUALLY has real biological benefits that swallowing does not.

First, it’s direct and immediate, absorbed into your bloodstream via the millions of tiny capillaries that line your mouth and mucous membrane.

Additionally, sublingual bypasses the acidic, destroying gastric action in your stomach where you can lose some of the thyroid ingredients, besides bypasses the metabolizing action of the liver. In other words, you get more of what you give yourself by doing the desiccated thyroid sublingually rather than swallowing.

xx

I take Armour and chew it really quickly and swallow it with a glass of water. I really don't like the taste.

I've started to take a small amount of T3 and put that under my top lip where it dissolves very slowly. I also do this before i go to bed and sometimes there's a bit left in the morning. I thought it was a way of getting into my system slowly.

in reply to

I take NDT (not Armour brand) sub-lingually, and hated it at first, but surprisingly l got used to it very quickly!

in reply to

cool! and you split it? do you have any trouble getting to sleep? what time do you take the last part, how much are you on? sorry thats about 5 questions!

in reply to

I do... currently 2 grains (I was on 2.5 in the past) take 1, then 0.5, 0.5 at about about 8am, 4pm and 11pm (give or take).. no problems getting to sleep, (even when I have taken the LARGEST part last thing) I have problems STAYING asleep, but that's pain related and I had it long before I took NDT!

in reply to

oh ok, thanks so much....i found i had nightmares if i took my T3 any later than 8am...but that might just be a weird reaction to the synthetic T3

so one more question! you dont need to have an empty stomach if you put it under your tongue correct?

in reply to

No. I find I don't specifically take it when eating, but tend not to worry too much.

I suppose the only way of finding out is to try!

in reply to

Hi Picton, you're so much braver than me! It's taken me from March to stop heaving lol. Now if it was chocolate flavoured i'd have no problem! X

in reply to

mmmmm chocolate x

in reply to

Hi Traisey, God knows we need something to look forward to! I didn't see your other post, yes other people take a little top up of T3 with their Armour. I'm trying to get my temps up as i've slipped back into the 35's.

in reply to

i do actually allow myself some dark chocolate...CRAZY I KNOW!!

other than that my diet is low fat, low carb, sugar free, gluten free....FUN FREE

although i do drink booze otherwise id go mental x

in reply to

I'm quite restricted with my diet anyway so i do have a few treats. Like this morning i went for coffee with a friend and had coffee and walnut cake. Walnuts are a superfood lol! X

in reply to

Yes, and also goitrogenic!

in reply to

and gluten is v.bad for thyroids! xx

in reply to

I do agree it has an odd almost scented taste, and don't like it, but I put a lot of that down to knowing WHAT it is rather than the actual taste! ;-)

in reply to

yes, pig thyroid as soon as i wake up....yum yum x

in reply to

Hi Picton, for me it tastes like rancid chalk. I had a go at taking it under my lip but when it started to disolve i was so aware of what's in it, i had to reach for a big glass of water ;-)

in reply to

gross! x

in reply to

Hi Traisey, you're right, gross is a good word. I reckon it's horrible enough to put you off anything related to pork, yuk! X

in reply to

im feeling awful this week :( i hope it works, actually i just hope it arrives....soon! x

in reply to

Sorry to hear that Traisey. For quite a while i didn't think the Armour was doing anything much. I found it to be very gentle compared with Levo. When i got up to around 3 grains i noticed the swelling around my face and eyes had improved, and my cracked feet had healed. I still feel absolutely washed out on 3-4 grains. But there again i take other drugs that affect absorption. I just don't think it's a good idea to pin too many hopes on it in the first couple of months. I hope you're one of the lucky ones where it works quickly.

I think if i'd started on Armour instead of taking 200mcg of Levo i would have done better. I've been reducing Levo since August, and this last week it should be out of my system. X

in reply to

so you continued to take the levo with the armour? is that something i should consider? i was just going to swap....start off on a bit less and work up to 3 grains! if it doesnt work for me i have no idea what i will do x

in reply to

I cut the Levo 25 mcg a week. I added in 1/2 grain of Armour every 2 weeks.

I was diagnosed just over 2 years ago, but have been hypo 20years plus. In my case it's either too late or it:s just going to take a long time. My brain fog is better off Levo.

I do have low B12 and vit D3 too. Working on that. I take a lot of other prescription drugs which doesn't help either. X

so you take armour AND t3? i didnt even know that was a 'thing' x

PinkNinja profile image
PinkNinja in reply to

Yes it is a 'thing' :D Some people don't do well with T4 and need a much higher proportion of T3. I tried this for a while when NDT wasn't getting me 100% well. In the end I needed to go T3-only.

i knew people did t3 only but i didnt know they did armour and t3...as thats natural combined with synthetic...not that it matters but i guess i figured if you were on dessicated you just stuck with that!

i wonder if ill need extra t3 as well? im still going to continue to get my script of t4/t3 anyway so i have it there in case...

Tattyhead53 profile image
Tattyhead53

Where do you get your NDT from? Is it prescribed? How did you manage to get it prescribed? Have tried Zwebmedia and Pim Pom but cannot see how to order it!

Steve989 profile image
Steve989

Warning, I took Erfa (T3) sublingually for almost two years and delt with speach stuttering. I always thought this developed as part of my thyroid problems. I just recently started swallowing the T3 and it's a world of difference. My stutter disappeared and I feel way better overall.

I don't understand the science behind this but I do understand the simple direct effect. And because of this I highly advise against it.

By the way this didn't happen because my dose was too high. It's just the effect of taking sublingually.

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