WHEN to take your meds - conflicting interactions?

[jimjim]

Please HELP! I have always taken my thyroid meds first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, with at least 30mins - 1 hour before I eat or drink anything else other than water. I have now been given Omeprazole to protect my stomach from my anti-inflammatory tablets that I also need - and was told I must have them first thing every day on an empty tummy and WAIT for 4 hours before taking my thyroid meds.

This is a big problem, as unless I take my meds first thing every day, I tend to forget. I have tried taking Thyroids at night, but didn't find that very successful either. Can I take the Omeprazole last thing at night do you suppose? Otherwise I can see me setting a clock to get up and take them at about 4am, just so that I can get into the swing of it!

Any help, advice or suggestions would be very appreciated! As if we don't have enough trouble!

[humanbean]

I would take the thyroid meds first and the omeprazole an hour later. Then take your anti-inflammatory tablets as appropriate after the omeprazole.

Having to take the omeprazole is a bit of a disaster. It will reduce your absorption of every nutrient you take in. And it will also reduce the absorption of your thyroid meds.

If you take the thyroid meds 23 hours after the previous omeprazole dose you might avoid losing some of your thyroid meds due to lack of absorption. But make sure you get repeat thyroid function tests a few times once you start taking the omeprazole to find out how they are affected.

What kind of inflammation are you treating?

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

Do you have multiple alarms you can set on a mobile phone to help you remember?

[jimjim]

OH DEAR! This is NOT what I wanted to hear! I have got Osteo Arthritis, but also now seem likely to have rheumatoid arthritis. I have Sjögren's as well, so already have a lack of fluids so I am doomed! I have been taking Meloxicam at the highest dose for almost 10 years to keep everything at bay, and it was noted by an anaesthetist that if I am still taking them, I should have something to protect my stomach. I do suffer from reflux quite a bit so feel I do need something. It's just hard to get all the meds right and don't want to risk not taking my thyroid meds. I also have B12 & Vit. D supplements daily. Not sure where to go from here now - will go for taking the thyroids first I think, give them time to get into the system and then have the stomach protector and see how I go. I have NO working Thyroid so know that I do need my full dose! Thanks for all the responses. I have just had some bloods done to see what my inflammatory levels are, prior to a possible re-referral to the rheumatoid clinicians.

[greygoose in reply to jimjim]

Your reflux is probably due to low stomach acid, not high. The symptoms are the same.

I have never been able to work out quite how omeprazole 'protects' the stomach... Surely there must be something else the doctor can prescribe that doesn't lower stomach acid.

[Mumzie54 in reply to jimjim]

Have you considered Golden paste for the inflammation, (osteoarthritis) I am in the Tumeric user group, the curicumin in the tumeric along with either olive oil or coconut oil &freshly ground pepper have great results for man an pets alike. Then no need for omeprazol.

[Mumzie54 in reply to Mumzie54]

P's no good if you are on Warfarin

[Rose54]

Hi

I take levothyroxine when I wake up to go to the loo

I am then ok to take Omazaprozal at breakfast with my Prednisolone and have breakfast .

Yes their are warnings on the packet but I you need them take them

I have had no ill effects

[mrsm49]

I too take levo in middle of night when go to bathroom. Then take omeprozole in morning (also needed because of ibuprofen/cocodamol for bad back - I broke couple vertebrae in accident) I keep to lowest dose omeprozole 10mcg except when bad when I might take another 10 just in evening. I can occasionally miss a dose but more than one day and acid reflux comes back often running into lungs when asleep so I wake up choking and then hve asthma attack so not good!

I know omeprozole reduces absorption of b12 so take sublingual ones and that's deffinatly helped.

I recently forgot levo couple times in night so tried taking as I went to bed but after 10 days I changed back as it didn't suit me. I suspect my digestion of dinner is just too slow as I'm v tired in evenings.

One thing that confuses me is that I often read that being hypo equals low acid and that has similar symptoms. I know that after my TT op my stomach was extremely bad, I was throwing up loads of acid and was put on 40mcg omeprozole for couple weeks which worked for me. Maybe I'm an odd case!

At the end of the day all drugs hve side effects so the lowest dose the better but personally apart fm pain avoiding an asthma attack is the biggest reason for me taking omeprozole. Unfortunately my back is not going to improve any more than it has, it'll prob get worse when I get old (older!)