I take thyroid medicine can I take vitamin with iodine in it

[Lopamudrasaha2004]

I take thyroid medicine, but I am suffering from hair loss so I want to take vitamins. But all vitamins has iodine. Is it ok to take such vitamins

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

It is not a good idea to take iodine if you are Hypothyroid or have Hashimoto's. Iodine is anti-thyroid and used to be used to treat overactive thyroid.

Not all vitamins contain iodine. Certain multi vitamins and multi vitamin/mineral supplements do, but these multis aren't worth taking anyway as they generally don't contain enough of anything to help and frequently use the least absorbable form of ingredients.

What vitamins do you want to take?

[jimh111]

Most of the iodine you require is for production of thyroid hormone, so if you take hormone you will have a reduced iodine requirement. However, most vitamin supplements contain just a little iodine, up to RDA. I must admit I'm guessing but I don't think this extra iodine will do any harm. People have wide differences in iodine consumption, think of communities that live on fish. High doses of hormone and some kelp supplements are harmful but the small amount used in multivitamin supplements should be OK. If I've guessed right!

I take thyroid hormone and a multimineral / vitamin (when I don't forget it).

[Treepie]

Multivitamins have too little of anything to be really helpful and I suppose in the case of iodine not likely to be harmful in the amount they contain.

[SamanthaVictory]

Personally, I've increased my dietary iodine by eating nori and feel much better for doing so.

I don't eat dairy products (iodine is put on udders to kill bacteria during milking and it leeches into the milk) or use table salt (artificially iodized to prevent goiters in the general population) - most people's main sources of iodine so would have been taking very little in through my regular diet. As people have said the percentage in multivitamins is usually very low.

In terms of multivitamins though, I would definitely recommend a whole food supplement - they are more expensive but these are better absorbed and don't cause the damages some synthetic vitamins do.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Generally best not to unless you are deficient in iodine or being looked after by a practitioner skilled in using iodine