I am taking 125mg of Levothyroxine I was diagnosed with Hasimoto's in the early 90's
I have just started taking Magnesium Citrate Tablet 200mg to help with muscular pain. Also, read that you need to take calcium tablets for it to be effective.
However, I have just read that Magnesium it can interfere with the uptake of Levothyroxine.
Magnesium works with vitamin D not calcium
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies.
Plus with Hashimoto's it's very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Do you have low vitamin D?
Are you supplementing vitamin D?
articles.mercola.com/sites/...
Low vitamins are extremely common with Hashimoto's so important to test
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. If on Levothyroxine, don't take in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
If you add your most recent results and ranges members can advise
Are you on strictly gluten free diet as you have Hashimoto's?
Thank you for your reply, Slow Dragon, I do not have full test results. I do fast prior to thyroid tests but did not know about not taking thyroxine 24 hours prior to the test.
Yes I do have periods of low vitamin D. Last test folate, ferritin and B12 were fine. I am vegan and take multivitamin and mineral tablets.
No, I am not on a gluten-free diet.
Warm regards
Vivien
Hang on! Why are you advocating skewing results if not outright deceiving medics and ourselves..... where is the evidence of the science and the practical use of the testing regime you advocate. Once we are on a reasonably stable hormone replacement regime as long as we avoid any short term spikes in free hormones from replacement doses surely we should test without changing our regime which could induce short term abbberations in our free hormone levels, the purpose of the blood test is to see how our replacement regime is working with our bodies not fiddle the results to show a medic a provocative TSH level, this further entrenches the adversarial nature of the relationship between us and the often ignorant medics, it doesn’t help to keep them further confused. When I test I want to know how well my replacement regime is working and because I don’t skip doses for ad hoc reasons day to day I shouldn’t skip or delay a dose just to facilitate a blood test. Obviously testing within 1-3 hours of taking T3 is a potentially confusing snapshot, unless we are taking tests every 4 hrs or less to draw a graph of our time/dose response we should aim for the most stable period within our normal replacement dose regime.
FT4 can be elevated way beyond three hours after taking a levothyroxine dose.
The concept of trough results is well known in medicine generally. Some endocrinologists advise that is the appropriate way of testing - before the next dose (whenever that is). The trough is naturally the most stable period within our normal replacement regime for levothyroxine.
Medicine generally ignores the very significant circadian variation in TSH. As most of us don't stand a chance of getting tested in the early hours of the morning (to get a maximum), nor late evening (to get a minimum), and most doctors will not even apply a mental adjustment due to time of test, the only remaining practical option is to get tested as early as possible in the morning.
As you trawl through research paper after research paper, it is exceedingly rare to find any consideration of these timing effects. I contend that much research is tainted by them.
An endocrinologist who specialises in Thyroid is likely to recommend exactly this. My own endo always checks with patients that their tests were done this way. No Levothyroxine in 24 hours prior to test, delaying taking Levo until after test and last dose of T3 approx 12 hours beforehand.
The daily circadian rhythm of TSH is well recorded, so getting earliest test in morning is advised.
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
There's some debate wether fasting is necessary or not, however as you would want to take your Levo (and T3) immediately after blood test, then for this reason alone would need to be fasting
This research concludes there is.
Research into fasting or non fasting tests
My new endo has in fact given me this very instruction. First time ever. After a string of bad endoes and doctors there is light at the end of the tunnel. Needless to say I'm glad he is young and not about to retire and he has nothing to do with diabetes. Double whammy. My latest doctor asked if I was taking with caffeine as my tsh was dropping out of sight. I had to remind him it would be the other way round.
Huh?!
I take my other supplements with food at dinner time is it best to take the vitamin D later with the magnesium?
Magnesium, vitamin D, iron all need to be 4 hours away from when you take Levo
Magnesium is best in evening, or late afternoon if you take Levo at bedtime
Vitamin D mouth spray can be any time.
Vitamin D capsules should be with meal that has most fat in it, usually dinner.
Thank for this information, SlowDragon.
Have you any suggestion regarding the space between taking magnesium and Simvastatin?
High cholesterol may be symptom of still being hypothyroid and not adequately treated
See this from NHS on statins and hypothyroid
nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...
If you must take statins, they are apparently best taken before bed
Presumably you take Levo in morning?
I can only tell you of my experience with levothyroxine and magnesium citrate. I take 200mg magnesium citrate at bedtime, specifically to help me sleep. I take my levothyroxine four or five hours later when I wake in the night. I have had no problem doing this and my thyroid blood tests have steadily improved to the point that I have now probably achieved my optimal dose of levo, at least for the moment. This will probably change with time though as, like you, I have Hashimoto's.
Hope this is helpful.
Best wishes
Caroline
Sorry about the typos.
No problem at all! I understood you perfectly😊. As SlowdDragon says above, magnesium works along with vitamin D3 which I also take daily together with vitamin K2 for bone health. I am a vegetarian and went gluten free several months ago in an attempt to reduce my TPO antibodies which are very high. My joint pains and costochondritis have improved of late - I don't know whether this is down to levothyroxine, the iron supplement I was prescribed over a month ago or something else entirely. I do think of it as a very good sign!!
Hope you start to feel better soon.
Best wishes
Caroline
Gluten free often reduces joint pain
Might be interesting to retest TPO antibodies once a year, usually they slowly reduce on gluten free diet
amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...
chriskresser.com/the-gluten...
thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...
drknews.com/changing-your-d...
thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
Thanks SlowDragon, I hadn't thought of that! So it IS a good sign😊. My antibodies might be reducing.
Thank you for the links.
Best wishes
Caroline
As a vegan, I have a very healthy diet, looking at a gluten-free diet sheet it would appear that most of the food I eat is gluten-free. However, I shall become more vigilant with regards to foods that contain gluten.
Thank you SlowDragon.
You will really need to avoid all soya including soya lecithin
Hi Viv. When I read your post my first thought was Please don't take calcium supplements without being very sure you have a bonafide calcium deficiency through testing and talking to your doctor. Browse through posts here on the subject. I believe they will be quite an education. It is my understanding that calcium deficiency is not the problem. The problem is that we need other supplements with the magnesium (like K2-mk7) to redirect the calcium we have to our teeth and bones and away from organs and arteries. Most of us have enough calcium, it's just often in the wrong places in our bodies. And please don't buy those magnesium supplements that also contain calcium. Take care. irina
Thank you, Irina I was concerned when I read that magnesium needed calcium to work.
I would put it a little differently but you're on the right track. We usually get enough calcium from food but magnesium needs other supplements to direct the calcium to its proper areas. Think of the magnesium, K2-mk7, etc as a roadmap that helps the calcium to get where it needs to go instead of taking a wrong turn. Do a little research around this forum. There are many knowledgeable people that will provide the knowledge you need in an easy to understand way. xx irina
Thank you, Irina, I appreciate your advice and will do more research a you suggested.
Best wishes
vivien
Good. I made the suggestion because I have my own experiences with too much calcium that wasn't stored in the right places. I also belong to the atrial fibrillation forum and learned that often arterial plaque which is often blamed on cholesterol and fats we eat is actually calcium that has been stored in our arteries instead of in our bones and teeth. My cardiologist taught me this. It's interesting how all our body systems work together and when there is a problem with one frequently problems crop up in other areas that healthcaregivers don't connect. In my opinion, thyroid symptoms are often thought to be associated with another cause entirely and we never get correctly diagnosed or treated unless we do our own research and demand the correct treatment. Fortunately, by reading posts and learning from many on this community you will become very expert and may end up being more on top of your health than your doctor. (Sorry, no paragraphs.😥). Take care. irina
Thank you again, Irina you have been very helpful. 
Recommendation is usually to leave at least four hours between levothyroxine and magnesium/iron/calcium. And yes, if you took both together in the morning, magnesium would interfere with resorption of thyroxine. I would suggest thyroxine in the morning and magnesium in the evening, as it also relaxes so good for sleeping.
Thank you so much for your reply Nettecologne, I do take the Levothyroxine first thing in the morning and will take magnesium last thing at night.
Kind regards
Vivien
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