Omeprazole and thyroxine

[Gettingoldnow]

How long to leave between omeprazole and thyroxine tabs please and although says take in morning could I take them at night any advice appreciated please

[Cooper27]

I know some who take omeprazole as a split dose, and it doesn't interfere with sleep or anything like that, so I would thing taking it at night should be fine.

I'd probably want to take the omeprazole approximately an hour after thyroxine though. I'd want my stomach acid to be at it's highest for the thyroxine, and to give that some time to digest before taking the omeprazole.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Cooper27]

Ah thank you.i take my Levo before anything else .one hour later I have my breakfast with a cup of tea then a blood pressure tab..I understood it should be taken about 4hours away which would be difficult for me as I am out at 9 am but if an hour is ok I can do this .again thanks .

[Sheila46 in reply to Gettingoldnow]

I am on the same medication (for gastritis) and from what I found out via an online UK pharmacist was that it should be at least 4 - 6 hours as it can mess with the levothyroxine being absorbing. I’m am now taking Omeprazole before lunch and again before evening meal.

[Cooper27 in reply to Gettingoldnow]

I'm definitely not an expert, so if a pharmacist has advised longer I'd be inclined to listen to them! My logic is just to get the medication in when stomach acid will be highest, so the longer the window after taking omeprazole until you take the next dose of thyroxine, the better. If a 4 hour gap is recommended, then take at 4 hours

I hope you're only on it for a short time. I had to take it not long ago. I found digestive bitters were really helpful after I stopped taking it, gets the stomach back to feeling "normal" after such a long time with low stomach acid.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Cooper27]

Hi thanks .think I will try it lunchtime and see how I go as the last thing I need is upsetting thyroid it’s bouncing back and forth as it is.i am getting medichecks for next bloods including vitamins as doctors will only do TSH and FT4

[greygoose in reply to Gettingoldnow]

No, an hour is not OK. All medication and supplements should be at least two hours away from levo. Omeprazole is going to affect your absorption, anyway. Are you sure you have high stomach acid?

[Gettingoldnow in reply to greygoose]

Not sure of anything at the moment can’t see doc until 21/1 I spoke to boots pharmacy about my symptoms and she has suggested try it for 3 days .its the last thing I need to be taking but no choice .applecider vinegar surly would aggravate acid reflux .

[humanbean in reply to Gettingoldnow]

The reason for acid reflux is that the valve between the oesophagus and the stomach opens at inappropriate times.

Under normal circumstances the valves at the entrance and exit of the stomach should be tightly closed. They should only open when food is going in or macerated food is going out of the stomach and into the intestines.

The pain from acid reflux is caused by stomach acid going into the oesophagus. The pain is not coming from the stomach - the stomach is designed to cope with a high acid environment. The oesophagus is not designed to cope with stomach acid.

One of the main reasons for the valve(s) into or out of the stomach to open at inappropriate times is because the stomach is not acid enough for a prolonged period.

If you are prepared to do a lot of reading, Chris Kresser has written a series of 6 very good articles on the subject of acid reflux and GERD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease).

The first one can be found here and links to the others follow on from that one :

chriskresser.com/what-every...

[Gettingoldnow in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for your response I shall read through and digest

[Mouldyoledoll in reply to Cooper27]

omeprazole Is not good for your liver

[Cooper27 in reply to Mouldyoledoll]

Well I don't think the crippling stomach pains I was prescribed it for, were very good for me either.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Cooper27]

Well not taking them now and thank you

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Mouldyoledoll]

What I gather it does not seem good for anything thanks

[Lalatoot]

Hypo thyroid folks often suffer from low stomach acid. The symptoms I believe are the same as too much stomach acid. Be wary of the omeprrazole as if you have low stomach acid it will make things worse. Just a word of caution.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Lalatoot]

Thank you I did read this but spoke to chemist as having a lot of reflux last few days and no reason for it .she suggested to try for a few days and if no better get docs.appointment.the nearest app.is 21/1 so thought I would try something.i had this when I had HPoli a couple of years ago .obviously with antibiotics .but thanks for warning.

[greygoose in reply to Gettingoldnow]

You'd probably be better off taking something to raise your stomach acid, rather than lowering it. Something like Apple cider Vinager in water before meals. Lalatoot is right about hypos usually having low stomach acid, and the symptoms being the same. Omeprazole is not something to play around with. It can have devastating side effects.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to greygoose]

Thank you greygoose I am only going to try it for a few days but thanks for your concern .

[greygoose in reply to Gettingoldnow]

Trouble is, in a few days, it can completely muck up your whole digestive tract.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to greygoose]

Oh god now I am in a pickle .i have taken 2 10mg lunchtime but shit scared now .i will have to just suffer and don’t take any more .i just know when I speak to doctor she will suggest these .if I buy the apple cider will this being acidic make matters worse ?

[greygoose in reply to Gettingoldnow]

Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But, they are horrible things - although some people manage to take them for years without any problem. Just not me!

Yes, if you tell your doctor you have something like acid reflux, that is exactly what she will suggest, because they never consider that low stomach acid is what is causing the problem - your pharmacist didn't, either, did she. But, that's what hypos usually have.

So, yes, ACV will increase your acid, but that's exactly what you want it to do. As I said, you'd probably be better off raising your stomach acid, not lowering it. And, if you do have low stomach acid, then no, ACV will not make things worse. It will make it better.

What happens when you have low stomach acid is that food is not digested properly, and stays in the stomach and ferments. This creates a sort of volcanic effect, with the fermented food erupting and sending what little acid there is up into the oesophagus, with all the symptoms of acid reflux.

If you have more acid in the stomach, the food will be digested more easily and quickly, and leave the stomach before it starts to ferment. You will absorb your levo and nutrients more easily, and feel better. With PPIs the opposite will happen, your absorption will become even more compromised and you will feel worse. And, provided you drink the ACV in water through a straw so that it doesn't touch your teeth, there are no side-effects.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to greygoose]

Thanks that’s it off to shop tomorrow for ACV God if it’s not one thing it’s another .looks like doctor needs telling if she advises omeprazole .but hopefully ACV will solve it .i was hoping 2020 would be better health wise .thanks again to you and everyone’s opinions .the only way to learn .

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Gettingoldnow]

Ok next question sorry .ACV with or without mother any ideas there is a lot on the market thanks

[greygoose in reply to Gettingoldnow]

I'm told with mother is best.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to greygoose]

Thanks

[Mamapea1 in reply to Gettingoldnow]

It's all overwhelming at times isn't it? But greygoose is right. Omeprazole isn't worth it, unless there are serious medical reasons for taking it. It will prevent you from absorbing nutrients as well as thyroid meds, and you will become deficient, which can then alter your gut micro biome further😕

I used Braggs ACV with the mother, although I no longer really need it since my thyroid meds and vits are optimal, and so I only have it occasionally now. It's apparently a nightmare to stop taking Omeprazole too, once you've been on it a while. It won't hurt to stop now when you've only just started though. Unfortunately, Drs give them out like smarties, and seem to be completely oblivious to their negative effects. Slippery Elm is something else you could try.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Mamapea1]

Thanks for that advice I have decided not to take them and get what you recommend and yes for me it is a mind field .would you recommend any probiotics as well.

[Mamapea1 in reply to Gettingoldnow]

I'm glad you're not taking them, it's always best to follow a natural route where possible. The probiotics are definitely a minefield! There are so many to choose from, and some are not as beneficial as others. I am only using fermented foods at present...kefir in the morning and assorted fermented vegetables, kimchi, etc. later on with occasional digestive enzymes. If you search around using the search bar, you will probably find posts with recommendations, or start a new post for help, outlining your needs...some are best for SIBO or gas, etc.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Mamapea1]

Thank you

[humanbean]

Always remember that vinegar must be diluted before drinking. Start with half a teaspoon or a teaspoon in a glass of water. Always use straws, as greygoose said. Depending on your response to the vinegar and water you can raise the dose of vinegar up to 1 - 2 tablespoons in water.

Acid softens tooth enamel, whether it comes from vinegar or an orange. It takes about an hour for enamel to harden up again after softening by acid. So the routine should be ...

1) A few minutes before a meal, and during the meal, take sips (through a straw) of vinegar and water.

2) After your meal rinse your mouth out very thoroughly with plain water.

3) About an hour after your meal clean your teeth.

If you clean your teeth while your tooth enamel is still soft then you will wear away your tooth enamel quite quickly!

[greygoose in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for the details, HB. It's not something I know a lot about.

[humanbean]

I forgot to mention that there are alternatives to vinegar that are less dangerous to tooth enamel. They are described in the following links :

healthygut.com/articles/hyp...

healthygut.com/articles/3-t...

healthygut.com/articles/how...

healthygut.com/articles/4-c...

Note in the second link that the free or very cheap test (with bicarbonate of soda) which is described is not guaranteed to be totally accurate, but works well enough for most of us.

[Gambit62]

Personally I take my levo during the night - at least 4 hours after my last meal.

Dosing with levo is treated as a one-size fits all but actually it isn't so different people find different things suit them better.

Personally I think it is more important to make sure that you are taking it in conditions that are consistent so the amount of absorption is consistent - and that also includes whether it is being taken on an empty stomach or not - on average people absorb and fare better when taking levo on an empty stomach but the literature also has small numbers of people in it who fare better taking it at times when the stomach isn't completely empty.

I have a condition - pernicious anaemia - which means I have low stomach acidity - this means that the mechanism which regulate production of gastric juices doesn't work the way it should meaning that the stomach fills at times when it shouldn't leading to heartburn. Personally I find that actually taking something acidic if heart burn hits is very effective - much more effective than taking a PPI like omeprazole would be.

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you