Does apple cider vinegar help absorb thyroid meds ??

[Louiserosie]

Hello all hope you are all well I have also been told to take apple cider vinegar with my levothyroxine as it helps absorb it can any tell me if that’s true ? Thank you

[Cooper27]

If stomach acid is low, then you won't absorb medication very well. Apple cider vinegar improves low stomach acid, so if you're is low it will help, but if you're not low, it probably won't make much difference.

[helvella Administrator]

Levothyroxine is very poorly soluble in neutral or acidic solutions.

It is a bit more soluble in alkaline solutions.

I supect that this is why most levothyroxine is absorbed after the stomach - when the gut becomes alkaline.

However, against that, there has been some research which suggests lemon juice can help with absorption. Though not, so far as I know, why it does so.

[Nanaedake in reply to helvella]

I think vitamin C has been proved to aid levo absorption so it could be the vitamin C in lemons perhaps?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Nanaedake]

It could indeed.

[Annkapp in reply to helvella]

This is hard for me to wrap my head around but a functional doctor told me lemon helps the body become alkaline or becomes alkaline in the body. I know it is acidic but for some reason acts differently in the body.

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

I read lemon juice from fresh lemons turns alkaline in stomach. Maybe this is why?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Hidden]

There is a whole heap of garbage about alkalinity/acidity "out there" - some might make sense, I don't know. But I fail to see how lemon juice can make the stomach alkaline. Bear in mind, a stomach should contain quite strong hydrochloric acid. And some people take lemon/lime juice to help their digestion (if they do not produce sufficient acid themselves).

Annkapp

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

So that's the struggle too. Not knowing what is true is so frustrating.

[Den1987UK]

hello kouiserosie good evening apple cider vinegar does not hurt to try. here is some articles that may help

pharmaceutical-journal.com/...

endocrineweb.com/conditions...

pharmacytimes.com/publicati...

[SlowDragon Administrator]

When hypothyroid we frequently have low stomach acid

Taking apple cider with food can help improve gut absorption

Rather than taking Levothyroxine with apple cider vinegar look at improving gut generally

As you are only on 75mcg you are likely still hypothyroid and under treated

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

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

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

[Gambit62]

if I remember correctly the best level of stomach acidity for absorbing levo is pH4 - this is only mildly acidic so I certainly wouldn't advise taking the levo with apple cider vinegar. If you have low stomach acidity - and there are a number of ways that hypothyroidism can lead to low stomach acidity - it could help with that.

I know one set of guidelines states that some patients with PA (a condition that leads to lower levels/no stomach acidity) may benefit from taking levo with a small amount of orange juice.

helvella

[helvella Administrator in reply to Gambit62]

I strongly suspect that there is some inaccuracy and confusion around. Whilst I certainly don't know enough to sort it all out, I put forward the evidence in a patent application for a levothyroxine solution.

Interestingly, they change the pH. Starting with an alkaline solution followed by acidification.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a more stable

levothyroxine solution. It is another object of the solution to provide a levothyroxine solution that comprises less liothyronine. It is yet another object of the invention to enable a faster method for the preparation of oral levothyroxine solutions.

The invention provides a method for the preparation of an oral levothyroxine composition, comprising the steps of: a) providing a salt of levothyroxine, preferably the sodium salt of levothyroxine

b) mixing levothyroxine with an aqueous solvent,

c) adjusting the pH to a pH of at least 8 to yield a basic aqueous solvent, and

d) dissolving the levothyroxine in the basic aqueous solvent to yield a levothyroxine solution, and

e) lowering the pH of the clear levothyroxine solution to between 5-6, preferably to about 5.5.

Surprisingly, this method results in a levythyroxine solution which is more stable during storage. The obtained solution also comprises less liothyronine. Also, the preparation is relatively fast; in particular the dissolving of levothyroxine in the basic aqueous solvent is relatively fast compared to dissolving in neutral or acidic water (pH<7) or aqueous solvents of otherwise the same composition.

patents.google.com/patent/W...

[HLAB35]

Personally, I'd go with lemon juice or dilute ascorbic acid (you can buy it as soluble granules). Taking bioflavanoid complex with vitamin c at lunchtime also helps with gut absorption and energy levels. At meals with lots of fat and protein a digestive enzyme with probiotics may help although I am beginning to question how some of them can be grouped together and still work given that different enzymes require different pHs. I used to take Betaine HCl but that can be a bit too strong for some people, so do your own research. Dr Myhill's website talks about hypochloridia and ways to deal with it at length.