Thanks to this wonderful and knowledgeable group. I have learned a lot from this support group and corrected some of my related issues.
I recently read about, patients on thyroid medication should eliminate coffee and a high fiber diet. Like no whole wheat bread, walnuts, corn, cabbage, and other high fiber vegetables, etc. I have a severe IBS(Irritable Bowel Syndrome) as a result of hypothyroidism which needs a high fiber diet with other interventions. My question is, should I eliminate all the high fiber foods or try to eat them at least 4 hrs. after taking Levothyroxine????. No coffee for 4 hrs, will kill me for sure but I'm willing to try if it saves me from lack of absorption of my thyroid medicine. Any advice is appreciated.
Written by
sunsetssr
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I recently read about, patients on thyroid medication should eliminate coffee and a high fiber diet. Like no whole wheat bread, walnuts, corn, cabbage, and other high fiber vegetables, etc.
Ermmm, where did you read that?
No need to eliminate coffee, just don't take it with your thyroid meds, take your thyroid meds with water, and water only for an hour each side.
One problem with coffee is that when doing thyroid blood tests, coffee can affect TSH, hence advice to drink water only before your test.
High fibre foods, again keep away from thyroid meds. Levo should be taken on an empty stomach, one hour before or two hours after food.
I eat everything you have listed in your post, I just make sure they're not too close to my thyroid meds. In fact, because I regularly need the bathroom during the early hours of the morning, that's when I take my thyroid meds, usually between 3am and 6am, avoids food, supplements, and any drinks other than water.
When I had my thyroid gland removed 20 years ago I took 150mcg levo in 3 doses at 50mcg
each. Nobody told me to wait to eat and I just ate as normal afterwards with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Nowadays I take less hormone in one dose early morning, however I wait perhaps half a hour to have breakfast but often have a cup of tea straight after taking the levo once again without any problems whatsoever. Fortunately I convert well and there are I understand some foods which perhaps one would not eat immediately after taking the levo, I wonder if waiting one or two hours to eat is always necessary.
P.S. I eat all the foods which you mentioned but am a little cautious about grapefruit (must have read something somewhere about it).
If you always take it a certain way, and that way would normally affect absorption, then your dose would be based upon the results produced by the way your Levo is absorbed. It's quite possible that if you left the advised time then more would be absorbed and less Levo may be necessary.
When I was first prescribed Levo 45 years ago, I was told nothing about hypothyroidism nor about taking Levo a certain way. I knew nothing about the advice given here about how to do thyroid tests. I know that over many, many years of annual tests my dose was increased, decreased, increased, decreased, never stable for very long. Now I realise that the times of my test would have varied, I probably took my Levo before the test, maybe had a coffee. Now I follow all the advice and everything is pretty stable.
You might find this video of interest - I find the lecturer, Dr Paul Mason, to be very knowledgeable and really very good at presentation (most of the time) :
If you decide to experiment with your fibre intake you can reduce your intake fairly slowly or do a "big bang" experiment. If you go for the big bang method then be prepared with some laxatives for use in the short term if necessary.
I used to take fibre supplements several years ago and actually felt better and with less pain when I gave them up.
I have huge coffee a 3-4 hours away from THs, though sometimes wait only 90 minutes if I eat breakfast or have coffee out. I have a high calcium intake from dairy kefir (that is good for some folks with IBS) & a very high fibre as I eat a whole food vegetarian diet . My coffee, calcium, & fibre intake seem fine for me. I normally don’t eat drink anything that could affect absorption till late morning as I stick to restrictive eating hours for six daysa week, though I notice no overall difference in medication absorption on breakfast day.
Try leaving a few hours before having coffee, in case your gut motility is slow, & start eating your high fibre foods later in the day. Adding lemon juice or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the water you take your meds with (& just before meals) might help your absorption.
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
If you have hashimoto’s
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
While still eating high gluten diet ask Doctor for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first
many many hashimoto’s patients find strictly gluten free diet dramatically improves IBS
I know we can’t share links to the group so either research this or message me if you’d like to learn about NETs carcinoid cancer (Neuroendocrine tumors). They can be functioning or non-functioning (excreting specific hormones or not). Soon after my thyroid cancer, during a GI EGD scope, a 2mm NET was found. It was a primary and in very early stage. I learned a lot about this. Often times, people are misdiagnosed with IBS, IBD, Crohns, rosacea, and more, when, in fact, with proper testing, they are found to have NETs.
Years ago I used to take my thyroxine when I woke, then I'd get up and make coffee in a cafetiere, pour and drink when cool enough. Probably not even half an hour passed between ingesting medication and taking the first swig of (black but quite strong) coffee. It never seemed to have any obvious impact on my TSH or FT4 levels.
Someone I knew at the time, used to swig her thyroxine down with her morning cup of black with a dash of milk coffee. She was literally on twice the dose I was on - 100mcg versus 200mcg.
Some time later, I did a 23andMe test, and my report profile from that suggested that I was a 'fast metaboliser' of caffeine. I wonder if this could mean some people are affected more than others by a short time interval between taking thyroid medication and ingesting coffee?
Researchers have found that for patients taking levothyroxine tablets, absorption is affected by drinking coffee within an hour of taking thyroid drugs
Regarding fiber
It's the same as coffee not at the same time
I would suggest probiotic
I also saw the optibac extra strength also looks good stuff
Probiotics... How come every time I am on antibiotics.. And. Told to take these after.. My. Kidneys cannot cope and within two three days of starting.. Am down again with a chronic infection.... No symptoms only high temp and pain on left side of back.. Am Miserable. Trying to do what is good for me and here I am.. Back on a double dose of antibiotics.. And trying to balance eltroxin.. And. Life... Probiotics And mé.. Don't agree.... Hospitalised For 5weeks two years ago with kidneys all blocked up after udus 25..and 50 yo replenish gut bacteria.. And it floored me.. Can anyone shed any light on this.. Am worn out and exhausted.. X.. Have lost my. Sparkle ❇. X
For excellent info regarding symptoms, tests, codes you can download (free) the book written by the leading NETs specialists, entitled Neuroendocrine Tumors, A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosis and Management. You can check it out at InterscienceInstitute.com
The general rule is to take meds 1 hour away from coffee and 4 hours away from anything that will affect absorption of thyroid meds: cacium, iron, antacids and foods that will slow down digestion. But there is no reason to eliminate high fibre, just take it later. - about 6-10 hours later should be fine.
The issue of coffee interfering with absorption seems unrelated, or at worst only slightly related, to caffeine content.
I have not seen any proerply conducted research that identifies a specific caffeine/absorption issue. Therefore, I would consider decaf as exactly the same as non-decaf from this point of view.
(Mind, the research tends not to be very clear about the amount of coffee, its strength, whether arabica and robusta have the same impact, etc. Very much a headline measure in "cups" or "espresso shots". Indeed, some doesn't say black or with milk, nor sugar/sweetener/neither.)
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Thyroid nodules and parasites
High fasting glucose when taking thyroid medication.
Gluten and lactose free diet
How to Stop Medication
High thyroid levels 
