so the month of ramadan is coming up and we have to fast between the hours of sunrise and sunset. so after sunset we can eat until just before sunrise. How would i manage with my thyroid medication (levothyroxine 50mcg) as i know i cannot take it with food and also it has to be taken on an empty stomach. when could this be as if i was to fast i will be eating regularly between the hours of sunset and sunrise.
ive tried to think of any possible way how i could take my thyroid medicine
please help xx
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Coco1230
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thank you for the information. the doctor checked my bloods last in october!! i was low in vitamin b12 supplements are now finished. i will definitely get checked again
I would think that there must be exemptions in 'rules' when people have illnesses, especially hypothyroidism where we need to take a daily tablet in order for everything to work in our body, i.e. brain and heart in particular need daily replacement thyroid hormones.
This is an excerpt from the following link:-
In the month of Ramadan, patients with thyroid diseases, most of the time, do not need treatment adjustments and can fast safely without any health hazards. Patients with hypothyroidism taking thyroxine can take their tablets on an empty stomach at bedtime instead of half an hour before Sehr. Patients with hyperthyroidism, on methimazole/carbimazole can continue their dose in once or twice daily regimes, while those on propylthiouracil need to be switched. Hyperthyroid patients with severe symptoms should start treatment immediately and can avoid fast for few days after a consultation with their religious scholar.
Well ..... it's not that you 'must' always have an empty stomach to take levo .... it is that if you take levo with other things in your stomach then you you will absorb a small % less of the Levo you take .
The things that research so far has shown have a significant effect on reducing absorption are caffeine /calcium / Iron.. but its safe to assume that most foods will have some sort of effect. we just don't know how much that effect is.
So if you intend to take Levo closer to food than you normally do .... the first thing is obviously to avoid having calcium / /iron / caffeine rich foods /drinks very close to it .
The next thing is to make the type of food you eat near Levo is as consistent as possible every day so you don't get wildly different absorption rates every day.
Even half an hour in an empty stomach will probably help get the best absorption... so if you could stand waiting another half an hour before eating ,you could take levo as soon as you're allowed to break the fast and then wait half an hour before eating.. every little helps.
The only effect you will have if you eat closer to levo for a month is that over that month it will probably have the effect of a slight dose reduction . which you might not even notice for the first week or so .. but then you might start to feel under medicated ... in which case you could choose to compensate by very slightly increasing the dose you took.
By very slightly i mean~ if you normally take eg. 125mcg , than add an extra 25mcg on just one (or two) days a week. giving you another 3.5mcg (or 7 mcg) Levo a day to make up for any that is lost through less good absorption .
If you normally take 50mcg the you could eg. add half a 50mcg tablet once a week.
I must confess, I don't understand the problem. You eat all night, ok. But, then you have all day to take your levo. All day when your stomach is empty. You can take it any time, as long as it's two hours after your last meal or one hour before your next meal.
you can’t eat any tablet or drink any water while fasting. instead of closing my fast at 4.30/5am i can just eat 3/4 hours before it? and then have my tablet just before the fast closes?
I have often posted about bed-time dosing and have a collection of links. At least one of them is specific about Ramadan. Here it is - the whole text as some might be of interest even if it does not mention Ramadan.
It is often suggested that bed-time dosing results in slightly better absorption. It also seems slightly closer to the pattern healthy people have.
I have always taken my levothyroxine at bed-time.
For that reason, I cannot compare with taking in the morning.
Before diagnosis, my sleep was badly disturbed. Typically, I would fall asleep fairly easily. Then wake up after something like half an hour to two hours. Once woken I'd be unable to get back to sleep - often till dawn, or at all.
Once I started on levothyroxine, my sleep slowly improved. By the time I was taking an adequate dose, bad nights were unusual - just an occasional night where I might wake up for a while. Now, after years, I sleep very easily and deeply and rarely wake at all. If I do, I get back to sleep quickly.
We have some who prefer it; we have others who prefer other times. See our poll:
Wishing you a month filled with many blessings, God willingly. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism around the age of 18/19 and was able to happily fast for many years whilst taking my levothyroxine. Many people are able to do it. Both my maternal aunts were diagnosed with hypothyroidism at younger ages and have been fasting for 40 yrs. They still are capable, thankfully. Nowadays, I'm exempted from fasting due to an increase in ill health. I haven't been able to fast since 2016 because I developed stomach issues(gastritis), chronic fatigue and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.
During the many years I've fasted, I would increase my meds for the month of Ramadan because food decreases the absorption. Throughout the year I would be on 75mcg of Synthroid but for Ramadan it was increased to 81.5 mcg (half of 75 and half of 88). In retrospect, I should have asked for 88 because the difference in 81.5 and 88 is pretty small.
If I were you, I would ask for 75 mcg for the month of Ramadan since you're on 50mcg during the rest of the year.
Secondly, for years I would take it upon breaking my fast but the last decade or so I switched over to right before fajr prayer. My reasonings was that everyone eats a lighter meal that is similar to breakfast whereas iftar tends to be a heavier meal. Heavier meal= less absorption. I would take all my supplements which would impact my meds at iftar.
All in all, I preferred right before fajr because it was less food and I wasnt taking any supplements at that time.
w salaam thank you so much for your help! sorry to hear ab your health. i will ask the doctor to increase my meds also when did you eat for sehr and then take your tablet? how many hours before sehr should i eat to close my fast then take my meds? thank you
We're all here to help one another. God willingly one day I will regain my health and ability to fast once again because I dearly miss taking part in it.
As per your question, honestly I would prepare my meal ahead of time and place it in the fridge and then set my alarm for 20/25 min before fajr time to have sehr/suhoor. When I woke up, I would take my med with just a sip of water, eat and then finish a glass of water. My tip is just to have a sip with the meds at first rather than finish a whole glass before eating because it might make you too full to eat. When you finish eating you can drink the whole glass of water.
For example let's say iftar is 7:30pm and fajr prayer is 5am
*Eat iftar( heaviest meal) at 7:30pm and take supplements
*Drink as much as possible from 7:30pm onwards until sleep time.
Wake up for sehr/suhoor at 4:30-4:40am take med with a sip of water. Eat meal and drink a full glass of water.
The whole point here is to maximize the potential of your med during Ramadan to keep your thyroid levels as close to your regular levels. That's why I suggested you ask for an increase for the month to help offset the absorption reduction caused by food. Alternatively you can take it 3/4 hours away like others suggested. Let's say iftar is 7:30pm, you can take your meds at around 11:30. I slept earlier, so that wouldnt work for me when I was fasting but if you sleep later than that might be good for you. Taking meds along with eating 2 meals, drinking, digesting and sleeping in a short period of time from iftar till fajr is a juggling act but it can be done in sha Allah.
Personally, I would want to eat as close to fajr time as possible to help with energy levels for the day.
Btw if you end up finding a window where you take meds away from food 4 hours away then you might not require an increase in dosage.
Another suggestion is to make the switch of taking your meds at night now in sha Allah rather than waiting until April. It will give your body time to slowly adjust. Make sure you take it 4 hours away from your supper. May your worship be accepted on this blessed month, ameen.
I never really noticed a drastic difference in my symptoms from when I was fasting from 18/19 yrs old till 32 yrs old. From age 32 onwards, I started feeling more tired than previous years. That's probably due to the fact that I started working during the afternoon, evening and night.
Due to the increase in my dosage for Ramadan, my bloodwork stayed relatively the same.
I'm not a Member of your Religion, I am a Christian, however I DO greatly respect the Teachings of Mohamed. I had a Suni boss, in my last Job- I have been 'Medically Retired' for some years now. However I do have a suggestion, that you may wish to consider.
Can you not speak to your Omarn (I think that's the right spelling) and explain your Situation/ Circumstance? Explain that you do NOT intend any 'offence' against Ramadan but that it's 'Restrictions' WILL, by their very nature, make taking your Medication 'Difficult'.
The alternative, which runs the Definite Risk of Disrupting your Medication regime, is to try to become Nocternal in your 'Daytime' routine. (Do 'bare in mind' that in a few weeks you will have to revert back to a Daytime routine..... and that this, in itself, is NOT a good idea at all.)
I still think that a 'Word' with your, I'm sure caring, Omarn is your best alternative. After all he may, very well, have some ideas/ thoughts that you- and indeed I- haven't considered.
Can/ would you let me/ us know, what is suggested please?
I believe that if we have a particular autoimmune condition that any religion would advise a person who has been diagnosed and prescribed medications can be exempt. For instance, a daily T3 gives many good health and if they didn't take the daily T3 would become very ill.
The excerpt is from the link below:-
"The Companion (of the Prophet, on him be peace) Salamah ibn Al-Akwa‘ reported:
"When the verse “wa ‘ala’l-ladhîna uûthiqunahu…” / “Yet for those who are hardly able to endure it…” (Surat Al-Baqarah, 2:184) was revealed, those who wanted to break their fast were allowed to break their fast and pay the redemption, until the verse “Shahru Ramadan alladhi…”’ / “It was the month of Ramadan in which…” (Sûrat Al-Baqarah, 2:185) was revealed and abrogated the one before it."
Illness remained a valid reason for not fasting, though not any illness or pain legitimately excuses one from fasting. If one fears that fasting will worsen the sickness, delay its cure, or cause damage to anything in the body, then one has a valid excuse for breaking the fast.
In fact, one should break one’s fast under these circumstances, for the higher obligation is to keep oneself from becoming debilitated or, of course, from perishing.
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