Recent research: Body position affects tablet absorption speed

[Levojunkie]

Your Body Position Impacts How Quickly Pills Kick In, New Study Shows

"Posture and body position can make a huge difference in how your body absorbs pills. In fact, certain positions could even delay the absorption of medication by over an hour, according to a new study published in the journal Physics of Fluids....

iflscience.com/your-body-po...

>>>>TLDR: Basically Johns Hopkins researchers have found that "Taking pills while lying on the right side was by far the best option, dissolving a standard medicine pill in just 10 minutes. "

I am now experimenting with taking my Levo in bed lying on my right side and then going back to sleep. Trying this on the basis that the quicker the Levo gets to the right place (liver?) the better!

I've always taken Levo at c. 5-6am standing up and then going back to bed/sleeping on my preferred left side, which takes c.100mins to dissolve. (I wake automatically now at this time and quickly go back to sleep for 2/3/4hrs - a total luxury given that I used to have sleep probs for years.)

Interested to know how other people take their meds and whether you'd try this right side business?

[shaws]

Let us know how you get on with taking medications in a different position.

I take thyroid hormones with one glass of water when I awake and wait an hour before I eat.

I am symptom-free and feel well.

[Levojunkie in reply to shaws]

Yes, will keep you posted. How lovely to hear that you're symptom free and well! See, I couldn't wait an hour before having a cuppa! Trained myself to wake v early and go back to sleep (on the wrong side LOL). How much water do you drink with your meds? A piece I read a couple of months ago recommended 300mls (a bit over half a pint) to wash the tabs 'past the stomach' and into the next bit of piping...

[greygoose in reply to Levojunkie]

It really would not be a good idea to wash the tablets 'past the stomach', because the thyroid hormone is bound to sodium, and needs the stomach acid to seperate it. Not even sure that that's possible, anyway.

[Levojunkie in reply to greygoose]

I wonder how levo fares when e.g. stomach acid is limited? It diminishes as we get older (which is why B12 isn't absorbed too well in some people, leading to anaemia). That info was from a different article.

[greygoose in reply to Levojunkie]

Well, low stomach acid is a hypo symptom, too. And it does affect absorption of levo. In fact, there are quite a few things that affect stomach acid levels - low salt intake, low B12... Which makes it all the more incredible that doctors never think about it, but always assume that people with digestion/absorption problems, and acid reflux, must have high stomach acid. Just goes to show how much they know!

[Levojunkie in reply to greygoose]

Oh aye, I've come across all that digestion ignorance with doctors. It certainly is incredible. Last time I saw a GP I had to give her an impromtu lecturette on various enzymes. (She asked me. Not that I know all that much - but she was entirely clueless.) £100k/yr. P/T. Nice work!

[App1]

Yes I saw that article too. Apparently the right side gives a quicker route into the stomach. I’ve been trying it out but cannot give a verdict as it has coincided with an increase in levo for 3 days a week. Will continue with the right side as it is no hardship. Interesting..

[Levojunkie in reply to App1]

Interesting to hear that you're trying this rightside mode too. If you do notice any difference would you like to share that with us here? Like you, I'm on a new dose so I'm not really able to judge at the moment.

[greygoose]

How do you drink the water lying on your right side? Or the left side, come to that. I need to be sitting up to take mine.

[AnotherEarlyRiser in reply to greygoose]

(a) with a straw, or(b) carefully?

😀

[greygoose in reply to AnotherEarlyRiser]

🤣🤣🤣 Half asleep at that time in the morning, I'm not sure that would work for me. I'd probably dribble it all over the bed!

[Titaniumfox in reply to greygoose]

I take my main dose of T3 at around 2 a.m., I get up and go to the bathroom and have it with a glass of water, then back to bed and lie on my left side. After that I have the best sleep of the night, so I reckon I am doing something right!

[greygoose in reply to Titaniumfox]

Yes, I think this would be more relevant to pain-killers, when you really want fast absorption. Levojunkie , did the article specify what sort of tablets they'd researched to come to these conclusions?

[Levojunkie in reply to greygoose]

No, unfortunately the article just says 'a standard medicine pill'. Maybe the paper itself is more detailed? I would think that given the prevalence of T probs relevant meds might well be included in that 'standard'.

[greygoose in reply to Levojunkie]

I rather doubt it, somehow. Thyroid problems tend to be totally over-looked when talking about things like that. Even when talking about thyroid-related things like high cholesterol! And, in any case, levo is not standard medicine. It isn't even medicine the the strick sense of the word. It's hormone.

[Levojunkie in reply to greygoose]

Why do you think thyroid is so overlooked ?

[greygoose in reply to Levojunkie]

I really don't know. All I know is that Big Pharma is making several large fortunes manufacturing drugs to 'treat' each of our symptoms as if they were separate diseases - take statins, for example! And, if our thyroid problems were correctly treated, they'd lose an awful lot of money! That has to have something to do with it.

[Levojunkie in reply to greygoose]

Ah! Of course...follow the money. I guess that's why GPs atomise us patients, mentally splitting us up into little, med-treatable bits instead of 360degree whole system preventative maintenance.

[Levojunkie in reply to Titaniumfox]

Yes, my post dose sleep is delicious! I love sleeping on my left side, and apparently it's more restful for the heart....something to do with gravity?

[Cranio in reply to Levojunkie]

Hello! I read an article about sleeping on the left side and it spoke of being good for the heart and improving drainage of the gallbladder,liver also. Apparently it's something to do with lymph drainage on that side of body, helping to clear toxins quicker 🌸

[Bob00752 in reply to greygoose]

I’m with you in that! I take my meds standing up with a glass of water. Reminds me of pictures of ancient Romans eating and drinking though… crystalking.com/hs-fs/hubfs...

[Titaniumfox]

I can't sleep on my right side so...phooey! LOL. I take T3 anyway, so not that fussed!

[greygoose in reply to Titaniumfox]

Same here. Also, I'm not convinced that this would be any advantage with levo, because it's basically a storage hormone that doesn't do much until converted to T3, And that takes time, no matter how quickly you get it into the blood.

[Levojunkie in reply to greygoose]

Interesting....How long does levo take to convert to T3 and where is it stored? Does the store have to fill up before it has full efficacy?

[greygoose in reply to Levojunkie]

Impossible to say. I don't think there's any specific answer to any of the those questions. It travels round in the blood to where it's needed and is converted in the cells - or in the liver. I don't think there is any specific full capacity.

[helvella Administrator]

Have to say, I think this needs to be tested specifically for levothyroxine.

For a start, peak absorption is typically quoted at around two hours. And even then, would a delay of an hour make much difference?

I think the critical issue, which could be very important, is percentage of absorption. And that has to be tested on levothyroxine, preferably several different makes, and enough subjects to ensure that the statistics are very much in favour of identifying issues - if there are any.

(I could more or less repeat that for liothyronine and desiccated thyroid, of course!)

[Levojunkie in reply to helvella]

I agree, it would be much better if they could run the tests with specific meds.

[66olives]

I wonder if this research will lead to us being able to have our morning cupper sooner if tablets dissolve quicker. At present, I sit, take levo and then snuggle back down on my right side with a book. It has to be my right side so quilt totally covers me and lamplight hits page.

[Levojunkie in reply to 66olives]

That's my hope too, I'd have intravenous tea if it were possible! I'm doing the same as you since Friday - and usually go back to sleep within a few mins. I do have a far less foggy head and a bit more energy.

[Scullngbunny]

That’s really interesting - I’ve always taken mine while still in bed - but lying on my left - so I will now turnover and see if I notice anything!

[Levojunkie in reply to Scullngbunny]

It'll be interesting to know if you notice any difference....!

[diogenes Remembering]

I shouldn't think position will make any significant difference with thyroxine. The reason is that the T4 you take if adequate is only adding to the T4 still bound to the blood delivery proteins and the addition compared with what's already there is minimal (as shown by only a small temporary increase in FT4 after taking a T4 tablet). T3 may be similar because, though it's halflife is only 1 day there is a considerable quantity of T3 also bound to blood distribution proteins. On the other hand, drugs that are "foreign" to your body start from zero to full dose. Thus there's a big difference between no drug and taking it. Posture may well work with drugs.

[Batty1]

I take my first set of T4/T3 this way every morning for almost 6 years and the only thing I noticed is I fall back to sleep for a couple of hours.

[Levojunkie in reply to Batty1]

I'm wondering if you were able to go right back to sleep before T tabs? It's the one thing I noticed when I started taking Levo. Didn't connect it though, still have no idea how that would be physiologically related.

[Batty1 in reply to Levojunkie]

When I was first put on T4 I got up to take it and pretty much stayed up but I eventually started rolling over to take it and just staying in bed and I almost immediately fall back to sleep after taking it …. Honestly don’t think it really matters if you always take the pills and stay in bed most people will fall back to sleep and the same is true if you take the pill and get up your going to just stay up …. We are creatures of habit.

[guysgrams]

I've been taking in bed for a few years now. No issues

[Levojunkie in reply to guysgrams]

Good to know. Do you find that you can go back to sleep for an hour or more after? Taking tabs in bed is easy for me too.

[Partner20]

I read this report the other day, and assumed it referred to drugs rather than replacement hormone such as levo. It would be an advantage in many circumstances if a painkiller, for instance, could be administered in a way that made it effective more quickly, but as levo works on the basis of a gradual build-up in the body, rather than an instant hit, I see no relevance for this particular treatment. One drawback of the method described could be digestion issues, which, if developed, would be exacerbated by right-hand -side resting, and only alleviated by left-hand-side resting or an upright posture. Maybe worth trying if a swift effect from a painkiller or anti-inflammatory is needed, though.

[Levojunkie in reply to Partner20]

Ah...yes, thank you for a well argued rebuttal of this report. For one thing, the piece impels us to make assumptions. I don't know about you, but I just don't know enough about replacement levo to parse this account as you've done here. One tentative conclusion I think I can make now, having read and considered your response and everyone's here, is that this isn't actually a very accurately written piece.

[guysgrams]

Yes, I usually wake up somewhere between 4:30-5 a.m. and then almost always sleep until 6/6:30

[Levojunkie in reply to guysgrams]

Snap. Except I usually manage to pack in a few more sleep hours

[T808]

I take my levo with a big glass of water and wait 2 hours before eating. While waiting I usually lay back down. I'll keep this in mind.