Interactions between food and Levothyroxine.

[SeaLyrics]

Could anyone suggest a decent source to help me choose the correct foods depending on the time of day? I recently read that calcium shouldn’t be consumed until 4 hours after taking Levothyroxine. It looks like fibre shouldn’t be eaten too soon afterwards as well. That makes breakfasts more difficult. Links to suggested diet/recipes/list of foods in their categories etc. to help me choose better would help. Ideally, I’d like to speak to a dietician/nutritionist but the NHS doesn’t deal with that unless you’re a diabetic or very overweight.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

I think what you're reading is advice for supplements perhaps? Personally I leave 1 hour after taking Levo on an empty stomach to eat and don't give it a moments thought what goes into my mouth after that.

[SeaLyrics in reply to Jaydee1507]

Thanks. This is copied from thyroiduk.org/food-and-drug...

so it’s talking about food as well as supplements

“Supplements that can stop the absorption of levothyroxineCalciumSome calcium  -rich foods and supplements interfere with levothyroxine absorption. A gap of 4 hours between the two would be adequate to ensure there is no significant impact on blood thyroxine levels. If you are trying to lose weight and use lower fat milk (i.e. semi-skimmed or skimmed), this remains high in calcium despite being lower in fat.”

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to SeaLyrics]

I've never read that before. Speaking for myself, I'm dairy free anyway, perhaps you could use an alternative milk for breakfast if you're concerned about it? Then fibre it mentions 'too much' dietary fibre, so a reasonable amount should be OK. I've not seen anyone particularly concerned about these details before.

[SeaLyrics in reply to Jaydee1507]

I only joined this forum today and had a good search, but couldn’t find anything so thought I’d check just in case it was something I should be concerned about. I have started using oat milk in the morning and use cow’s milk and Greek yoghurt later in the day. Thanks again.

[SilverAvocado]

Are you asking about what food could be eaten at the same time or close to taking a dose of Levothyroxine?

Generally on the forum we advise that no food should be eaten at the same time as taking thyroid hormone tablets. You should fastcl for at least two hours before your tablets, and then at least one hour after them.

This sometimes gets muddled because the research that shows food interferes with thyroid absorption don't usually use a wide range of food. They usually test with one single food, such as milk, coffee, or grains. This leads to doctors sometimes advising people that they can have their tablets with food, as long as they avoid these specific things. But once you look at the evidence that exists, as far as I know there is no evidence that any specific food can be eaten with thyroid tablets and NOT interfere with it. On balance it seems like best practice is not to eat anything and to fast as I described above (2 hours before and 1 hour after tablets).

Definitely this is a pain in the neck if you need to eat breakfast and get out of the house quickly in the morning The only suggestion I have is that if you tend to wake in the night you can take your tablets then, or some set an alarm very early to take them and then go back to sleep for an hour or more.

If you're talking specifically about supplements or other medication rather than normal food, then for many things you will want to leave a larger gap, and usually on the forum when members advise about that they will mention a recommended gap. Grapefruit is also a special food that interferes with thyroid hormone as well as lots of medications, so needs to be further apart.

[SeaLyrics in reply to SilverAvocado]

Thanks. I put a link in my reply to JayDee1507 showing where I’d found the information. Some of it was to do with food as well as supplements. I knew about keeping supplements well apart from taking my Levothyroxine, but hadn’t really been aware of issues with eating calcium rich foods. I do wait for an hour before eating breakfast. Fibre rich foods were also mentioned, which made me wonder if my breakfasts of oat porridge or muesli with milk/yoghurt, seeds and chia were actually working against the Levothyroxine.

[greygoose in reply to SeaLyrics]

Do you have that breakfast every day? If so, and it is affecting the absorption of your levo, then that will show up in your blood work, and hopefully your dose will be adjusted to accomodate your breakfast. I really wouldn't over-think this, if I were were you.

[SeaLyrics in reply to greygoose]

Thanks. I wasn’t concerned before reading that article. It’s been reassuring to read the replies I’ve received. Not so worried now.

[greygoose in reply to SeaLyrics]

You're welcome.

[Zazbag]

I take my levothyroxine before I go to bed to avoid these issues.

[Tanya-B]

I have been taking mine at night for many years. It’s worked very well for me .