If you are on generic medication, work with your pharmacist to ensure that you always get medicines from the same generic manufacturer. Alternately, you could consider switching to a brand name to avoid this issue. Get our printable guide for your next doctor's appointment to help you ask the right questions. Taking your medication at the same time every day is essential.
Not only does it help you establish a habit and make it less likely for you to miss a dose, but it also ensures that you always take it in the same way. In addition, there are some other things to keep in mind when taking thyroid medication. You should take thyroid replacement or antithyroid medication on an empty stomach.
That's because food may delay or reduce the drug's absorption by changing the rate at which it dissolves or by changing acid levels in the stomach. Ultimately, this can affect your thyroid hormone levels, your symptoms, and your test results.
If you want to ensure the best possible absorption of your medication, take your thyroid medication consistently. Ideally, you should take your thyroid medicine in the morning, on an empty stomach, about one hour before eating breakfast and drinking coffee.
Alternately, you could take it at bedtime at least three hours after your last meal. Make sure to wait for at least three to four hours between taking thyroid medication and any fiber, calcium, or iron supplements.
These nutrients can prevent you from absorbing your full dose of medication. Ultimately, when it comes to taking your thyroid hormone drug, consistency is essential. If you plan to change how you take your thyroid medication, make sure you clear it with your healthcare provider first. Some herbal supplements and medications can have an impact on thyroid hormone levels.
They may affect your hormones by:. Starting or stopping prescription drugs that you take for other conditions can affect your thyroid levels and symptoms. Some medications that may affect thyroid levels include:. Certain herbs are known to increase or decrease thyroid function, alter test results, and produce various thyroid-related symptoms. These herbs include:.
It is best to ask your pharmacist and healthcare provider about potential interactions with any herbs or supplements you plan to take. Thyroid levels and TSH, in particular, can change along with the seasons. For example, TSH naturally rises somewhat during colder months and drops back down in the warmest months. Some healthcare providers adjust for this.
For example, they may prescribe slightly increased thyroid replacement dosages during colder months and reduced dosages during warm periods. For people with thyroid disease, certain things can cause fluctuations in thyroid hormone levels. These may include disease progression, medication changes, other herbs and supplements, and the change of seasons.
Things that may help keep your thyroid levels stable include taking your thyroid medication at the same time every day and on an empty stomach; sticking with the same brand or manufacturer of your thyroid medication; talking to your doctor about other medicines, herbs, and supplements you currently take; and asking your doctor about adjusting your medication dose with the change of seasons.
Careful management of your thyroid levels is an essential part of your thyroid treatment. Several factors can alter your symptoms and thyroid test results. Addressing these issues can help keep your thyroid levels stable. If you notice a change in your symptoms, be sure to tell your healthcare provider, who might want you to have your thyroid hormone levels retested. Depending on the results, they may adjust your medication dosing.
Losing weight with thyroid disease can be a struggle. Men with hypo- or hyperthyroidism both had fewer normally shaped sperm.
And men are more susceptible than women to complications like irregular development of the genitals if they have high TSH. Taking thyroid hormone replacement therapy may be necessary for men to balance TSH. TSH levels in children can vary based on their age:.
A study that closely measured TSH levels in kids from birth to as old as 18 years found wildly different TSH levels throughout their lives. High TSH levels and hypothyroidism can especially affect chances of a miscarriage. As a result, a small percentage of pregnant women may receive levothyroxine Synthroid , methimazole Tapazole , or propylthiouracil PTU to help control TSH and thyroid hormone levels, especially if they have hypo- or hyperthyroidism.
Successful treatment of high TSH and hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lower your chances of having a miscarriage. Control of TSH levels can also help prevent other pregnancy complications , such as:. This can lead to long-term complications if you have an underlying condition that leads to hypo- or hyperthyroidism.
Make sure you get your TSH levels tested regularly, especially if you have a family history of thyroid disorders or have seen abnormal TSH levels on previous test results.
Follow any instructions your doctor gives you to stop taking certain medications or eating certain foods before a TSH test to make sure the results are accurate. A combination of the right nutrients and medications may help restore thyroid function and minimize symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Here's all you need to…. Understand the link between your stress levels and your thyroid. Having an underactive thyroid can affect you differently in the summer than it can in the winter. Received Oct 25; Accepted Feb 8. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Open in a separate window. Figure 1. Alternating Thyroid Function over Time Numbered time points: 1 initial diagnosis of hypothyroidism; 2 off L-T4 for 5 wk while on vacation; 3 presentation with Graves' disease; 4 I treatment; 5 severe hyperthyroidism 5 wk after I treatment; 6 a few days after treatment with propylthiouracil, propranalol, and Lugol's solution; 7 hypothyroidism about 4 mo after I treatment off all medications; 8 hypothyroidism confirmed with another set of TFTs and L-T4 started; 9 relapse of hyperthyroidism and L-T4 discontinued; 10 hyperthyroidism confirmed and methimazole started; 11 hypothyroidism developed and L-T4 resumed.
Development of spontaneous hypothyroidism in patients with Graves' disease treated with antithyroidal drugs: Clinical, immunological, and histological findings in 26 patients. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Graves' disease following hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's disease: Studies of eight cases. Clin Endocrinol Oxf ; 33 — Changes in stimulating and blocking TSH receptor antibodies in a patient undergoing three cycles of transition from hypo to hyper-thyroidism and back to hypothyroidism.
Clin Endocrinol Oxf ; 36 — Recovery of thyroid function in primary hypothyroidism. Am J Med Sci. Reevaluation of the thyroidal radioactive iodine uptake test, with special reference to reversible primary hypothyroidism with elevated thyroid radioiodine uptake. Outcome of hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Arch Intern Med. Test for recovery from hypothyroidism during thyroxine therapy in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
Disappearance of thyrotropin-blocking antibodies and spontaneous recovery from hypothyroidism in autoimmune thyroiditis. N Engl J Med. Discontinuing antithyroid drug therapy before ablation with radioiodine in Graves disease. Ann Intern Med. The effect of antithyroid drug pretreatment on acute changes in thyroid hormone levels after I ablation for Graves' disease.
Radioiodine-induced thyroid storm. Case report and literature review. Am J Med. Severe cholestatic jaundice in uncomplicated hyperthyroidism treated with methimazole. Comment 0 Share Consult Now. Written by Dr. Pragnya Rao. Was this article helpful?
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