Hello, I've been prescribed Synthroid for hypothyroidism. How much time after taking the pill is it safe to eat breakfast that includes considerable iron/calcium content (oat bran with yogurt)?

HI Charlotte, thanks for your suggestion. I have tried the natural way, for years. I have read all books about how to boost the thyroid and my greatest achievement has been going down from 6.2 TSH to some 3.8. That was a very good result, considering, but didn't last, unfortunately. A few years later my TSH was 12.8 (!!!) which is way too high. That's when I succumbed to the synthroid that my doc had prescribed as a trial. Last week I had my TSH and T4 test and the results were great. So far no side effects whatsoever... well, this could change but I have been on synthroid for almost two months now. I also have lost some weight which I welcome. I have slightly more energy altogether... so I cannot complain as yet. I have a friend who has been taking synthroid for decades and she's been very happy with the results. She doesn't complain of side effects either. Nevertheless, I have made an appt with a naturopath specialized in endocrinology in town as well, and though the waiting list is 1 year, I hope i will get to see him.
All the best to you too and thanks again.
Mrs Pari

I agree with Anon who said that you should be worried about the synthetic meds. I would find a good naturopath in your area and get some recommendations from her. With all the reading I have done and the seminars i have been to, I understand that so many of the synthetic meds for hormones are dangerous and cause so many other problems. We trust these things because that's what our doctors give us but really, they can have so many side effects. If there is a natural way to treat anything, try that first.

Synthroid is a good quality brand of levothyroxine. Levothyroxine is the generic name for all synthetic thyroid medications. I take the brand Levoxyl, which is a good one too.

The word synthetic can sound creepy, but don’t let that throw you. A synthetic is a better quality medication for thyroid. The reason is because it’s more consistent, which is what you need when replacing thryoid hormones.

One thing to note: Levothyroxine medications (like Synthroid and Levoxyl) only provide the hormone T4. Your body then converts a percentage of that to the thyroid hormone T3. While there’s a lot of hype that it’s better to take in both T4 and T3 at the same, this is not true. Though sometimes it is necessary, for the most part it’s not. In fact, taking in both when it’s not necessary can actually harm your system by suppressing the bodies ability to do the conversion, ergo, take care of itself.

As for when to take the medication on the days you get a blood test, I was told it doesn’t really matter. Overall, the medication takes a while to get into your system and it takes a while to get out; so the window of time your talking about isn’t going to make much difference.

Good luck.

I always take the Synthroid before my blood test so that the Dr. can tell if I'm at the right dosage. I also know that the most important food to avoid within 2 hours to taking the Synthoid is liquid soy .Like soy milk , soy shake or soy yogurt.

I understand the four hour spacing after medication for iron and calcium is in regards to supplements - not foods. So foods, regardless of what vitamins and/or nutrients they contain, should be spaced at least one hour apart; supplements should be spaced at least four hours apart. Hope that makes sense.

BTW: Please ignore the response from May 7, 2009 – 9:30am. It’s only a promo for a website that’s filled with inaccurate and misleading thyroid information. What the person wrote is proof of that.

I have been taking synthriod for 2 years .i read a book tilted The Complete Thyroid Book
By Kenneth Ain ,M.D. .I found it very informative about all issues of thyroid and thyroid medications and treatment.

These are the foods to avoid for hypothyroid conditions: Potato, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Yeast, Soybean oil (vegetable oil) and Caffeine (in any form, no exceptions). Generally, avoid sour foods and drinks. Milk and coconut oil are supposed to be good. Do not overdo exercise, stop before you get exhausted. Go to bed early. Try to be contended through out the day. I am no doctor, but say this from personal experience.