6/17/2010 Thyroid Need-To-Know

Melissa Kaplan's

Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases

Information on CFS, FM, MCS, Lyme Disease, Thyroid, and more...
Last updated December 18, 2009

Thyroid Need-To-Know
If you are taking medication for thyroid disease, here are some things you need to
know...

©2002 Melissa Kaplan

Popping your daily thyroid medication isn't as easy as just opening the bottle and taking the pill...not
if you take other drugs (prescription or over-the-counter), herbs, dietary supplements, and your
brain doesn't function without that cup of extra-strength cappuccino in the morning.

Drug Interactions
Drugs can interfere with other drugs by blocking their action, or reducing their intended
effect, or combine to cause other health problems, ranging from depression, GI
symptoms, central nervous system disorders, and more. Be sure to inform your doctor
about all the medicines you use (both prescription and nonprescription). As can be
seen from the list below, there is a wide range of drugs and supplements that can
interfere with your thyroid medication. Drug interactions and precautions fall into two
main categories:

Drugs you should not take together but can take if they are separated by several
hours

Drugs that, when taken during the same day, especially over a prolonged period
of time, can cause health problems

If you are taking any of the following drugs or supplements, take them at least 4 hours
apart from your thyroid medication:

Aluminum or calcium antacids

Calcium supplements
Iron supplements
Cholestyramine (Questran), colestipol (Colestid) and similar anti-
chloresterol/bile acid drugs
Sucralfate (Carafate, Sulcrate) mucosal liners/anti-reflux
Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (antacids such as Amphogel, Di-Gel,
Gaviscon, Gelusil, Maalox, Mylanta, Phillips, Riopan, Tums)

If you see more than one physician, be sure all of them are aware if you have been

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prescribed a thyroid medication and are also taking or have any of the following
prescribed for you:

Amphetamines
Anticoagulants (blood thinners)
Appetite suppressants (diet pills)
Medicine for asthma or other breathing problems
Medicine for colds, sinus problems, or hay fever or other allergies (including
nose drops or sprays)

Complicating Conditions
Other health problems may affected by thyroid disease or the use of thyroid hormones.
Be sure to tell doctors treating you for any of the following conditions that you are being
treated for thyroid disease

Diabetes mellitus (Diabetes II; sugar diabetes)

Hardening of the arteries
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Overactive thyroid (history of)
Underactive adrenal gland
Underactive pituitary gland

For Women Only

Most women don't know - and for some reason most doctors either don't know or don't
bother to tell them - that hypothyroidism can cause or contribute to a host of "female"
problems, including cessation of menses, abnormally short menstrual cycles (periods
coming every 15 days or so), and cessation of ovulation. In addition, the thyroid
hormones play a role in the libido and so should be looked at in addition to the "sex"
hormones (androgen, DHEA, the estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, etc.) when
exploring the loss of libido and apparent peri-menopause.

Foods That Interfere With Thyroid Medication & Function

The following foods bind iodine which in turn affects your thyroid function, whether or not
you have thyroid disease. You can take your thyroid medicine at any time of the day or
night - just be consistent with when you take it. If you take your thyroid medicine in the
morning, you can easily separate these foods by several hours from your thyroid
medication. As for quantities of these foods - go easy on them and vary the ones you
eat, as they may have one or more and varying quantities of the several known
goitrogenic phytochemicals.

Buckwheat
Cabbage
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Calcium-enriched foods (juices, cereals, etc.)
Collard
Fenugreek
Flax
Garden cress
Garden sorrel
Kale
Lentil
Linseed
Milk and milk products (cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt)
Oats
Rye
Soybean (tofu, soymilk, edamame, textured soy protein, soy yogurt, etc.)
Kelp
St Johnswort

Prescription Thyroid Drugs

The following drugs are prescribed in the US:

Armour
Thyroid
Cytomel
Levo-T
Levothroid
Levothyroxine
Levoxyl
Liothyronine
Liotrix
Synthroid
Thyrar
Thyroid Strong
Thyroglobulin
Thyrolar
Triostat Westhroid

In Canada, the following are also available:

Eltroxin*
PMS-Levothyroxine Sodium

You can look up these and other drugs, and information on thyroid tests and diseases,
at MEDLINEplus.

Overdose
As with any chemical, you can overdose. Symptoms of thyroid overdose can include
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diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, headache, tremors, nervousness, stomach cramps, fever,
chest pain, or difficulty sleeping. If you suspect an overdose, contact your local poison
control center or emergency room immediately.

There are two ways to overdose. Accidental overdoses can happen in one of two ways:
you may forget you've already taken your medication, or your pharmacist dispensed a
higher dosage tablet than the one ordered by your physician.

The second way to overdose is iatrogenic: the doctor prescribes too high a dose. Since
many of the symptoms of overdose are the same as untreated or under-treated
hypothyroidism, you may end up needing to see an endocrinologist if your internist or
other prescribing physician is not responsive to your report of continuing or new
symptoms.

Sources:
Thyroid-Info.com
Phytochemical & Ethnobotanical Database
Thyroid.about.com
Medline

See also Thyroid Drugs FAQ about Food, Drug and Supplement Interactions

http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/thyroid/thyroid6.html

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