Re: Timing of T4--Chris

[Guest guest]

Chris--

> I can't believe (and then again, maybe I can) my old endo doc never

> told me about " when " to take my Synthroid all these past 6 years!

Well, your pharmacist was probably negligent if he/she didn't put a label on

the pill bottle about taking it on an empty stomach. My T4 is always

labeled that way.

> Do you know what the " connection " is between iron and T4 absorption?

> I'm just curious because my body's iron was nearly depleted right

> before I was diagnosed with thyca. I'm just curious about any

> correlation between these 2 occurances.

I don't think it's a matter of correlation in the way you mean. Iron in the

gut blocks something in the digestion/absorption process for the T4.

> I'm trying to imagine a time of day that " fits " these rules on when

> to take the T4. As a diabetic I have to eat small, frequent meals-

> meaning about every 2-3 hours. The only time I can come up with would

> be in the morning, 2 hours before eating breakfast. Or I suppose at

> bedtime. Does this sound right?

If you haven't eaten anything for 3-4 hours before bedtime, or if you won't

eat anything 1-2 hours after getting up in the AM--fine. Personally, I

snack all the time! I just take my Synthroid pill in the wee hours of the

night, when I get up for a potty run. (To make sure you wake up, drink a

BIG glass of water right before bed.)

> I can't believe I WAS taking every morning with breakfast that

> usually included cereal and milk and my morning dose of iron --

> prescribed for my iron-deficiency anemia. You can't get much more

> WRONG than that, huh? I wonder if that is why I developed thyca? I

> wonder if my " benign " tumor " turned into " a malignant one because I

> wasn't taking my T4 correctly. What do you think?

Not taking your T4 correctly would mess up your TSH level, so your T4 dose

should have been adjusted accordingly. I don't think this caused your

thyca; the only known cause of thyca is radiation exposure.

Now, if you _start_ taking your T4 correctly (on an empty stomach & no where

near iron pills), you should start getting much better absorption. This

will cause your TSH to _drop_. If your TSH is currently at the right level

for you, this drop may be problematic, depending on how big a drop it is.

To correct it, you'll need to reduce your T4 dose. I suggest you get TSH

tested about 6 weeks after you alter the way you take T4, to see what has

happened.

Nina

geiger@...