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How To Take Your Thyroid Medication Correctly

Originally published on 7th November 2016Β 
Last updated on 22nd April 2024

How difficult can it be to take your thyroid medication correctly? You just swallow the pill with water and that’s that.

Wrong.

Advice on how to take your thyroid medication, whether given by doctors, pharmacists or even on medication box leaflets, can be confusing and contradicting. Let’s explore various factors that can influence our thyroid medication and how best to take it, so that you’re getting the most out of it.

Armour Thyroid Medication

Most of us read the leaflet that comes with a new medication, paying particular attention to the listed side effects and interactions section, but not everyone.

1. Aim for Optimal Absorption

It’s important to be aware of how other things you eat, drink or medications you take, can affect the absorption and effectiveness of your thyroid medication.

You should always take your thyroid medication at least one hour away from:

  • any food or drink (excluding water)
  • and other medications or supplements
  • It is also worth knowing that coffee has been reported to affect the absorption of thyroid medication which is why thyroid patients need toΒ wait at least an hour after taking their meds before drinking any tea or coffee, too. [1]

Take thyroid medication at least four hours away from supplements and medications containing:

  • calcium
  • oestrogen
  • magnesium
  • and iron

(including antacids and also antibiotics).

Not doing so can affect how much of the thyroid hormone in your medication you absorb, meaning you’re not getting as much as you should be. (please note: you do not need to worry about four hours between thyroid meds and calcium in food or drinks, such as milk. Just leave one hour for this.)

Studies show that there may be a link between absorption of levothyroxine and grapefruit juice, too, so ensure you eat the occasional grapefruit at least a few hours away from taking your thyroid medication.

To get around the tea and coffee rule, an option could be to take T4 thyroid medication at night. Some studies have shown that taking levothyroxine at bedtime may improve absorption. It also allows for you to have your morning cup of coffee without worrying about it affecting your thyroid medication. [2]

Another question we see often is whether taking thyroid medication sublingually (under the tongue) increases how much we absorb. Anecdotally, a lot of thyroid patients on NDT medications state that it does.

Taking it under the tongue may work better for people who struggle to swallow pills, as may crushing up the tablet (which is often done for children and babies, then swallowed with fluid).

However, some specific thyroid medications do not respond well to being taken sublingually, e.g. a US brand of Levothyroxine which explicitly says particles may swell and cause coughing or even choking. So if you’re interested in exploring this, always check with your doctor or pharmacist whether your medication can be taken this way.

Please note: Everything mentioned in this article plus SO MUCH MORE info you need to know is included in my bestselling thyroid patient book.Β 

2. Timing is ImportantΒ 

You should also aim to take your thyroid medication at the same time every day, and if you take T3 containing thyroid medication, this is often multi-dosed throughout the day. Check with your doctor.

If you’re on T4-only medication such as Levothyroxine or Synthroid and still feel unwell, then you may benefit from the direct T3 found in NDT and synthetic T3 medication, so discuss this with a doctor. See a list of thyroid medication options here.

3. Check The DateΒ 

Your medications can also become less effective if they’re past their expiry date, so always check the date when you’re first given them and make a mental note (or physical note) about when it’ll need replacing.

4. Never Miss Doses

Ensure you never run out and never miss or skip doses as this can cause you to feel unwell when hypothyroid symptoms creep back in.

Stopping thyroid medication altogether can be life threatening.

5. Pay Attention To BrandΒ 

If you’ve been prescribed a specific brand or type of thyroid medication which is working for you and you get on well with, then make sure that you’re always given the same one, as some thyroid patients are given a generic substitute in place of their usual and end up feeling unwell again.

6. Take it With a Small Sip of Water

A recent study showed that swallowing your thyroid medication with just one to two sips of water improved thyroid medication absorption and stability for 100% of the participants. [3]

Taking your thyroid medication with too much water may lead to less stable thyroid levels.

Do you follow these ‘rules’?

You can click on the hyperlinks in the above post to learn moreΒ andΒ see references to information given.

References:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28153426

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19584184

[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38635065/

About Author

Rachel Hill is the highly ranked and multi-award winning thyroid patient advocate, writer, speaker and author behind The Invisible Hypothyroidism. Her thyroid advocacy work includes writing articles, authoring books, producing email newsletters and speaking on podcasts and at events about the many aspects thyroid disease affects and how to overcome these. She is well-recognised as a crucial and influential contributor to the thyroid community and has a large social media presence. Her bestselling books include "Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate" and "You, Me and Hypothyroidism".

7 Comments

  • Christine
    August 27, 2024 at 1:43 pm

    Voukd I take my thyroxine upon retiring to bed to get the best abortion

    Reply
  • Patricia Baker
    May 18, 2024 at 3:34 pm

    have had u8nder active thyroid sine in my teens I am now 78 and full blown diabetic which I was assured goes hand in hand with thyroid complaints, have always taken my thyroid meds with a mug of tea first thing in morning never once been told not to…

    Reply
  • Patricia Baker
    July 2, 2023 at 3:57 am

    I have had an under active thyroid simce my teens and was always told take the tablet first thing in the morning which I always have done with water but have a mug of tea or two afterwards lol

    Reply
  • Jacqueline McDonald
    October 27, 2020 at 11:28 pm

    Thank you for this information, I have been taking Thyroxine for approximately 10 years but have been having a cup of tea within 15 minutes of taking medication in the morning. I suffer quite badly with fatigue and I don’t sleep very well either so I am going to change taking my meds before bedtime and see if it makes a difference. I can then take my supplement vitamins in the morning. Thank you so much for information. By the way Rachel I have just purchased your book β€˜Be your own Thyroid Advocate’ which I’m sure will be very informative for me.

    Reply
  • Deb
    September 20, 2020 at 12:34 am

    I didn’t know this about caffeine and my prescription only says wait 30 mins but recently I accidentally bought caffeine free tea and do feel suddenly better. Could this make a difference please?

    Reply
  • Caz
    March 22, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    I’ve been on Levothyroxine for 12+ years now and I used to take it first thing in the morning. About 3-4 years ago I was reading a similar article to this that Rachel had written, looking at foods that could affect the medications efficacy and best times to take. After reading I decided to change taking my meds to before bed with a glass of water. It took a few months, but I noticed (for me anyway) that I felt I had more energy. My body didn’t feel so heavy when I got up. I sleep better because I feel better. In the long run you have to look at your lifestyle and work out what is going to be best for you. I also used to take supplements (B12, Cod Liver Oil and Iron), but I get enough now through the foods I eat.

    Thank you Rachel you’ve helped me to adjust and accept and been an inspiration. Stay well in these trying times.

    Reply
  • Debbie Smith
    August 26, 2018 at 6:50 pm

    So .I take nature throid and do so sublingually in am when I wake ..it is my understanding that it bypasses stomach which us why I take it this way and it stopped my nausea…do I need to wait for my cup of tea since I am absorbing it via blood vessels under tongue into bloodstream? Do I need to wait for anything really?

    Reply

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