Can Vitamin C Affect Synthroid?
Ask your doctor if you should take your Synthroid or other thyroid medicine with your morning orange juice. A 2008 study in the "International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism" suggests that vitamin C helps thyroid medicines work better 3. Check with your health-care practitioner before taking any supplements with thyroid medication; food, vitamins and medication are known to alter the potency of thyroid hormones.
Synthroid
Synthroid is the name of a prescription medication made by Abbott Laboratories. The active ingredient in Synthroid is levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid hormone that is just like the hormone made by your thyroid gland. Synthroid is prescribed for hypothyroidism, also called "slow" thyroid 2. Certain foods and supplements affect the way your body absorbs the medicine.
- Synthroid is the name of a prescription medication made by Abbott Laboratories.
- The active ingredient in Synthroid is levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid hormone that is just like the hormone made by your thyroid gland.
Synthroid and Absorption
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According to the manufacturer, you should not take Synthroid within four hours of ingesting anything that may interfere or interact with the hormone. Certain medications and foods alter the way Synthroid is processed in the body. Abbott Laboratories' website, Synthroid.com, notes that dietary supplements also disrupt your body’s absorption of Synthroid and instructs patients to discuss Synthroid and supplement intake with their doctor 2.
Vitamin C and Synthroid
In the 2009 issue of "Thyroid International," Dr. Kenneth Burman of Washington Hospital Center lists vitamin C as one of the factors that change levothyroxine's gastrointestinal absorption 3. Burman says that, as of 2009, there was only the 2008 study on vitamin C and its effect on thyroid hormones. The results of the 2008 research showed significant improvement of levothyroxine absorption when taken with 1 g of vitamin C, but Burman suggests that more studies should be done to determine if the same effect could be achieved at different doses.
Considerations and Warning
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Follow your doctor's directions for taking Synthroid 2. Ask your pharmacist or health-care provider before stopping or starting any type of supplements, including vitamin C, while taking levothyroxine.
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References
- Drugs.com: Synthroid Alcohol & Food Interactions
- Synthroid.com: Tips for Taking Synthroid
- "Hormones: International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Difficulties in the Absorption of Levothyroxine: Improvement Using Vitamin C; S. Licht et al.; May 2008
- Espaillat, R., Jarvis, M., Torkelson, C., and B. Sinclair. Gluten and Aluminum Content in Synthroid (Levothyroxine Sodium Tablets). Advances in Therapy. 2017. 34(7):1764-1769. doi:10.1007/s12325-017-0575-y
- Jonklaas J, Bianco AC, Bauer AJ, et al. Guidelines for the treatment of hypothyroidism: prepared by the american thyroid association task force on thyroid hormone replacement. Thyroid. 2014;24(12):1670–1751. doi:10.1089/thy.2014.0028
- Shamsbiranvand, M., Khodadi, A., Assarehzadegan, M., Borsi, S., and A. Amini. Immunochemical Characterization of Acacia Pollen Allergens and Evaluation of Cross-Reactivity Pattern with the Common Allergenic Pollens. Journal of Allergy. 2014. 14(1):2014:409056. doi:10.1155/2014/409056
- Cabrera-Chavez, F., Iametti, S., de la Barca, A., Mamone, G., and F. Bonomi. Maize Prolamins Resistant to Peptic-Tryptic Digestion Maintain Immune-Recognition by IgA From Some Celiac Disease Patients. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 2012. 67(1):24. doi:10.1007/s11130-012-0274-4
- Viinanen A, Salokannel M, Lammintausta K. Gum arabic as a cause of occupational allergy. J Allergy (Cairo). 2011;2011:841508. doi:10.1155/2011/841508
- Bold J, Rostami K. Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity and reproductive disorders. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2015;8(4):294–297. PMID: 26468350
- Koulouri O, Moran C, Halsall D, Chatterjee K, Gurnell M. Pitfalls in the measurement and interpretation of thyroid function tests. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013;27(6):745–762. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2013.10.003 doi:10.1016/j.beem.2013.10.003
- Voisin MR, Borici-Mazi R. Anaphylaxis to supplemental oral lactase enzyme. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2016;12:66. Published 2016 Dec 13. doi:10.1186/s13223-016-0171-8
- Fevzi, D., Mustafa, G., Ozgur, K. et al. Successful Oral Desensitization to Levothyroxine. Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. 2013. 111(2):146-147. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2013.06.003
Writer Bio
Beth Richards, a freelance writer since 2002, writes about health and draws from her 25 years as a licensed dispensing optician. She has authored several books, writes for national magazines including "Country Living" and "Organic Family" and is a health and wellness features writer for several publications. She is earning a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland.