On Thyroid meds on empty tummy and nausea :( help!

SweePeas · November 2011

I have been prescribed Thyroid meds since i have hypothyroidism. So when i take the pill each morning, it has to be on empty stomach...which is awful since i feel so nauseated to drink plain water and then wait for an entire hour befor ei can eat anything!!

Can i drink ginger ale with the meds? is it safe? or what do you recommend i do? its horrible to force myself to wait for an hour with the terrible nausea!!

mrspirate · November 2011

Talk to your doctor. Most meds can be taken with a small snack (crackers, pretzels, etc) if they upset your stomach but I'm not sure about your medication. I don't know about ginger ale but I don't think that should hurt...BUT I'm not a doctor so I have no idea! I was diagnosed with the same and I take my med at night before bed and the pre natal vitamin in the morning...I was told not to take them together. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

LEIGHLOVE09 · November 2011

No, thyroid meds need to be 30 min to an hour before any food is eaten. I never heard that you couldn't drink anything though. I would have some ginger ale if its that bad. Another thing I would suggest is maybe setting your alarm a little earlier to take the meds and then try and fall back asleep for another hour or so before you actually have to get up. I usually take my meds about 5AM when I usually have to get up to pee and then go back to sleep til 7AM or so. Hope this helps!

caralck · November 2011

The ginger ale is probably fine. I don't wait the full hour before eating after taking my med, usually 20-30 min. I'm consistent in how I do that so that's what my labs will reflect. Every once in awhile, I'm too hungry to wait so I just take the med and eat. It hasn't had any impact on my levels. Only thing you don't want to do is take it and the prenatal or any vitamin with iron at the same time.

katmacwv · November 2011

I've been on Synthroid for hypothyroidism for almost 3 years. My bottle routinely says not to eat for 30 minutes to 1 hour after taking the pill on an empty stomach, so I follow that rule and only have water during that time period. I think the carbonation, sugar, etc., in the ginger ale may defeat the purpose of taking it on an empty stomach. Check with your doctor to be sure though, as I've never asked mine that question. Also, check to see if you can eat in 30 minutes rather than waiting the entire hour so that you can at least have a couple of crackers at that point to head of the nausea.

hislobster05 · November 2011

I've been on meds for hypothyroidism since I was 12...so 19 years!

You ARE supposed to take on empty stomach, but I haven't always been able to stick to that and have never in all those years seen it affect things in and adverse way. I would check with your doctor and let them know how difficult it's been and see what exceptions can be made.

I have started taking it before bed because it's easier for me to remember nightly than in the morning...don't know if that would be easier for you or not...

pinotgirl · November 2011

I'm on Levothyroxine (generic Synthroid) and i only wait a half-hour most days. What I do is take it as i'm leaving the house and i eat as soon as i get to work (i have a desk job so i usually just have oatmeal or a bagel or something).

caralck · November 2011

I've been on it since I was 7 months old. What I've found is that as long as I'm consistent in how I take it, that's the important thing. When they changed the formulation so that it was a more chalky nasty thing (grew up chewing it), I started taking it with sprite because it was dissolving in my mouth even before I got a chance to swallow the pill. Nasty! My levels were not affected at all. Thankfully the next brand I got when I moved to a new city didn't dissolve that quickly so I went back to using plain water or juice.

SweePeas · November 2011

Thanks ladies!! i called the doc and her nurse told me that it will be fine to take the pill with ginger ale or juice...so i am SOOO relieved !! Water tastes just yuck to me right now and i never had a problem with it before!!

She also said if i had really bad nausea then i could eat a cracker as well when taking the pill.....so im glad i have some options!!

TobbynS · November 2011

I am on Thyroid as well. You are supposed to take it on an empty stomach because your body absorbs the Thyroid better. I have not been able to take it on an empty stomach in weeks because I just start throwing up. My doctor said take it with a small snack. My doctor has just been monitoring it closer. Since I've had to take it with food, he's given me a stronger dose. So, do what you can and just let your doctor know, they will monitor it and keep you healthy!

BrianaNicole03 · November 2011

Have a saltine cracker and take it with gatorade or some juice if you like. I have been on Thyroid meds for a while and somedays you just can't go that long without something to eat or drink!!! I take them with gatorade all the time and my levels are just fine!!! The eating on an empty tummy is just so it all gets absorbed. So, just don't eat it with a full meal or anything!! My mom is a nurse and also on Thyroid meds and she takes her's and then drinks a cup of coffe sometimes and her levels are just fine too!

Don't stress!

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