What no iron and no calcium food do you eat for breakfast?

[mercat46]

I have just been put on levothyroxin (50 mcg) for hypothyroidism. The instructions say to take levo an hour before breakfast, but FOUR hours before having any iron or calcium. All the usual breakfast foods have iron and/or calcium in them, even fruit! So what can I eat for breakfast? What foods have no iron and no calcium? I've also read I should avoid soy and walnuts. Help!

[Barb135]

I, too, wait 0.5 to 1.0 hrs after taking my med, then eat whatever I want.  I can't imagine sitting down to a bowl of dry cereal for breakfast, especially, corn pops, frosted shredded wheat or crunch berries, that are loaded with sugar.  

Calcium is necessary for strong bones and teeth.  As you age, you're going to need that calcium to prevent osteoporosis.  Iron prevents anemia, provides energy and is necessary for the metabolism of thyroid hormones.  

[bedheadblonde]

Um...forgive me if I'm reading this wrong, but are you saying that people taking levothyroxine shouldn't  need calcium and iron at all?? Or do you mean in the morning for breakfast? Thyroidless or not, everyone needs iron and calcium for their body to function properly (unless they have some sort of disease or problem that makes too much of these in your body naturally.) If you're going to eat a breakfast that's a bit higher in calcium and iron and know you are, then it's perfectly fine to adjust your dose just a bit that morning to compensate for it. A day here and there of adjusting your meds to make sure you're getting the right amount of levo isn't putting you at risk for heart attack or stroke. I could see if you consistently took too much "just in case" could put your heart at risk since you're over-medicating yourself, or not adjusting at all if you're one to eat a lot of iron and calcium rich foods in the a.m. constantly, since you can get problems with your heart from hypothyroidism as well, but seriously, I have to agree here-you're not going to hurt yourself adjusting accordingly if you know you're going to have a breakfast rich in these, and you're honestly pretty much fine eating iron and calcium rich foods throughout the day as long as everything else in order.

[Mirandazzi1]

Wrong...wrong..wrong.

You can't adjust accordingly.

You can't eat calcium or iron for breakfast.

[Bethieboo54321]

It's just avoiding calcium AND iron FOODS and supplements for 4 hours after taking your levo..after 4 hours, eat those foods

[Barb135]

Adjusting T4 dose on a daily basis to accommodate your breakfast is a lesson in futility, since it takes approximately 4-6 weeks for an adjustment to take effect.  

Just take your med and eat what you're going to and don't take supplements w/in 4 hrs... it really is that simple.

[goolarra]

I agree, let's not overcomplicate this.  I don't think there's any possible way that you can adjust meds on a daily basis to compensate for the food you eat and how it might affect absorption.

FT4 levels build slowly (and decrease slowly as well), so minute differences in what you absorb are easily going to be compensated for.  It takes weeks for a legitimate dosage adjustment to affect levels enough to cause symptoms or symptom relief.  

If you have a demonstrated absorption issue, i.e. meds just aren't getting into your blood stream, by all means check your habits.  Otherwise, just wait half to one hour before eating or drinking and take any supplements 3-4 hours away as stated on the bottle.  

[dreamgirl81]

First off, a person shouldn't go trying to adjust their own meds on their own, especially since you don't know just what it should be adjusted to. And as both Barb and goolarra said, it take about 6 weeks for the levels to adjust.  Each person is different on how they handle the meds and food. Personally, since it has been hard to get my levels straightened, I have to be careful what i eat, and it isn't easy. Beadheadblonde, it isn't that we can't have it.. it is a matter of being told we can't have it for 4 hrs, because it will bind with the medication, and the body won't absorb enough, throwing the levels off

[carolmack1]

My doctor is out of touch. I've changed doctors 3 times in the last 2 years. Kaiser Permanente is what I have. Not for long!  I cant get a response with a simple question, which is why I am here researching on my own.

[witchywomen]

I talk to pharmacist yesterday and it means no foods or supplements for  four hours after taking levothyroxine.