Synthyroid?

[Tigercat17]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if Synthryoid is gluten free? I called my endo doctor today & ask him if I should change to the generice brand. They recommended that I stay with the synthyriod unless I'm not feeling well with the gluten free diet. I don't have a thyriod at all & I just had thyriod cancer last year so changing to another medicine doesn't sound to aplealing, but if I have to change I will.

Thanks!

[Gemini]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if Synthryoid is gluten free? I called my endo doctor today & ask him if I should change to the generice brand. They recommended that I stay with the synthyriod unless I'm not feeling well with the gluten free diet. I don't have a thyriod at all & I just had thyriod cancer last year so changing to another medicine doesn't sound to aplealing, but if I have to change I will.

Thanks!

No, Synthroid's gluten free status cannot be guaranteed anymore so I would not take it. I have been on thyroid meds for 15 years and, although it takes a little bit of tweaking when changing meds, it can be done successfully. I think doctors just get lazy because there is no need to fear a med change. I am in that process myself and actually was on the generic form of Synthroid, which is called Levoxyl. It is gluten free but is not working as well for me anymore so I am switching back to a compounded form of T3/T4 hormone. You may want to try Levoxyl yourself.

[Tigercat17]

No, Synthroid's gluten free status cannot be guaranteed anymore so I would not take it. I have been on thyroid meds for 15 years and, although it takes a little bit of tweaking when changing meds, it can be done successfully. I think doctors just get lazy because there is no need to fear a med change. I am in that process myself and actually was on the generic form of Synthroid, which is called Levoxyl. It is gluten free but is not working as well for me anymore so I am switching back to a compounded form of T3/T4 hormone. You may want to try Levoxyl yourself.

Thanks for your advice. I was on the Levoxyl before I had my thyriodectomy, but they told me that they thought it was neccesary for me to change to the Synthyriod. The docs told me the generic (Levoxyl) might make my TSH levels move up & down. I guess they believe the Synthyriod is more accurate? Go figure? I'm not sure if that's right or not. What do you think? And is your thyriod removed also?

Thanks for responding!

[MKat]

Thanks for your advice. I was on the Levoxyl before I had my thyriodectomy, but they told me that they thought it was neccesary for me to change to the Synthyriod. The docs told me the generic (Levoxyl) might make my TSH levels move up & down. I guess they believe the Synthyriod is more accurate? Go figure? I'm not sure if that's right or not. What do you think? And is your thyriod removed also?

Thanks for responding!

I took Armour for years - this spring my thryoid was totally out of whack so I went back on synthroid (tried generic and broke out in a rash). I feel so much better now thyroid wise but I'm afraid of it not being gluten free. Why, when SO many celiacs have thryoid issues wouldn't the #1 thyroid medicine company make a gluten-free drug!!! And because of insurance I have to do mail order and have like a 90 day supply of synthroid - it's not easy to just switch around or switch dosages now w/out spending a fortune.

[Gemini]

Thanks for your advice. I was on the Levoxyl before I had my thyriodectomy, but they told me that they thought it was neccesary for me to change to the Synthyriod. The docs told me the generic (Levoxyl) might make my TSH levels move up & down. I guess they believe the Synthyriod is more accurate? Go figure? I'm not sure if that's right or not. What do you think? And is your thyriod removed also?

Thanks for responding!

That is VERY interesting what your docs said about Levoxyl and the TSH going up and down. That is the problem I am having now and am not sure now if the Levoxyl is contributing to it. I have been under a tremendous amount of stress this year, on many levels, and thought that the stress was wreaking havoc on my immune system, thus affecting my thyroid. I also went slightly anemic again as I am now in hypo-thyroid. It's all so very aggravating.

I was always told that Levoxyl is the generic form of Synthroid and they are identical, as far as generics go vs. name brand. I always refused Synthroid because the drug companies have kept the price of Synthroid very high...much, much higher than Levoxyl. I also know that sometimes, generics do not work as well but up until about 6 months ago, the Levoxyl was working well.....right about the time the stress kicked in. So, I am changing to a compounded T3/T4 hormone, identical to Armour, and will take a half pill every 12 hours to see if I can't get some stabilization.

No, my thyroid is still there...just not functioning as it should. I caught it early when my TSH was only 7 and have been attentive to it ever since. My thyroid antibodies were scary high at time of diagnosis

but it was undiagnosed Celiac which did that. It's only been lately that I have been having a problem and I think I need to get the stress level under control....easier said than done!

Whatever you choose to do, do not take Synthroid because it cannot be guaranteed gluten-free. This came straight from the company and it may have to do with the fillers used in the medication. Maybe their source changed?

[Gemini]

I took Armour for years - this spring my thryoid was totally out of whack so I went back on synthroid (tried generic and broke out in a rash). I feel so much better now thyroid wise but I'm afraid of it not being gluten free. Why, when SO many celiacs have thryoid issues wouldn't the #1 thyroid medicine company make a gluten-free drug!!! And because of insurance I have to do mail order and have like a 90 day supply of synthroid - it's not easy to just switch around or switch dosages now w/out spending a fortune.

I understand your frustration and after having had to take a prescription med recently, I went on a rant to the doctor about why it shouldn't be THIS hard to find out gluten-free status on a drug. If you get sick on the week-end, all the companies are closed and you cannot call them. The doctor was amazed Celiacs have to go through this much BS to take a needed drug. I wonder how hard it is to introduce a bill to legislation, on a federal level, to get this done?

I, too, have wondered why the one drug used so often in Celiacs is not gluten-free anymore? Sometimes I think the world is too full of idiots..... I refuse to use the mail order drug system for that very reason.....you can get stuck with a load of expensive pills! It only works if things go smoothly and you don't need any changes.

[JesikaBeth]

Wow, that's interesting. I am on Synthroid and have been for a while...

[hez]

I do not have a throid due to cancer (years and years ago). I have been on synthroid going on 17 years, celiac for about 4. Never had a problem with synthroid. My doctors told me the same thing 17 years ago, to not take the generic due to problems with consistancy.

hez

[Tigercat17]

I do not have a throid due to cancer (years and years ago). I have been on synthroid going on 17 years, celiac for about 4. Never had a problem with synthroid. My doctors told me the same thing 17 years ago, to not take the generic due to problems with consistancy.

hez

Thanks so much for sharing. Sorry to hear about your thyriod cancer. I just had it last year & I really think dealing with the celiac disease feels much worse. At least, for me they were able to remove all of the cancer & I did the radition, too. But the celiac disease, I'll have to deal with it forever. Feeling pretty bummed out....

I'm just so thankful for this forum though!

I guess I will keep on the synthyriod too. Unless I hear of someone having problems with it because of the gluten.

Thanks again!

[Gemini]

Thanks so much for sharing. Sorry to hear about your thyriod cancer. I just had it last year & I really think dealing with the celiac disease feels much worse. At least, for me they were able to remove all of the cancer & I did the radition, too. But the celiac disease, I'll have to deal with it forever. Feeling pretty bummed out....

I'm just so thankful for this forum though!

I guess I will keep on the synthyriod too. Unless I hear of someone having problems with it because of the gluten.

Thanks again!

You may want to call the company who makes Synthroid to double check on that. Whether they have corrected things or not is important....maybe they received

enough phone calls to make them re-formulate Synthroid. The reason I say this is just because someone isn't having a problem doesn't mean they aren't sustaining damage. Many people are not that symptomatic and may be causing a lot of damage over time. Unless you can absolutely verify it is gluten-free, I wouldn't take it and switch to something else. It's that important!

[Tigercat17]

You may want to call the company who makes Synthroid to double check on that. Whether they have corrected things or not is important....maybe they received

enough phone calls to make them re-formulate Synthroid. The reason I say this is just because someone isn't having a problem doesn't mean they aren't sustaining damage. Many people are not that symptomatic and may be causing a lot of damage over time. Unless you can absolutely verify it is gluten-free, I wouldn't take it and switch to something else. It's that important!

Thanks Gemini,

I will call the company. You are so right. I'm so new to all of this but what you said makes a lot of sense.

When I get a response from them, I'll let everyone know.

It's really crazy that a company that makes the synthyroid would have gluten in there medicine when thyriod disease & celiac are so closely connected.

Wish me luck on the phone calls!

[Gemini]

Thanks Gemini,

I will call the company. You are so right. I'm so new to all of this but what you said makes a lot of sense.

When I get a response from them, I'll let everyone know.

It's really crazy that a company that makes the synthyroid would have gluten in there medicine when thyriod disease & celiac are so closely connected.

Wish me luck on the phone calls!

I look forward to what the company tells you. Things can change very suddenly so maybe Synthroid's issues with gluten-free status have changed and it is now gluten-free. Maybe you can convince them to lower their prices also!

[Rosewied]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if Synthryoid is gluten free? I called my endo doctor today & ask him if I should change to the generice brand. They recommended that I stay with the synthyriod unless I'm not feeling well with the gluten free diet. I don't have a thyriod at all & I just had thyriod cancer last year so changing to another medicine doesn't sound to aplealing, but if I have to change I will.

Thanks!

This made me curious i was told about a month ago by my pharmacist synthroid is gluten free. So, I called Abbott today and was told, "none of the current ingredients contain gluten from wheat, rye, barley, (and something else I had never heard of). Therefore, it is not likely synthroid has gluten in it."

so not a 100% free, but basically sounds like they're covering their butt just in case.

As for switching from synthroid to Levoxyl... I switched by accident when levoxyl came out and my pharmacy automatically switched me. I began having problems within a week. My doctor explained the phenomenon this way. Generics have a % of effectiveness requirement. For most medicines this % is fine and results of a generic and name brand are comparable. However with something like thyroid disease where the amounts are so minute in micrograms and the results vary greatly when a prescription is only changed by 25 mcg. 10-15% can wreak havoc. This does not even begin to call into play the issues with consistency of the product alone.

I do still have my thyroid though it's just there for show. Completely inactive from the radioactive iodide. I had Grave's disease was diagnosed at 19 and am 27 now. I was diagnosed celiac about 6 weeks ago. I personally will stay on synthroid. I'm having my blood tested today after 2 months gluten-free, i went gluten-free after blood test before biopsy. I've had marked improvement over the past few months and am finally functional.

I'm not ready to go through thyroid hell on a chance. The brain fog, tiredness, and muscle lethargy are just as bad if not worse than when i was on gluten. I know celiac has detrimental effects if not strictly followed, but thyroid disease and imbalances are nothing to sneeze at either. With 2 family members who've had thyroid cancer, a great grandfather i never met because of it, for now i'll wait.

If I find out for sure this is an issue I will put myself through it. I think we should all write into "The Doctors" and Doctor Oz and ask them to shed some light on these issues. Maybe they could fill the audience with celiacs!!!!!

meagan

[Tigercat17]

This made me curious i was told about a month ago by my pharmacist synthroid is gluten free. So, I called Abbott today and was told, "none of the current ingredients contain gluten from wheat, rye, barley, (and something else I had never heard of). Therefore, it is not likely synthroid has gluten in it."

so not a 100% free, but basically sounds like they're covering their butt just in case.

As for switching from synthroid to Levoxyl... I switched by accident when levoxyl came out and my pharmacy automatically switched me. I began having problems within a week. My doctor explained the phenomenon this way. Generics have a % of effectiveness requirement. For most medicines this % is fine and results of a generic and name brand are comparable. However with something like thyroid disease where the amounts are so minute in micrograms and the results vary greatly when a prescription is only changed by 25 mcg. 10-15% can wreak havoc. This does not even begin to call into play the issues with consistency of the product alone.

I do still have my thyroid though it's just there for show. Completely inactive from the radioactive iodide. I had Grave's disease was diagnosed at 19 and am 27 now. I was diagnosed celiac about 6 weeks ago. I personally will stay on synthroid. I'm having my blood tested today after 2 months gluten-free, i went gluten-free after blood test before biopsy. I've had marked improvement over the past few months and am finally functional.

I'm not ready to go through thyroid hell on a chance. The brain fog, tiredness, and muscle lethargy are just as bad if not worse than when i was on gluten. I know celiac has detrimental effects if not strictly followed, but thyroid disease and imbalances are nothing to sneeze at either. With 2 family members who've had thyroid cancer, a great grandfather i never met because of it, for now i'll wait.

If I find out for sure this is an issue I will put myself through it. I think we should all write into "The Doctors" and Doctor Oz and ask them to shed some light on these issues. Maybe they could fill the audience with celiacs!!!!!

meagan

HI Meagan,

I just called Abbott, too. They pretty much told me the same thing. The said the ingredients don't contain gluten, but they have no way of testing the synthyiod the find out & that's why they can't guarantee that it doesn't have gluten in it. So, I guess for right now, I'll take it, since the generic brand is so inconsistent.

And it is very expensive! You'd think for the price, they would find a way to test it for the gluten!

Maybe if we all keep bugging them, they'll get tried of it & find a way to test it!

[Tigercat17]

This made me curious i was told about a month ago by my pharmacist synthroid is gluten free. So, I called Abbott today and was told, "none of the current ingredients contain gluten from wheat, rye, barley, (and something else I had never heard of). Therefore, it is not likely synthroid has gluten in it."

so not a 100% free, but basically sounds like they're covering their butt just in case.

As for switching from synthroid to Levoxyl... I switched by accident when levoxyl came out and my pharmacy automatically switched me. I began having problems within a week. My doctor explained the phenomenon this way. Generics have a % of effectiveness requirement. For most medicines this % is fine and results of a generic and name brand are comparable. However with something like thyroid disease where the amounts are so minute in micrograms and the results vary greatly when a prescription is only changed by 25 mcg. 10-15% can wreak havoc. This does not even begin to call into play the issues with consistency of the product alone.

I do still have my thyroid though it's just there for show. Completely inactive from the radioactive iodide. I had Grave's disease was diagnosed at 19 and am 27 now. I was diagnosed celiac about 6 weeks ago. I personally will stay on synthroid. I'm having my blood tested today after 2 months gluten-free, i went gluten-free after blood test before biopsy. I've had marked improvement over the past few months and am finally functional.

I'm not ready to go through thyroid hell on a chance. The brain fog, tiredness, and muscle lethargy are just as bad if not worse than when i was on gluten. I know celiac has detrimental effects if not strictly followed, but thyroid disease and imbalances are nothing to sneeze at either. With 2 family members who've had thyroid cancer, a great grandfather i never met because of it, for now i'll wait.

If I find out for sure this is an issue I will put myself through it. I think we should all write into "The Doctors" and Doctor Oz and ask them to shed some light on these issues. Maybe they could fill the audience with celiacs!!!!!

meagan

HI Meagan,

I just called Abbott, too. They pretty much told me the same thing. The said the ingredients don't contain gluten, but they have no way of testing the synthyiod the find out & that's why they can't guarantee that it doesn't have gluten in it. So, I guess for right now, I'll take it, since the generic brand is so inconsistent.

And it is very expensive! You'd think for the price, they would find a way to test it for the gluten!

Maybe if we all keep bugging them, they'll get tried of ti & find a way to test it!

[Gemini]

HI Meagan,

I just called Abbott, too. They pretty much told me the same thing. The said the ingredients don't contain gluten, but they have no way of testing the synthyiod the find out & that's why they can't guarantee that it doesn't have gluten in it. So, I guess for right now, I'll take it, since the generic brand is so inconsistent.

And it is very expensive! You'd think for the price, they would find a way to test it for the gluten!

Maybe if we all keep bugging them, they'll get tried of it & find a way to test it!

I just switched (today) to a compounded form of T3/T4, similar to Armour Thyroid. It is compounded at American Hormones in NY state. The beauty of this is that they compound it to your exact needs so it's gluten-free status is never in question. It was also very inexpensive.....a 2 month supply cost me $36.00, with shipping!

It was also compounded as slow release so I won't get a big hit a few hours after taking it and then peter out in the later hours of the day. The only issue with going this route is finding a doctor who thinks outside the box and will work with a compounding pharmacy.

[Tigercat17]

I just switched (today) to a compounded form of T3/T4, similar to Armour Thyroid. It is compounded at American Hormones in NY state. The beauty of this is that they compound it to your exact needs so it's gluten-free status is never in question. It was also very inexpensive.....a 2 month supply cost me $36.00, with shipping!

It was also compounded as slow release so I won't get a big hit a few hours after taking it and then peter out in the later hours of the day. The only issue with going this route is finding a doctor who thinks outside the box and will work with a compounding pharmacy.

Thanks!

That's good to know. I'll keep that in mind. Let us know how you're feeling in a month. I really hope it works for you!

[Rosewied]

Thanks!

That's good to know. I'll keep that in mind. Let us know how you're feeling in a month. I really hope it works for you!

Thanks for the info. There's a compounding pharmacy close by me. I hope I don't have to change, but at least i know where one is if I have to.