Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Synthroid Brand

Skylark

Recommended Posts

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I just went to the Dr. this morning and he's willing to switch me to either Levoxyl or Synthroid from my generic. I strongly prefer Synthroid because it is a sugar base. Most other tablets including Levoxyl are made of microcrystalline cellulose which can bind T4, making it harder to absorb and I still have some malabsorption issues. I have to chew up my generic thyroid tablets and pray. Sugar dissolves completely and it doesn't bind the thyroid hormone so I'm willing to pay a bit more and give it a go. Problem is, Abbot does not test Synthroid for gluten. People have asked and they basically say the ingredients should be naturally gluten-free but they have no control over their suppliers. Standard legal wiggle words. Levoxyl tests and guarantees their pills are gluten-free.

The Synthroid sample package lists: acacia, confectioner's sugar (contains corn starch), lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, providone, and talc. My strength also has FD&C blue no. 2 aluminum lake.

I don't see anything in that tablet that would give me pause at the grocery store and I tolerate lactose without any trouble. I cook with confectioners sugar and corn starch that haven't been specially tested for gluten. The generic thyroid I'm taking now has blue coloring so that won't be a problem.

Is anyone taking Synthroid brand comfortably? I just want to check that some other folks on the board are doing OK on it before I get the scrip filled.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I'm on a compounded version from my compounding pharmacy. I asked if it was gluten-free and iodine free and they said yes. Haven't asked about anything else.

Interesting thought re: absorption.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

This is where I learned about thyroid and cellulose. I'm assuming if it's bad in dessicated, it's probably also bad in synthetic. It's also one of the places I learned about T3 and while I'm not on a natural thyroid I do take synthetic T3 as well as T4.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

This is where I learned about thyroid and cellulose. I'm assuming if it's bad in dessicated, it's probably also bad in synthetic. It's also one of the places I learned about T3 and while I'm not on a natural thyroid I do take synthetic T3 as well as T4.

Open Original Shared Link

e-is-a-problem-with-desiccated-thyroid/

Open Original Shared Link

Wow. Yes, I was on Armour and had to switch.

I will definitely ask about this next time I have my meds made.

Thanks for bringing this up!

kimis Collaborator
kimis
Posted

I take a combo of Synthroid and Cytomel. Are you on generic T3? I always wondered if the Synthroid was gluten free because I have heard so many different things about it. If you don't mind me asking.....how much T4 and T3 do you take? I take 25mcg of Synthroid and 70mcg of cytomel. I do plan on switching things up soon. I hear good things about natural.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

I'm on the Mylan generic T3. I'm less worried about generic T3 than T4 though that might be a mistake. :lol: My Dr. just took me up to 150 mcg of T4 and I'm on 25 of T3. My poor thyroid gland is shot.

wjp Newbie
wjp
Posted

I was on Synthroid for the lst year I was gluten free. I didn't realize at the time that Synthroid for causing a problem. I am very strict with my diet and did not realize that the dizziness/vertigo I was still getting was caused by Synthroid. When I read back in the Spring about Synthroid possibly having cross contamination, I switched to Levoxyl. Stopped the dizziness/vertigo. Have not had a problem since. Good luck in your decision.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


boysmom Explorer
boysmom
Posted

I've been taking Synthroid (25 mcg) for 20 years now, and was only diagnosed celiac just over 2 years ago. I read that the makers of Synthroid don't guarantee Gluten-free status, but my doctors have always insisted that I stay with the brand name. When I'd asked I was told that the balance of hormone was so delicate that you couldn't be assured it was accurate in generics, so it's possible newer technologies have improved that situation. At any rate, I haven't had any problems with it that I can tell. I do have occasional symptoms that I can't pin down, but since I take Synthroid every day and these are only occasional occurrences I don't think there's a connection.

Luanne

kimis Collaborator
kimis
Posted

I've been taking Synthroid (25 mcg) for 20 years now, and was only diagnosed celiac just over 2 years ago. I read that the makers of Synthroid don't guarantee Gluten-free status, but my doctors have always insisted that I stay with the brand name. When I'd asked I was told that the balance of hormone was so delicate that you couldn't be assured it was accurate in generics, so it's possible newer technologies have improved that situation. At any rate, I haven't had any problems with it that I can tell. I do have occasional symptoms that I can't pin down, but since I take Synthroid every day and these are only occasional occurrences I don't think there's a connection.

Luanne

I agree with your Dr. about the fluctuation in generics, but you have other brand name T4 options.

Tigercat17 Enthusiast
Tigercat17
Posted

HI everyone!

I know I was getting some CC of gluten from the synthriod brand about two years ago. I called the Abbott company twice & they told me the same thing - "They didn't add gluten to the synthriod but they didn't test for gluten & they couldn't guarantee it was gluten free." Last year after being on the gluten free diet for three months, I didn't get any better at all & I was taking synthyiod at the time. When I got my new prescription for that third month, I suddenly felt worse. I started to suspect that it was the synthryiod. So, I called the Abott company again & the rep. told that "Synthriod was not advertised as a gluten free product." That really made me wonder even more. So, I started eating nothing but natural whole foods & still I was feeling worse. I weeded out all of the processed foods & I was really worried that I was never going to get better, maybe I had other food allergies or even another disease. I was sooo sick. I really didn't want to change my thyroid hormone med, but I called my doctor & told them how I was feeling. My Endo doctor called the Abbott company also & they told him the same thing, so they switched me to Levoxyl from King Pharmaceuticals.

Today, I feel great! I've been taking Levoxly for the last almost two years and I've never had any problems with it. I have realized that I'm super sensitive and I still haven't found a multi vitamin that I haven't had a reaction to. But I feel great - haven't taking any multi vitamins and all I take now is Levoxyl and iron and some Nature made calcium once in a while.

My TSH levels didn't change much when I switched brands. The only thing that changed is I didn't need as much thyroid hormone anymore since I started to absorb nutrients a lot better since I was newly gluten free. It's a good idea to get tested every 6 weeks if someone is new at the gluten free diet and you're taking thyroid hormones. You'll start absorbing meds and nutrients a lot better.

I hope this helps someone... :)

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

Boy, it sounds like everything else. Some people are OK on Synthroid and others react. How confusing. Thanks a million for your input, kimis, wjp, Luann, and Lisa!

My Dr. did give me two weeks of samples and so far I have no weird GI issues or canker sores. If I get a canker sore I'll know for sure it's gluten!

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Our synthroid down here contains gluten :(

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

Our synthroid down here contains gluten :(

It's different from country to country? That explains a LOT. I don't see how the US form, which is basically a sugar pill, would contain gluten.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      IBS-D vs Celiac

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SilkieFairy! You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) as opposed to celiac disease. They share many of the same symptoms, especially the GI ones. There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out.
    2. trents
      - trents replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      Under the circumstances, your decision to have the testing done on day 14 sounds very reasonable. But I think by now you know for certain that you either have celiac disease or NCGS and either way you absolutely need to eliminate gluten from your diet. I don't think you have to have an official diagnosis of celiac disease to leverage gluten free service in...
    3. SilkieFairy
      - SilkieFairy posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      IBS-D vs Celiac

      After the birth of my daughter nearly 6 years ago, my stools changed. They became thin if they happened to be solid (which was rare) but most of the time it was Bristol #6 (very loose and 6-8x a day). I was on various medications and put it down to that. A few years later I went on this strict "fruit and meat" diet where I just ate meat, fruit, and squash...
    4. catnapt
      - catnapt posted a topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      0

      anyone here diagnosed with a PARAthyroid disorder? (NOT the thyroid) the calcium controlling glands

      learned I had a high PTH level in 2022 suspected to be due to low vit D got my vit D level up a bit but still have high PTH I am 70 yrs old (today in fact) I am looking for someone who also has hyperparathyroidism that might be caused by malabsorption
    5. catnapt
      - catnapt replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      I am on day 13 of eating gluten and have decided to have the celiac panel done tomorrow instead of Wed. (and instead of extending it a few more weeks) because I am SO incredibly sick. I have almost no appetite and am not able to consume the required daily intake of calcium to try to keep up with the loss of calcium from the high parathyroid hormone...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,323
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    James Minton
    Newest Member
    James Minton
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SilkieFairy! You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) as opposed to celiac disease. They share many of the same symptoms, especially the GI ones. There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out.
    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Under the circumstances, your decision to have the testing done on day 14 sounds very reasonable. But I think by now you know for certain that you either have celiac disease or NCGS and either way you absolutely need to eliminate gluten from your diet. I don't think you have to have an official diagnosis of celiac disease to leverage gluten free service in hospitals or institutional care and I'm guessing your physician would be willing to grant you a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity (NCGS) even if your celiac testing comes up negative. Also, you need to be aware that oats (even gluten free oats) is a common cross reactor in the celiac community. Oat protein (avenin) is similar to gluten. You might want to look at some other gluten free hot  breakfast cereal alternatives.
    • SilkieFairy
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By SilkieFairy · Posted

      After the birth of my daughter nearly 6 years ago, my stools changed. They became thin if they happened to be solid (which was rare) but most of the time it was Bristol #6 (very loose and 6-8x a day). I was on various medications and put it down to that. A few years later I went on this strict "fruit and meat" diet where I just ate meat, fruit, and squash vegetables. I noticed my stools were suddenly formed, if a bit narrow. I knew then that the diarrhea was probably food related not medication related. I tried following the fodmap diet but honestly it was just too complicated, I just lived with pooping 8x a day and wondering how I'd ever get and keep a job once my children were in school.  This past December I got my yearly bloodwork and my triglycerides were high. I looked into Dr. William Davis (wheat belly author) and he recommended going off wheat and other grains. This is the first time in my life I was reading labels to make sure there was no wheat. Within 2 weeks, not only were my stools formed and firm but I was only pooping twice a day, beautiful formed Bristol #4.  Dr. Davis allows some legumes, so I went ahead and added red lentils and beans. Nervous that the diarrhea would come back if I had IBS-D. Not only did it not come back, it just made my stools even bigger and beautiful. Still formed just with a lot more width and bulk. I've also been eating a lot of plant food like tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers, hummus etc which I thought was the cause of my diarrhea before and still, my stools are formed. In January I ran a genetics test because I knew you had to have the genes for celiac. The report came back with  DQ 2.2 plus other markers that I guess are necessary in order for it to be possible to have celiac. Apparently DQ 2.2 is the "rarer" kind but based on my report it's genetically possible for me to have celiac.  I know the next step is to bring gluten back so I can get testing but I am just not wanting to do that. After suffering with diarrhea for years I can't bring myself to do it right now. So that is where I am!   
    • catnapt
      anyone here diagnosed with a PARAthyroid disorder? (NOT the thyroid) the calcium controlling glands

      By catnapt · Posted

      learned I had a high PTH level in 2022 suspected to be due to low vit D  got my vit D level up a bit but still have high PTH   I am 70 yrs old (today in fact) I am looking for someone who also has hyperparathyroidism that might be caused by malabsorption    
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      I am on day 13 of eating gluten  and have decided to have the celiac panel done tomorrow instead of Wed. (and instead of extending it a few more weeks) because I am SO incredibly sick. I have almost no appetite and am not able to consume the required daily intake of calcium to try to keep up with the loss of calcium from the high parathyroid hormone and/or the renal calcium leak.    I have spent the past 15 years working hard to improve my health. I lost 50lbs, got off handfuls of medications, lowered my cholesterol to enviable levels, and in spite of having end stage osteoarthritis in both knees, with a good diet and keeping active I have NO pain in those joints- til now.  Almost all of my joints hurt now I feel like someone has repeatedly punched me all over my torso- even my ribs hurt- I have nausea, gas, bloating, headache, mood swings, irritability, horrid flatulence (afraid to leave the house or be in any enclosed spaces with other people- the smell would knock them off their feet) I was so sure that I wanted a firm diagnosis but now- I'm asking myself is THIS worth it? esp over the past 2 yrs I have been feeling better and better the more I adjusted my diet to exclude highly refined grains and processed foods. I didn't purposely avoid gluten, but it just happened that not eating gluten has made me feel better.   I don't know what I would have to gain by getting a definitive diagnosis. I think possibly the only advantage to a DX would be that I could insist on gluten-free foods in settings where I am unable to have access to foods of my choice (hospital, rehab, nursing home)  and maybe having a medical reason to see a dietician?   please let me know if it's reasonable to just go back to the way I was eating.  Actually I do plan to buy certified gluten-free oats as that is the only grain I consume (and really like) so there will be some minor tweaks I hope and pray that I heal quickly from any possible damage that may have been done from 13 days of eating gluten.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.