Hypothyroidism Support Group

Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...

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Caffeine and TSH

mnov72
mnov72
Hi it's been a while since I have been on. Have a question. Towards the end of sept beginning of October I cut all caffeine out of my diet most importantly my morning coffee. Had started taking some supplements as well. 4 weeks after I did labs my TSH dropped from 2-6 to .76 and ft4 went from 1.6 to 1.8 (which by my lab the range is to 1.7 so slightly elevated) I stopped all supplements but continued to keep caffeine out thinking it was the supplements. Redid my labs again now 5 weeks later labs still the same. For most these would be good ranges (RAI 11 yrs ago) lab ranges for tsh .45 - 4.5. I am now wondering if it is the caffeine/coffee. I drank it for years after taking my synthroid usually 45 min after but have always had very slow digestion. This is the only change that I can attribute to a drop in tsh. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thank you
Michelle
bm55
bm55
Hi I had RAI 11 years ago this coming February. I just started taking my synthroid at night. I has not been long enough time to tell any difference yet. So you are not sure if it is from the supplements or the coffee right? I take the synthroid in the middle of the night when going to the bathroom. I am on 112mcgs daily.
mnov72
mnov72
Hi bm55... Thanks for your reply. Well I have to assume it's not the supplements because I stopped them about 4 weeks ago and just did the blood draw this week. The only thing I continued was eliminated my monkeying coffee and most caffeine from my diet. I always had my morning cup about 30-45 min after my dose. Since them even my anxiety calmed down so I wonder if the adrenals got riled as well as any absorption issues got better. I have always had very slow and poor digestion ... Sluggish. But I do remember now that I took my dose a couple few hours before my blood draw.. Completely forgot to wait! A friend mentioned maybe graves antibodies are active again. Just seems weird the timing of cutting out coffee . It was just over 2 my previous lab then cut it out redid labs and here I am!
gordos4
gordos4
Hi! I gave up caffeine about 6 months ago, because I read it can interfere with thyroid meds. I cant say whether or not it helped me, but now, when I occasionally drink coffee, I get a horrible headache. I know chocolate has caffeine in it, but you couldn't pay me enough to totally give that up! I don't think chocolate has as much caffeine as coffee, right? I am now up to 210mg of Armour, but still feel like crud. It seems like every time I get on the internet, they are telling us something ELSE interferes with thyroid meds..it's frustrating! Good luck!
mnov72
mnov72
Hi gordos4
Sorry ur still not feeling well in your current dose. Ur def right... There's so much on the internet of what interferes and what doesn't and it's always changing. I think I am going to experiment and add my morning coffee after dose back in and re do labs to see what they look like. Will also get antibodies checked to be safe. Otherwise might just drop my dose again to 112. Prayerfully antibodies are not active. It's been 11 years but strange things can happen. I feel certain it's the coffee but we will see. Feel better ladies hoping some day there will be better answers.
MButterfly
MButterfly
Lots of things affect TSH - which is why it's not a good indicator for thyroid disease...period. That being said:

"4 weeks after I did labs my TSH dropped from 2-6 to .76 and ft4 went from 1.6 to 1.8 (which by my lab the range is to 1.7 so slightly elevated) "
So, your Free T4 increased ever so slightly - the important thing before you go adjusting medication is: Do you FEEL WELL?

And, I wouldn't add back the coffee for one very big reason: Studies show that coffee drinking can interfere with medication absorption up to 50%. That's a big number.

If you feel well and your doctor is all henny penny about your TSH, please just tell him "It's only a lab value..and I'm not HYPER."

Have I mentioned how much I seriously hate that tsh test?
54Mariposa
54Mariposa
Thanks so much for bringing this up! I was sleep deprived and had gone off my migraine diet during the holidays, so felt (as someone said) like crud last week. I NEVER drink coffee, but couldn't stay vertical at work, so started drinking a tiny amount....

Well. Well Well.

No WONDER I had a massive migraine and brain fog....

There is ALWAYS a reason...

Hope everyone feels better!
JeepGirl83
JeepGirl83
Agree with what MB shared above.

Coffee can interfere with absorption. Coffee is a stimulant so it can also negatively affect the adrenal glands. I stay away from coffee, myself.

IF you find yourself feeling better I would continue to avoid the coffee. It does seem it helped improve your lab numbers.
MButterfly
MButterfly
Um, going off caffeine "cold turkey" is NOT recommended. Ween yourself off. One of the WORST headaches you'll ever have is from "cold turkey" stoppage of caffeine. Ween yourself off over a week or two and you won't have those symptoms.

PS There was a guy who came into the ER (where I worked at the time) and thought he was having a stroke (no kidding) because of the headache he had. Sure enough, he'd stopped caffeine cold turkey. After a cup o' jo, his headache disappeared.
JeepGirl83
JeepGirl83
Yes, suddenly stopping caffeine is a big PAINFUL no no. Baddd headache comes from doing that.
mnov72
mnov72
Thanks so much all for the feedback. Yes cutting out the caffeine cold turkey hurt for a couple days... ") the headache went away. Didn't realize I drank so much. None the less my anxiety had gotten so much better and my labs def changed. Did try a cup this morning and bam the anxiety hit. Ugh... Been in panic mode as someone said that antibodies may have come back and are causing issues. She said I should have tpo and other antibody tests run. feel slightly hyper and it's usually because my ft4 is slightly elevated. I feel best when it's around1.5-1.6. Though I seem to have SW conversion issues. Ft3 is only at 2.6 "(. But I get heart palps and have a right bundle branch blockage and my doc won't give me t3.

I'm sorry everyone my anxiety turns a bit to hypochondria and I get so worried . So I greatly appreciate everyone's input

Blessings
JeepGirl83
JeepGirl83
Mnov,

Have you ever had your Reverse T3 level tested? This could possibly be an issue for you, especially if you have high T4, but low FreeT3 levels. See here: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3/
mnov72
mnov72
Thanks jeepgirl. Just called my doc again yesterday and told the office to send me a new lab slip to get it done . He refuses to lower my dose of t4. For most a slight elevation in t4 doesn't feel so bad but I'm so sensitive it makes me anxious and hyper. None of which I like especially because I can feel the changes in my heart. Too much circulating and not enough converting feels bla to me. Going to call again and tell him to lower it. Been on the 125 for 6 weeks now and if I'm not adding caffeine back to my diet especially my morning coffee this must be where my system is with this dose. Not sure how long it takes but I think 6 weeks is plenty