I’ve told you I haven’t been feeling sassy lately. I had routine blood work done and was surprised to see that one of my thyroid tests was really high – and that’s bad because I don’t HAVE a thyroid anymore.
I talked to our doctor yesterday. One of the routine things we do every six months is review what meds we’re taking. I take a list, and had added the two meds I’ve added lately to try to get my digestion back under control.
It turned out that the two over-the-counter meds I’ve added may have been helping my digestion problems, but the fact that I take my pills together in the morning was sabotaging my thyroid hormone medication, making it so my system didn’t absorb it. So it was like I haven’t been taking ANY thyroid medicine for about 3 weeks. GREAT.
It never occurred to me. Once I saw that my test was high, it clicked that some other symptoms I’ve been having were associated with my thyroid dosage being off.
I have now learned –
- Next time I’m having a problem for which I’m considering taking new meds, I should check with my good doctor through the portal they provide.
- I should be taking my thyroid med first thing, then giving it an hour or so before I eat or take anything else
- that OTC meds are more serious than I have thought and may interact with other meds to my detriment. DUH.
I’m lucky to have a good, patient primary doctor who takes the time to listen and has the smarts to figure out what I’ve done to myself and how to fix it.
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Linda, drug interaction can be a really serious problem. Unless a doctor (who knows your medication history) prescribes you something, taking OTC meds can create more problems than help in certain cases. Asking your primary doctor is always the best idea, but if you need to do a quick check, this link is very useful!
https://www.webmd.com/interaction-checker/default.htm
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Thanks, Susy. I’ve bookmarked the link. You’d think, with as old as I am, I would have learned this lesson before now…
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It happens in the best of families, lol! Since hubby has Celiac Disease and I’m a diabetic, I always double check for possible med interactions when we need to get anything OTC.
I recently shared the link with a friend in Mexico who had an awful experience. She went to an Urgent Care clinic because she had been feeling dizzy and the doctor prescribed her something for motion sickness without asking for her med history. She ended up going to her primary doctor because, unbeknownst to her, the motion sickness med interacted with some of her medications and caused not only more dizziness but also double vision and headaches! Lesson learned!
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