synthroid and breastfeeding

**babygrant** · 06-27-2006, 11:18 PM

I hate taking medications while breastfeeding. I have been having some horrible depression, extremely tired, irritable, and the list goes on. So I went to the doctor and asked to have my thyroid levels checked. After the birth of my 1st son my levels were off a tiny bit but not enough to go on medication. So I had my blood checked yesterday and the doctor called and left a message today and said that my thyroid levels are WAY off and I need to go to the office tommorow to pick up a perscription for Synthroid. She said it is VERY important. I looked online and the websites say that it is okay to take during lactation, but does anyone have a book that gives a rating for this drug?

TIA
Angela

mommyto3girls · 06-27-2006, 11:53 PM

Angela- I replied to you in your other post about Syntheroid. My well respected Thyroid doc hates Syntheroid. He says it raises your thyroid levels roudn the clock but that they shoudl peak in the morning and drop at night. He will only prescribe Armour Thyroid, it is a naturally derived thyroid replacer rather than synthetic http://www.armourthyroid.com/

pandora665 · 06-28-2006, 09:58 AM

I know that both Synthroid (generic name = levothyroxine (category L1) and Armour thyroid (which is actually the dried and powdered thyroid gland of pigs, btw)) are completely safe for BF, according to AAP and Dr. Hale.

Also, if you are low on thyroid, it can affect your milk production negatively (I think you have to be quite hypothyroid for this to occur).

I would go ahead and get on some form of thyroid medication and continue BF'ing, if I were you. Most endocrinologists tend to use Synthroid (levothyroxine) b/c it is a more standardized dosing structure, but Armour is a completely natural alternative.

Either way, you probably will be feeling better within a week or two of starting treatment, b/c being hypothyroid can make you feel really cruddy.

Good luck, and HTH,
Erin

ETA: I noticed you are in Canada. In canada, Synthroid is still called Synthroid, but the dessicated porcine thyroid is called Parke-Davis Thyroid. Just FYI, thought I'd investigate... considering I'm not hypo and I don't have an 8 month old, figured I'd do the leg work.

pumpkin · 06-28-2006, 10:08 AM

My copy of Hales is at home so I can't look up the specific rating, but I know that it is rated safe for breastfeeding. I have no thyroid (full thyroidectomy due to cancer) and have an autoimmune disease that makes taking natural thyroid dangerous, so I'm on Synthroid for the rest of my life and I will be breastfeeding while on it.

Its much better for you and baby to have adequate thyroid levels than to be off. I've got a friend that is having trouble keeping her levels regulated and its really screwing with her supply and makes her too tired to keep up with her toddler.

mommyto3girls · 06-28-2006, 02:12 PM

Oh, i also meant to say that my doc says if you nurse your babe for 6 months while on Armour baby will not have thyroid issues as an adult. Not sure about syntheroid.

chlaal · 06-28-2006, 02:55 PM

From my understanding, synthroid is supposed to be safe while bfing because it mimics the thyroid hormone that your body should be making but isn't. I have been on synthroid for a couple of years, since my first child was about a year old (and he was nursing at that time), never had any trouble with it. Continued nursing #1 until he was almost 2 and a half, now am nursing #2 and still everything is fine.

hth!
-joan (newbie)

leafwood · 06-28-2006, 03:22 PM

I have been on synthroid since I was 18. I was on it through my pregnancy and the entire time I have been BFeeding (2 years and counting). It is perfectly safe.

Personally, when I started taking the medication I felt so great....actually, just normal again. I hadn't realized how badly I was feeling until I felt OK again. Being bone tired is so hard, especially with a baby! Good luck!

**MCatLvrMom2A&X** · 06-28-2006, 03:31 PM

Been bfing both mine on levathroid (synthroid) I had my thyroid removed years before i had my dd and it is totally safe. In my case without it i would die so really isnt a choice.

TanyaS · 06-28-2006, 03:59 PM

Synthroid is a synthetic of the hormone your body naturally makes. All the previous posters are correct about its safety during pregnancy and lactation. It is especially important during these times for your thyroid to be treated and restored to its normal state. Untreated or undertreated hypothyroidism can affect your milk supply in addition to other health issues. Dr. Hale is considered THE authority on medications and mother's milk and synthroid is in the L1 (safest) category as a pp said. I own a copy of the book and can pm you all the details for synthroid. If you are interested, just pm me.

I've been on thyroid meds (synthroid and cytomel) for nearly 10 years. I have horrible depression, weight gain and energy loss without my medication.

**babygrant** · 06-28-2006, 11:14 PM

Thanks everyone. I picked up the perscription today and will start it tommorow. I really wish I had gone to the doctor six months ago when the symptoms appeared. I thought it was PPD and I didn't want to go on meds so I was trying to deal with it myself

: but after a 12 lb weight gain in ONE month, I knew something was wrong.

Is there any sort of diet or foods that can help my body with the thyroid hormone problems?

TanyaS · 06-28-2006, 11:48 PM

There are some foods to avoid and some that can help. It's important to take your meds at the same time every day an hour before or two hours after eating. Don't take them with vitamins as they decrease the absorption. Read as much as you can about hypothyroidism. A site that helped me a lot is www.thyroid.about.com It's really everything you ever want to know about thyroid problems, medications, lab results, etc.

One of the first lessons I learned was to always, always, always ask for my specific lab results rather than rely on the doctor's "you are in the normal range" statement. There is an article somewhere on that site that discusses the importance of this.

**babygrant** · 06-29-2006, 03:10 PM

ksts could you tell me what foods that you avoid because some sites say to avoid dairy, some don't.

TanyaS · 06-29-2006, 04:04 PM

I don't go out of my way to avoid any particular food because I don't feel that I consume enough of the goitrogenic foods on a daily basis to impact my thyroid. Most of us eat things in moderation, but if there's something on the list that you heavily consume you might consider decreasing some. Things like Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, turnips, kohlrabi, radishes, cauliflower, African cassava, millet, babassu (a palm-tree coconut fruit popular in Brazil and Africa) cabbage, and kale are all considered goitrogenic. Cooking breaks down the foods some, and they are much less goitrogenic when cooked. The foods that I eat a lot of like broccoli are usually cooked, so I don't stress too much about it.

Here's an article about soy. I think the jury is still out on it, but I think that the concern is more for things with highly concentrated soy (like infant formula and supplements) affecting the thyroid than moderate consumption of soy foods:
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm

Foods with selenium promote a healthy thyroid. Good sources of selenium in your diet include: wheat germ, seafood and shellfish, beef liver and kidney, eggs, sunflower and sesame seeds, brazil nuts, mushrooms, garlic, onions, and kelp.

I don't necessarily go out of my way to add these to my diet, either, but if my thyroid levels were constantly going up and down I would look closer at my diet. The most important thing is to take the medication on an empty stomach to maximize absorption. This is one of the most comprehensive articles I've read about when to take the meds:

There was one time my labs showed that my TSH was elevated more than normal. My endocrinologist suggested some changes to how I was taking it prior to upping my dose. I made the changes (take it on an empty stomach, about same time each day and without any vitamins that contain iron) and at my next visit the labs were better and my medication didn't need adjusting at that time.

TypingMarie · 06-29-2006, 04:30 PM

This is my first post here, though I've lurked for months, but I felt compelled to reply to this thread. My mother had her thyroid removed before she became pregnant with me, and breastfed me while talking Synthroid. I am a very healthy 27 year old now, pregnant with my first child. I've been in exceptionally good health for my entire life, and have not had any thyroid problems.

I know I'm just one example, but I thought it might be comforting to you to hear from a healthy adult who was breastfed by a mother taking Synthroid.