I have finally decided to give Gastrocrom a try.  I always thought I'd save it as my last restort, but my doctor convinced me to give it a shot now.  So.....I have several questions.  First - do I keep it in the refridgerator?  And if so, when I'm traveling - how do I transport it?  Second - the directions say to take it 30 min to an hour before I eat....is there a time limit regarding when I can take it after I've eaten - for example, if I took it at 11:00 a.m. and then ate lunch at 11:30 a.m., then I ate a cookie at 5:00 p.m. and planned to eat dinner at 6:00 p.m., is it okay to take it at 5:30 - after I've eaten the cookie?  Does that make sense?  Any input will be greatly appreciated!

I started the Gastrochrom on Saturday - took one dose 30 minutes before lunch.  I'm just taking one dose a day at the same time.  Yesterday about 30 minutes after I took the Gastrochrom, my mouth was itchy and my chest felt funny.  Is that common with this medicine?  Then last night at about 11:00 p.m. I woke up and the room was spinning - I was extremely dizzy until about 2:30 a.m.  Now this morning I'm having spells of dizziness.  Has that ever happened to anyone?

Hey Joan,
  Thank you!  I definately call my doc!!  My ears ring a lot - I always thought it was one of the joys of Hashimoto's disease.  Betty Davis was right....getting old ain't for sissys!  

I have been on Gastrocrom for almost 4 months.  It is the only med that has allowed me to eat any food at all!  It also stopped the horrible bone pain I had.

I am ONLY up to 3 vials a day.  With the help of others on this site, I learned that "slow" and"steady" is better for me!!  I started with 1 TBS per hour in 16 oz. of water.  I still can't drink it all at once without severe dizziness and tachycardia.  If I drink it on an empty stomach I get nauseated.  So I start after lunch and finish the last bottle about midnight.  I put it in a water bottle and mark it "meds" and sip it all afternoon and evening.  When I asked my doc he said to take it whatever way worked best for me.  I think the key is that everyone is different and you have to experiment with what works best for your body, and as always, minimize the side effects.

One thing I haven't been able to find out (from a pharmacist or anyone else) is, "Is it as effective when it sits for awhile?" I keep a cap on the bottle.  Obviously at the cost it is, one would like to get the maximum benefit from it.

One thing you do want to remember.... it comes in a foil packet and you need to keep the vials in in the foil.  If they get too much light and there is a cloudy look to the liquid, do not use them!  

Sorry girls...too funny about the "ringing ears"....mine do that too and I also have Hashimoto's..I wonder which doc can answer that question for us!

I wish you the best Aggiegirl!
Hugs, Lynda