Steroids and Levothyrox

[Deemar]

Has anyone experience of taking these two medications together or separately. It seems best to take them separately which is something I have never been told. Night or morning? I have been taking them at the same time for years but now notice that after I have taken them I start to feel shaken and a bit disorientated.

[Soraya_PMR]

Does this help?

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[123456Evita]

I take levo an hour before preds

[judyb100]

Hate to say it, but I've taken levo for 40 years! According to my instructions, I'm supposed to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Then I'm supposed to wait an hour to eat. I've modified this to waiting half an hour, when I finally eat breakfast and take my pred.

[Hidden in reply to judyb100]

I think if it works that's fine.... never change a good pill regime if all ok. If I don't leave an hour I really start to tremble and feel rubbish.

[judyb100 in reply to Hidden]

I feel the same whether I wait an hour or not. Maybe I should wait for the full hour rather than getting impatient. I'm going to ask my endocrinologist when I next see him. I'll do anything if it makes my health better and helps me get off pred!

[suzy1959]

Because of the interaction with Pred I began to take the thyroxine at bedtime but the article i’ve Just read says that there should be 4 hours between eating and taking the meds. I rearely have 4 hours between dinner and bedtime, so now I think I will change to taking it as soon as I get up as it’s ofetn at least 45 mins before I get downstairs for breakfast. Does that seem right? How complicated!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to suzy1959]

I think the proof of the pudding is probably in the eating - if taking the thyroxine at night as you have been works for you then it is fine.

[suzy1959 in reply to PMRpro]

The trouble is I find it hard to tell if it’s working !

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to suzy1959]

Are you on enough? My cousin knows about it when a clueless GP tries to reduce the dose - even though the consultant has been quite clear about the dose she needs to function well. And function well she does!

[Casia]

I take both and like you was never advised to take them separately. Since getting PMR about 2.5 years ago my weight has decreased by about 5 kilos and my thyroid levels moved though I’ve been on thyroxine for 35 years so I do think both drugs have impacted on one another. I’ve now lowered my dose of thyroxine to 100 mg from 150 mg and take it at least an hour before breakfast and take my pred ( now on 2mg) with breakfast. I do wonder if taking them further apart will make any difference and when I’m off the pred whether my thyroxine levels will change again.

[whitefishbay]

I take my levothyroxine @ 6 and get ready for work. Then 30 mins later take my pred. No food or coffee for @ an hour. Seems to be ok.

[Lizzery]

I take my thyroxine when I get up, eat breakfast then take pred. There probably isn’t much more than 20 minutes between them, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. It’s only very recently that I had read the advice to take thyroxine an hour before eating!

[Deemar]

So I’ve taken the Levothyrox about 6am for two days (when I wake to go to the loo). No problem going back to sleep. Still feel a bit shaky but nothing like before. I’ll definitely stick to this regime. Thank you all for your advice.