I'm On 50mg levo and I'm struggling when's best to take it.
I was taking it in the morning about 6 and waiting an hour+ Before eating, but I felt tiered and irritable all day.
I've just changed to bedtime about 10pm, I do seem to more awake but I'm not sleeping!! Ive had 2hrs sleep tonight.
Any suggestion would be great pls.
Last blood test TSH 1.19
I do not absorb thyroxine very well and after various suggestions on how to manage my medication take 250mg morning and evening (this was suggested by my endocrinologist and it seems to be working). I also have AF and having my ablation next Thursday (19 June) so fingers crossed that it will be successful.
HI How long have you been taking NHS T4, it takes around three months to get use to it and at least three weeks to get into your body. %0CR is not a lot but your TSH is fine which would suggest you don't need it. Taking T4 at night is a problem as it wakes you up like a stimulant.
I am surprised your GP has given you this drug with a TSH like this. Have you taken your temperature through out the day , that will give you an indication on what is going on.
Good luck
John C
My tsh was 7 before they started giving me levo, I've been taking it since March 2013.
In my personal experience (been taking levo for several years now), it works better at night time on an empty stomach (at least 2 hours after supper). My break after the meal is usually longer, cause I go to bed quite late.
I take mine when I go to bed having changed it from the morning, to avoid other meds. I don't find it a stimulant in anyway and have generally felt less well since changing. We vary at what level TSH we feel well on, mine has to be suppressed for me to feel better for instance. Can you post all your bloods and the lab ranges so we can comment more usefully on what is happening. 50mcg is a low dose and may he tge reason you feel tired but without say, T4&3 results too, it is difficult to identify exactly what is going on. Have you had vit B, ferritin, folate, VitD etc tested?
They didn't test my t4 last time, I had b12 done and it was I the 700's.
At my TSH level of 1.19 dr said that was fine.
I'm not sure I can last long on only a few hours sleep.
I've asks for vitD test but have been refused twice.
I don't have my results for my last full blood count.
You can have your VitD tested privately here: cityassays.org.uk/vitamins..... It costs £25 and is very easy to do by finger prick.
GP's say 'fine' when they mean within range, but that doesn't necessarily mean you are feeling well or are optimally treated.
By the way, you can have a full thyroid test privately too (see ThyroidUK) if you are able.
Not in anyway a recommendation as I don't know if it interferes with thyroid absorption, but I have started taking 5HTP for improved mood and sleeping (when I can remember to take it lol) , and I have begun to notice a difference.
I was started on 25mg as they wasn't going to treat me, dr decided to treat my symtoms last year, I cant see that she'll put my dose up.
Obviously you can't go on without sufficient restful sleep. Insomnia is a well known side effect of thyroid meds - even NDT can bring it to the fore. As, indeed, is irritability. You've moved the whole dose from morning to evening. I'd suggest experimenting further. Try taking it before lunch, or at teatime (sometime between 4 and 7 p.m.). I would also try splitting the dose in two (and taking the second late well before bedtime). I know this is sacrilege, but I wouldn't worry too much in the short term about taking your Levo so many hours before/after other meds/supplements. Try and find a dosing strategy that works with your body rhythms first. Then perhaps you can adjust what else you take to maximise the beneficial effects of your Levo.
It is amazing how the same meds affect people differently with thyroidism. You are obviously keen to 'own' your own health - and you're right to do so, because of the huge variety of experiences.
Remember when you're experimenting to only change one factor at a time, eg if your first change is to the time of your dose, don't split it as well; make the split a separate experiment. Make a list of what changes you want to try and evaluate each as you go through them. Good luck.
Thank you for this, I've done bedtime for a week now and I know if I carry on like this I just end up shattered again.
I might try mid morning next and see how that goes. And I'll keep a diary on how it affects me.
lol ok I know the feeling I keep telling my man I'm not getting enough but ok so you mean Leve. I really need to take all mine as soon as I wake works for me.
I had this problem before and found that despite my doctors prescription of 75 mg I operated better on 50 mg. I couldnt process the higher dose; felt wired to moon if took at night, and tired all day if took in morning.I lowered the dose myself to 50 mg and finally the doctor agreed with me as I felt so much better. You should google how to use diet to support thyroid as eating a diet high in certain nutrients b vitamins,vitamin d zinc , folic acid etc helped me a lot in feeling better also. It seems if your deficient in the right nutrient you cant convert the thyroid tablets into usable energy. Personally I found that eating a good cereal fortified with lots of b vitamins folic acid etc.( look on the side to compare cereals) twice a day with low milk thats fortified with iron and vitamin d helped top me up to daily requirements of vitamins. Good luck, it took me a long time to figure it out but I really think diet is the key 
I am on same dose and take in morning with glass of milk (seems to help my sore throat too). Then I have normal breakfast after about 20 mins and it is great..Feel a bit dozy in the mornings but really get going after about 10.30 ish onwards.
No issues with sleep or anything else. Good luck
Hi I just wanted to mention I always took all my meds including Levi with milk in the morning untill my pharmacist told me milk stops Levi from being absorbed so your not getting the dose you need. I now take with water and just recently had my dose decreased. Worth thinking about !
I was having sleeping problems taking it at night as well. I take my thyroid meds at 3:00am. I just set my alarm, take it and go back to sleep. Then it is on board by the time I get up at 6.
I have difficulty sleeping if I'm on too low a dose, or if levels are too high, so it may not just be the timing of your dose you have to change to get a good night's sleep
What is the brand name of your tablets.This is my experience. I take my tablets 125mg Levothyroxin between 4 and 5am this way I have eaten and drank nothing either side of taking them for at least 2 hours. When I took them in the morning I would wake up with lots of aches and pains I don't now. I do usually start getting tired about 22.00 hours. I have always slept badly getting up every 2 hours sometimes even one this was the case before I was diagnosed with under active thyroid So I don't think mt thyroid is the reason for this.
Once medication is given you expect to feel your old self but haven't really been that feeling that, more like a cloud sits over my head and not knowing if this is usual or how I should expect to feel.
The last prescription I got from the Pharmacy was not my usual brand which has been Mercury. This time he gave me 25 micrograms of the mercury brand and 100mg of the brand name Almus.What a difference I have more energy and feel like a cloud has lifted. I decided not to take the Mercury brand and took half a 100mg Almus tablet feeling even better then on the second night I had headaches so i am cutting them into four to get the right dose. I'm seeing the doctor at the beginning of July and will discuss about brands of tablets.
Almus by the looks if it, in a goldy packet.
I know I'll probulay never feel 'normal' but I can't remember when I did anyway lol!
Just want a little more gogo juice. ☺️
Well hopefully you will. It's worth you trying a different brand. Good Luck.
I split my dose and take half in the morning and half in the evening. Works for me! X
Side effects of taking Levo
Taking Levo and increased peripheral neuropathy?
Morning symptoms after taking Levo
