bad at meds 175mcg :(

[klhawken]

so i got really good at taking the meds....last 3 weeks i got bad and have not taken it. ive had this illness for about 2 years now and i cant get myself into a rythem. i can feel myself going backwards but i cant find a way to stick to my medication . i know that there are lots of health factors im putting at risk, but im finding it super hard to adapt to . any help? (overdue a review but embarrassed as my levels will be worse than last time)

[DawnD]

Try to get into a routine and take it at the same time every day - for instance, when you get up in the morning, or last thing at night before going to sleep. If at night, put your medication next to your toothbrush so that you can see it and remember to take it at the same time as brushing your teeth before going to bed.

[Josoap]

It's a chore but I set my alarm for 6.15 work days take Levo then lie in bed or snooze back off till alarm goes at 6.40 then get up and ready for work. 7.25 have breakfast which is just over an hour after Levo. On weekends no alarm but always awake early so take it then and sometimes back to sleep. If I take it 7.30 8 ish then leave it an hour till breaki it's all about routine find something that works for you

[LuckyKat]

Hi, have you thought of making a note of taking your medicine. It's useful to keep track of temperature and so on so that you can see the effect of a change in dose if you have one so you could note down how much medicine you've taken at the same time. It might help you get into a routine.

[shaws Administrator]

It doesn't matter at all if your levels are out. Be honest with your doctor and say the medication you were taking wasn't helping you at all.

The most important thing is to have everything checked. i.e. TSH, T4, T3, Vitamin D, iron, ferritin and folate as we are usually deficient in vitamins/minerals. Get a copy from the surgery (we are entitled and some charge a nominal sum for paper/ink). Make sure they have the ranges and post on a new question for comments.

If medicine we are taking for a health issue doesn't seem to be doing much, we are apt to stop taking it as we think 'it's not working - what's the use'.

As you know yourself, we have to take a thyroid hormone to live as it drives everything in our body, from head to toe. If we don't take sufficient to feel well, we can get other more serious diseases and you wouldn't want that, would you?

So phone and make an appointment. Have the earliest appointment and as you aren't taking thyroid medication at the moment don't take any till after your blood test. Your GP will prescribe again for you.

[galathea]

There was an experiment done with taking t4. Instead of taking it every day, people were just given one big dose once a week. I believe it may have resulted in a slightly raised tsh, but other that that, people did fine with once a week dosing.

press.endocrine.org/doi/abs...

G xx

[siskin]

Decide when you are going to take your meds and set the alarm or count down timer on your mobile phone or kitchen timer.

Reset timer again as you take your meds. Hope that helps.

[sulamaye]

I'm struggling to understand what you find so challenging? Do you just take T4 once a day? Take it when you wake up or before you go to bed whichever produces the best sleep and have it by your bed to remind you.

I am currently taking 3 x T3 doses a day, one that requires a 4am alarm call, plus I am taking my blood pressure and temperature about 6 times a day to monitor the doses. I am very ill. When I was simply a person who took T4 for 17 years - before I hit the wall and could no longer get out bed - I was a bit haphazard in my approach, but I tended to take it every day, occasionally forgetting, but I still 99 times out of 100 managed to take it and I didn't know it should be taken an hour before or 3-4 hours after food.

Now that my life is ruined - I live in a glass cage of disability - my motivation is different, so I'm systematic. It probably all comes down to motivation. Identify what it is that stops you taking it, that is the key to working out how to solve the problem.

[Lionyx2006]

Instead of having my meds in the kitchen, I changed them to my office. My office is next to my bedroom. I wake up and take them and then go back to bed for awhile. I keep mine in a pill organizer/dispenser which has the days of the week on it. It's circular and keeps one week's worth.

I stick mine under my tongue with my methyl B12.

There are some great pill organizers/dispensers with alarms. Some dispensers last a whole month. There's one which includes a chart.

epill.com

I'm certain there are other websites like this one.