When to take thyroxine

[Mitch70]

Hi am new to taking thyroxine Been on it 6 weeks so far but am finding taking it in morning is such an inconvenience.. ie 1hour before food .. no tea/ coffee ... have read reviews about switching to evening .. what’s best way to go about this ?

[KatVonB]

Hey i usually just take it around 6:30am because i get up around that time. I normally go back to bed (i work from home so i guess that helps) and eat a couple of hours after.

Some people take it on empty stomach in evening too as they feel having it in the tummy overnight works better for them

If you take in the morning, why don’t you set an alarm earlier, have it by ur bedside and then get up later?

[Mitch70 in reply to KatVonB]

Hi katvonB

Thanks for your reply .. at the moment I also take it at 6.30 but find having to wait 1 hour for cup tea and breakfast difficult as I leave the house at 7.45 for work and still have everything else to squeeze In .. brush teeth etc .. night time would definitely be easier but not sure how to encorporate it in .. would I have to go without my morning tab one day ??

[Maggiemcq in reply to KatVonB]

Thx for the question and all the replies. I’ve been taking thyroxine for years and struggled when I recently found out that you shouldn’t take with other meds- I’m now going to change to night time and see if that’s easier. Thanks everyone

[Debzeewestmids in reply to Maggiemcq]

i have only just realised this is why i have felt so ill for the last few weeks.i was prescribed Naproxen and lansoprazole.I was taking them for 10 weeks,but i was taking the lansoprazole 30 mins after my levothyroxine because it said on the pharmasists label on Levo box to take at least 30 mins before drinking coffee or eating,so i foolishly thought it was ok to take Lansoprazole then aswell.My dose of levo was already too low,i have since learned since being on here.So that would surely cancel out my levo,so after 6 weeks of doing this)( ididn't realise at time) i started to feel really really ill ie,aches and pains all over(worse than normal)and my legs feel like lead,and loads of other hypothyroid symptoms.After taking Naprox and Lanso after 9 weeks thats when i went to Drs to request thyroid blood test and they then upped my dosage to 75mcg,but obviously,i have to wait a few more weeks for them to kick in and hopefully feel a little better,even though since joining this group i have learned that i have been undermedicated for the last 12 months anyway.my TSH is still at 3.7 so when i have a retest in 4 weeks i have to convince my Dr to increase my dose.I have learned a hard lesson.

[bantam12]

If you want to change just miss the morning dose and take it that night.

I swapped to night time and my T3 level improved so obviously I was absorbing it better.

[greygoose]

It's no big deal. Tomorrow, instead of taking it in the morning, you just take it before bed, and carry on taking it that way.

[Mitch70 in reply to greygoose]

Just a bit apprehensive missing it first morning .. may feel exhausted at work .. demanding job with nhs

[bantam12 in reply to Mitch70]

Unlikely you will notice anything but you can double up for a day if you want.

[greygoose in reply to Mitch70]

Levo, T4, is a storage hormone. The dose you took this morning will take seven weeks to be fully metabolised. Taking it ten or so hours later than usual is hardly likely to have much - if any effect. It doesn't work instantly, like an aspirin.

[Mitch70 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks I didn’t know that ! So much to learn

[greygoose in reply to Mitch70]

Yes, I'm afraid there is.

[KatVonB in reply to Mitch70]

I agree u wnt notice a diff of 1 morn. Swap for night time 🙃

[Mitch70 in reply to KatVonB]

Done the swap last night ! Enjoyed my old breakfast routine this morning ...

[marsaday]

Bedtime dosing for me. Works much better than morning. Just take your dose in the morning and then again at bedtime that first day. Then stick to bedtime routine

[Mitch70 in reply to marsaday]

Will I still need a 2 hour clear window of no food ?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Mitch70]

Yes, so if eating or drinking late then just take in middle of night

3 hours ideally after a huge meal, but 2 hours is fine for normal meals

[SlowDragon Administrator]

I take at bedtime too. Initially was recommended by my endo. I found it significantly more effective and makes morning cup of tea so much easier

Does mean no snacking before bed....but that's probably a good thing!

Recent research suggests bedtime dosing gives better results

verywell.com/should-i-take-...

[Mitch70 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks slowdragon no snacking at night definetly sounds good ! Am due to get my first results in 2 weeks do you think I should wait till then ?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Mitch70]

Possibly, but it might be better to change now. Especially if you find morning so awkward

[Mitch70 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for advice slowdragon .. I’ll start tomorrow night by missing morning dose eek .. fingers crossed I survive the day ..

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Mitch70]

I would just start tonight

Or alternatively take tomorrow mornings dose early in middle of night, about 3-4am

Then next night start at bedtime (that's how I did it)

[marsaday]

Eating doesn't affect all people when taking thyroid meds. So don't be frightened to experiment.

Some people take thyroxine with their food and this has been shown to help those with weight gain problems when they get on thyroid meds.

For me I don't notice any difference if I take thyroid meds with or near food.

The reason bedtime or nighttime dosing is better is due to the cortisol boosting effects. It actuallyfits better with our natural hormone cycle

[Mitch70 in reply to marsaday]

Thanks for that marsaday , didn’t know about the cortisol bit this is all quite new to me , am learning as I go but glad to have found this forum .

[KT77 in reply to marsaday]

How do you do blood test if you take t4 in the evening? Thanks

[welliec]

Take it as late as you can - like just before you go up to bed no other medication (or within 1 hour) no caffeine or anything but water. T4 stays in your blood stream for a long period so it wont affect you by changing to night time, however mentally it may do.

I changed to night time ( i couldnt do morning although have been trying my entire life!) this year and so far its given me the best results in blood tests and i do feel better. plus you dont have to worry about eating or drinking anything.

[TimD250172]

Hi Mitch70, I swapped over to night time from mornings as I couldn’t get on with waiting for my breakfast and morning cuppa. I also found I actually felt better first thing as well.

[Mitch70 in reply to TimD250172]

Thanks that’s good to know

[CyprusSarah]

I read years ago somewhere abuot taking it at nighttime, and due to a rubbish endo, I swapped to taking mine thyroxin at bedtime. I think I did feel better. Then had some regular blood tests summer 2016 along with thyroid tests, and my levels (according to doctor) weren’t great. Explained to her about me taking at bedtime (first time time I’d been to this GP) and she’d never heard of this and said she would research it. I went back for follow up and upped my dosage and she told me I should be taking in the morning and couldn’t find anything on taking it at bedtime! So for 15 months I’m taking it at 6-6:30am and waiting until 8-8:30 ish to eat which isn’t easy. I like to take a supplement daily which I tend to forget about because of this morning thyroxin routine. The doctor has now left Cyprus so I have to find another and am wondering whether to just simply change my routine again.

[Mitch70 in reply to CyprusSarah]

Hi cyprusarah

Have found loads of articles on night time taking with great results , as well as on this forum so gonna try this and see what happens as the breakfast thing in morning is a real pain ..

[Kell-E in reply to Mitch70]

I have had several endos and even my surgeon tell me that if you want to take your levo in the am with coffee that is fine. As long as you do it exactly the same way each day your dosage will be adjusted for any lack of absorption. Personally, I find it easier to do exactly the same thing each morning rather than in the evening. I'd be like, oops I just had a beer and a pizza now I have to stay up for another 2 hours, lol.

[kashka]

Hi . I take mine at around 2-2.30 am . its the time i usually get up to have a wee lol. I start work at 6am so am up at 5am . This gives me a chance to have a good breakfast before i leave. It works for me

[Shufflebunnie]

Hi, I take mine in the morning, get up, get sorted and take my breakfast to work with me and then spend 15 mins at work sitting having my breakfast and cup of tea. Initially I found this hard, but actually works for me once I got my head round it. So by the time I get up and then travel to work that's my hour, if not over, and then breakfast.

For all my supplements I take them at lunch time, after food and other medications I take in the mid morning.

I've tried taking it at bed time, but as I work to 9pm some nights and need to be up at 5:45am, being clear of food for 2 hours doesn't work as I wont be eating until 9:30pm so would be up to about 12pm.

At the end of the day as long as it is constant and works into your lifestyle.

[SamanthaVictory]

I swapped to night time, just before I fall asleep. I felt much better taking it this way and woke up feeling refreshed. Only issue is if, like me, you end up eating late sometimes. I had a week where I was forced to have late dinners and so not taking it on a properly empty stomach and I was incredibly tired. I've only been taking a few weeks so it may have been some other 'adjustment' issue but something to bear in mind with your lifestyle.

[Mitch70 in reply to SamanthaVictory]

Good advice thanks for that Samantha victory;))

[Lipstick56]

I've always taken mine in the morning WITH my 1st cup of tea around 5.30/6am, i don't have any breakfast, then get to wrk for 8, i didn't know it could be taken in the evening, i need to start taking some vitamins for muscle/ bones as i feel i need something instead of taking painkillers all the time so i might start having a switch around with tablets, hope you get urself sorted

[Mitch70 in reply to Lipstick56]

I too have only just learned from this site about evening dose lipstick 56 as it’s very early days for me .. but glad I did ;)) started evening dose last night so fingers crossed 🤞 good luck wth yours too

[Lipstick56]

Ahh thank you mitch70, yeah I've learnt quite alot on this site, glad i can refer to it 👍