Best time to take medication?

[frascina]

I have read conflicting reports on when is the best time to take Levothyroxine? I am on 75mg and have always taken it in the morning before breakfast. I would interested in your experiences.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Frascina

I take mine during the early hours of the morning when I need a loo visit, it can be anything from around 3am to 6am. It keeps it away from supplements taken at breakfast and later in the day.

The best thing you can do is just experiment, see what suits you. Just make sure you take it on an empty stomach, one hour before or two hours with a glass of water only, no teacher, coffee, milk, etc for an hour either side.

[marsaday]

Bedtime for me. Works so much better.

Nighttime dosing ties in with our own hormone production as we make thyroid hormones when we go to sleep. In the second half of the night we make cortisol and these two hormones are linked.

So nighttime dosing should improve cortisol production.

Sometimes you can't notice a difference, but i would say try doing it for a week at least and then switch back to morning and see what differences you get then. I feel much worse if i take my thyroid meds in the morning now.

[helvella Administrator]

Have a look at this poll and the numerous comments on it:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Always take Levo on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after. Many take on waking, but it may be more convenient and possibly more effective taken at bedtime

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

Personally I changed to bedtime dose on endo advice about 6 years ago. Found it significantly better

Many people find Levothyroxine brands are not interchangeable. Once you find a brand that suits you, best to make sure to only get that one at each prescription

Are you on high enough dose to make full recovery

If you post your most recent results members can advise

[Ryleedog]

I agree with bedtime it just makes more sense had more time to work and get in your system and this won't conflict with anything else

[Gambit62]

I was started on levo taking it early in the morning but I would crash 30 minutes after taking it and felt as if I had never slept so started taking it at bed time instead.

I'm a bit of a nibbler so it is a bit of an adustment to eating habits.

I have an auto-immune gastritis which means that I don't have much stomach acidity so take levo with very watered down lime juice so some acidity to help with the digestion.

Having levo with food is, I believe a possibilty but its likely that the absorption rates will be different so you definitely shouldn't mix and match having it with food sometimes and without food at other times .... and you will need more if you are taking it with food.

Still early days for me and still pretty lacking in energy and struggling with work etc.

[Hidden]

I started to take my Levo at night because it was making me feel ill and some people on this site had better results. I tried it out for 2 months and felt just the same i.e. exactly the same, it can't hurt to try though you may improve!

I am now on NDT and T3 together and feel well again.