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Sleeping problems with graves disease/hyperthyroidism

summer1308 profile image
7 Replies

I have Graves disease which caused my hyper thyroidism I take 113.75 mg of WP thyroid and my sleep pattern is all out of whack if I take a nap during the day I don’t go to sleep until four in the morning. I take my WP every morning at 6 AM five days a week because my numbers go up and down by the afternoon I’m dragging and I fall asleep I have to stay busy constantly so I don’t fall asleep any ideas on how I should be taking my thyroid medication. The pharmacist said on an empty stomach and an hour before food I eat dinner at 6 o’clock at night but I have drinks up until I go to bed I don’t consider drinks food. Does anyone know if that would affect my thyroid medication if I took it at night to see if I feel better during the day. I would appreciate any ideas thanks

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Clutter profile image
Clutter

Summer1308,

If you post your recent throid results and ranges we can tell you whether you are optimally dosed.

You could try splitting your dose into morning and bedtime either one hour before food and drink other than water, or two hours after. Tea, coffee and milk can interfere with absorption of NDT the same way food does.

wightmouse profile image
wightmouse

Confused? If hyperthyroidism you shouldn't be taking thyroid hormones unless graves was treated leaving you hypothyroid?

So other members can help. Please supply more history and thyroid blood results with ranges.

summer1308 profile image
summer1308 in reply to wightmouse

my Thyroid was killed with radioactive iodine so no i am hypothyroid. will post lab results tomorrow just woke from a nap at 1:26am US time and now wide awake this is my problem will be up for some time now. need to get this under control.

wightmouse profile image
wightmouse in reply to summer1308

I myself have graves and had RAI in 2009. I am plagued with insomnia since then .I have trouble getting to sleep,some nights I don't get any. I have tried everything suggested on this forum.

For info when I tried desiccated thyroid my antibodies elevated. Now I'm back on T4/T3 they are back in the normal range.

I wish you well and hope you find a solution to your insomnia. Hopefully your results will show an answer! We are all different without this forum I would of gone mad.

Be kind to yourself.

juliarosscures.com/eliminat...

redeyes2 profile image
redeyes2 in reply to summer1308

Hi summer1308,

I have unusual sleep patterns too. I am usually up til 230 or 3 am and get up about 10 am. When I travel and stay at other people's homes, I just lay there hoping I will fall asleep. Have you mentioned to your endo or GP about sleep problem? Most US dr will give you sleep pills.

This past month I had pneumonia and a kidney infection. They put me on heavy antibiotics, I can breathe better now. The antibiotics made me feel like I didn't need to sleep. They sent me for abdomen Ultrasound and they found an irregularly shaped mass on kidneys. I had Ab US in August and it was not there then.

When I saw endo in early Jan. my levels were normal again, hope I can stay off the meds. I go back to endo 2/19 and then to new dr specialist 2/28. Heaven only knows how these different meds effect my thyroid and kidneys.

Summer, my aunt's thyroid did like yours and she sd she can fall asleep real easy. I can ask her what kind if you want. LMK. My Dad has the underactive thyroid and he is also diabetic. I don't know if that makes it different, but he gets times were he barely sleeps. That makes me think he isn't sleeping at night. They gave him a low dose amitriptyline for sleep. They can't give him anything too strong since he has had chronic kidney problems.

Hope they find some way to help you. I'm in USA too.

red

summer1308 profile image
summer1308 in reply to redeyes2

Hi redeyes2,

I usually go to bed at 230-300 and get up at 6am to take my thyroid med and go back to sleep til 8am. I wear a fitness tracker that measures sleep. I can’t take sleeping pills cause of my other meds I take at bed time and I have COPD and sleeping pills affect your breathing. I will take to my endo when I see her because it’s getting worse. I try not to fall asleep during the day because it makes it worse. I do not know what I am going to do when I go on vacation with this sleep pattern.

Summer1308

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Some of us find taking Thyroid meds at night improves sleep.

So you could try it. As Clutter suggests, perhaps split the dose and try that

How are your vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 too?

Low vitamin D is linked to sleep issues and is extremely common with thyroid problems

drgominak.com/sleep/vitamin...

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