Levothyroxine turned me nocturnal

Its 5:09 am and I haven't slept yet. Levothyroxine insomnia is too real right now.

[Lalatoot]

My insomnia comes when I am undermedicated. Are you sure you are on an adequate dose?

[Hidden in reply to Lalatoot]

No I'm a newbie to thyroid information. I got diagnosed like 3 weeks ago so I'm still on the 50 mcg dose. I felt amazing on it for a week. Thought my problems were solved. Now I'm a grumpy anxious maniac again who sleeps 2 hours a week lol. Not that bad just really inconsistent sleep and moods

[NWA6 in reply to Hidden]

So you are newly diagnosed. This is to be expected. Quite often an infusion of thyroxine can makes us feel great and then not enough. If you’ve ever felt thirsty that first drink is amazing and then after that it’s not as satisfying. If you can bear to give it another 3wks wait for testing but maybe test now and increase Levo again. You may be beholden to what your GP’s say and they may say it’s too early to test again. You’ll soon learn how to fight your corner and demand treatment but for now you may well be undermedicated.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

For some reason, I have only just noticed your post.

When do you take your levothyroxine?

Although doctors and Patient Information Leaflets, and so on, all seem to assume you should take it in the morning, there are those who suggest other times.

I have always taken mine at bed-time. Sleep, or rather, like you, lack of sleep, was one of the significant symptoms I had. I would fall asleep, then wake up and spend most of the rest of the night awake - sometimes getting to sleep again a short time before having to get up.

About twelve or so years ago, some papers started being published which suggested that bed-time dosing was a reasonable alternative. Still not often mentioned, I decided to go that way from the very beginning.

Improved sleep was one of the first things I really noticed.

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

I did the same thing after the first few weeks. It hasn't changed much. My mood is much better though today even though I've only slept 2 of the last 32 hours.

[Lucy60 in reply to helvella]

Thank you for you reply. I shall start taking them at night and see how I go. I can already see this is a journey and hopefully will be on the right track soon 😊

[Lucy60]

Hi slushy

I am experiencing the same thing. I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago and felt much better brain fog was lifting and was actually sleeping better than ever then on the 10th night i just couldn't sleep. Exhasted the 11th night so I slept. Now on the 12th night i am wide awake. I'm also on 50.

Can I ask you how you are doing?

Thank you

[Hidden in reply to Lucy60]

I'm doing pretty well. It's been kind of a long story though. I can tell you more about it if you want to PM me. But after it's all said in done I would say I'm happy with the levothyroxine right now. I'm also on sertraline but the levothyroxine makes the sertraline work MUCH better from what I've learned. I've also tried the liothyronine which works just as well but faster. I would say you might be on too high of a dose but it's too early. Your whole body is adjusting to more hormone so your habits are probably going to change. You might find you feel more rested with less sleep which is awesome. I started on 25 mcg and saw almost immediate major results in my mood and energy. They say 25 is a very small dose but I've heard stories of people who see major changes with just small amounts of levothyroxine or liothyronine.

[Lora7again]

I only sleep about 5 hours a night if I am lucky and I think it something to do with my thyroid disease. The mistake I have been doing which hasn't helped is putting on my tv or chatting on sites in the US on the internet which I am a member of. Sometimes I watch tv if I am awake which I did today I woke up at 2am. I then binge watched "YOU" on sky which is a disturbing story about a stalker and murderer. Try not to stimulate your brain by either using your phone, pc or watching tv because there is something about blue light which keeps you awake. I am not a good example to go by because I never stick to my own advice lol.

[Hidden in reply to Lora7again]

Do you feel energetic with only 5 hours of sleep? Yea I dont find bright lights very relaxing when I'm trying to sleep.

[Lora7again in reply to Hidden]

I feel ok and not tired at all. I think my metabolism has kicked in after suffering from a low thyroid for a couple of years. I have no idea why to be honest it is either to do with my goitre or this unpredictable autoimmune thyroid disease. You can read my story on my profile page. I was watching This Morning the other day and woman who is an expert on sleep problems said to try repeating "the" and then waiting a while and repeating it again until you fall asleep. I tried it the other night and I think it worked. She said it was because it was the most boring word in the English language.

[Hidden in reply to Lora7again]

O no dont read my old posts lol. I'm a bit of a mental case. I dont really think thyroid disease is my only problem it's just one that's been detected. I think my body is way off balance nutritionally. Possibly celiac disease which is hard to detect but is associated with hypothyroidism. So I'm just going to try to heal the damage I've done for the rest of my life. Yea mantras work for some people who are a little restless. That's great your not tired you must be so much more productive. What were your sleeping patterns before your thyroid diagnosis?

[Lora7again in reply to Hidden]

I just deleted that part because I didn't want you to think I was being nosy lol Before I had this disease I was always a bit lively I think I am bit of a female nerd. I love reading and I am very interested in computers and I am teaching myself coding to pass the time. My mother told me when I was little I would not sleep and would be up to about 11pm when I was about 3. When I was a teenager I would read a book in a night under the bedclothes with a torch because my mother would get annoyed if I stayed up late. She never believed I had read a book in a night and would ask me questions about it just to check. I also have a bit of a photographic memory and memorise stuff I read and telephone number etc. My Dad was a technical engineer and had a pilots license and both of us are interested in how things work like cars and airplanes. I think he really wanted a son because he actually taught me how to shoot a rifle and we would go to target practice. Sorry if I have rambled on a bit lol

[Hidden in reply to Lora7again]

I'm glad you read some of my posts your not being nosey. I'm a Male nerd. I had a good childhood and was well liked but looking backing I think I was a bit OCD or manic. I used to have nightmares all the time and would have night time hallucinations. I enjoyed sports a lot and did pretty well at them. Then as a teenager I had a ton of anxiety which led to depression. I was the definition of a mess. Arguably I still am. I've been through a whole lot but my perspective of the world has gotten so much better. I enjoy just playing music for the hell of it and I love philosophy. I enjoy learning about people and what motivates them and just growing as a person and helping other people when I can.

[Lora7again in reply to Hidden]

My son used to play keyboard and acoustic guitar but he lost interest and I think he is like me. I used to read music and play the piano but I gave it up. I seem to flit from one thing to another and at the moment I am interested in drawing and painting. I don't know if this something to do with this disease but I am always changing my interests all the time or it might be because I get easily bored.