Levothyroxin morning or night

[Sj005a]

After looking at a study of levothyroxin intake and conversion rates

I'm curious as to how many people take their medication in the morning or at night

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Sj005a

You will find that members take them at different times after experimenting to find what suits them best.

Personally I take mine in the early hours of the morning, around 5am when I regularly need a bathroom trip. This is not because I feel better for taking it then, or that it makes any difference, but it keeps my thyroid meds well away from any food, drink (other than water) and other medication/supplements. It works very well for me.

If you are on a PC, look to the right of your post and you will see "Related Posts" discussing this. If you are on another device you may have to scroll down.

[Kimkat in reply to SeasideSusie]

Same as me, I take mine during the night as I take other meds last thing and first thing.

[Lalatoot]

I take half my levo in the morning and half at night.

[greygoose]

I've tried both morning and evening, and didn't notice any difference. But, I'm more likely to forget to take it in the evening than I am in the morning. Don't know why.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

It is often suggested that bed-time dosing results in slightly better absorption. It also seems slightly closer to the pattern healthy people have.

I have always taken my levothyroxine at bed-time.

For that reason, I cannot compare with taking in the morning.

Before diagnosis, my sleep was badly disturbed. Typically, I would fall asleep fairly easily. Then wake up after something like half an hour to two hours. Once woken I'd be unable to get back to sleep - often till dawn, or at all.

Once I started on levothyroxine, my sleep slowly improved. By the time I was taking an adequate dose, bad nights were unusual - just an occasional night where I might wake up for a while. Now, after years, I sleep very easily and deeply and rarely wake at all. If I do, I get back to sleep quickly.

We have some who prefer it; we have others who prefer other times. See our poll:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Some papers which discuss taking levothyroxine at different times - such as bed-time.

Levothyroxine Replacement and Ramadan Fasting

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/237...

Effect of L-Thyroxine Administration Before Breakfast vs at Bedtime on Hypothyroidism: A Meta-Analysis

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/320...

Morning vs. Bedtime Levothyroxine Administration: What Is the Ideal Choice for Children?

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/303...

A Crossover Study Evaluating Effect of Timing of Levothyroxine on Thyroid Hormone Status in Patients of Hypothyroidism

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/313...

Effect of Timing of Levothyroxine Administration on the Treatment of Hypothyroidism: A Three-Period Crossover Randomized Study

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/300...

Alternative Schedules of Levothyroxine Administration

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/256...

Thyroid Diseases and Ramadan

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/228...

Pharmacotherapy: Hypothyroidism-Should Levothyroxine Be Taken at Bedtime?

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/213...

Effects of Evening vs Morning Levothyroxine Intake: A Randomized Double-Blind Crossover Trial

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/211...

Timing of Levothyroxine Administration Affects Serum Thyrotropin Concentration

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/195...

Effects of Evening vs Morning Thyroxine Ingestion on Serum Thyroid Hormone Profiles in Hypothyroid Patients

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/172...

[Gilbo72]

I’m bed time too. Just find it easier not to forget. Ditto to Helvella above, she could have been describing my sleep pattern before and after medication.

[Ellie-Louise]

I was the same as Helvella too. When I started taking my levo in the early hours before bed my sleep improved considerably.

This morning I woke up naturally at 7:30 that then turned into 8:15, and after giving myself yet another ‘5’ minutes, my husband was waking me up because it was 9:30 and the shopping was due to arrive. 😴

[Serendipity__]

Hi! I am so glad you raised this topic. I cannot live without 3 times a day - close to 9 am, then 3-5 pm and then bedtime. I am still trying to figure out whether that T4 pack I bought converts well or works at all. 75 mcg+12 T3 in the morning;

75+12 in the afternoon and

just 75 at night.

My endo, who is a professor of thyroidology at medical school is horrified at my blood tests - TSH, R3,T4 and even wrote in diagnosis - overdose of thyroid medications. Even though I look and weigh absolutely hypo. She asked me to experiment for a month and skip just one T3 dose and then measure hormones again and visit her. And she also was extremely surprised that anyone would need to take medication in the afternoon or even at night because thyroid hormones peak at 1-2 pm in healthy people. So, several days into skipping just one small T3 dose I already felt really ill and cold and then for the first time in 2 years I got sick with really painful cold right now. But still will follow through with her advice and see. During that appointment she also said to her students- in the end, this patient might end up needing extremely high doses of thyroid medications for the rest of her life, despite terribly high T3-4 and nonexistent TSH just because her body works this way. I thought to myself - finally I found the best endo out there.

[Cavapoochonowner]

Hello, I take mine during the night when I use the toilet.I take other medication before bed and need to leave at least 4 hours before Levo.Also my stomach will be empty and when I do get up I can eat breakfast straight away.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

There is a poll right here which has been running for five years asking when people take their levothyroxine. 2408 votes and 261 comments/responses. I think that is probably gives a more comprehensive result than you are likely to find anywhere else - though still only answered by members.

If ANYONE reading this has not yet voted, please consider doing so.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...