Taking statins with levothyroxine

[Grenard]

I take a statin last thing at night and am thinking of taking my Levo tablet at the same time. Would that cause side effects?? Thanks.

[greygoose]

It would affect absorption of levo, yes. Levo should always be taken alone, on an empty stomach, two hours after food or one hour before, and two to four hours away from any other supplements/medications, depending on what it is.

You shouldn't be taking a statin, anyway. If cholesterol is high then your FT3 is more than likely too low. Have a read of this thread to learn more about cholesterol:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[sobs1962 in reply to greygoose]

Yet again, another post regarding taking statins with hypothyroidism and another reason to affirm that treating hypothyroidism is NOT!!!a priority under the NHS and prescribing statins is much easier despite the potentially harmful side effects of the drugs,not to mention the fact that GPs are financially incentivised to prescribe statins, it's a national disgrace. I had a stroke on 1st January 2022 and am now on 80mg Atorvastatin and I expect to be kept on this high dose despite my thyroid being extremely unstable and having gone hyper over the last 6-9 months,due to overmedication and I honestly don't think they'll ever get the hypothyroidism message despite their being an article on NHS website titled "Statins considerations and it states quite clearly that hypothyroidism causes cholesterol levels to rise and that the hypothyroidism should be treated first before prescribing statins is considered, clearly they can't even manage to follow their OWN guidelines.

[greygoose in reply to sobs1962]

I don't suppose many doctors even read them. Most of them are going by what they learnt in med school 20/30/40 years ago! They don't keep up with science and research.

[shaws Administrator in reply to sobs1962]

I'm sorry you've now to cope with having a Stroke. I hope you have a swift recovery without damage.

[sobs1962 in reply to shaws]

I got a letter from neurology the other day and apparently My CT and MRI scans show that I've had multiple strokes,so how I'm not severely disabled, is beyond me and although I should be extremely grateful that I'm able to function relatively normally, unfortunately my mental health has worsened to the point where I feel like giving up completely and I don't hold out much hope for the future, as I'm just waiting for another stroke to happen and am in a state of permanent severe anxiety,despite being told by a vascular nurse that there's more chance of me dying from being hit by a bus than having another stroke, I just don't know who to believe anymore and am trying to live my life one day at a time,but when you have BPD,MDD and GAD, that's almost impossible.

[shaws Administrator in reply to sobs1962]

It is easy to say 'don't worry' but the reaction you've had is a normal reaction that tries to alleviate one's fear.

It is normal to think of how we are going to manage if our brain has been affected. However, many on this forum have had similar diagnosis and have got to a stage when they feel well again. I think I'd believe the most optimistic response from the medical viewpoint.

I can understand the worry you feel at present but, hopefully, if the Endocrinologist can prescribe T3 for you that may well relieve your symptoms too and, if so, you will feel much better.

[sobs1962 in reply to shaws]

I very much doubt that my endocrinologist would prescribe T3 as the NHS don't even test ft3 as part of thyroid blood panel, so no test equals no idea of ft3 levels therefore no chance of getting prescribed T3 and as I appear to have been overmedicated during the last 6-9 months,they're even less likely to prescribe it, despite the fact I'm taking 2 medications known to seriously interfere with conversion from T4 to T3. People in uk with thyroid disease have basically got no chance and I'm going to mention the fact T3 is a possible solution to treatment resistant depression which I also have, but doubt if I'll get anywhere with it.

[Digitalbluecat in reply to sobs1962]

My Niacin regime has saved me. 7 years post embolism and I'm very low lipid panel. Evenb 500 or 1000 MG less and my lipids go to 300 and rising. Nicotinic acid is a miracle. I buy generic Rugby from Amazon by the 1000 pill bottle for $28. Took me rwo months to titration up and no more flushing.Hang tough and try everything Jon traditional and non pharmaceutical. I use Conunerlabs.com to vet all my supplements (primary meds actually).

[Digitalbluecat in reply to sobs1962]

I keep my cholesterol and triglycerides well below levels with 5000 MG of pure Niacin (nicotinic acid)I refuse to ever have another embolism. 7 years now and counting since I was resuscitated and heart surgery. I also quit smoking and pay close attention to lipids. Niacinamide will not work and has to Nicotinic acid twice daily. I buy the Rugby brand in 1000 pill bottles from Amazon. Good stuff and my tests gong from malignant Triglyceremia to less than 150 for years now. Diabetes is implicated in lipid issues. That too I work hard to regulate with Dexcom G6 now. Libre2 like Synthroid proved to be garbage now.

[sobs1962 in reply to Digitalbluecat]

That's interesting, but I've never heard of nicotinic acid and it sounds suspiciously like nicotine which is the substance in cigarettes that people are addicted to. Maybe you could explain it to me, thanks.

[Grenard in reply to greygoose]

Thanks grey goose, I’ll certainly read the thread.

[greygoose in reply to Grenard]

You're welcome.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As per previous posts

You need FULL thyroid and vitamin testing done

ALWAYS take levothyroxine on its own, on empty stomach and then wait at least an hour before eating or drinking anything other than water

No other medications or supplements within 2 hours

What are your most recent thyroid results and ranges

Do you normally take levothyroxine waking, bedtime or middle of night

Are you currently taking any vitamin supplements?

Or other medications?

High cholesterol suggests you are not on high enough dose levothyroxine

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis) usually diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Do you have autoimmune thyroid disease

Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s

Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis.

Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.

In U.K. medics never call it Hashimoto’s, just autoimmune thyroid disease (and they usually ignore the autoimmune aspect)

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally before 9am last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options and money off codes

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Statins

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.

[sobs1962 in reply to SlowDragon]

That's exactly the piece of information I was talking about, but there's no point in drawing a doctors attention to it, if they have no intention of paying attention or just continue in their arrogance to believe that they know best, despite never attempting to update their knowledge or read recent research papers. It makes me so angry and I know that if I were a doctor I would do everything in my power to make sure I was giving my patients the best possible care at all times,to not do so says you just don't care.