I have been taking my Levothyroxine in the morning with my first dose of Liothyronine. I have read that taking it at night can help increase T4 and possibly help with conversion to T3, also helping with sleep. I would also like to know how long before and after taking it at night should I leave when eating and drinking hot drinks.
Many thanks. 😊
Flecmac better still split your dose of levo. I always have. It can be gentler on the system and if one dose is compromised by eating too close to it you haven't messed with a day's dose.I take levo and lio first thing and bedtime. My evening meal is usually over by 7pm and I have a cup of tea sometimes at 8.30pm then levo lio 10pm.
We have to live so our dosing also has to fit in with our routine where poss.
Thanks. I tried splitting my Levo but got into a pickle, and I’ve also now increased Sat Sun Levo to 75mcg with 62.5 mcg rest of week. It’s so complicated splitting.
Looking at previous posts
You’re taking levothyroxine and T3?
How much T3 …..
you can take both levothyroxine and last dose T3 at bedtime
Dinner at least 2 hours before
3 hours if it’s a feast
Nothing apart from water for at least an hour before and hour after
Definitely no long milky drinks
No other medication or supplements at same as Levothyroxine, leave at least 2 hour gap.
Some like iron, calcium, magnesium, HRT, omeprazole or vitamin D should be four hours away
(Time gap doesn't apply to Vitamin D mouth spray)
If you normally take levothyroxine at bedtime/in night ...adjust timings as follows prior to blood test
If testing Monday morning, delay Saturday evening dose levothyroxine until Sunday morning. Delay Sunday evening dose levothyroxine until after blood test on Monday morning. Take Monday evening dose levothyroxine as per normal
Similarly if normally splitting your levothyroxine, take whole daily dose 24 hours before test
I split my levothyroxine twice day ….half dose waking and half at 11pm (125mcg 4 days and 112.5mcg 3 days ….I literally cut tablets in half……)
I split T3 as 3 x 5mcg …..waking, mid afternoon and bedtime
Waking dose…..an alarm at 6am…..then go back to sleep
REMEMBER.....very important....stop taking any supplements that contain biotin a week before ALL BLOOD TESTS as biotin can falsely affect test results - eg vitamin B complex
I was taking 62.5mcg Levo per day first thing in the morning along with 5mcg Lio morning and night 7am 7 pm. I have recently increased Levo on Saturday and Sunday only to 75mcg. So do you mean take all Levo dose at night with last Lio dose? Should I just stop morning dose of Levo and take at night or split it between the two, although weekend doses of Levo are different to weekdays. I use a vitamin D spray most of the time, and magnesium glycinate sometimes which would have to be taken much earlier than Levo.
You could initially try taking 50mcg waking and 25mcg at bedtime (or vice versa)
Thanks. It’s the other five days of 62.5 mcg that’s the problem.
so take 50mcg waking and 12.5mcg bedtime
(or vice versa)
I know, it’s just so difficult cutting my tiny Levo tablets into four. That’s why I struggled with recent increase to 65mcg, splitting Levo into 12.5 each day. I now have 62.5 Mon to Fri and 75 mcg Sat and Sun. Just kept getting it wrong so had to change. So if I do 12.5 as you say again I will get into a mess again. Thanks 😊
If you’re taking 62.5mcg 5 days a week….presumably you are already cutting 25mcg tablet in half (or 1/4 if it’s 50mcg tablet)
I take 125mcg 4 days a week and 112.5mcg 3 days a week….so cut 25mcg tablets in half
I only ever take Mercury Pharma levothyroxine.
Plus 5mcg T3 x 3 per day…..requiring cutting 20mcg tablet into 1/4’s
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Cut tablet in half…..save remaining half in weekly pill dispenser
Mop up any stray crumbs with damp finger
Yes cut Levo in half for 5 days. Cut Lio into quarters. I just get into a pickle doing any more cutting, especially quarters.
but you wouldn’t necessarily need to cut any more than do now
62.5mcg per day ….try 50mcg waking and 12.5mcg at bedtime
75mcg per day…..50mcg waking and 25mcg at bedtime
Thank you SlowDragon. 😊
Yes I tried the above for 62.5mcg, that’s when I struggled. I’m ok with half it’s the quarters. I have to do quarters for Lio too and struggle with that.
yes…ludicrous isn’t it
But 5mcg tablets or capsules are currently much more expensive than cutting 20mcg tablets of T3 into 1/4’s
I know, total madness.
Could I take 25 mcg Levo early morning with 5mcg Liothyronine then 37.5 mcg Levothyroxine with 5 mcg Liothyronine late evening, then no quarters apart from Liothyronine?
Yes definitely
That’s (in effect) what I do
I split my levothyroxine as two doses …..waking and bedtime
T3 as 3 x 5mcg dose ….waking, mid afternoon and bedtime
Many thanks for you help. 😊
If I start tonight should I miss tonight’s Levo dose as I took full dose this morning? Then start tomorrow with 25mcg? Thanks.
yes
Thank you for all of your help, it is very much appreciated 😊
Hi Slow Dragon, does oestrogen gel count as HRT? I use mine at night because it makes me cold so it's better when I can wrap up in warm bedding. If I have forgotten or not had a chance to take all doses of T3 during the day I take that at night too and wonder if there's a negative effect?
HRT on skin shouldn’t affect absorption of thyroid hormones
Thank-you SlowDragon, it's really helpful to have your advice.
Hi Flecmac, splitting doses is very much trial and error, as a timing and dosage that works for one member may not suit another. I used to take Levo at night, but swapped due to taking HRT at this time. I’ve found reserving a small amount of my morning liothyronine until early afternoon helps.
Have you tried magnesium to aid sleep; I take magnesium glycinate early evening to help me unwind and find this type easy on the stomach (although other types are available).
Taking any medication on an empty stomach means four hours after your last meal, after which only water is permitted. After taking the medication, an hour should elapse before eating or drinking. I prefer taking my levo at night as my morning timetable is then unaffected, but late evening teas and snacks made that unworkable for me until I began intermittent fasting. As I now finish eating at 7.00, the empty stomach issue is no longer a problem in that respect, even though I miss my evening cups of tea!
I've always taken my Synthroid at 10:00 at night. This way I don't have to worry about food and it's on an empty stomach.
I have been also taking both levothyroxine and liothyronine both on empty stomach first things in the morning. Never tried evening
Let me know how it goes!
I know some administrators are very knowledgeable about this than me. Good luck !
I have always taken both levothyroxine and liothyronine together at breakfast time with milk and test results have always been fine. I now also take a probiotic and magnesium supplement at the same time, so hope that won’t have any effect on the results. Also use HRT oestrogen gel at around the same time every day.
Apparently milk is not good. Not sure about probiotic, but I was told magnesium supplements shouldn’t be taken near Thyroid medication, I think 4 hours was mentioned, however magnesium spray should be ok as it’s topical. HRT gel might be ok as it’s topical, maybe make a separate post on here and ask.
All thyroid hormones should be taken on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after
No calcium rich foods or milky drinks ideally within 4 hours
no magnesium, iron, vitamin D or HRT within 4 hours minimum
If you start taking levothyroxine and T3 correctly, likely to be able to reduce dose
If you change how you take your levothyroxine and T3 you will need to retest thyroid levels after 6-8 weeks
Always test thyroid levels early morning and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
Day before test split T3 as 2 or 3 smaller doses spread through the day and last dose T3 approx 8-12 hours before test
Hi there, I did try swapping to night time dosing but swapped back when it didn’t have any benefit for me and went against general advice. It certainly didn’t help with sleep or how I felt during the day. Best bet is try it yourself, give it a couple of months as I don’t think changes show an effect very quickly. Good luck.
Hi, I moved my dose of levothyroxine to 11pm, I take the whole dose at this time. I find it easier to do this rather than try and work around other morning meds and breakfast. I did research first which indicated that it works better taken at night. I still drink tea in the evening but I only drink decaffeinated, which I drink all day anyway. This system suits my routine.
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