Levothyroxine and insomnia: Has anyone noticed... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

141,243 members166,489 posts

Levothyroxine and insomnia

Guineapiggy profile image
13 Replies

Has anyone noticed that they get insomnia when starting levothyroxine?

I am trying to see if I can function using levo instead of Metavive and started to gradually increase the levo and decrease Metavive to the point where I am on levo only. I want to see if I can convert well and have levo only, if it works.

Trouble is, straight away after taking my first dose of 12.5 mcg my sleep pattern changed. It was never wonderful but after the first tablet I found it took a lot longer to get to sleep and kept waking up almost every hour. I tested after 2 months and my FT3 was 75.6% through the range and FT4 33%, so I don"t believe the levels were causing this. (See previous post).

I have done one month now with 25 mcg levo and reduced my Metavive and wanted to carry on for another month to see what happens on the next test but I really don't know whether to continue as my sleep is so bad. Having got so far I don't want to give up. Otherwise, I can stop and resume Metavive only and leave it a few months and try again.

I wondered if it is really the levo causing this and if other folks have been aware of a change in their sleep pattern when starting levo?

Written by
Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
13 Replies
Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator

Basically you're changing the type of treatment you are taking. Understand also that Levo takes around 2 weeks to even begin starting to work. The body likes to know what it's getting and when, so when you start switching things around it will complain. That is all just to be expected and if you're not prepared for new symptoms or current ones getting worse then better stick with what you know.

Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy in reply toJaydee1507

Thanks. It's just that this is now 3 months later. I also started on a very small amount (12.5 mcg) whilst keeping on the same dose of Metavive for the first 2 months so I would have thought things would have started to settle by now.

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply toGuineapiggy

Would be a good idea to get your vitamin levels checked as low levels can play into various symptoms including sleep issues.

Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy in reply toJaydee1507

All done within the last 6 months and no abnormalities.

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply toGuineapiggy

There's a huge difference between 'no abnormalities' and having OPTIMAL levels. What were the results?

What supplements do you take?

Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy in reply toJaydee1507

Ferritin 162 ng/ml (6‐204)Folate 18.8 mcg/L (3-20)

B12 548 ng/L (187-883)

Vit D 132.8 nmol/L (75-200)

I tale Garden of Life Raw One multi (no iodine or copper)plus extra Vit Bs, Vit D with K2 mk 7, zinc, magnesium, selenium, cod liver oil

Regenallotment profile image
RegenallotmentAmbassador

what time of day/ night are you taking Levo? Does it make your tummy rumble? I listened to a podcast recently where they explain that gut health (overgrowth of good and bad gut flora) can keep us awake at night. I split my dose and now sleep better than ever. 25mcg bedtime and 100mcg 6.30am. Magnesium an hour before bed too. Try not to eat after 7pm. Hope you find a good solution 🦋🌱🦋

Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy in reply toRegenallotment

Thanks. I take my levo in the morning in case it was causing a problem at night. I can only split the dose into 2 x 12.5 mcg at the moment as I am increasing the levo gradually whilst decreasing the Metavive. I started to wake a lot more frequently as soon as I started the original single 12.5 mcg dose. I am hoping that it is still a temporary problem and things will settle.

Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy in reply toRegenallotment

No, it doesn't cause tummy rumbling!

Regenallotment profile image
RegenallotmentAmbassador in reply toGuineapiggy

that’s good, fingers crossed it settles for you. Things have definitely improved as I’ve titrated upwards. Best wishes 🌱🦋🌱

Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy in reply toRegenallotment

Thanks.

arTistapple profile image
arTistapple

I had insomnia long before diagnosis and it continues whilst on levo. It’s different though. More nightmares. More hours of significant hours awake in middle of night. So still very much disturbed but different. I tried T3 and conked out for a proper 8 hours and although stopped (too long to explain here) it worked for about a further two weeks after stopping. It was like magic. I am handling the change better now but I do still long for better quality when I can hopefully return to T3.

Guineapiggy profile image
Guineapiggy in reply toarTistapple

Thanks. I haven't tried T3. If the problem continues I may just have to give up and go back to Metavive alone.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Experiment to switch from Metavive to levothyroxine

On 23rd September 2022 I started to gradually introduce levothyroxine and reduce Metavive until I...

Cytomel and Sertraline or Levothyroxine and Sertraline?

Hi everyone, So I started cytomel a few weeks ago not expecting much of a change. I was just happy...

Levothyroxine

I had a thyroidectomy Oct 2013 and I started out on 125 Mcg of Levo and 10 Mcg T3 then my Endo...
Jillybean1 profile image

Insomnia

Hi all, I have been using Levothroxine 50mg for 2 years. Few months ago I switched from brand...

Levo Increase, Heartrate

Hi all. I'm still working with my endo to raise both my FT3 and FT4 levels and feel better. I was...
Rivergirl profile image

Moderation team

See all
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator
Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator
RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.