advice on taking thyroxine at night ?

[floss1976]

one of my friends has under active thyroid like myself she’s advised to take my thyroxine at night instead of the morning as it will work better? I’ve been taking it in the morning then waiting an hour till having breakfast? I also take ferrous sulphate for iron but been advised to take this separately as it counter acts with the thyroxine.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

floss1976

Some members do better with night time dosing, others prefer morning, I take mine in the early hours when I need a bathroom trip. Experiment and see what suits you best, do what's right for you .

Levo should be taken on it's own, one hour before or 2 hours after food, with water only, 2 hours away from other medication and supplements, although some need 4 hours (including iron).

[floss1976 in reply to SeasideSusie]

thanks x that’s what I’ve read - I’m going to try thyroxine at night before I go to bed then take my iron first thing in the morning - hoping that helps

[Otto11 in reply to floss1976]

I’ve been taking Thyroxine early morning for 25 years but after some issues with being under medicated I managed to see an Endocrinologist who increased my dose a few times & told me to take it at night instead. It seems ok & makes life much easier in the morning x

[Alex_p in reply to SeasideSusie]

What about taking levothyroxine after coffee? How long should we wait?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Alex_p]

Water only one hour either side. Caffeine is said to affect absorption of Levo.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking

How long on this dose

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription

ALWAYS test thyroid levels early morning, ideally just before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

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

Important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once a year

Have you had these tested……and also thyroid antibodies for autoimmune thyroid disease

[floss1976 in reply to SlowDragon]

hi there

I take 75mg a day been taking them for last 6 months doctor upped my dosage from 25mg as my levels were low at the last blood test -

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to floss1976]

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after any dose change or brand change in levothyroxine

What brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking

75mcg is only one step up from starter dose

How do you feel

Approximately how much do you weigh in kilo

Have you had thyroid antibodies and vitamins tested?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I've always taken my levothyroxine at bedtime. (Except when I'm having a blood test in the morning when I delay taking it.)

I have collected some information about time of dosing and put it together here:

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

[Singwell]

I think quite a few here take it at night. I've started to. Some report sleep disturbance. I'm pretty new here so can't advise further. I feel better taking it at night.

[Hashiboy]

I'm on T3 only now but when I was on T4 I used to take it at 11pm it gave me higher levels of T4 and lower TSH then morning dosing. No side effects or sleeplessness. It's supposed to be taken 4 hours after eating but I was never that strict.

[elaine2447]

I take mine at night about 10.30 to 11.00. I initially started in the early hours when i take a trip to the bathroom but then i worried I might not wake up which is highly unlikely but one lives in hopes! I have osteoporosis so take calcium, magnesium and all sorts apart from diet and I could not be bothered to faff around waiting an hour after breakfast and worse, four hours after calcium etc.

[Partner20]

There have been studies done which suggest levo is best absorbed if taken at night. Personally speaking I have found no difference whether taking it at night or in the morning. I currently take mine when I go to bed simply because it is more convenient for me as I can be more consistent with the timing and have my coffee as soon as I get up if I want. The only important thing to do is to take it on an empty stomach, which is around 4 hours after your last meal.

[Lanny2010 in reply to Partner20]

Hi hope you don't mind me asking a question on this thread, I'm planning to start taking 25mg of levo at night and just read your comment about leaving it 4 hours after evening meal. Do you think I should try to be very strict about that and can I have drinks in that time? Thanks so much!