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1550026 tn?1299336082

When do you take your med?

I receive author Mary Shomon's newletters all about thyroid issues and the most recent one discusses when the best time to take our meds is. I take mine in the morning with water and wait an hour before having anything else to eat or drink. This research suggests it might be better to take the med at night before going to bed. When do you take yours?
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1139187 tn?1355706647
agreed.   My compound is mixed with zinc and selenium as fillers FYI.   Someone suggested taking it with a dab of c, but i dont know if this is really true or not.
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Avatar universal
You should not take your pill with vitamins or iron, etc.. it neutralizes the effect of the hormon, since vitamins, iron, etc.. wont allow a hole absorption of the hormon by the intestins
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Avatar universal
Actually I started taking my compounded T3 at bedtime and I feel so much better in the am.   Before I could barely get out of bed.   I sleep through the night (not always the case before) and have felt better than in a long time.  

Taking T3 later in the day, however, does key you up.  But I think that taking it at bedtime allows you to get to sleep and your body seems to ignore the stimulating effect as you are already asleep.  

Huge change for me after a year plus of disappointing results.  I was also taking too much T3, the second dose always made me feel bad.
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Avatar universal
Actually I started taking my compounded T3 at bedtime and I feel so much better in the am.   Before I could barely get out of bed.   I sleep through the night (not always the case before) and have felt better than in a long time.  

Taking T3 later in the day, however, does key you up.  But I think that taking it at bedtime allows you to get to sleep and your body seems to ignore the stimulating effect as you are already asleep.  

Huge change for me after a year plus of disappointing results.  I was also taking too much T3, the second dose always made me feel bad.
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1139187 tn?1355706647
FYI  i notice that the coffee actually quickly relieves some of the symptoms.
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168348 tn?1379357075
Synthroid at 6:00 AM and no food for at least 1/2 hr.

I take mine with coffee .. which, that in itself, has some reservations by some med professionals but I am consistent every day so have been told as long as I am consistent the dosing will be around my consistency and not to worry.

C~
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1139187 tn?1355706647
Katy,

Do you make it through the day without crashing?
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1823715 tn?1319385796
Hiya, I took it about half an hour before I went to bed.
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1139187 tn?1355706647
did you take it when you got into bed or middle of the night?
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1823715 tn?1319385796
Well I tried T4 at night, and I found it very hard to sleep, so have gone back to first thing in the morning.
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1139187 tn?1355706647
we love you moose!
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798555 tn?1292787551
I wasn't trying to be rude.  I do say it like it is, that's me, I tend get right to the point, spelling errors included. When someone just states their contradictory opinion, without further explanation or detailed facts in their first comment, I wonder about their motive. This is the web after all.

When I comment on thyroid health, I try to state what works for the majority, unless they provide enough details  to assume that a certain thyroid "approach" might not work them, or has been tried already. There are certain steps we all need to follow to improve our health. The obvious steps to try first are what works for the majority and go on by process of elimination from that point on, making logical decisions . Like meds - I don't tell people to avoid thyroid meds that did not work for me, as I know, certain meds most likely will work for other people.

Not to beat this thread silly, but I have tried natural thyroid and synthetic T3/T4 at bedtime. It felt like a huge energy rush all at once - while trying to sleep. In people with healthy thyroids, their body would not dump that much T3 into the blood at that rate. I've tried it many different ways in the past.  Natural thyroid taken before sleep currently works for you , which is interesting.

All this can have different outcomes if someones adrenals are not up to par. That's the hard part, and maybe something "throidians" will always have to keep in mind. Many do report better symptom relief after supporting adrenals with adaptogens, vit C, other stuff, takes a while.

Peace.
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798555 tn?1292787551
Bruce -If your natural thyroid does make you relax for a while, like you say, it very well could be that your body needs it so bad that it is truly relaxing you as you are not as hypo for that short period. Most likely you are not on enough to feel the actual energy it can provide. For some, when hypo, they feel actual anxiety with tiredness, an odd combination. Once your not so hypo (assuming you still are) then it will be easier to figure out what dose schedule works best for you.
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Avatar universal
Katy, What you say makes sense to me. The thyroid gland and adrenal glands dance a complicated balancing act together. Since cortisol rises naturally in the early morning, it would make sense that thyroid hormone levels are naturally lower in the morning. So, when cortisol drops to it's lowest daily level, normally around 1 am (But then, who's "normal"?) thyroid hormone should naturally rise.
I have also read that cortisol levels "normally" remain high, until after the first meal. I wonder if that means thyroid levels would naturally rise after a meal?

My 16 year old son has been taking thyroxine (T4) for five years, due to secondary hypothyroidism, from pituitary damage. So his T3 levels are fine on their own, as long as he gets enough T4. But sadly, after his first week on a very low dose of T4 (50 mcg), he collapsed suddenly in the kitchen, and began vomiting and shaking a short while later, presumably from deficient cortisol. It takes about a week for T4 to start taking affect.
He was immediately prescribed hydrocortisone, with the assumption that his pituitary was not putting out enough ACTH.

He was so sick for many months afterward. (He's actually still sick, but for a different reason)  He had severe daily nausea, tachycardia, temperature regulation problems, tremors, and low blood pressure. Unfortunately, his docs just looked at his blood tests and said everything was "in range", so they didn't know why he was so affected. And didn't seem to care. He was told to take his thyroxine first thing on waking in the morning, wait 45 minutes to an hour before eating, and take his hydrocortisone 3 times daily. Period.

Prior to starting the hormone replacement, his most alert time of day was 4 pm until around 2  or 3 am. Getting up for school at 7 am was impossible, so I think his cortisol rhythm was completely reversed. His body did not adjust well to his pill schedule at all.
His growth hormone deficiency plays into this as well, but that's another story. (Growth hormone is released at it's highest daily level between midnight and 3 am, while sleeping, supposedly)

Now he has Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. He was switched from hydrocortisone to dexamethasone two years ago by another doctor, and that keeps his cortisol level more even throughout the day. The nausea has ended, but his adrenals seem to be drained - he has severe orthostatic hypotension.
There has been no change in his thyroxine dose in five years, because he hasn't grown (or gained weight), and his levels still look good on paper.

Timing his hormone replacement has been very difficult, due to Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, but I'm wondering if reversing his pill times might help him swing back to more normal sleeping hours. If he took his cortisone late at night, so that his level is higher in the early morning, do you have any thoughts as to when it would be best to take his T4? Or would it even matter, since his thyroid gland is making T3 anyway?

His sleep cycle is so messed up, and I think his hormone replacement schedule is contributing to this.
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1139187 tn?1355706647
I usually take mine at 2 or 3 am, and it spikes when im ready to get up :)  perfect for me although id prefer no spike at all actually.
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Avatar universal
One more thing to point out....taking it later in the day isn't equal to taking it at bedtime. If you only take it "later" then you'll be trying to fall asleep when the T3 is beginning to spike, whereas if you take it as you crawl into bed you sleep right through the spike and never even notice it.

:)

Sorry I was cranky in my earlier reply. Your responses to me (I dont know if you intende it or not) seem very harsh and rude, and I was retaliating in kind.
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Avatar universal
There are several reasons why I feel spacey, and thyroid is only one of them. I was hoping it was solely to blame, but I don't think so anymore.

When you state absolutes like you did at the beginning of this thread, that desiccated (two Cs, by the way, not two Ss) cannot and should not be taken in a certain way, you should expect counters to that.

Some docs (my ex doc included) actually prescribe T3 sometimes to HELP people sleep. And numerous patient experience on STTM shares the same experience - that taking T3 before bed helps sleep, refreshes the body, and repairs adrenals and other organs.

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1139187 tn?1355706647
I want to point out a couple things about my own experiences with this science project.

1. I go to bed at midnight every night.  I keep weird hours.  I go to bed at midnight and get up for my day at 8 am.  But at 2:30 or 3:00 my ears ring, and i start getting very anxious.  Within about 30 minutes of taking my dose ( will be 1 grain tonight) I go into the deepest sleep known to mankind.  My doctor agrees that its probabably because my body needs it and is finally relaxing.

2.  By the time my afternoon dose time hits (around 2 pm which is 12 hours after my morning dose)  my ears ring and i start to shake again.  When i take the meds, I relax and start to feel better.

3.  I can tell im not on enough thyroid yet because it seems to "wear off" too  quickly.  While I believe im getting the thryoid it needs, its not enough to sustain for more than 6 or 7 hours.

4.  Despite feeling like shizzz still, I feel better now on almost 2 grain thryoid than i have felt since august 9, 2009 when this cr@p started.
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798555 tn?1292787551
It seems odd that you are so sure that the best time to take natural dessicated thyroid is at night, yet you posted this recently:

katydid2807

Dec 07, 2011
[ "I am so spaced out and loopy ........... THAT's how bad my mind is right now. :( " ]

That's not very convincing that your thyroid treatment is currently optimal.

It is known that T4 only users can have success taking that before bed. And there has been recent studies on T4 before sleep. Cant seem to find any documented studies on T3 before sleep, I would like to review some if they exist. I have read that T3 is used in the cells to some extent, as needed- I think that was in Wilsons book. I have, however, never seen printed documentation of studies on this or having T3 levels naturally higher at nighttime. But taking T3 is not the same delivery as compared to how our bodies (the lucky ones) convert it from T4.

Having used three types of thyroid meds and several brands of each I am always open to options of thyroid treatment for Hoshimoto's. What I do know is many people on thyroid forums report sleep disturbances if Cytomel or dessicated med is taken too late in the day. Yes this is a well known fact. I have tried it late in the day, guess what? I could not sleep later on either. That is what happens to the majority of people that take T3 to close to sleep time. Apparently that is not your case. Glad that approach work for you.

And most (you not included) feel a higher level of alertness and energy after ingesting synthetic or natural T3. Once again, this is why competitive body builders have used T3 without a prescription, prior to lifting in order to achieve temporary increase in strength - some will do anything to 'cheat'.

I take dessicated 3X a day, last dose no later than 5PM ,and sleep great. I also have a repeated routine in the morning after my first dose of dessicated thyroid, so I will have consistent absorption. I like to keep evening plans flexible and not planned around thyroid med. . I get a lot of exercise, the down side of that is I'm always hungry and I need to snack a little before bed - to avoid waking up hungry in the middle of the night.

If I was only on T4 and didn't eat late, I'd try it before bed. But for the majority of people, ingesting T3 before bed will keep them awake. It just unfortunately does that..

: )
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Avatar universal
For the last 18yrs. I take my T4 at 5am without fail.

I don't ever eat or drink anything until I get into the office at 8am.
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Avatar universal
Actually, thyroid hormones are higher while we sleep than at any other part of the day, which is when the body is using T3 to repair itself...esp adrenal repair and getting cortisol production ready for the next day. So by taking the hormone at night, you're working with your body's natural desire to produce more at night.
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798555 tn?1292787551
Testosterone can go up with an increase in thyroid levels. So keep both monitored, dont want to much.

As far as when to take meds, I'm sure your fully confused by now. LOL.

All I can say is I was a walking zombie from T4 meds only, and I aparently need active T3 thoughout the day, why it works for me taking NTH several times a day. My adrenal morning cortisol is right where it sould be now too. Your body normally uses T3 during periods of stress and physical activity during wakeing hours. That is why muscle builders illegally use T3. T3 goes away after 4-5 hours. Not everyone that takes NTH needs the T3 in it.
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1823715 tn?1319385796
Thanks LazyMoose,
I didn't know what it was, but now I do :)
Ok will give it a go soon
Nikki
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Avatar universal
My dose is 3.25 grains.

When I took it at different times during the day, THAT's when I had awful "peaks and valleys". Now that I take it either before bed or at 4am, my days are more even keeled, my sleep is better, and I actually wake up refreshed.

However, this may also have a lot to do with adrenals. If you have low cortisol in the daytime, the cortisol you do have will go to work helping thyroid hormones into the cells, and there will be little left for the rest of the day. My cortisol was highest at night, so I'm working with it, and it seems to be just what I need.
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