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When to take Levothyroxine

Was reading medical articles on Thyroid.org this morning, thought this might be of interest to the forum. I've been having trouble regulating my breakfast schedule, and mostly just skip it, which isn't good. I had heard that T4 was best absorbed at night, which is the time that thyroid hormones normally peak. And I like a small amount of milk in my morning tea, so last week I decided to try and shift T4 to night time and take T3 in the morning since it can be taken with food. I also take it sublingually. I've found myself sleeping better and having more intense dreams since switching. Anyway, I was glad to read this clinical study this morning and thought I'd share. Would love to know if anyone else has followed this protocol and how they experienced the results. All the best to everyone.

http://www.thyroid.org/patients/ct/volume4/issue5/ct_patients_v45_7.html
Best Answer
168348 tn?1379357075
Hi, thanks for sharing this!  I take mine in the AM on empty stomach and wait 1/2 hr to eat.  Let me share this link, too, in the health pages which is of interest:

Study:
Altered Intestinal Absorption of L-Thyroxine Caused by Coffee

Objective: To report eight case histories, and in vivo and in vitro studies showing coffee's potential to impair thyroxine (T4) intestinal absorption."

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Thyroid-Disorders/Study--Absorption-of-L-Thyroxine-caused-by-Coffee/show/107?cid=62

C~
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Avatar universal
Dear SS

By "taking it at night", I meant after dinner, right before going to bed. Since I go to bed around 1am, I'm essentially doing the same thing you are, just from a night owl's point of view :- )
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Avatar universal
I just went to the link the OP posted. I think I'm good with taking levothyroxine right before working out. I do a lot of cardio, six days a week and two days of weight lifting. I think my blood is circulating at a good pace through my veins to carry the medicine to where it's needed. My workout is at 5am. Taking it at night is not a good idea for me, since I eat too close to my bedtime. My busy schedule demands that. I have the "empty stomach" for sure at 4:00 in the morning east coast time!
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Avatar universal
Just starting my "thyroid medicine for life thing" with levothyroxine. I am taking my 50mcg at 4am on an empty stomach, which is when I get up to prepare my lunch and then go to the gym and work out before work. At 7am I take my other medicine and my supplements. So far, so good.

I am on the east coast and travel to the mountain states every couple of weeks. So on Sunday morning, the day I was to fly back to the east coast, I took my levothyroxine at 1:00am and my other stuff at 4:00am. So far so good. My digestion has improved noticeably. It's like I was five years ago.
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Avatar universal
I just read the chat with Dr. Holtorf. he even answered MY question ! His office is not too far from where I live, wish he took insurance :- (  thanks so much for providing the link ! Is all that info archived under Discussions and Health pages ? I feel like an idiot !

I WOULD like to poll regarding taking meds at night v. in the morning. How do I do that ? I'm not sure that the article I posted gives the info about peak hormone levels, I think that's in something else I read....But the current research shows that thyroid hormones reach their peak at about 3 AM. Quite interesting.

Thanks SO much for the links. Is there an educational component to this forum, "how to use", that would leave me feeling a little less idiotic ??? ;- ) Then I wouldn't be bothering other members with basic questions or spending so much time on Google !

All the best.
Helpful - 0
168348 tn?1379357075
One way to do an informal survey is to do a post asking the questions you ask and do it as a "poll" .. then you can stop back and read the feedback and also see how members have answered!  Let me know if you need any help doing it, or if you have any questions you'd like me to post as a poll for you ... but people must get bored of my icon, so may be good to give it a shot LOL!

Here is the link to Dr. Holtorf:  http://www.medhelp.org/health_chats/archive/63

Here are all the health chats archived:  http://www.medhelp.org/health_chats/list_archives

As I understand, Dr. Lupo doesn't prescribe the meds as often as he does other meds and  it's not that he doesn't not believe in them, he doesn't use them as much in his practice while others do.

Dr.Lupo may doing another health chat later in the month!

C~
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you so much for sharing. How could I not know about the Help pages ? That will save me so much research time. Is there a way to propose studies for that page ? I wonder how many members get up in the morning and drink coffee to wash down their meds ? Seems to me this is yet another reason to take T4 at night. I drink tea in preference to coffee, but like milk in it. I don't know whether a few teaspoons of milk is enough to bind the hormone, but why not (for me) try to take it at night ? that way I can take my vitamins in the morning as well. Do you feel 1/2 and hour is enough time to wait before eating ? I always thought there was a minimum of one hour ???

I WAS a little surprised to read the chat with Dr. Lupo in the Health pages, because he seems not to believe in the T4-T3 protocol. Is there an explanation? And wondering if the recent chat with Dr. Holdorf (sp?) will eventually be archived there ?

Thanks again.
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