Hypothroidism

[avm120]

I am on 50 mcg of levothyroxine and my dr. says it ithe dose is rite, but I dont feel well somedays. Lack of sleep, constipation and hairloss is bothering me.
I take the med  a minimum of 20 minutes before morning tea. Is this the problem .lack of absorption.?

[gimel]

It would be very helpful if you will post the reference ranges for the FT3 and FT4 tests, as shown on the lab report.

[avm120]

Thanks Barb for the prompt reply. Both T3 and T4 are Free.
Today I took the meds 3 hrs before breakfast and I feel better, so I think absorption  is better on empty stomach.

[Barb135]

What's the reference range for the T3 and T4?  And are they Free or Total? If they haven't been tested since Feb, I'd say it's time to test them again.

Even though your results may be within the range on the lab report, they might not be right for you; it's also possible that you aren't converting the T4 to T3 properly.  That's why it's so important to test Free T3 and Free T4 every time you have TSH tested.

While I agree that you should wait 30 minutes to an hour between taking your medication and eating, I'd have to say that I doubt your morning tea is causing that much trouble.

[avm120]

TSH this month is 0.978 uIU/ml and T3 = 4.58 pmol/l, T4 = 8.17 pmol/l on last February.

[Red_Star]

Thyroid medication should be taken on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before eating. Also, wait at least 3 to 4 hours before taking calcium or iron which can interfere with thyroid hormone absorption. You may want to take your thyroid hormone at night.  Two studies have found that taking the same dose of levothyroxine at bedtime, as compared to first thing in the morning, may be better.

The researchers suggested several explanations for the results:

Even when waiting at least 30 minutes to eat, breakfast may be interfering with the intestinal absorption of levothyroxine thyroxine.

“Bowel motility is slower at night,” which means that it takes longer for the levothyroxine tablet to transit through the intestinal system, resulting in longer exposure to the intestinal wall, and therefore, better uptake of the medication.

The conversion process of T4 to T3 may be more effective in the evening.

[Barb135]

What are the results of your latest thyroid lab tests?  It's possible that your results are "in range" on the lab report, but if your levels are too low "for you", you won't feel well.  Please post the results, along with reference ranges, which vary from lab to lab, so must come from your own report.