Timing medication

[ljohnson]

When do you take your Thyroid medicine? Morning? Night? What medicine are you taking?

[darcie]

I take Synthroid 75 mcg, have always taken it at night before bed (4 years now). I would like to switch to Armour though, don't think the Synthroid is doing it for me.

[amethyst]

I take 2.5 grains of Naturethroid daily. I take 1.5 grains in the morning and one grain at bedtime. I do much better on a split dose. I also let mine dissolve under my tongue as opposed to swallowing whole as I think it absorbs better that way.

[Irene Adamson]

I am on Armour Thyroid. I take it first thing in the morning (anytime after 4:30 a.m.)with 8oz of water. I don't eat for an hour and I avoid anything with calcium for 4 hours. I like Armour way better than Levothyroxine. That gave me headaches and lower leg pain. Armour does not seem to have any side effects, at lease with me.Also, Armour is not expensive, about $8 a month.

[MindyK]

I take 1/8 of a grain every other day. My functional medical doctor recommended that I take it first thing in the morning then wait to eat or drink anything (besides water) until an hour after taking the medication. He also recommended that I wait at least an hour to take any supplements. He said that taking in anything other than water could decrease the effectiveness of the medication. One other recommendation he made was to take it at the same time of day as consistently as possible.

[amanda0542]

Armour Thyroid (50mg)and 3mg TS3 (compounds) I take both early in the morning (they are on my Nightstand.) As Irene said, no food for an hour and nothing w/Calcium for 4 hours.

[ljohnson]

thyroid.about.com/od/thyroiddrugstreatments/a/bedtime.htm

Check out the article above. This study discusses why taking thyroid medication at night might be right for you. If you change the timing of your medication, make sure to follow up six weeks later for labs with your prescribing doctor.

[thyroidjourney]

Levothyroxine (100 mg) in the morning. I normally eat after half an hour (try to have breakfast with the kids). I didn't observe any problems with it, but not sure if it is optimal.

[frecs]

I take 100mcg of Levothyroxine upon arising in the morning. Then, I wait at least one hour before eating breakfast or taking any other supplements. I was told that Levo should be taken first thing in the morning. My FNP said that we will eventually consider a switch to natural thyroid medication but with all the changes we are already making, didn't want to pile that one on as well. I think a natural hormone would be better for me so I look forward to that switch.

BTW, I have thyroid resistance....meaning my cells do not take in the hormone...it was my FNP who found out that little gem of info because she was the only one willing to do enough blood tests to uncover what a TSH would not reveal.

[gaamy]

I take both Armour and LDN in the morning. I'm supposed to split the Armour into two doses, first thing in the AM and then mid afternoon, for a total dose of 75mcg, but I never remember the afternoon dose, so I take it all in the AM . Also, I'm supposed to take the LDN at night after 9pm, but I found that I do much better taking it in the morning. I also take selenium daily.

After reading the article ljohnson posted, I may try taking the Armour at night to see if that helps any. I still get occasional fatigue mid afternoon.

[clarissa24]

I take 175mcg levothyroxine first thing in the morning, but when I was first diagnosed, I had to take it at night just so I had the energy to get up the next day. I tried armour, but found that my levels were jumping around too much, so they put me on the synthetic hormone. I also take 12.5mcg of cytomel.

[olivia]

Apr 16, 2014 6:56:15 GMT -5 frecs said:

BTW, I have thyroid resistance....meaning my cells do not take in the hormone...it was my FNP who found out that little gem of info because she was the only one willing to do enough blood tests to uncover what a TSH would not reveal.

frecs, what tests did your FNP do to determine you had thyroid resistance? I'm wondering if I have that.

[frecs]

May 8, 2014 12:23:54 GMT -5 olivia said:

Apr 16, 2014 6:56:15 GMT -5 frecs said:

BTW, I have thyroid resistance....meaning my cells do not take in the hormone...it was my FNP who found out that little gem of info because she was the only one willing to do enough blood tests to uncover what a TSH would not reveal.

frecs, what tests did your FNP do to determine you had thyroid resistance? I'm wondering if I have that.

She did a bunch but the key ones for determining thyroid resistance, I believe, are the T4, Reverse T4, T3, T3 Uptake, and Thyroid Binding Globulin (TBG). TBG is what transports T3 into the cells. You should also have your cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testostorone checked as these levels also play a role. I tested high cortisol, high estrogen, low progesterone. Oh, and you should also be tested for insulin resistance....that also goes hand in hand... our body chemistry is a complex interactive system...one test just doesn't show the full picture.

If you have only had the standard TSH test done, your doctor hasn't looked nearly deep enough. TSH doesn't even really test the thyroid, it tests the pituitary.

[olivia]

OK, good to know. Thanks. Yes, I'm working with a functional practitioner who has done all those tests too.

[apelila]

I'm on 1 grain of Armour just started taking it in full 1st thing in the morning. Then I eat an hour later. I was taking 30mg at night and 30mg mid day but my fatigue was worsening so I thought the full grain all at once might help.
I also take LDN, I was taking 3ml but since my fatigue got worse, I've lowered the dose to 2ml.
Also I'm in menopause and I use Vivelle Dot estrogen patches.
I've been paleo for 2 years and it has made NO difference. I cut eggs and nuts 6 months ago, again no difference so I just recently added occasional nuts back.