Thyroid Meds--when do you take them?

[Ciao Mickey]

What time of day do you take your thyroid meds? Does anyone take it before bedtime?

I wanted to take mine at night, 4 hours after I eat dinner, but when I asked the pharmacist if this was OK, she told me it had to be taken in the a.m.

Why is this? I don't understand why you can't take it at night.

This has to be the biggest PITA medication to take.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Ive always taken mine first thing in the morning..never heard not to take it at night, it just worked out better for me to take it in the morning..

 

[Cheshire Figment]

1. Are you taking something like Synthroid for lowered Thyroid output or are you taking a medicine such as Thyroxin because of too much Thyroid output?

2. What does you doctor say??????

Read the full information sheet that comes with the medicine. Search on the manufacturer's web sitee and see if there are instructions there.

Normally if a doctor states that a particular medicine should be taken at a certain time of day there is a valid reason for this instruction, the intent is to help you and not inconvenience you.

3. Ask your doctor for more information!!

 

[kim929]

I take synthroid before I go to bed each night. I never thougth about it, just took it with my other meds.

 

[golfgal]

I take my generic synthroid in the morning. I remember better to do that is the only reason I do.

When I first started taking Synthroid they never had anything out about not taking with food, take only on an empty stomach, etc. Then a few years ago it all switched and frankly it hasn't made a difference in my numbers at all.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I always take mine first thing in the morning with a full glass of water. Then I have to wait 30 minutes to eat breakfast. Believe it or not, it says all of that right on the label of my medicine bottle! My endo. told me that it's important to take it in the morning because of how the thyroid normally fluctuates throughout the day.

 

[Meriweather]

morning....by Rx label even says to take it in the morning on an empty stomach.

 

[tw1nsmom]

We all take it in the morning (me, DH and DD are all Hypothyroid). It really isn't hard. We take it the first thing after we get up. If you need to, put the bottle and a glass of water next to your bed. By the time you get dressed/ready to go, 30 minutes will have passed and you can eat breakfast.

 

[HOGFAN]

in the a.m.
doesnt make a diff in my numbers whether I take it with food or not but my sister strictly has to take hers on an empty stomach.

 

[amyy]

In the morning, on an empty stomach and don't eat for 30 minutes before. I don't take my multi vitamin until noon because the calcium can impact it. Probably taking my multi vitamin at noon is over kill but I really want/need the thyroid meds to work.

 

[MIGrandma]

I take mine at night, just before I go to bed.

I just checked the bottle, mine says "take one every day", no time is specified. It says to take with a full glass of water though.

Apparently taking it at night is fine, because my blood work has always been okay since I started taking it.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I also have to take mine in the morning on an empty stomach, says so right on the bottle. I keep it on my nightstand with a glass of water and take it as soon as I wake up.

 

[princess momma]

Are we talking levothyroxine?

It's best taken in the morning so it will more closely mimic the body's natural thyroid hormones. It speeds up metabolism and if taken too late may cause insomnia. It needs to be taken on an empty stomach for best absorption.

 

[IMissEd]

Synthroid (levothyroxine) is normally advised to be taken in the morning. It will increase your metabolism. Normal circadian rhythms cause people to have a high metabolism in the am and decrease throughout the day. So, at bed time the metabolism has slowed.

Synthroid taken at bedtime can also cause sleeplessness.

Now, if you work night shift, you may want to talk more about it with your physician.

 

[wvdisluv2]

I take my generic synthroid in the morning (with a full glass of water) and wait at least one hour before eating I've been on the same dosage for 16 years since having all but 2% of my thyroid removed.

 

[claudia]

take my armour thyroid first thing in the morning....wait 60 minutes or more to eat.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I've had two endocrinologists and two primary care physicians to be very specific that the medication (for hypothyroid) needs to be taken on an empty stomach in the morning with no other medication. One endo said to wait thirty minutes after before eating anything or taking any other med, and the other endo said wait a full hour.

I had serious problems with a generic thyroid medication and will never take one of those again.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I set an alarm, take mine (with BP pill - ok'd by pharmacist and dr), sleep for an hour, then eat breakfast.

 

[DisneyCP2002]

Always take mine in the morning about an hour or so before eating. I have a question though. I am having fasting blood work in the morning at 8 am. Do I take my levothroxine(sp?) b4 I go or wait until I get home?

 

[ProgressCity]

The reason you're supposed to take it in the morning is for the energy benefit which peaks about 4 hours after taking the medication. It won't affect your bloodwork if you take it at night instead of the morning, but a major symptom of hypothyroidism is sluggishness because thyroid hormones contribute to your energy level and metabolism. Therefore, the medication is more beneficial if taken in the morning because you don't need the energy in your sleep, you need it to get through the day. Even if you don't feel sluggish, your internal organs are if they're not getting enough thyroid hormone. When do you think your organs need energy more, at night when you're sleeping or during the day?

Most thyroid medications will also tell you to take them on an empty stomach and wait to eat. This is because the hormone is very delicate and can bind with too many things to list, greatly diminishing the amount of hormone, if any, that ends up being used by the body.

So the question is, are you taking the medication to get your labwork to look good or to get control of your symptoms and feel better? If you want to see the most bang for your buck change in your life using thyroid medication, it's best to take it in the morning on an empty stomach.

(I'm not a doctor, so if you're in doubt talk to one. I'm just a hypothyroidism patient that has spent years researching this stuff.)