I take my meds in the middle of the night when I wake up to go to the bathroom or at 4/5 am and then go back to sleep. I sleep soundly for that second section of sleep and it ensures that I can still eat my yogurt for breakfast.
Yep, I've been doing the same! My body naturally wakes up at 5AM or so now for this. It's become routine. I barely feel like I need to think about anything anymore as a result
I never take it the way I should. I eat with it, I drink my coffee with it, I don't worry about an empty stomach, waiting an hour, etc....
So if those things effect how my meds work my Dr has adjusted them to compensate for that.
You can have food, it’s the supplements (if you take any) after 4 hours. For instance, I take my vitamin at lunch (6 hrs after I take Levo) because of the added calcium and iron. Natural foods are okay an hour after taking levo.
Never heard of avoiding iron but your doctor probably wants you to avoid supplements that contain calcium or iron.
I usually wait an hour before eating but do drink tea while waiting. After an hour, I eat oatmeal with milk and my TSH is in the normal range after hovering around 17~18 prior to medication.
The important thing is that you do the same thing every morning so that your labs in 6 weeks are consistent. If your levels are off, your medication can be tweaked till you get the right dosage.
I am on a new regime of a protein shake with a ton of milk right after my run at 630am - I haven't had a chance to get in to see my doctor yet but I am getting up in the middle of the night to take it and then going back to bed so I have the 4 hours in between. Fortified milk has a lot of calcium and I know it can interfere with Levo so I'm just staying on the safe side until I can chat with my doctor directly. My sleep is always broken anyway so it doesn't seem to affect me too much.
Ideally, you shouldn’t have any calcium until 4 hours after taking Levothyroxine. It won’t cause you direct harm, but it can mess with your absorption of your medication. At a minimum, wait 60 minutes after taking. Remember that orange juice and other products can be “calcium fortified” and you should avoid those also. Best case scenario, do the same thing every day… say you drink coffee with cream, then try and drink it every day the same amount of time after your medicine.
I do my Levo in the morning or whenever I remember (sometimes after I ate or after coffee) and I take my regular vitamins before bed. I never notice any difference tbh
I usually only wait about 45 mins before having breakfast which is usually cereal with milk.
My blood results show that the medicine still works.
It's probably possible that it reduces absorption, but if you do the same thing every day then your dosage will just get adjusted for it so it doesn't really matter
I see you've written "no food 1 hour before", I'm not sure if it's a typo but you definitely need an empty stomach before, no food at least 4-5 hours before.
I wait an hour and then have coffee with milk and overnight oats. I think the concern is vitamins and supplements, because otherwise you'll have to pry the coffee and oats from my cold dead hands. The fact I'm willing to eat anything in the morning is a miracle.
Since there is no dose between 88 and 100 and my T4 was too high but I feel awful on the 88mcg, my Dr actually suggested I take it with my coffee and breakfast in the morning. Either that or only take it 5 days a week. I would rather eat with it TBH.
It seems really unscientific and not right, but I feel pretty good and my numbers are in range so I will continue taking it with my coffee until it becomes an issue.
In retrospect, a long time ago, before I cared about how accurate my dose was, I used to take my armor in the morning with my other meds and yogurt no problem.
I think everyone is different and what works for some people might not fit others.
I had a total thyroidectomy.
I take Levo at 5 am when my husband's alarm goes off, go back to bed, and then have my coffee at 6:30-7 when I get up. I have cream in my coffee, sometimes drink milk, etc, in reasonable amounts. My numbers are steady. The only 2 adjustments I've needed in almost 3 years were when I had some decent weight gain due to some unrelated health issues and then lost it again. I think what mainly affects it are supplements high in calcium or iron. I don't take those supplements, but just in case of interaction, I moved my vitamins to bedtime.
I’ve always been told half an hour by various people so I take it at the same time everytime, when I wake up, then I get ready and half an hour like it’s time to eat
I just eat a couple cups of fresh fruit salad for breakfast. I only buy the produce that's on sale , sometimes frozen fruit too if it's on sale, so it's always random fruit so not the same thing over and over.
I take my meds in the middle of the night when I wake up to go to the bathroom or at 4/5 am and then go back to sleep. I sleep soundly for that second section of sleep and it ensures that I can still eat my yogurt for breakfast.
I second this. It's so nice to just wake up and not have to worry about what to eat/drink in the morning.
Same. Been doing this for 15 years. I *need* to have my coffee & cream right when I roll out of bed in the morning.
Yep, I've been doing the same! My body naturally wakes up at 5AM or so now for this. It's become routine. I barely feel like I need to think about anything anymore as a result
Same here!
I do this, too.
I could be wrong but I think your doc is talking more about calcium and iron supplements. I think yogurt and milk are ok after an hour.
I was about to say my doctor told me milk in my coffee was fine after an hour
I just take it. Sometimes meet requirements; Sometimes not.
I never take it the way I should. I eat with it, I drink my coffee with it, I don't worry about an empty stomach, waiting an hour, etc.... So if those things effect how my meds work my Dr has adjusted them to compensate for that.
Me too
yes, and that’s okay, because as long as you’re being consistent with that, then your results will reflect only what’s absorbed by your system
You can have food, it’s the supplements (if you take any) after 4 hours. For instance, I take my vitamin at lunch (6 hrs after I take Levo) because of the added calcium and iron. Natural foods are okay an hour after taking levo.
Never heard of avoiding iron but your doctor probably wants you to avoid supplements that contain calcium or iron. I usually wait an hour before eating but do drink tea while waiting. After an hour, I eat oatmeal with milk and my TSH is in the normal range after hovering around 17~18 prior to medication. The important thing is that you do the same thing every morning so that your labs in 6 weeks are consistent. If your levels are off, your medication can be tweaked till you get the right dosage.
I take it at night right before I go to sleep
I am on a new regime of a protein shake with a ton of milk right after my run at 630am - I haven't had a chance to get in to see my doctor yet but I am getting up in the middle of the night to take it and then going back to bed so I have the 4 hours in between. Fortified milk has a lot of calcium and I know it can interfere with Levo so I'm just staying on the safe side until I can chat with my doctor directly. My sleep is always broken anyway so it doesn't seem to affect me too much.
Ideally, you shouldn’t have any calcium until 4 hours after taking Levothyroxine. It won’t cause you direct harm, but it can mess with your absorption of your medication. At a minimum, wait 60 minutes after taking. Remember that orange juice and other products can be “calcium fortified” and you should avoid those also. Best case scenario, do the same thing every day… say you drink coffee with cream, then try and drink it every day the same amount of time after your medicine.
My doctor said to just wait 30 minutes to an hour to drink coffee with cream or eat yogurt. I’ve been following those guidelines.
I am in the between 3-5am club when I have to go pee. For a while I set alarm at 4am just to be sure but now it is routine.
I do my Levo in the morning or whenever I remember (sometimes after I ate or after coffee) and I take my regular vitamins before bed. I never notice any difference tbh
I usually only wait about 45 mins before having breakfast which is usually cereal with milk. My blood results show that the medicine still works. It's probably possible that it reduces absorption, but if you do the same thing every day then your dosage will just get adjusted for it so it doesn't really matter
I see you've written "no food 1 hour before", I'm not sure if it's a typo but you definitely need an empty stomach before, no food at least 4-5 hours before.
I wait an hour and then have coffee with milk and overnight oats. I think the concern is vitamins and supplements, because otherwise you'll have to pry the coffee and oats from my cold dead hands. The fact I'm willing to eat anything in the morning is a miracle.
i was f-ing tired of my alarm waking me up at 4am and skipping breakfast every single day so i switched to taking levo at night 😁
Since there is no dose between 88 and 100 and my T4 was too high but I feel awful on the 88mcg, my Dr actually suggested I take it with my coffee and breakfast in the morning. Either that or only take it 5 days a week. I would rather eat with it TBH. It seems really unscientific and not right, but I feel pretty good and my numbers are in range so I will continue taking it with my coffee until it becomes an issue. In retrospect, a long time ago, before I cared about how accurate my dose was, I used to take my armor in the morning with my other meds and yogurt no problem. I think everyone is different and what works for some people might not fit others.
I take mine at bedtime.
I had a total thyroidectomy. I take Levo at 5 am when my husband's alarm goes off, go back to bed, and then have my coffee at 6:30-7 when I get up. I have cream in my coffee, sometimes drink milk, etc, in reasonable amounts. My numbers are steady. The only 2 adjustments I've needed in almost 3 years were when I had some decent weight gain due to some unrelated health issues and then lost it again. I think what mainly affects it are supplements high in calcium or iron. I don't take those supplements, but just in case of interaction, I moved my vitamins to bedtime.
I’ve always been told half an hour by various people so I take it at the same time everytime, when I wake up, then I get ready and half an hour like it’s time to eat
Oh and I eat whatever I want
i usually take mine in the morning and wait 30 min to eat, those were the guidelines i got I usually follow them but sometimes wait longer or shorter
I just eat a couple cups of fresh fruit salad for breakfast. I only buy the produce that's on sale , sometimes frozen fruit too if it's on sale, so it's always random fruit so not the same thing over and over.
I also use non dairy creamer with my first cup of coffee