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Underactive thyroid

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
MeanMom

MeanMom

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
As some of you may have seen my K was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid yesterday as a result of her first year D check up.

We were given this news over the phone by her D consultant, and told there was a booklet in the post and our GP would issue a script. Consultant did try to explain more but she is not an expert and I didnt take it in. have been looking for info on the web all day - there isnt much about children with the condition and can find nothing (so far) about children with both conditions (although I'm told its not uncommon).

The immediate problem is when to take her tablets? Leaflet says Once a day with a glass of water pref. before breakfast. Someone has told me they take theirs about 15 minutes before - is this what everyone does - assume it has to be on an empty stomach but some very complicated info on the web says (I think) that food shouldnt be eaten for a while afterwards either (an hour or more?) Also something about taking meds before bed as an option?
Can anyone give me any more advice please?:confused:
 
If you can't speak to your GP to ask - the best thing would be to go to your local pharmacy and speak to the pharmacist. They know how the drugs work and should be able to answer all your questions for you.

Hope that you and K come to terms with the new regime.
 
Mom I have had an underactive thyroid for over 20 years now. I am told that symptoms are very similar to symptoms for D as I was tested for D on diagnosis of thyroid. I take my tablets in the morning they don't need to be on an empty or full tummy. I have had, albeit not very often, when I haven't taken them til lunchtime. I was never told a specific time to take them.
Believe me in time it just becomes a second nature and you don't even think about it. Hope this helps xxx
 
By the way my youngest daughter has an underactive thyroid too, she's 22, and she takes her medication after her breakfast. As for the not eating afterwards I've never heard of that. I always have my breakfast within 10-15 mins of taking it. I would however advise against taking it at night. I call my Levothyroxine my "stay awake" pills as that is what they do :D
 
Hi MM.
Under active thyroid is very prev with diabetes. So don't worry about it. 🙂
All that is neede is a replacement for the missing hormone. It's best taken in the morning. Yep some say take it hour before breakfast Others do it differently.
I personally refuse to get up an hour earlier then normal just to take a tablet. It get's taken when I sit down for coffee before I go out to feed the horses and other livestock. ( I don't eat breakfast)
After about 6 weeks another blood test will need to be done to check K's levels are in range and any adjustment to meds is then made.
There's no taste to the tablet and they are very small.
 
I too have an underactive thyroid and diabetes, diagnosed with the thyroid 6 years before diabetes. I take my thyroxine tablets before breakfast but usually only 5-10 mins before and occasionally have remembered after breakfast and taken them then, no problems.

It usually takes a while to get the dosage right so make sure your daughter gets regular check ups.
 
there may be info on the web suggesting that taking thyroxine with calcium stops it being absorbed properly but the evidence is a quite controversial and it seems to be only a very small group of patients who have this problem. I would follow your doctor's advice about when to take the medication but be consistent and take it at the same time each day. Then if there are any problems you could discuss whether you take it before/after food etc.
 
Hi I was diagnosed with this in October after being diabetic, type 1 for 25 years. My TSH levels were 12.4 and are now 0.4. They hospital should give you these levels, you really want them under 5. I take my thyroxine at night along with my lantus, doctor says i could take it any time of day. Night time suited me as always take lantus then. It obviously works fine at night as levels have come down. x 🙂
 
I have had an underactive thyroid for about 15 years now. I take my tablets along with all the others after breakfast. It just becomes a routine. She will probably have check up blood tests every three months whilst they get the doseage right. I got quite a bit of information from a website thyroiduk.org.uk but it is nowhere as good as this one and it takes a lot of searching to find things.

Talking to the pharmacist is a good idea - on that website I talked about there used to be some contact numbers so you could talk to people but I am not sure they are still there.
 
It was me! I told MeanMom about having to take it first thing in the morning. That's what I was told by my GP. My mum is a sufferer too, and when I told her I had it, she asked whether I had to take it 30 min before breakfast like she does. I said no. But I went and asked the pharmacist about the 30 minute thing and he said that if you have milk for breakfast the levothyroxine won't work as well. That's why it would be a good idea to take it 30 min before breakfast. But he didn't say I had to. So I decided for myself that I would take it first thing and then make the girls lunch before having breakfast. I honestly don't know if it Does make a difference though.
 
Monica said:
It was me! I told MeanMom about having to take it first thing in the morning. That's what I was told by my GP. My mum is a sufferer too, and when I told her I had it, she asked whether I had to take it 30 min before breakfast like she does. I said no. But I went and asked the pharmacist about the 30 minute thing and he said that if you have milk for breakfast the levothyroxine won't work as well. That's why it would be a good idea to take it 30 min before breakfast. But he didn't say I had to. So I decided for myself that I would take it first thing and then make the girls lunch before having breakfast. I honestly don't know if it Does make a difference though.
Click to expand...

Yes, thanks Monica.🙂 (Didnt say it was you in case you didnt want me to). Thanks for advise everyone. K had her first tablet this morning when she woke up and by the time she had dragged herself down stairs tested and injected s'pose it was about 30 mins from tablet to milk (but only just) Was Ok with it though - the tablets are tiny!

We are calling them magic beans🙂
 
I was diagnosed with an udneractive thyroid shortly after my diabetes diagnosis. It really tires you out but I just take my tablets along with my other meds before breakfast. One word of caution - don't take iron tablets at the same time - it can cancel out the effectiveness of thyroxin.
 
MeanMom said:
Yes, thanks Monica.🙂 (Didnt say it was you in case you didnt want me to). Thanks for advise everyone. K had her first tablet this morning when she woke up and by the time she had dragged herself down stairs tested and injected s'pose it was about 30 mins from tablet to milk (but only just) Was Ok with it though - the tablets are tiny!

We are calling them magic beans🙂
Click to expand...

LOL, magic beans! I'm glad K managed to take it easily. I hate taking tablets. I class myself to having a tablet phobia, as I can quite easily chocke (sp?) on one. Irrational I know🙄. So I was quite relieved when I found out how tiny they were!!

Ikey - I didn't know about that!! Must remember.

BTW. I went for my annual blood test yesterday and the poor nurse had 3 tries to get blood from me!!!😱 Funnily enough the 2 veins that didn't produce any blood have the biggest bruises now!!!
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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