hypothyroid folks: timing of taking thyroid medication & late-night effort

[antimony]

There's such a knowledgeable community of folks with thyroid issues here that I bet someone else has thought about this: does anyone modify their thyroid-medication schedule when planning things that go late into the night, especially athletic-y ones? I feel like I can feel the levothyroxine wearing off at about 11pm (I take it at about 7am normally), and I can definitely feel it kick in in the morning. So I'm wondering about what people do when doing brevets/other long rides that run late (or start in the middle of the night). Take the dose earlier/later? Take it on time and just deal with the exhaustion? Take smaller doses and spread throughout the day? (It looks like it's a safe pill to cut -- no fancy extended-release, though I'd obviously check with my doc about that.)

[Catrin]

hmmmm, I've been taking this for decades and have never been able to "tell" when it "kicks in". I don't have a thyroid at all. Has your levels been tested recently? Just curious about this. I can tell a gradual difference if I forget to take it for a couple of days which DOES happen, but I've not experienced anything more noticeable than that. Of course all of our bodies are different!

[antimony]

Well, it could be psychosomatic, since I can't exactly hide the fact that I've taken it from myself. My levels were checked a few months ago, so I think they're still fine, and I still feel like they're fine.

[Catrin]

Well, it could be psychosomatic, since I can't exactly hide the fact that I've taken it from myself. My levels were checked a few months ago, so I think they're still fine, and I still feel like they're fine.

All that counts is they get checked occasionally It is certainly possible that you can tell something, all of our bodies are different. Just because I've never noticed it doesn't mean that you can't. It will be interesting to see what other feedback you get. To my mind keeping a consistent schedule is the best choice where thyroid medication is concerned.

I wouldn't try to chop it up and take smaller doses throughout the day. Sometimes when I forget to take it in the morning I will take it that evening when I get home, and then just return to my usual schedule the next day. You could always do that if this is a concern.

[antimony]

All that counts is they get checked occasionally It is certainly possible that you can tell something, all of our bodies are different. Just because I've never noticed it doesn't mean that you can't. It will be interesting to see what other feedback you get. To my mind keeping a consistent schedule is the best choice where thyroid medication is concerned.

I wouldn't try to chop it up and take smaller doses throughout the day. Sometimes when I forget to take it in the morning I will take it that evening when I get home, and then just return to my usual schedule the next day. You could always do that if this is a concern.

Yeah, I know it usually is best to be consistent, but 24hour+ events aren't really usual circumstances, either. I'm pretty sensitive to temperature, which is how I usually feel it kick in (and possibly why I wasn't diagnosed for a long time -- I am absolutely never cold, and had just thought I'd gotten somewhat more adult and able to be less whiny in the heat as I got older -- nope, turns out with my thyroid levels correct anything over 80 still makes me miserable).

[maillotpois]

I've done a number of 20- 24hr + events (400 - 600k brevets, double centuries that take too long, etc.). To be honest, sometimes I just forget to take the thyroid and I figure for a day it won't mess things up too badly. And it doesn't. I might throw in an extra 1/2 pill the next day if I miss a dose. I've been on this so long that I will self-adjust the dose within a slight window to account for where my weight it, etc.

My last 600k, I think I just put it in the saddle bag with the extra shorts I was going to change into after the sleep stop. I take mine at night, so it is a lot more of a cr@pshoot as to whether I will be able to take it or remember when I'm finishing an event at midnight or 2 am.