Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Have you ever missed doses of levothyroxine?

61 replies

CrazyPuddin · 22/08/2020 07:33

Posting here for traffic.

Have you ever missed doses and had effect from this?

I’m currently feeling rather poorly and trying to establish if this is the cause.

I usually take 125mcg daily and realised I’d taken about 5 days worth in 1 month due to forgetting most days.

For the last week I’ve had a constant headache that eases with painkillers but doesn’t go away completely. My heads felt foggy and I feel sort of dizzy. Like when your brain cannot keep up with your eyes.

Also had nausea, felt completely exhausted and some achy muscles.

I’ve now found an app on my phone that hounds me until I mark that over taken my medication and have now managed 5 days in a row but don’t yet feel any better.

I guess I’m not sure if me messing my medication is the cause so wanted to hear others experiences.

I’m also really struggling to get a gp appointment at the moment.

OP posts:
Original poster
CrazyPuddin · 22/08/2020 07:34

Apologies, I clearly cannot string a sentence together either it seems.

OP posts:
wowfudge · 22/08/2020 07:37

Can you ring 111 and get some advice?

Wilma55 · 22/08/2020 07:38

Can't help with your question but I get Alexa to remind me to take mine!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health
feesh · 22/08/2020 07:40

I’ve missed the odd day, but never more than one in a row. It’s the first thing I do every morning and I have a pill box next to my bed with the days of the week marked on, so I can easily see if I’ve forgotten or not.

I can imagine it completely explains why you feel rough now. It takes about 3-4 weeks for the medicine to start working, and you hardly took it at all last month so I would expect these symptoms to go away once you’ve built it up in your system again.

DobbieFreeElf · 22/08/2020 07:41

I can’t comment on how missing doses makes me feel because I’ve been very careful about remembering but I do know that when I was first on it and having very regular TSH blood tests it did take a while to take affect (like weeks) so maybe 5 days You are still feeling the effects of the missed dosages.

Do you make sure you take it at least 30 mins (better to be an hour) before any food or drink in the morning? If you don’t it’s not as effective.

I don’t know if it will help you but I put my tablets out beside where I sleep (and beside my phone!) so the first thing I see in the morning is my pills and take them as I’m waking up (which also makes the hour wait more bearable!).

CeibaTree · 22/08/2020 07:42

I've missed doses here and there with no side effects, but never to the extent you have - I do know that it takes about 3 weeks to make any difference when you initially start taking it or change your prescription. 125mcg is a fairly high daily dose so I'm not surprised you are feeling awful - your body needs the thyroxine to function. Can you take it before bed as part of your bedtime routine so you don't forget?

bytorchlight · 22/08/2020 07:44

Yes, it will have an effect. I take 75mg and I don't notice if I miss a day or two. If I miss 3 days in a row, I notice my legs are heavy going upstairs and feel exhausted. It is when noticing those feelings that I realise I've forgotten to take them.

You have missed a lot over one month so it may take some time to get your levels up again.

moonlight1705 · 22/08/2020 07:45

I'm on the same dose as you OP and when I missed two days once due to unforseen circumstances, I felt ropey. It took me a month to get back into feeling better.

Purplequalitystreet · 22/08/2020 07:50

I quite often miss doses. I'm only on 50mcg so don't really notice symptoms, but my blood tests are affected. If you are on 125mcg then I'm not surprised that you're having symptoms. Maybe set a reminder on your phone (I should probably do this as well!)

Original poster
CrazyPuddin · 22/08/2020 07:56

Thank you for your replies.

Can thyroid also effect the menstrual cycle?

I’m annoyed at myself because I’ve made myself ill. I did suspect it may now take a while to fix.

Friends and colleagues are now commenting saying I probably have Covid. I suspect most side effects get Covid comments these days.

I’ve been taking my medication in a morning before food and without caffeine. Hoping to get into a proper routine with it.

The less I take my medication the more forgetful I get. Which then makes me less likely to take my tablets.

But the phone app seems to be helping so far.

OP posts:
PhilCornwall1 · 22/08/2020 08:09

I'm always missing it. I take 100mcg and have missed it 3 times this week. We are on leave and our normal routine is out the window.

I've been on it for 20 years and have missed taking it loads of times. I've had no real problems.

Thinking about it, I better go and take some now.

Heatherjayne1972 · 22/08/2020 08:11

I take levothyroxine. I find if I forget a few doses my mood goes way down I feel ‘meh’ about everything and don’t believe it’s to do with the tablets.

The only way is to remind myself to take it. An alarm on my phone helped always taking it at the same time everyday
Some sort of routine - currently taking it when the kids have their vitamins

ImFree2doasiwant · 22/08/2020 08:12

I keep mine by the kettle and take it as soon as I get up. It can aff3ct your menstrual cycle. I ran out and was without it for a week, last month, and have so far been bleeding for 26 days out of the last 32.

The awful.periods were the reason I wentto the GP in the first place, and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. And anaemia as a result of the heavy bleeding.

EssentialHummus · 22/08/2020 08:16

Yes, it will be that as others said. If I miss one day I tend to take a double dose the next day (I’m not recommending this) but if I forget/on the rare occasions I don’t get a new prescription in in time, I feel like death warmed up within a week or so and it is very slow to lift.

feesh · 22/08/2020 08:21

Yes it definitely affects your Menstrual cycle. I spent years thinking I had PCOS until I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism

ALLIS0N · 22/08/2020 08:23

Yes your symptoms could be because your levels are low. It’s hard to be sure as the symptoms are quiet diverse - one of the reasons it’s hard to get diagnosed.

You need a proper system for taking your meds each day. “ Trying to remember “ isn’t working for you. I have one of the plastic boxes you can get from chemists or even primark for around £2. I suggest you get one, fill it up and put it somewhere you will see when you wake up.

So On top of your phone beside your bed / beside your toothbrush / where ever. Don’t put them beside the kettle as it will make you want a cuppa and you need to wait 30 mins.

Take them as soon as you wake up. Don’t do anything else first eg look at your phone or you will forget.

Once you have been taking them daily for about 6 weeks, your symptoms will probably reduce. If they don’t , see your GP.

Original poster
CrazyPuddin · 22/08/2020 08:35

6 weeks? :( will I really feel like this for that long?

I’ve had to stop exercising because I feel so ill.

I asked about pmt because I’m sure I’m quite overdue now. It seems to be very delayed atm.

OP posts:
ImFree2doasiwant · 22/08/2020 08:40

Any chance you could be pregnant OP? I find I feel rotten for a week if my dose increases. Generally, I dobt find the medication makes me feel that much better, but it helps, a bit, with the periods.

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 22/08/2020 08:43

@PhilCornwall1

I'm always missing it. I take 100mcg and have missed it 3 times this week. We are on leave and our normal routine is out the window.

I've been on it for 20 years and have missed taking it loads of times. I've had no real problems.

Thinking about it, I better go and take some now.

Just what im thinking

I take them when im doing my makeup....so forget when I’m not wearing it (which is once a week max in normal times)

Did not know it affected periods

SockYarn · 22/08/2020 08:45

I'm on 125 mcg too and it does take a while for you to start feeling better as your levels increase. The key here is to find a way of remembering to take it. Mine sits on the side of the bathroom which is the first place I go in the morning. Up, loo, thyroxine, brush teeth, downstairs.

Would also recommend another blood test for your levels but obvioulsy a frw months after you've been taking it reliably each day.

caringcarer · 22/08/2020 08:45

You are feeling like I did before I was told to take medication. You will need to take every day for a month to six weeks to feel completely better.

beingsunny · 22/08/2020 08:45

I take 100mg a day and have missed a few days here and there but not so many over a month. I would expect you are almost certainly feeling the effects of that now. It will also likely take a couple of weeks to get back to normal.

I set a reminder on my phone for every morning which two alarms.

sunnysidegold · 22/08/2020 08:52

I have been awful at taking mine lately. And I take 200mg a day so any wonder I'm feeling rubbish.

I hadn't read about caffeine affecting it...I would usually have a coffee within ten minutes of taking mine.

I used to be much better at taking it as I was taking. A cocktail of pills every day. Now it's just the thyroxine I tend to forget. Got my levels checked last week and waiting on the results so maybe those will be out of kilter. I've been v good at taking it for the last month or so.

Original poster
CrazyPuddin · 22/08/2020 08:57

I am 100% not pregnant.

I wish I could rid how my head feels. It’s like a constant pressured feeling a bit like when your ears pop. Along with a headache and a weird dizzy feeling.

The rest of the symptoms I can pretty much deal with but those are the ones bothering me the most.

I’m working 45 hours a week at work and this week has been such an effort.

OP posts:
PhilCornwall1 · 22/08/2020 09:00

I hadn't read about caffeine affecting it...I would usually have a coffee within ten minutes of taking mine.

I've had all sorts of differing advice on how to take it over the years. Take 30 minutes before caffeine, take it at night, no don't take it at night but in the morning and also, no caffeine isn't a problem with it.

I just take it in the morning with a coffee, have done for years now.