To have brought this on myself?

[ExhaustedTiredzzzzz]

I'll be honest in that I'm posting in AIBU for traffic....

So, I have an under active thyroid and suffer from depression. I am prescribed 125mcg levothyroxine and came off Sertraline 2 months ago.

I have always struggled to take medication because I struggle with my memory.
If I'm watching TV and the adverts come on, I cannot remember what I was watching. I cannot name famous people or singers, yet would recognise a picture of them. I cannot remember history that most people know, such as when wars took place, political stuff, I don't know where in the world places are.

I struggle to take my medication because I forget. And I think by not taking medication this makes me more forgetful.

Anyway, a few days ago I realised I'd gone 10 days without remembering to take a single pill. I only realised because of how ill I'm currently feeling.

I've tried alarms, reminders, leaving tablets at work, even the chemist put them in blister packs with days of the week.

I've now got them on bedside table with a bottle of water to try and help me remember them. Day will hopefully be my third day in a row of remembering to take them.

I guess my questions are:
What else can I try to ensure I don't forget to take them each day?
How long am I now likely to feel so ill before feeling normal again?
Is forgetfulness and memory issues caused by underactive thyroid? Depression? Both?

Not even sure why i posted. Guess I'm feeling sorry for myself as I'm exhausted, but can't sleep because I feel sicky and gross.

Forgetfulness and depression are absolutely symptoms of hypothyroidism, and I’m afraid it could take as much as a month to get your levels back to normal.
Also, when did you last have your TSH etc checked? You may well need an increased dose. (TSH should be well below 2 - even below 1.5).
I keep mine next to the sink in the bathroom, so that I take it when I brush my teeth.
You should take it first thing in the morning, apparently.

Bed side table is the best place as you should have when you get up and at least 30 minutes before any food. Pill dispensers with days of the week on them sound like a good idea

Could you have a b12 deficiency too? I ask because when I am due a shot I get awfully forgetful.

However I'm not sure why alarms etc don't work?

I’ve never been told to keep my thyroxine in the fridge and nothing on the paper inside box states this, mine lives in the side by kettle as that’s how I remember to take it and I keep spare in handbag. Mine is certainly working at full potency, that’s for sure

I don't understand why setting alarms doesn't work? Why do you not take them as soon as the alarm goes off?

Thyroxine needs to be kept in the fridge or it does not maintain its full potency. If you have breakfast/hot drink with milk in the morning,

Thyroxine needs to be taken on an empty stomach and at least 30 mins before drinks containing caffeine. It does not need to be stored in a fridge and do not take it with multivitamins or iron tablets as this affects absorption.

Hypothyroidism causes memory problems and depression so both of these problems will ease when you take your medication regularly.
Keeping it by you bed, with water to hand, and taking it as soon as you turn your morning alarm off is a good way to remember it.

I use the app Medisafe (it’s free). It gives you reminders and then prompts until you confirm you’ve taken it (for some reason I can’t bring myself to lie to it when it’s asking me to confirm I’ve taken my meds, whereas I can turn off an alarm or reminder guilt free)

Can I ask when in the day people take it. I was never told that it needed to be taken on an empty stomach. I take mine at night when I brush my teeth (that’s my memory trigger).

I tried switching to mornings but couldn’t remember, would forgot for days and then feel ill. My stomach is never empty before bed,

Have you tried alarms with a note about what the alarm is for? I use the Reminders in Google Keep for anything I know I'll forget about otherwise.

You can also get apps with trackers for medication regimes too. MacMillan do one for chemo patients.

I don't know what age you are but I started having thyroid issues at the peri menopause. Between the two things my ability to remember went right down the drain.

Add withdrawal from anti depressants to the mix and that might be part of your problem? I do really think you need to get yourself back to the GP, get some blood tests and take it from there.

Hope you "feel better" soon

Use a pillbox and keep it somewhere you look at every morning eg on your coffee jar, mug, etc Use a tick chart too so you can see you’ve taken the doses.

Put a big sign on the inside of the front door saying “Have you taken your meds,

Keep changing the reminders in case you become used to them and overlook them.

I don’t know anything about your meds but I’d also speak to someone for advice re the missed doses and the forgetfulness. Just to make sure you’re ok.

@scubadive I take my levo at night. Its easier as I don't really eat before bed.

Do you have a really supportive member of the family who could call you daily and refuse to hang up until the pill had been consumed?

Am wondering if the depression is your problem, .now you have stopped the Sertraline . If you were taking a combo of pills at different times of day I would suggest dossett box but forgetting one pill regularly suggests other problems.It is easy to take a tablet and then a few hours later question whether you did take it so also date the box that you opened it Leave the pills on top of your kettle or by car keys .

I've never heard of keeping levothyroxine in the fridge either and I've been on it for 23 years. I take mine in the morning, because if I take it any time after about 10am, I can't sleep at night. My memory is not as good as it used to be and that is definitely part and parcel of hypothryoidism. However, I do think there is something else going on here. You need to see your GP and discuss this with them. This is not normal at all.

I have been taking it for nearly 30 years. I have been advised to take it in the morning but I either forget and need to be out of the house by 7.15am and need a cup of tea to kick start me. I take it at bedtime and there have been no adverse effects. I take my adcal during the day to avoid absorption orobs with the thyroxine.

I use a dosset box because I find it helpful.

Never kept it in the fridge.

Appears I break all the rules but my way I probably firget it less than once a month and I have never had a oroblem pist diagnosis which started with graves.

I have to remember tablets 5 x daily. I have each dose in an individual plastic pill box ( they join together so you can take as many boxes out with you as you need). I have my phone alarm permanently set on the times I need to take a dose. I carry a very small (systema) bottle of water in my handbag and as soon as the alarm goes off I take the next dose.

My post-menopausal memory is grim but it’s now not an issue with this system. If you don’t carry your phone everywhere you can get watches you can set alarms on.

This combo goes everywhere with me.

I have memory issues too, OP. My working memory/short term memory when officially tested was in the lowest 2% of the population. My longterm isn't that great to be honest too.

I get around it by lists. I do not let myself not write things down. Any thought of 'i'll remember that....' is pointless. I've started bullet journalling (because diaries/planners didn't work for me as I always needed to write down more than they allowed and keep a running to do list etc and have it there in front of me) to keep things in my head and I religiously take/use my journal EVERYWHERE and refer to it numerous times during the day. It wasn't easy to get into the habit at first - i admit i kept forgetting it/losing it around the house but after days of making myself do it it did become a habit and I do keep it nearby now.

Out of sight out of mind is a bad thing too - the same with notices on fridges etc - I look past them somewhat. Having it written down in the journal 'take medication' (and then the time I take it written next to it) helps. As does a daily box for both my injection and tablets (I use a needlebay for my needles and a weekly box that has 'four' compartments for the day in it) and then I decant my medication into it once a month (i only take medication once a day - admittedly a lot of tablets but only needed once per day so each 'time slot' - morning/noon/dinner/evening' is a seperate day for me) so I can see that day that I have definitely taken my medication.

You could also ask your pharmacy if they'll blister pack your meds for you so they in effect do the above for you.

It's not a perfect system but it is better than I was doing.

We use Alexa for anything like this x

I have an underactive thyroid too and yes, the "fogginess" and poor memory can be an issue. There is lots you can do to remind yourself. I keep my tablets right by the bathroom sink so I see them every morning when I go to brush my teeth. Or you could set up an alarm on your phone every day. Or stick a note on the fridge.

Report this to your doctor. In the mean time draw up a check list and keep a copy on your fridge door, just get into a routine of not having breakfast until all the things or medications have been taken.

People are right about storage temperatures - see 6.4 on this link

It says "do not store above 25c". Not a problem in UK houses. Perhaps in Aus when it's regularly hotter. Unless you're keeping it on top of a radiator or in the oven there's no need to refridgerate in the UK.

If the hypothyroidism is optimally treated surely there shouldn't be a foggy memory problem?

@ontheroses, you would think so, but thyroxine doesn't totally replace the natural thyroid hormone and there can be symptoms even if you are 'optimally' treated. In reality, most GPS and endos treat by the numbers on your blood tests, but they are just numbers and some of us are still not optimal when the numbers are. But GPS etc are really shit at thyroid stuff and most of us struggle endlessly.