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.

@OhTheRoses but it's not been treated well.

I have under active thyroid and I am terrible at taking tablets. Mine are in my make up box and I take them when I'm getting ready. I also need to take iron tablets but I can never remember to take those. Think it's been weeks. Can't take them at same time as thyroxine.

I keep mine by the toilet. Everyone needs a wee first thing in the morning don't they?

I guess the phone alarm doesn't work because I hit close instead of snooze and think I'll take it in a minute. I'm then up sorting the kids and rushing around, so it gets missed.
I used to remember in the evening but had always been told you have to take it in the morning only. So would then just not take it. It now seems as though many take them in the evening no issues.

I already have them in blister packs from the chemist with days of the week. The chemist do this for me to try and help me know when I've taken them.

For those mentioning seeing my doctor I do see him regularly but get told all symptoms are because I'm missing medication. I had bloods done a month ago after admitting I was forgetting tablets and the outcome of that was very abnormal, but it's seen as an unaccurate result due to forgotten medication. I have to wait 3 months before being retested.

They do rest for other things and everything else comes back normal apart from cholesterol.

With my depression I feel better for coming off the sertraline. I did go through weeks of withdrawal effects, but they stopped about a month ago it's been over a month since I stopped taking them completely but before that I was only remembering to take them every 3 or 4 days then I'd forget again.

I'm only 35 and my forgetfulness is quite embarrassing.

I've just taken my 3rd tablet in 3 mornings so the bedside table with water seems to be helping as a visual reminder for me.

Sorry to hear so many of you also suffer from underactive thyroids.

Do you all also struggle with weight issues?

OP I am quite sure that you will absorb more thyoxine if you take the tablet every night than if you forget it more than you take it. And if a little less is absorbed the dose can be adjusted. Just nod and smile when the GP says it must be taken first thing half an hour before food.

There was an article in the BTF Mag where the experts said that whilst guidance was first thing many many patients repirted they successfully took it at night.

I disagree with the pister above saying that treatment is nit optimal because it isn't being taken. The treatment may be optimal but if patient compliance is suboptimal then full benefits cannot be obtained.

Yes I struggle with weight but it's because I love food and wine and drive to work. Nothing to do with my thyroid.

Another forgetful one here. Due to depression I think. Medication has been a nightmare in the past.

I only started consistently remembering when being off tablets meant my mental health spiralled out of control. I started taking them again and became so fearful off being off them. I guess in my case I am using more brain space to remember because it has become so important to me not to go back to how mentally ill I was. Also accepting that I just can't live without them even if I wish I could.

I also take them at the exact same time in the morning when I have my cuppa, and don't feel 'safe' to proceed with the day unless I've carried out this little ritual.

Abnormal cholesterol is also a thyroid thing. And fatigue. And putting on weight.
TAKE THE TABLETS!

Temperature rarely gets above 25 in the UK so no need to keep it in the fridge - esp if you have kids around store it out of easy reach. Bathrooms prob not a good idea because of temperature fluctuations and moisture, bedrooms prob best.
Time of day is not important just make sure it’s around the same time to act as a reminder.
It is important to leave a four hr or so gap between milk/ iron containing products and taking thyroxine to make sure you are absorbing thyroxine properly ( so last thing at night usually easiest for dosing ) .
I’ve been taking for nearly 20 years and as long as I don’t miss doses weight not an issue.

Thyroxine needs to be kept in the fridge

It really doesn’t. The BNF states this.

I have literally never heard that thyroxine needs to kept in the fridge. Do many people store it like that?

Oh and I sympathise with the withdrawal symptoms from ADs. That is why I was off them last time. My memory was so bad and I kept forgetting so I was in a constant state of withdrawal. Awful.

Anyway I'm pleased to report that now I'm being consistent I am having no side effects (other than an inability to orgasm )

I keep forgetting mine too , fortunately I am on omeprazole so chronic heartburn is a reminder if I leave it for more than a day . I have tried all sorts of ways to remember to take the bloody stuff in the correct manor, I do have a pill mate box , otherwise I would have no idea at all and might well overdose .

I’ve never been told to keep it in the fridge, I keep it in my bedroom and it’s the first thing I do when I get up.

I take lots of different pills, I used to forget them regularly, then I just sort got into a routine of putting the kettle on and getting pills ready while waiting for it to boil, once you start a routine even with a bad memory it just becomes the norm

Can I also ask, for those who take it correctly and are on the right dose, did you find it easy to then lose weight?
I've already had a large tummy but since missing so much medication I've gained another stone in such a short space.

I look slim everywhere else so look abnormal with a huge tummy.

Where, for example, your phone alarms go off for your medication, what do you do? Do you not know why it's gone off, or do you turn it off and think 'I'll take my pills in a minute' having no experience of this I'm just wondering where the problem lays.

That's exactly it. I'm in one room, tablets in another...

I got out of the habit of taking my metformin tablets because they're like bloody horse pills and there was no discreet way of taking them (with food). We were out for dinner with a friend's parents, I knew there would be questions so I didn't take them. Haven't taken them since (because restarting them will cause a morning in the bathroom). Which is bloody ridiculous.

I didn’t lose any baby weight until I was on thyroxine. I find now after my second child I put on weight really easily and have to constantly watch what I eat now. I lost weight on slimming world but that’s the only way I can do it now.

Whilst on the subject of weight. Does anyone find eating certain foods help with an underactive thyroid to lose weight or have any advice on healthy eating?

Must be on a budget mind.

Can I also ask, for those who take it correctly and are on the right dose, did you find it easy to then lose weight?

Easy enough - 2.5 stone over 9/10 months. But it took a long time to get the dose right.

I'd echo what others said. Find one thing you reliably do every day at the same/ish time - get your coffee ready, go to bed, charge your phone, have a wee, whatever - and put your pills next to it in a pill box.

There's some debate about whether to take Levo at night or in the morning but at this stage I'd just concentrate on getting it down.

You are supposed to take it 30 mins before caffeine.

I found it the most difficult when I was on iron supplements too.

If you forget to take it in the mornings try taking it at night. I take it first thing and I don't allow myself to use the toilet without having taken it. It was hard at first but it has become routine for me now.

With the weight, I also have diabetes and when I'm on the right dose I need less insulin, less insulin I take the less I weigh. I hate dose changes as it will take me a while to adjust insulin as well.

I take thyroxine in the evening: I always do it just before I brush my teeth so I know I can't brush my teeth without taking my thyroxine.

I also have kids, and there is no way I would remember to take it in the morning every day, mornings are chaos. Sometimes I don't remember to have breakfast or drink a coffee, let alone take a medication.

Set an alarm for 9pm, when your kids are in bed. Make sure you take it immediately. The reason you are supposed to take it in the morning is: you aren't supposed to take it with food (particularly milk/dairy) as it stops it being absorbed as well, and there is a theory that having it in the morning is more 'natural'

I've just had my levels checked and they are fine, and I feel well, so taking in the evening hasn't affected me.

Once your levels are normal you will feel less depressed, less forgetful and will find losing weight easier.

OP,
I don’t know if you have a partner or not but can you get them to ‘supervise’ your pill taking. If not what about asking your kids if they are old enough? Have a sweetie jar and tell them they get a sweet when they make you take your medication.
Do you have a helpful Mum or Dad? I’d happily phone and remind one of my adult kids. It would be a bit of a daft thing to do but I’d do it.

Do you have a smart phone which enables you to set a daily reminder? This would help - set the reminder for a time you know you are likely to be free though as I find sometimes if the reminder goes off when I'm busy it's easy for me to ignore it for a moment and then forget about it completely. You can also set up your email accounts etc to set reminders - maybe try and set it up so you are getting multiple reminders each day as you're unlikely to miss them all.

I would think of a routine you do every single day and maybe try and build it into this - for example toothbrushing. Put your pills with the toothbrush so there is no way to complete the routine without seeing them - if necessary make it impossible to ignore the pills, for example get a tupperware box and put the toothpaste tube and pills in the box together so you are prompted to take them every time you open the box and can't forget them.

The other thing I do is write sticky notes and place them at eye level where I will see them, so for example on the bathroom mirror I would stick 'PILLS!' so again I will see them when I brush my teeth.

The only other thing I can think to do is to ask a close friend or family member to help, if you have any close colleagues at work you could ask them to remind you each day or ask a friend/ family member to give you a quick text/ phonecall every day just to remind you.

Finally, have you spoken to your GP about your memory and asked if there is any support they can offer? I know my grandfather was referred to a memory clinic when his memory started to decline so there may be something available to help you utilise your memory and suggest strategies for remembering things.

OP I take mine about 10pm in bed. Studies have shown it is better absorbed at night, as long as you dont have a full stomach still.