Levothyroxine (Cont.)

When and How to Take Levothyroxine

Some general considerations for when and how to take levothyroxine include the following:
 
  • Levothyroxine comes in the form of a tablet and is usually taken once daily in the morning.
     
  • It is best to take levothyroxine on an empty stomach, 30 to 60 minutes before breakfast (if you eat breakfast). This prevents levothyroxine from interacting with food.
     
  • Levothyroxine tablets may be crushed and mixed with one or two teaspoons of water. This mixture must be taken immediately (it should not be stored).
     
  • Your healthcare provider will adjust your levothyroxine dose based on certain blood tests. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have missed any of your doses, as this may affect any dose adjustments.
     
  • Try to take levothyroxine at the same time each day to keep an even level of the medication in your blood.
     
  • For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Levothyroxine will not work if you stop taking it.
     

Dosing Information for Levothyroxine

The dose of levothyroxine that your healthcare provider recommends may vary depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • Your age
  • How you respond to levothyroxine
  • The results of certain thyroid blood tests
  • Any other medications you are taking
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 
(Click Levothyroxine Dosage for more information.)
 
(Levothyroxine Continued: Page 4)
Pages:

Previous 1   2   3   4   5 Next

Add this article to your Favorites     Email this article     Print
List of references (click here)
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;