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Type 1 Levothyroxine

B

Blueduck

Active Member
Messages
38
Location
Buckinghamshire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Can anyone , who has started on Levothyroxine tell me how much they had to increase their insulin by? As I’ve been having trouble with my bs levels for about a year, the dr put me on Levothyroxine last Christmas and it made my bs go up, they decided as I was borderline to stop the Levo. Now after advise from endro. Who says I must take the Levo. As my levels have gone up, and I’m not sure what to increase or by how much, waiting for an endro. Appointment to come. Thanks
 
Blueduck said:
Can’t seem to access the posts
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they were not posts, rather forum members I tagged, they should receive a highlight signposting to this thread when next login. Hopefully they be able to share their expierence to help with your particular question.

Only advice can offer, presuming your wearing a cgm is perhaps you can work out a pattern based on particular timing take that med over a period of time. Some meds can take a while to build up in system hopefully will become easier in time predicting. Has anything else changed within your normal daily routines/exercising/eating habbits that could be contributing to it?
 
Blueduck said:
I’ve been having trouble with my bs levels for about a year, the dr put me on Levothyroxine last Christmas and it made my bs go up
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I have no experience with levothyroxine, but your post makes me wonder how you decide on your insulin doses.
There are so many things affecting how much insulin we need, and medication is just one of them.

You're asking how much others needed to increase their insulin with, but if they tell you, it wouldn't tell you anything about how much insulin you need.
Some of us only use 10 units of insulin a day, others need 300 units a day.

If your blood glucose has been going up lately, no matter the reason, have you adjusted your doses?
 
Thank you
It’s a voyage
I’ve been diabetic for 15 year, so yes have been adjusting and tried different insulins, I am super sensitive so sometimes it’s an issue of too much insulin, always changing

I was just interested to see how others have managed the situation as this is a new experience I have a libre 2 and carb count I stick to many meals the same as it makes tracking and adjusting slightly easier.
 
I was going to say levothyroxine doesn't affect my BG, but this post from 2020 suggests otherwise :hilarious:
sleepster

Post in thread 'Type 1 and Levothyroxine - need more insulin?'

I started on levothyroxine earlier this year and have found that it increases my BG by up to 4mmol when I take it, but when I pre-bolus for my breakfast I add an extra unit for the levothyroxine and that usually sorts it out by the time I'm ready for my breakfast.
I'm not recommending you do that, that was my experience and what I was doing at the time, but I no longer have any issues with increased BG from the thyroxine.
Have you done DAFNE and learnt about adjusting doses? Highly recommend doing it if you haven't already!
 
Thank you
We all do funny things looking back !! I did BERTIE on line, not dafne, but my dsn ran dafne when she was in charge of this area and said it was not worth me doing the course, as I’ve been carb counting for 15 years and I’m on the ball. I have been adjusting my own insulin from the very beginning because I’m so sensitive, my dose is low, and when I have just .5 too much I have issues. Consultant said at the moment, pumps only for children and people up to 30, but that would probably help, no chance for at least 5 years. I’m 65. So I’m open for any suggestions and it’s great hearing about other people’s experiences really helpful, thyroid uk web and chat are a great source of info, I’m just gathering it all in
 
Blueduck said:
Can anyone , who has started on Levothyroxine tell me how much they had to increase their insulin by? As I’ve been having trouble with my bs levels for about a year, the dr put me on Levothyroxine last Christmas and it made my bs go up, they decided as I was borderline to stop the Levo. Now after advise from endro. Who says I must take the Levo. As my levels have gone up, and I’m not sure what to increase or by how much, waiting for an endro. Appointment to come. Thanks
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Good Morning Blueduck

I have been on Levothyroxine since childhood, long before diabetes happened. Therefore I cannot comment on whether it affects my levels. Sorry I cannot be any help here. Hope you find an answer soon
 
Thanks for your time. I became type 1 when I was menopausal at 49, and it’s only because I have regular blood tests the thyroid issue was picked up, I have no symptoms. Up to end of 2024 thing were ok, not perfect, but ok. I dont know if it’s the thyroid problem that is affecting everything, but general consensus is, it is.

Re read my last post, ha ha! I am obviously not on the ball, and my dsn says I’m her mystery challenge as everything changes all the time. She is very experienced. I’ll just keep plodding on
 
@Blueduck - apologies for the delay responding to your thread.

Whilst I am hypothyroid, with a very naughty thyroid, I don't take insulin or any other meds for diabetes. It may be worth noting I have also been in a sustained remission from my T2 since early 2014, with my hypothyroidism developing along the way.

I can't say I noticed my blood glucose numbers change before or after starting Levothyroxine. My A1cs have always been in the 31-33 range. Perhaps my body has just "dealt with it".

One comment I will make about ceasing thyroid treatment is not to just go ahead because you don't feel any different. Our thyroids are a cornerstone of our metabolic health and maintaining decent performance - with or without medication is extremely desirable.

Finally, the diagnostic thresholds for hypothyroidism in UK are higher than many, many other countries. Bearing in mind you are T1, were your thyroid related antibodies tested around your diagnosis? For those with elevated antibodies, their thyroid performance can be somewhat inconsistent.

It's a whole new rabbit hole.........
 
AndBreathe said:
@Blueduck - apologies for the delay responding to your thread.

Whilst I am hypothyroid, with a very naughty thyroid, I don't take insulin or any other meds for diabetes. It may be worth noting I have also been in a sustained remission from my T2 since early 2014, with my hypothyroidism developing along the way.

I can't say I noticed my blood glucose numbers change before or after starting Levothyroxine. My A1cs have always been in the 31-33 range. Perhaps my body has just "dealt with it".

One comment I will make about ceasing thyroid treatment is not to just go ahead because you don't feel any different. Our thyroids are a cornerstone of our metabolic health and maintaining decent performance - with or without medication is extremely desirable.

Finally, the diagnostic thresholds for hypothyroidism in UK are higher than many, many other countries. Bearing in mind you are T1, were your thyroid related antibodies tested around your diagnosis? For those with elevated antibodies, their thyroid performance can be somewhat inconsistent.

It's a whole new rabbit hole.........
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Thank you AndBreathe
I don’t think they checked my antibodies I’ll have to check back on my results
I’ll mention that when I see my dsn on Monday, my bs is very inconsistent to say the least. I would not stop now, the endo consult said I must take the Levothyroxine. Thyroid uk web, says levels should be 1-2, with most people preferring 1, if on meds, to feel well. I am waiting for an endo appointment. Thank you for taking the time to reply
 
Blueduck said:
Thank you AndBreathe
I don’t think they checked my antibodies I’ll have to check back on my results
I’ll mention that when I see my dsn on Monday, my bs is very inconsistent to say the least. I would not stop now, the endo consult said I must take the Levothyroxine. Thyroid uk web, says levels should be 1-2, with most people preferring 1, if on meds, to feel well. I am waiting for an endo appointment. Thank you for taking the time to reply
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Yes, those who are euthyroid have a TSH reading of less that 2. Anything closing on on 4 or beyond usually indicates a struggling body.

UK diagnostic levels for hypothyroidism is a TSH on excess of 10, although Levothyroxine can be trialled with a TSH over 5 with symptoms.

Where elevated thyroid antibodies are present they are often accompanied by wonky thyroid levels. This is often referred to as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Treatment is often started earlier in Hashi's in an attempt to preserve thyroid function and prevent further damage by the antibodies

You have a whole new rabbit hole to explore here. :)
 
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