Levothyroxine and blood sugar spiking

[AngelH]

I am a type 2 diabetic, on insulin. I am also taking Levothyroxine. The instructions for the Levothyroxine advise taking it an hour before eating, the insulin instructions advise taking 30 mins before eating. I check my blood sugar in a morning before any medication or food. I then take my Levothyroxine, if I check my blood sugar half an hour after taking my Levothyroxine, but before I have my insulin, it can have spiked by anything up to 5mmol. Has anyone ele had this issue?
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[JoKalsbeek]

I am a type 2 diabetic, on insulin. I am also taking Levothyroxine. The instructions for the Levothyroxine advise taking it an hour before eating, the insulin instructions advise taking 30 mins before eating. I check my blood sugar in a morning before any medication or food. I then take my Levothyroxine, if I check my blood sugar half an hour after taking my Levothyroxine, but before I have my insulin, it can have spiked by anything up to 5mmol. Has anyone ele had this issue?
.

Odds are it's more to do with dawn phenomenon than the levothyroxine. You're up and about but not eating, so your liver dumps glucose into your system to help you start the day. That you have to have an empty stomach for an hour before eating breakfast in the morning, is more likely to be the issue than the tablet itself. You could ask your prescriber whether you can start taking it at night, which shaves an half an hour of dawn phenomenon off your morning? (As long as it is on an empty stomach, so an hour before a meal or two hours after your last meal, they might well agree).

 

[AndBreathe]

The hour before eating is just about ensuring your Levothyroxine gets into your system before eating or drinking.

I'd be inclined to be with Jo on the dawn phenomenon, rather than the levothyroxine affecting your levels.

How long have you been taking Levothyroxine,a and what is your current dose? Are you getting up earlier to take your levothyroxine, or alternatively eating breakfast later?

I've been taking thyroid meds for several years now. Fortunately, I have always roused early, so take my thyroid meds around 4am, then go back to sleep, to get up at my usual time.

Some folks take their Levothyroxine last thing at night. That's absolutely fine, provided it's a couple of hours since you last ate Lovethyroxine works on a therapeutic dose basis, so it takes a few days to build up in your system and a few days to leave it, so changing your timings isn't a bit thing.