When is the best time to take hormonal medication?

According to Dr. Nguyen Quang Bay, head of the endocrinology - diabetes department, Bach Mai Hospital - in addition, the evaluation of treatment results based on hormone tests is also greatly affected by the time of blood collection, before or after taking the medication.

Citing a recent study from Endocrine Reviews, Dr. Bay said that in some cases, hormone test results were quite high due to measuring the amount of hormones that had just been taken.

In particular, new studies show the powerful influence of circadian rhythms on metabolic processes. This has important implications for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Different hormones, such as cortisol, antidiuretic hormone (ADH), and testosterone, have marked circadian fluctuations, so it is important to determine the optimal timing of medication administration.

In addition, recent advances in the development of long-acting hormonal formulations have somewhat reduced the need for timed dosing, helping to balance patient compliance and treatment accuracy.

"But more research is needed to clarify the optimal timing of hormonal drug use, to improve effectiveness and reduce side effects," Dr. Bay stated.

According to this expert, there are recommendations on when to use some important hormones and when to take blood samples for testing to accurately assess treatment results.

In particular, for thyroid hormone testing (TSH, FT3, FT4), blood should be taken in the morning, so fasting is recommended. Hormones should be taken early in the morning on normal days. On the day of testing, they should be taken immediately after blood is taken.

Adrenal hormone test (Cortisol), blood drawn in the morning, should be fasted. Take hormones on normal days, patients with adrenal insufficiency take when they first wake up. On the day of the test, take after blood drawn (in patients with adrenal insufficiency, to check hormone levels at their lowest point)

For sex hormone testing (Testosterone), blood is drawn between 8-10am, requiring fasting. Use normal hormones in the morning (to check hormone levels at their lowest point) or 2 hours before blood is drawn (to check absorption).

On the day of the test, the patient should take it after the blood draw (to check the hormone concentration at the lowest point) or before the blood draw (to check absorption).