Use Levothyroxine Synthroid exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.
Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed. Levothyroxine oral is taken by mouth. Levothyroxine injection is given as an infusion into a vein. Levothyroxine is usually given by injection only if you are unable to take the medicine by mouth.
Levothyroxine oral works best if you take it on an empty stomach, 30 to 60 minutes before breakfast. Follow your doctor's dosing instructions and try to take the medicine at the same time each day. Swallow the tablet or capsule whole, with a full glass 8 ounces of water.
The levothyroxine tablet may dissolve very quickly and could swell in your throat. Measure liquid medicine carefully. Use the dosing syringe provided, or use a medicine dose-measuring device not a kitchen spoon. Levothyroxine doses are based on weight in children. Your child's dose needs may change if the child gains or loses weight. It may take several weeks before your body starts to respond to levothyroxine.
Keep using this medicine even if you feel well. You may need to use levothyroxine for the rest of your life. You may need frequent medical tests. Tell any doctor, dentist, or surgeon who treats you that you are using levothyroxine.
Do not share this medicine with another person , even if they have the same symptoms you have. Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time. Finally, in the field of psychology, we know of too many cases who were wrongly diagnosed with depression, missing out the fact they suffered from hypothyroidism.
In this regard, something beyond the use of levothyroxine may be in question: the use of antidepressants or even cognitive therapy, which should be replaced with a correct diagnosis and a proper treatment for hypothyroidism.
Doing so almost guarantees a failed therapeutic outcome. Many clinicians mistakenly believe that the TSH level correlates with tissue metabolic rate.
The TSH level and metabolic rate are out of synchrony in many, and perhaps most, patients. We have found no studies documenting a reliable correlation between the two. A perfect blog..
Majority of them are affected by this and are not much aware of the true condition. This is a wonderful blog with all necessary information. It is just this kind of ridiculous, unscientific, limited thinking that has kept me ill and with frightening increasing symptoms of hypothyroidism since at least Funny how the brain fog and depression and anxiety attacks went away within less than a week of having T3 added to the T4 that was doing little for me.
Funny how the thyroid nodules decreased in size. Funny how I lost 15 lbs. Can you spell myxedema? Those 6 endocrinologists fought against me taking T3 of course. I believe they have permanently destroyed my metabolism. And guess what? Turns out my thyroid problem IS all in my head, just not the way those endocrinologists meant it. I have a pituitary adenoma. Godman: This article is an un-scholarly parroting of misinformation spread by the PR team hired years ago by Abbott Labs to boost sales of its pharmaceutical product, Synthroid.
I recall it took at least a year for natural desiccated thyroid to get back into the pipeline in the U. Neither the FDA nor the manufacturers ever favored consumers with an honest explanation of the SNAFU; though it was revealed that members of the central advisory board at the FDA had close ties to pharmaceutical companies. The inherent conflicts of interest somehow remind me of the deferential treatment Bernie Madoff received from the SEC. TSH tests the pituitary gland, not the thyroid and while yes, there is a feedback mechanism between the two glands, testing TSH production is only an indirect indication of the function of the thyroid.
The proper test of thyroid function is not merely total T4, but FREE T4, that is, the thyroxine actually circulating in the blood available for use by the organs in the body. Bound T4 is of no practical use in the body; so even if the total T4 appears within range, that number could mask a significantly sub-par level of FREE T4.
Coincidentally, this was the exact result on my most recent blood test: low TSH, total T4 in range, FREE T4 well below range—not to mention, clear clinical symptoms—ergo, need to raise my supplement dose. Additionally, one of the great and under-diagnosed problems with hypothyroidism is that often the sufferer has limited ability to convert T4 to its active form, T3, so testing of T3 levels is also critical. If the patient has limited ability to convert thyroxine T4 to triiodothyronine T3 , no amount of T4, synthetic or natural, will restore her health.
I would urge you to go back and take up a critical re-examination of the issue of hypothyroid diagnosis and treatment.
My treatment of Armour Natural Thyroid has successfully alleviated those symptoms — and my weight easily lost; now back to normal — after years of cchallenges. Not to mention to total lack of regard for the presence of reverse triiodothyronine which is a known issue for many patients. Thank you for the important overview of this situation.
My concerns go to the cause and in our opinion the excessive consuption of products based in soy could be something that we should check. The main bioactive compounds of soy are isoflavones and those can induce hypothyroidism. For people with heart problems: Levothyroxine can increase your risk of serious heart problems, such as heart attack , abnormal heart rhythm, and heart failure.
Tell your doctor if you have heart problems or a history of heart problems. Your doctor may decide to start you on a lower dosage of levothyroxine.
For people with diabetes: Let your doctor know if you have diabetes. Taking levothyroxine can make your diabetes worse. Your doctor may monitor your blood sugar level more closely while you take this drug and adjust your diabetes drugs if needed.
For people with osteoporosis : Using levothyroxine for a long time can cause decreases in your bone mineral density and put you at higher risk of bone fractures.
For people with adrenal or pituitary gland problems: Let your doctor know if you have any adrenal or pituitary gland problems. Using levothyroxine can cause changes to your levels of thyroid hormone that could make these problems worse. For people with blood clotting disorders: Let your doctor know if you have any blood clotting disorders.
Taking levothyroxine may make it more difficult for your blood to clot and make bleeding more likely. It appears unlikely that this drug will harm a pregnancy. Not treating hypothyroidism could cause problems for both you and your pregnancy. You should not stop taking this drug during pregnancy. For women who are breastfeeding: Small amounts of levothyroxine may pass into breast milk, but this drug is usually safe to take while breastfeeding.
Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your child while taking levothyroxine. Your doctor may choose to start you on a lower dosage. For children: Levothyroxine has only been approved for use in children for the treatment of hypothyroidism. The tablet can be used safely in children of all ages.
Levothyroxine oral tablet is used for long-term treatment. It may even lead to coma. For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times. If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. Symptoms of an overdose can include:. If your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember.
But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once.
This could result in dangerous side effects. How to tell if the drug is working: You should feel your symptoms of low thyroid hormone decrease.
For instance, you should have more energy, less tiredness, and less weakness. A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription.
Your doctor will monitor your thyroid hormone levels during your treatment with this drug. Your doctor will have blood tests done to make sure your thyroid hormone level is within the range they feel is best for you.
The tests will tell if your medication is working. Certain foods such as soybean flour, cotton seed meal, walnuts, and other dietary fibers may affect how well your body absorbs levothyroxine. Talk to your doctor about whether you should make any changes to your diet.
Many insurance companies require a prior authorization for certain brand-name forms of this drug.
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