Not everyone has the same symptoms, so make sure to talk with your health care provider if you think you have hypothyroidism. The doctor will ask about your symptoms, do a physical exam, and order blood tests. These tests measure your TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, level and antibodies. In Hashimoto's disease, high levels of antibodies in the blood show that the thyroid is being attacked by the immune system.
If you have an enlarged thyroid that's causing hypothyroidism, called a goiter, your doctor may order an ultrasound to see it better. In rare cases, you might need surgery, since an enlarged thyroid can make it hard to swallow.
Hypothyroidism can usually be treated with an oral medication called levothyroxine. Levothyroxine replaces a hormone naturally produced by the thyroid gland to regulate the body's energy. Your doctor may need to test the level of TSH in your body a few times to make sure the medication is working properly.
TSH levels can change more during pregnancy, if you have heart disease, or if you take certain hormone therapies. Although most cases are mild, about 4. Women are three times more likely than men to experience migraines.
Much of this can be attributed to hormonal changes When Terran, 14, passed out in school, an ambulance took her to the hospital.
Some medicines should not be taken at the same time of day as levothyroxine as they can reduce the amount of levothyroxine your body takes in, including:. Read the information leaflet supplied with these medicines or speak to your pharmacist for advice on how much time to leave between taking these medicines and taking levothyroxine.
There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements with levothyroxine. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. The thyroid gland in your neck makes a hormone called thyroxine. Thyroxine controls how much energy your body uses the metabolic rate. It's also involved in digestion, how your heart and muscles work, brain development and bone health. When the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroxine called hypothyroidism , many of the body's functions slow down.
Some of the most common symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland are:. Levothyroxine is a synthetic version of thyroxine. You take levothyroxine tablets to replace the thyroxine that your thyroid gland cannot produce and prevent the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine starts working straight away, but it may be several weeks before your symptoms start to improve and you feel any different.
Treatment with levothyroxine is usually lifelong. If you stop taking levothyroxine your symptoms are likely to come back. Yes, it's safe to take levothyroxine for a long time, even many years. High doses of levothyroxine over a long time can sometimes cause weakening of the bones osteoporosis.
This should not happen if you are on the right dose. It's important to have regular blood tests to make sure your dose is not too high. There's no clear evidence to suggest that taking levothyroxine will reduce fertility in either men or women. However, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you're trying to get pregnant. They may want to review your treatment. Yes, you can drink alcohol while taking levothyroxine. Alcohol does not affect how this medicine works.
One of the symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland is weight gain. So, once you start taking levothyroxine, you may lose weight as your body's hormones rebalance. Losing weight can also be a sign that your dose of levothyroxine is too high. Once your thyroid hormone levels have returned to normal, your tendency to gain or lose weight is the same as for people who do not have thyroid problems.
If you have an underactive thyroid, you're entitled to free prescriptions for all of your medicines not just your levothyroxine. To claim your free prescriptions you'll need to have a medical exemption certificate.
The application form for the medical exemption certificate is called FP92A. You can get this from your doctor's surgery. You will need to fill in the form, then your doctor will sign it and send it off. Contraceptive pills that contain oestrogen combined contraceptive pills can reduce the amount of levothyroxine in your body.
Speak to your doctor if you start or stop taking the Pill — your dose of levothyroxine may need to change. It's having an underactive thyroid that causes hair loss — not treatment with levothyroxine.
Because the natural hair growth cycle takes several months, hair loss related to thyroid disease might only be seen months after the illness has begun.
If treatment with levothyroxine has already started, it may seem like the medicine — rather than the underlying illness — is causing the hair loss. Page last reviewed: 23 October Next review due: 23 October Levothyroxine - Brand name: Eltroxin On this page About levothyroxine Key facts Who can and cannot take levothyroxine How and when to take levothyroxine Side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about levothyroxine.
About levothyroxine Levothyroxine is a medicine used to treat an underactive thyroid gland hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine starts working straight away, but it may be several weeks before your symptoms start to improve. The most common side effects of levothyroxine are caused by taking a bigger dose than you need.
Your doctor can lower your dose to help reduce any side effects. Before you start taking levothyroxine, your doctor will do a blood test to see what dose you need. Once you start taking the medicine you'll have regular blood tests to see how well it's working.
Levothyroxine doses need to be carefully monitored during pregnancy. If you're planning to become pregnant or think you may be pregnant while taking levothyroxine, it's important to visit your doctor to make sure you get the correct care for you and your baby. Do not take levothyroxine and go back to your doctor to discuss your treatment if you have : had an allergic reaction to levothyroxine or any other medicines in the past an overactive thyroid hyperthyroidism a health problem that affects your adrenal glands your doctor will be able to tell you if you're not sure Check with your doctor before taking levothyroxine if you have : a heart problem including angina , heart disease or heart failure high blood pressure had a heart attack diabetes — the dose of your diabetes medicine may need to change because levothyroxine can raise blood sugar levels.
Dosage You may need to take several different tablets to make up your dose. Your doctor will tell you how many tablets to take each day. The dose of levothyroxine varies from person to person. How to take it Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water.
What if I forget to take it? What if I take too much? Taking an extra dose of levothyroxine by accident is unlikely to harm you. The laboratory will check the test results carefully to exclude interference with measurement or a problem with circulating binding proteins. A test called a thyrotropin-releasing hormone test is also usually carried out to differentiate resistance to thyroid hormone from TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma.
This is done in hospital but only takes a morning. It involves taking an initial blood sample followed by an injection of thyrotropin-releasing hormone, then further blood tests over an hour. Blood will also be taken to look for abnormalities of the thyroid hormone beta receptor by genetic testing.
Family members may also be asked to have thyrotropin-releasing hormone checked. After these investigations, if the diagnosis is still not clear, a triiodothyronine suppression test may be required. This involves taking a high dose of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine for eight to 10 days with blood tests to measure hormone levels before and afterwards. Genetic testing can provide a definitive confirmation, though it is likely that not all variants are known.
Many people with resistance to thyroid hormones have abnormal blood tests but no symptoms. They do not require any treatment. Children will need extra assessment to check they are growing and developing normally.
Patients who have symptoms of hypothyroidism underactive thyroid are treated with levothyroxine tablets — a synthetic version of thyroxine given to replace the sub-optimal level of thyroid hormone. Once the levothyroxine is absorbed in the bloodstream, it is converted to triiodothyronine, which is the active hormone that the tissues and cells require. Combination treatment with levothyroxine and triiodothyronine is not recommended because there is no clear evidence in research studies that it is more beneficial than levothyroxine alone.
The treatment needs to be monitored with regular blood tests. Drugs to slow the heart rate e. If high doses of thyroid hormones are required to compensate for the resistance, this can sometimes cause a fast heart rate requiring extra treatment with a beta-blocker.
Rarely, the very high levels of thyroid hormones can cause growth and related problems in an unborn child and this requires careful monitoring. Women who have resistance to thyroid hormones should speak to their specialist before becoming pregnant. Resistance to thyroid hormone comes with an increased likelihood of thinning of the bones osteoporosis so monitoring of bone density is carried out in adult patients.
There is no evidence that any specific dietary modification can help in resistance to thyroid hormone. British Thyroid Foundation may be able to provide advice and support to patients and their families dealing with resistance to thyroid hormone. About Contact Events News.
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