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What is Levothyroxine Used For?
Key Takeaways
-Oral levothyroxine treats hypothyroidism. It can be of three stages namely primary which is thyroidal, secondary – pituitary, and the third one is tertiary (hypothalamic) which is inherited or developed in nature.
-Levothyroxine is only available with a valid-prescription; it works to replace the lost thyroid hormone thyroxine. Levothyroxine is T4 hormone i.e., a synthetic form of the thyroxine (thyroid hormone).
-Levothyroxine or L-thyroxine is available in tablet form or liquid. It supports thyroid hormone deficiency.
-Levothyroxine manages well-differentiated thyrotropin-dependent thyroid cancer along with radioiodine therapy and surgery.
-Levothyroxine is a cost-effective drug mostly preferred by doctors who prescribe it to their patients. There are multiple branded formulations of levothyroxine; your pharmacist can provide needful details about this.
Levothyroxine is a prescription drug used for treating hypothyroidism an underactive thyroid gland. This is a condition where your thyroid gland fails to produce needful thyroid hormone; this hormone helps controlling energy levels and growth.
Levothyroxine quickly restores thyroid levels back to normal, especially in children born with hypothyroidism. It also prevents harmful effects relating to intellectual and physical growth. You can feel the effect of this medication within a few hours of taking it. However, to have its complete effect, you will need to take the drug for a few weeks’ time.
Is Long-term Use of Levothyroxine Harmful?
If your endocrinologist prescribes levothyroxine and frequently monitors the effect of this drug in your system, it is then safe to take it for long. However, an overdose and in rare cases long-term use of this drug can trigger a few risks.
Research reveals long-term use of levothyroxine can potentially lead to osteoporosis, cardiovascular ailments, and increase risks of cancers like breast, skin, and brain cancer – in both men and women. However, more studies on this are actively underway.
For most patients it may be necessary to take levothyroxine for their entire lifetime. You should not stop taking levothyroxine all of a sudden without the consent of your caregiving team. A sudden stop of medications – like levothyroxine – can cause severe health complications.
Long-term use of levothyroxine increases odds of heart ailments such as heart failure or heart attacks, irregular heart rhythm / arrhythmias, etc. Among post-menopausal women and elderly (people aged 70 years), excessive intake of levothyroxine contributes to osteoporosis i.e. a bone loss condition. Osteoporosis also increases risks of bone fractures.
Taking Levothyroxine in Combination with other Drugs
You can consume levothyroxine along with other drugs as part of a combination therapy. Before doing this, you need to understand its potential interactions with other drugs. There are specific drugs that can disturb levothyroxine’s efficacy and lessen its absorption in your system. Therefore, consulting with a caregiver helps.
In addition, supplements like iron, calcium, and some multivitamins too may interfere with its absorption. You are advised to consult with your caregiving team on supplements or foods you can take while you are taking this drug.
Who Cannot use Levothyroxine?
Adults and children alike can take levothyroxine. It is safe. However, if you are allergic to supplements of thyroid or if levothyroxine has caused an allergic reaction earlier, you should avoid its use. If you have issues with your adrenal glands, you have an overactive thyroid i.e., your gland produces too much of thyroid hormone (thyrotoxicosis), you are living with any heart-related issue like heart failure, angina, etc., you may need to avoid taking levothyroxine.
Moreover, you should not use levothyroxine if you are diabetic and have high blood pressure. For diabetes, your caregiver will change the dosage strength of the medication, as levothyroxine may increase your blood sugar level.
Side Effects of Levothyroxine
Prolonged use and an over-treatment of levothyroxine can cause a few side effects. Patients who are elderly and those with cardiovascular ailments may experience thickening of their cardiac wall, increased heart rates, arrhythmia or angina.
Caregivers generally start prescribing low doses of levothyroxine to patients living with cardiac complaints. Moreover, when caregivers prescribe co-administration of levothyroxine along with other meds, they closely monitor your health for symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
If you experience a worsening of your cardiac condition, you can reduce the dosage strength of levothyroxine. At times, you may even be asked to stop taking this med for a week, and then continue with a lower dose. Doing so helps prevent any further heart-related complications.
If you have autoimmune conditions like diabetes mellitus, the addition of levothyroxine therapy may degenerate glycemic control. Owing to this – once you are on levothyroxine, you need to monitor your glycemic control on a periodic basis.
Levothyroxine also has the capability to directly affect your blood sugars. Therefore, if you have a diabetic condition you need to regularly monitor blood sugar levels, as directed by their physician. There are other common side effects of levothyroxine; for example, you tend to feel variations in your body weight, stay nauseated for long, and may observe alterations in your menstrual cycles.
In order to minimize drug-interactions, your caregiver may recommend intake of levothyroxine on an empty stomach. You can consume this drug an hour prior to a meal.
The Role of an Endocrinologist or a Certified Caregiver
You cannot buy levothyroxine without a valid prescription from a registered caregiver / endocrinologist. Your endocrinologist will examine your health condition thoroughly, and prescribe levothyroxine only if your condition needs it.
You should also share details of your past medical history to your endocrinologist for her / him to have a complete knowledge of your clinical history including current health conditions.
The first few doses are maintained at a low level; this helps in achieving a right biochemical balance, and offers an optimal clinical-response. Once your endocrinologist prescribes levothyroxine, they will advise you to take regular blood tests to keep track of your thyroid levels.
Your endocrinologist will closely monitor and analyse any potential side effects; if needed, your caregiver may alter dosage levels to ensure your taking the right dosage-strength.
Emily is a licensed pharmacist with over 10 years of expertise in community pharmacy management. She is passionate about empowering individuals to understand their medications and improve overall well-being. In her spare time, she reads medical journals and shares valuable health insights.
Key Takeaways
-Oral levothyroxine treats hypothyroidism. It can be of three stages namely primary which is thyroidal, secondary – pituitary, and the third one is tertiary (hypothalamic) which is inherited or developed in nature.
-Levothyroxine is only available with a valid-prescription; it works to replace the lost thyroid hormone thyroxine. Levothyroxine is T4 hormone i.e., a synthetic form of the thyroxine (thyroid hormone).
-Levothyroxine or L-thyroxine is available in tablet form or liquid. It supports thyroid hormone deficiency.
-Levothyroxine manages well-differentiated thyrotropin-dependent thyroid cancer along with radioiodine therapy and surgery.
-Levothyroxine is a cost-effective drug mostly preferred by doctors who prescribe it to their patients. There are multiple branded formulations of levothyroxine; your pharmacist can provide needful details about this.
Levothyroxine is a prescription drug used for treating hypothyroidism an underactive thyroid gland. This is a condition where your thyroid gland fails to produce needful thyroid hormone; this hormone helps controlling energy levels and growth.
Levothyroxine quickly restores thyroid levels back to normal, especially in children born with hypothyroidism. It also prevents harmful effects relating to intellectual and physical growth. You can feel the effect of this medication within a few hours of taking it. However, to have its complete effect, you will need to take the drug for a few weeks’ time.
Is Long-term Use of Levothyroxine Harmful?
If your endocrinologist prescribes levothyroxine and frequently monitors the effect of this drug in your system, it is then safe to take it for long. However, an overdose and in rare cases long-term use of this drug can trigger a few risks.
Research reveals long-term use of levothyroxine can potentially lead to osteoporosis, cardiovascular ailments, and increase risks of cancers like breast, skin, and brain cancer – in both men and women. However, more studies on this are actively underway.
For most patients it may be necessary to take levothyroxine for their entire lifetime. You should not stop taking levothyroxine all of a sudden without the consent of your caregiving team. A sudden stop of medications – like levothyroxine – can cause severe health complications.
Long-term use of levothyroxine increases odds of heart ailments such as heart failure or heart attacks, irregular heart rhythm / arrhythmias, etc. Among post-menopausal women and elderly (people aged 70 years), excessive intake of levothyroxine contributes to osteoporosis i.e. a bone loss condition. Osteoporosis also increases risks of bone fractures.
Taking Levothyroxine in Combination with other Drugs
You can consume levothyroxine along with other drugs as part of a combination therapy. Before doing this, you need to understand its potential interactions with other drugs. There are specific drugs that can disturb levothyroxine’s efficacy and lessen its absorption in your system. Therefore, consulting with a caregiver helps.
In addition, supplements like iron, calcium, and some multivitamins too may interfere with its absorption. You are advised to consult with your caregiving team on supplements or foods you can take while you are taking this drug.
Who Cannot use Levothyroxine?
Adults and children alike can take levothyroxine. It is safe. However, if you are allergic to supplements of thyroid or if levothyroxine has caused an allergic reaction earlier, you should avoid its use. If you have issues with your adrenal glands, you have an overactive thyroid i.e., your gland produces too much of thyroid hormone (thyrotoxicosis), you are living with any heart-related issue like heart failure, angina, etc., you may need to avoid taking levothyroxine.
Moreover, you should not use levothyroxine if you are diabetic and have high blood pressure. For diabetes, your caregiver will change the dosage strength of the medication, as levothyroxine may increase your blood sugar level.
Side Effects of Levothyroxine
Prolonged use and an over-treatment of levothyroxine can cause a few side effects. Patients who are elderly and those with cardiovascular ailments may experience thickening of their cardiac wall, increased heart rates, arrhythmia or angina.
Caregivers generally start prescribing low doses of levothyroxine to patients living with cardiac complaints. Moreover, when caregivers prescribe co-administration of levothyroxine along with other meds, they closely monitor your health for symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
If you experience a worsening of your cardiac condition, you can reduce the dosage strength of levothyroxine. At times, you may even be asked to stop taking this med for a week, and then continue with a lower dose. Doing so helps prevent any further heart-related complications.
If you have autoimmune conditions like diabetes mellitus, the addition of levothyroxine therapy may degenerate glycemic control. Owing to this – once you are on levothyroxine, you need to monitor your glycemic control on a periodic basis.
Levothyroxine also has the capability to directly affect your blood sugars. Therefore, if you have a diabetic condition you need to regularly monitor blood sugar levels, as directed by their physician. There are other common side effects of levothyroxine; for example, you tend to feel variations in your body weight, stay nauseated for long, and may observe alterations in your menstrual cycles.
In order to minimize drug-interactions, your caregiver may recommend intake of levothyroxine on an empty stomach. You can consume this drug an hour prior to a meal.
The Role of an Endocrinologist or a Certified Caregiver
You cannot buy levothyroxine without a valid prescription from a registered caregiver / endocrinologist. Your endocrinologist will examine your health condition thoroughly, and prescribe levothyroxine only if your condition needs it.
You should also share details of your past medical history to your endocrinologist for her / him to have a complete knowledge of your clinical history including current health conditions.
The first few doses are maintained at a low level; this helps in achieving a right biochemical balance, and offers an optimal clinical-response. Once your endocrinologist prescribes levothyroxine, they will advise you to take regular blood tests to keep track of your thyroid levels.
Your endocrinologist will closely monitor and analyse any potential side effects; if needed, your caregiver may alter dosage levels to ensure your taking the right dosage-strength.
Emily is a licensed pharmacist with over 10 years of expertise in community pharmacy management. She is passionate about empowering individuals to understand their medications and improve overall well-being. In her spare time, she reads medical journals and shares valuable health insights.
