Synthroid Uses, Dosage & Side Effects

It also helps your patient pay the lowest possible price for the product you write if it is billed through insurance. SYNTHROID is not indicated for suppression of benign thyroid nodules and nontoxic diffuse goiter in iodine-sufficient patients, as there are no clinical benefits and overtreatment with SYNTHROID may induce hyperthyroidism. It’s very important to remind the patients, in addition to these factors, that they need to check their pills on a consistent basis. Look to see if the tablets have Synthroid embossed on them to ensure they’re getting the right product. I go over with them the fact that they should check the label at the pharmacy, on the bottle, to make sure it says brand-name SYNTHROID and not generic levothyroxine.

• If you become pregnant while taking Synthroid, do not stop taking the medicine without your doctor’s advice.
• Use the drop-down menu below to select your state and see the specific language required to prevent generic substitution.
• Titrate the dose of SYNTHROID carefully and monitor response to titration to avoid these effects see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.
• Hypersensitivity reactions to inactive ingredients have occurred in patients treated with thyroid hormone products.

Drug-Food Interactions

The patients switched from the tablet to the oral solution of LT4. Serum levels of TSH were lower under the oral solution compared with the tablet both in the replacement group (1.63 ± 0.66mU/l vs. 2.77 ± 2.05 mU/l) and in the suppressive group (0.12 ± 0.12 mU/l vs.1.15 ± 1.85 mU/l). A systematic review of interventional and observational studies that compared the TSH levels before and after concomitant use of LT4 and PPI was performed. Articles published in English up to September 1, 2019, were included.

Study Selection

Synthroid is a thyroid medicine that replaces a hormone normally produced by your thyroid gland to regulate the body’s energy and metabolism. Use the drop-down menu below to select your state and see the specific language required to prevent generic substitution. That’s because substitutions can be made at the pharmacy if the prescription is not properly protected with the Dispense as Written (DAW) state-specific language. This is a key issue for some of the elemental things like calcium and iron, that can interfere with thyroid hormone absorption and thus should be taken approximately 4 hours apart. They can have changes in the female hormone status, either going on or off a birth control pill, going through menopause. Knowing that patient behaviors and consistency of treatment are key factors in treatment success, I educate patients on the process as they begin treatment.

And in many cases, to also pop the top off the bottle while they are at the pharmacy counter and look at the pills and make sure they have SYNTHROID embossed on those tablets. So, it’s not just treating a number and following the TSH, it’s also making sure that the patient’s symptoms have improved. A key part for the patients is to make sure that they’re getting the brand-name SYNTHROID that we have prescribed. One is that the peak therapeutic effect of levothyroxine at a given dose may not be obtained for 4-6 weeks after medication is ingested. Please see the additional Important Safety Information at the end of this video, including the BOXED WARNING regarding inappropriate treatment for obesity or for weight loss.

The importance of writing “Dispense as Written,” or using the state-specific language for SYNTHROID, is something I discuss with my staff as well. I go over with the patient there are treatment goals that are very important in the process. And the other is to improve the clinical symptoms that they’ve been experiencing. Because the long-acting nature of the medication, I do indicate that it may take several months to see an improvement in both of these levels.

Levothyroxine is one of the ten NTI drug classes most commonly prescribed. These medications are those where small changes in the dose or blood concentration may lead to serious therapeutic failures and/or adverse drug reactions. The major pathway of thyroid hormone metabolism is through sequential deiodination. Approximately 80% of circulating T3 is derived from peripheral T4 by monodeiodination.

This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using. Since thyroid hormone occurs naturally in the body, almost anyone can take levothyroxine. However, you may not be able to take this medicine if you have certain medical conditions. Synthroid is a prescription medicine used to treat hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone).

SYNTHROID has been committed to treating hypothyroidism for 65 years.3

The “optimal dose” was determined for each patient as that dosage of thyroxine being taken when the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) response was normal (ie, an increase in TSH of between 4.7 and 25 mIU/L). Oral levothyroxine sodium is a synthetic T4 hormone that exerts the same physiologic effect as endogenous T4, thereby maintaining normal T4 levels when a deficiency is present. Reduce the SYNTHROID dosage or discontinue temporarily if signs or symptoms of overdosage occur. Initiate appropriate supportive treatment as dictated by the patient’s medical status. Consider changes in TBG concentration when interpreting T4 and T3 values. Measure and evaluate unbound (free) hormone and/or determine the free-T4 index (FT4I) in this circumstance.

Drug Interaction Classification

Thyroid hormones, including SYNTHROID, either alone or with other therapeutic agents, should not be used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss. In euthyroid patients, doses within the range of daily hormonal requirements are ineffective for weight reduction. Larger doses may produce serious synthroid bones or even life-threatening manifestations of toxicity, particularly when given in association with sympathomimetic amines such as those used for their anorectic effects. Larger doses may produce serious or even life-threatening manifestations of toxicity, particularly when given in association with sympathomimetic amines such as those used for their anorectic effects.

Levothyroxine is given when your thyroid does not produce enough of this hormone on its own. Using multivitamin with minerals together with levothyroxine may decrease the effects of levothyroxine. You should separate the administration of levothyroxine and multivitamin with minerals by at least 4 hours. If your doctor does prescribe these medications together, you may need a dose adjustment or special test to safely use both medications.