What happens if i take too much thyroxine

Drugs that contain estrogens, such as hormone replacement medications and contraceptive pills, can interfere with thyroid hormone requirement. When you stop taking them , your body might require more or less thyroid medication than when you were taking them.

With Hashimoto's disease , your thyroid hormone levels can fluctuate rapidly. Hashitoxicosis refers to the phase when your thyroid is over-functioning and producing more thyroid hormone.

Taking your thyroid hormone replacement medication when your thyroid is in hashitoxicosis can temporarily cause symptoms of hyperthyroidism. During pregnancy, your need for thyroid hormone increases, so you may need to be prescribed a higher dose of medication than usual.

Once you have the baby, your need for thyroid hormone drops. Hence, the dose of thyroid hormone replacement you were taking during pregnancy could be too high for the postpartum period. This can result in overmedication.

Healthcare providers typically use your thyroid blood test results to see if you are getting too much medicine. In some cases, having a TSH level that is lower than normal or a T3 or T4 level that is higher than normal can be a sign of overmedication. You may become overmedicated with changes in the dosage or type of thyroid hormone replacement therapy you are taking.

Certain health conditions and lifestyle changes can lead to overmedication, too. Symptoms of being overmedicated with thyroid hormone replacement drugs are often uncomfortable, but rarely dangerous. Your healthcare provider will run periodic thyroid tests and adjust your dosage as needed until your symptoms resolve and your thyroid levels return to optimal levels.

Losing weight with thyroid disease can be a struggle. Our thyroid-friendly meal plan can help. Sign up and get yours free! Duntas LH, Jonklaas J. Levothyroxine dose adjustment to optimise therapy throughout a patient's lifetime. Adv Ther. The history and future of treatment of hypothyroidism. Ann Intern Med. Guidelines for the treatment of hypothyroidism: Prepared by the American Thyroid Association task force on thyroid hormone replacement. Oral liquid levothyroxine solves the problem of tablet levothyroxine malabsorption due to concomitant intake of multiple drugs.

Expert Opin Drug Deliv. Treatment for primary hypothyroidism: current approaches and future possibilities. Similarly, thyroid hormone replacement medication also comes in T4 and T3 formulations. In a healthy thyroid gland, the inactive T4 hormone is released into circulation and then converted by the body into the active T3 hormone.

Often, treatment for thyroid replacement starts with T4-only formulations, assuming that the body can successfully do the conversion independently. Suppose your body has a hard time converting T4 to T3, or you take an interfering medication. In that case, standard T4 medicines may not be sufficient for you.

For the few patients who do not feel completely normal taking a synthetic preparation of T4 alone, the addition of T3 may be of benefit. Those who are interested in a more natural approach may prefer combination therapies. There are two main types of combination thyroid medications - desiccated and compounded. Each person is unique with individual sensitivities.

Our bodies will not all react the same way to a specific medication or dosage. It usually takes a few weeks to see a remarkable improvement in your symptoms when you start thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

Your doctor may need to adjust your dosing to reach a therapeutic level. You don't need insurance to use Paloma Health and the visit fee you see is the full price. There are no hidden fees. The titration process can sometimes make you have hyperthyroidism symptoms when T4 levels are too high. Sometimes, your doctor may also start you on too high of a dose.

There are variations in formulations between different thyroid medications. For example, liquid suspensions of T4 tend to be absorbed better compared to tablets. Liquid medications may also contain additives, such as dyes and fillers that may aggravate your system. Furthermore, doctors and pharmacists are human and sometimes make mistakes, so always look over your prescription, even when you refill it.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. Your dose needs may be different while you are nursing. Do not give this medicine to a child without medical advice. Tirosint is not approved for use by anyone younger than 6 years old. Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction : hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

Avoid the following food products, which can make your body absorb less levothyroxine: grapefruit juice, infant soy formula, soybean flour, cotton seed meal, walnuts, and high-fiber foods. 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.

They include:. Levothyroxine can change how other medicines work, so their doses may need to be altered. These medicines include:. 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