Synthroid Side Effects: Common, Severe, Long Term

If bacteria is not eliminated from the urinary tract, it can lead to a full-blown infection. Take control of yourhealth and find relief with Statcare’s comprehensivehealthcare solutions. Along with its needed effects, levothyroxine (the active ingredient contained in Synthroid) may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. According to this theory, the dynamic component of bladder outlet obstruction was induced by the tension of prostate smooth muscle by increased alphaadrenoceptors.

The Role of the Immune System in Hypothyroidism

Monitor for cardiac arrhythmias during surgical procedures in patients with coronary artery disease receiving suppressive SYNTHROID therapy. Monitor patients receiving concomitant SYNTHROID and sympathomimetic agents for signs and symptoms of coronary insufficiency. 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. Pregnancy, infectious hepatitis, estrogens, estrogen-containing oral contraceptives, and acute intermittent porphyria increase TBG concentration. Nephrosis, severe hypoproteinemia, severe liver disease, acromegaly, androgens, and corticosteroids decrease TBG concentration.

Lower urinary tract symptoms/benign prostatic hyperplasia assessments

In these previous studies on urinary concentrating ability in humans, detailed thyroid function tests were not performed.
People with hypothyroidism might experience fatigue, weight gain, depression, slow heart rate, sensitivity to cold, dry skin and hair, muscle aches, and cognitive difficulties.
Although the economic analyses in this study were limited, significant findings for CKD-related LOS suggest future research may be needed to investigate the full economic impact of treating CKD and SCH patients with levothyroxine.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common of the arrhythmias observed with levothyroxine overtreatment in the elderly.

Stop biotin and biotin-containing supplements for at least 2 days before assessing TSH and/or T4 levels see DRUG INTERACTIONS. Administer SYNTHROID to pediatric patients who cannot swallow intact tablets by crushing the tablet, suspending the freshly crushed tablet in a small amount (5 to 10 mL) of water and immediately administering the suspension by spoon or dropper. Do not administer in foods that decrease absorption of SYNTHROID, such as soybean-based infant formula see DRUG INTERACTIONS. Certain side effects can occur with Synthroid, and these are often the result of your bodygetting too much medicine, also known as overtreatment. So it’s important to talk with yourdoctor about any symptoms you’re experiencing.

Closely monitor infants during the first 2 weeks of SYNTHROID therapy for cardiac overload and arrhythmias. If cardiac symptoms develop or worsen, reduce the SYNTHROID dose or withhold for one week and restart at a lower dose. The peak therapeutic effect of a given dose of SYNTHROID may not be attained for 4 to 6 weeks. Pregnant and lactating females need to discuss the dose and use of this medication with their caregivers.

Managing Hypothyroidism and UTIs Together

In spite of extensive research efforts, the etiology of BPH has not been fully established. BPH might be caused by many factors, including inflammation, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and endocrine hormones. In terms of endocrine factors, the roles of testosterone, estrogen, and growth factor have been reported 2. However, scant data concerning the relationships between thyroid hormone and BPH are available. A total of 453patients (184 and 269 in treatment and nontreatment cohorts, respectively) were eligible after application of selection criteria prior to PSM, and 157 patients remained in each cohort after PSM (Fig. 2). This retrospective observational cohort study used data from the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) database for the study period of April 1, 2013, through March 31, 2018 (Fig. 1).

Providing a complete list of medications to the doctor will help with getting the correct dose established for each individual patient. Additionally, hypothyroidism can disrupt the balance of T cells, another type of white blood cell. Specifically, it can cause a shift from Th1 to Th2 dominance, leading to an overactive immune response and increased susceptibility to allergies and autoimmune disorders. Hypothyroidism has been linked with alterations in the immune system that can lead to an impaired immune response.

Less common side effects

In this prospective study in athyreotic DTC patients there was neither a significant difference in urine osmolality nor in serum osmolality on and off LT4 treatment after a water and food deprivation test of 14 h. Since we could not detect an impairment of urinary concentrating ability during severe hypothyroidism in our patients, we did not assess AVP and copeptin concentrations, a stable preprohormone of AVP. Our findings are in contrast with previously published studies in rats 4 and humans 5, 6. In these previous studies on urinary concentrating ability in humans, detailed thyroid function tests were not performed. The severity of hypothyroidism was predominantly based on clinical characteristics, which is not very precise 7. In the current study, we confirmed severe hypothyroidism biochemically with a median TSH level of 68 mU/L, and correspondingly low levels of FT4, total T4, and T3.

Thiscould be due to the impact of hypothyroidism on the immune system, making itharder for the body to fight off infections.
A second limitation is the low-iodine diet which patients had to adhere to in order to increase the effectiveness of RAI treatment.
AAdjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), testosterone level, and number of metabolic syndrome components.
The GLMM model with repeated measures for pairwise comparisons confirmed that patients in the treatment cohort (vs. the nontreatment cohort) had higher odds of achieving TSH target at 6, 18, and 24 months (Table 3).
In conclusion, hypothyroidism, an autoimmune condition affecting the function of the thyroid gland, can lead to alterations in the immune system, increasing susceptibility to infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Related treatment guides

Levothyroxine is generally continued for life in these patients see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS. Assess the adequacy of therapy by periodic assessment of laboratory tests and clinical evaluation. Persistent clinical and laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism despite an apparent adequate replacement dose of SYNTHROID may be evidence of inadequate absorption, poor compliance, drug interactions, or a combination of these factors.

The primary objective was to examine eGFR change over time in treated versus nontreated cohorts during the 24-month follow-up. For patients who had evidence of RRT or renal transplant during the post-baseline study period, the last eGFR observed before the transplant/RRT was included. As indicated above, for patients who had multiple eGFR values within one or more data collection windows, the eGFR value closest to the actual time point was used. In adult patients with primary hypothyroidism, monitor serum TSH levels after an interval of 6 to 8 weeks after any change in dosage.

Although no statistically significant differences were observed, the treated cohort had a numerically higher synthroid doses mean eGFR over year 1; however, this difference diminished during the second year of follow-up (Fig. 3). Published studies report that levothyroxine is present in human milk following the administration of oral levothyroxine. No adverse effects on the breastfed infant have been reported and there is no information on the effects of levothyroxine on milk production.