Standard treatment for hypothyroidism involves taking a daily oral medication called levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone.
It restores the body's hormone levels to normal, which reverses the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. The amount of levothyroxine needed varies from person to person. To determine the right dosage for you, your health care provider will regularly check your level of thyroid hormone.
The first blood test is done six to eight weeks after you start taking the medication. After that, blood levels generally are checked every six months. Then, if the levels stay within the normal range for several years, monitoring usually can switch to once a year.
Some medications, including nonprescription over-the-counter ones, can affect the absorption or metabolism of thyroid hormone tablets, so you should notify your health care provider whenever you begin or discontinue other medications. It's important to receive the correct amount of this medication because too little levothyroxine won't adequately control hypothyroidism and too much can cause side effects, such as increased appetite, insomnia, shakiness, and heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat.
Work with your health care provider to set up a schedule for your follow-up visits. With careful monitoring and treatment, when necessary, hypothyroidism can be effectively controlled, eliminating symptoms and decreasing your risk of complications from this condition. Robert C. By Liza Torborg. Tuesday Tips: Small steps to a day-changing morning. The same goes for generic thyroid medications. Traveling without your thyroid medication. Or worse, you could run out of medication and end up missing doses, which can cause a relapse of symptoms depending on how much medication you miss.
And make sure you have enough medication for the duration of your trip. If you need a refill, be sure to pick up the prescription before you leave. Mixing food with your thyroid medication.
Experts at the ATA have a slightly different take: They suggest that you can take your dose with food. But if you do, you must always take it with food. However, the ATA advises that doing it this way may require you to take a higher dose to help ensure that your body is able to absorb the medication properly.
Eating soy with your thyroid medication. Soy products, such as soymilk, tofu, edamame , soy sauce, or soy-based vegetarian breakfast meats, can interfere with thyroid medication.
To ensure that you can effectively absorb the synthetic hormone, he recommends waiting a minimum of four hours before consuming any soy. In addition to soy, the ATA also recommends waiting four hours before taking either calcium or iron supplements or antacids that contain either calcium or aluminum hydroxide. Throughout life, this busy gland is constantly producing hormones that influence metabolism. When disease causes your thyroid gland to slack off and underproduce thyroid hormone, or overwork and produce too much of it, you'll know something isn't right.
Thyroid Disease: Understanding hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism will help you recognize the symptoms and find the right treatment before you experience the long-term effects of this common condition. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift.
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