Can Stopping Smoking Affect An Under Active Throid ?

[CW1]

Hi,

Gave up smoking about 3 months ago, taking Champix. The pharmacist I saw when I was collecting the Champix told me I should get a blood test done after a few months of stopping smoking as it can affect an under active thyroid & I might need to increase my medication.

I've asked for a blood test some time ago but it seems my doctor has never heard of the thyroid being affected by stopping smoking. They passed the query on to another doctor, who's passing it on to the pharmacist at the surgery, but meantime - has anyone else heard of this ?

[Sqad]

No......it is a load of cobblers.

[bednobs]

https://www.verywellhealth.com/cigarette-smoking-and-thyroid-disease-3231732

[Buenchico]

Quote 1:
"Current smoking is associated with a low prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies; however, the thyroid autoantibody level increases following smoking withdrawal and could be a risk factor for the development of hypothyroidism"

Quote 2:
"The risk of receiving a diagnosis of overt autoimmune hypothyroidism is increased more than six-fold in the first 2 years after smoking cessation"

Source:
http://www.thyroid.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/clinthy/volume24/issue12/clinthy_v2412_10_11.pdf

[CW1]

She was *very* insistent, sqad :/

Looking at that link, maybe I misunderstood & may get to *reduce* the thyroxine at some point :)

[CW1]

Even more confused now … hopefully I'll hear from the surgery later today (as promised), or will just wait see what happens at my next routine blood test in 5/6 months.
Thanks guys :)

[anneasquith]

Take the advice of the pharmacist, they know the subject matter best .

[Sqad]

Quote 3.
"However, several studies
have had conflicting results with regard to smoking’s
relationship to hypothyroidism"

(That was from Buenchico's link)

An example of pick your link to suit your argument.

You have regular checks of your thyroid function in any case, so just turn up for your routine check.

[CW1]

anneasquith, have to get the doctor to agree else they won't do the blood test. I'm due my annual test in January so worse case I'll have to wait 'til then.

[Sqad]

CW1 Just bring your test a couple of months sooner.....e.g November.

[CW1]

Seems the doctors were "confused" too, 2 of them eventually passing my query on to their pharmacist & when I called over a week later to find out what their decision was, it was then passed to *the* doctor I'd been seeing (a 3rd one), who agreed to the blood test.

I've seen the results online, Serum free T4 level is fine but Serum TSH level is the lowest it's been at 0.12 mu/L. Is that cause for concern ?

[Sqad]

CW1....your TSH is a bit low, you need to lower the thyroxine that you are taking (i.e you are taking too much thyroxine).
See your GP or lower it by 25 micrograms yourself.