Thyroxine

[missprim]

When you are on Thyroxine, are you on it for life?
What would happen if you stopped taking it without your doctors advice?

[Mamyalynne]

Don't worry about typos - but do think on, these days,far less than in the past - GP's rarely dish out unnecessary medications.

[Sammy48]

missprim, if you stop taking your prescribed Thyroxine you are very foolish. My cousin was not on the correct dosage last year and she was very ill, it was heartbreaking to see just how ill she was.

Thyroxine (thyroid gland) plays a big part in your body and when it goes wrong, you realise just how important it is.

[roopower]

Many years ago my mother thought she had a brain tumour as she was so ill. She got to the point where she couldn't do up buttons and then saw sense and went to the doctor. He was pretty sure she had an underactive thyroid and this proved to be correct after a blood test. Her symptoms were very much as already mentioned, but her hair was falling out too.
Thyroid problems often do seem to run in families and I also have an underactive thyroid and am taking Levothyroxine.
You should have an annual blood test to check levels and then medication can be adjusted.

[missprim]

I sometimes wonder if mistakes are made in diagnosing and whether we are sometimes given medicine we don't really need or that we are not monitored enough when we take the medicines.
I was put on anti depressants 10yrs ago. Nobody ever questioned about how long I had been taking the meds until one day I got a letter from my GP to say the dose was being halved for elderley patients???
So I suppose left to my own devices I could be on that for the rest of my life.
This is another tablet I stopped taking but I will know if I need to go back on them myself as I now recognise depression.

[missprim]

Sorry to hear about your cousin Sammy. I honestly can't remember why I was put on it and I think I would remember if I had been that ill.
Roopower I do have it checked regulary and it was reduced. No-one in my family ever had it.
Would love to hear from anyone who has been on it and had it reduced and by how much.

[jno]

I agree, missprim. I was put on simvastatin for a couple of years till my arms started hurting. A different doctor blamed the statins and took me off them again, checked out my cholesterol (and looked at past records) and said it had always been fine and why was I on them in the first place? I still have no idea.

Try getting a second opinion on all your meds

[Sqad]

jno...you are an intelligent woman.........now stop being silly. There is no comparison between normal hormone replacement and the taking of statins.

Don't muddy the already muddy waters.

[missprim]

Sqad I think jno is just reiterating what I said about how mistakes can be made with diagnosis and medications in general.

[DTCwordfan]

My mother has had it for years and there is a biannual check - in fact I suspect that she is slightly hypo at the moment, fatigue over Xmas, diet impacted on, dotty as a kite (though she has Alzheimers - but that can be intensified by being out of kilter) etc.

Sqad may be harsh about the effects of hypo-thyroidism (an underperformance of the thyroid) but he is right. I also understand that the side-effects of not pursuing the medication can result in blood pressure, arterial and even heart problems.....so not to be messed with.

Once you are out of kilter, it also can take a little work to get you back in balance - so regular blood tests are necessary for the Doc to fine tune your Levothyroxine.....it's a bit like the effects of an earthquake in that there are secondary tremors to settle down!

[DTCwordfan]

and if you end up being overdosed and go into hyperthyroidism, you have another set of symptoms....http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Thyroid-over-active/Pages/Introduction.aspx - so a second diagnosis doesn't do much, your body will "tell" you if it is out - in short, hyper leads to over functioning of everything

[missprim]

Thanks for the link DT it makes for interesting reading.

[divegirl]

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to read the whole thread in detail, but you keep saying you can't remember why you were put on it the first place. Surely this would have been as a result of an abnormal blood test result. I'm all for not taking medicine with out cause but.... really!

[islasmum]

My elder sister and her rottweiler were both diagnosed with overactive thyroids at the same time, and are both of the same medication! (so she tells me about the medication, that might be a joke, I'm not sure!)

[DTCwordfan]

Now that's what comes of kissing your Rottie.....

[Clanad]

How long since you've had a TSH level blood test. This procedure follows fasting for at least 8 hours and should be conducted at least yearly. Additionally, having had some experience with this here in the U.S., the science and guidance for TSH levels is in the process of narrowing... whereas a level of 0.5 to 4.5 (or even 5.0) was thought to be "normal' a lot of Doctors here in the U.S. (the specialty delaing with this, as you probably know are endocrinologists) are now leaning towards 0.3 to 3.0 as "normal.

My Doc also test for T3, T4, Free T3 and Free T4 levels to assure a thorough picture of what's going on.

Sqad has given you good guidance and I for one, wouldn't delay in resuming the little blue pill (at least here in the U.S.) until you've had the TSH blood test...