Please see Full Prescribing Information for a complete list of side effect information and talk to your doctor. Certain foods and medications can interfere with the way your body absorbs or processes Synthroid. Be sure to let your doctor know if there are any changes to your diet or to the medications you take. You can see a list of the foods and medications that can affect the way Synthroid works here. Keeping a record of your symptoms can help you have a more productive discussion with your doctor.
Synthroid may cause serious side effects. The list below may not include all possible serious side effects of the drug. If you develop serious side effects while taking Synthroid, call your doctor right away. Most side effects of Synthroid are not serious and usually go away on their own. However, some side effects can be long-term.
These include decreased bone mineral density BMD. If you have questions about long-term side effects from Synthroid, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Side effects of taking too much Synthroid are similar to the side effects of hyperthyroidism high levels of thyroid hormones. This is because Synthroid is a synthetic version of thyroxine, a thyroid hormone that your body makes naturally. Side effects of taking too much Synthroid, which are also symptoms of hyperthyroidism, can include:. Remember to take Synthroid exactly as your doctor prescribes. This can help you avoid side effects from taking too much Synthroid.
Synthroid may cause several side effects. Weight gain is a known symptom of hypothyroidism low levels of thyroid hormones , which Synthroid is used to treat. If you have low levels of thyroid hormones in your body, your metabolism may be slowed down. This may lead to weight gain. If you notice weight gain while taking Synthroid, talk with your doctor. They may want to order blood tests to check your thyroid hormone levels. Your doctor may adjust your Synthroid dose based on these tests.
For more information, see the mild and serious side effects sections above. If you have additional questions about using Synthroid in older adults, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
This is because Synthroid contains the active drug levothyroxine. For more information on how Synthroid and levothyroxine compare, see this article. But joint pain has been reported as a symptom of an allergic reaction to Synthroid. But dry mouth can be a symptom of hypothyroidism, which Synthroid is used to treat. With treatment, dry mouth will likely go away. But it could cause symptoms of the condition the drug is treating to return. For example, if you use Synthroid to treat hypothyroidism and stop taking the medication, symptoms of hypothyroidism may return.
If you have questions about stopping treatment with Synthroid, talk with your doctor. They can advise you on how to stop taking the drug safely. This was a side effect reported by people taking the drug in clinical trials. But hair loss rarely occurs with Synthroid. Partial hair loss can occur during the first few months of taking Synthroid.
This happens only in rare cases, and it usually improves on its own with time. Talk with your doctor if you experience hair loss while taking Synthroid. They may be able to recommend ways to help this side effect.
They may adjust your Synthroid dose based on these tests. If you develop a rash while taking Synthroid, talk with your doctor. Your doctor will typically want to see you if you develop a rash while taking Synthroid.
They can help determine the cause. The use of Synthroid may cause heart problems, such as arrhythmia and heart palpitations. Arrhythmia is an irregular heart rate or rhythm.
Heart palpitations refers to the feeling of skipped or extra heartbeats. Rarely, a heart attack can also be a side effect of taking Synthroid. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain and shortness of breath.
Some people may be at higher risk for heart problems as a side effect of Synthroid. This includes older adults and people who already have cardiovascular heart and blood vessel disease.
Talk with your doctor right away if you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above. If you develop symptoms of heart problems, your doctor will likely reduce your Synthroid dose. Or, they may have you stop taking the medication for a week before lowering your dose.
If you believe you may be experiencing an underactive thyroid or have concerns about weight and weight loss methods, speak with your healthcare provider about lifestyle modifications and other medication options. Headache is a common side effect of many medications. It is so common, the exact incidence of its occurrence is not recorded accurately in the literature.
Interestingly, it is actually not uncommon for individuals, especially children, with subclinical hypothyroidism to have primary headaches including migraines.
Some healthcare providers even recommend blood tests to check thyroid hormone levels in children who experience migraines. However, it is important to notify your healthcare provider if you are taking Synthroid and begin to experience new-onset or worsening headaches or migraines.
It is possible your medication could be adjusted to minimize these side effects of Synthroid or it is possible that there is something more serious going on. Seek medical care if you experience any of the following symptoms of a severe headache:. Diarrhea is also a common side effect associated with Synthroid use. However, this side effect is self-limiting for most individuals receiving Synthroid therapy. If you experience any of the following signs and symptoms of severe diarrhea, you should seek medical attention right away:.
Thyroid hormones directly alter the human hair follicle structure and function. Hair abnormalities including thin hair, brittle hair, coarse hair, and even hair loss are associated with both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism overactive thyroid in both adults and children. Hair loss is also associated with levothyroxine overdose, especially in children.
The effects that thyroid hormones exert on hair and the skin can be found here. Since hair loss may be associated with hypothyroidism itself, treating the condition with medications like Synthroid may help. But if you had not experienced hair loss prior to taking Synthroid and begin to notice it after beginning treatment, be sure to notify your healthcare provider as it is possible your dose of Synthroid may need to be adjusted.
Synthroid use can cause several serious, potentially fatal side effects. It is important to seek medical care if you experience any of the serious side effects below. It is possible to overdose on this medication and for that overdose to result in death.
Thyroid hormones act on most tissues in the body, including cardiac tissues, and overdose could cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
The following is a list of signs and symptoms associated with over-ingestion of levothyroxine. A complete article dedicated to levothyroxine poisoning can be found here. It is important to remember that overdose of this medication may occur when people take too much in an attempt to lose weight or to cause self-harm. Overdose of this medication could also be accidental, or by children ingesting medication that was not intended for them.
Overdose treatment is more effective the earlier it is given. If you believe you have taken too much medication or ingested this medication accidentally, contact the Poison Control Centers at or seek emergency medical attention right away. There are no reports of anaphylaxis with this medication in the 50 years it has been available. There are some case reports that document vocal cord dysfunction VCD mimicking an anaphylactic drug reaction.
Any other serious allergic responses to this medication are extremely rare as this is a synthetic analog of a hormone that is naturally occurring in the body. There are occasional case reports of hypersensitivity reactions to this medication which include skin rashes.
It is more likely these responses are to other ingredients in the medication and not the hormone analog itself.
0コメント