symptom thyroid : Changing Thyroid Medications
9/21/2004 to 4/30/2005 (PDF File, 251KB)
The physician was noted as the person advocating the change in prescription less than half the time.
Even more important and of real concern is the fact that follow-up TSH tests were abnormal in 85 of the 121 patients reporting. A higher TSH would mean inadequate thyroid suppression in anyone who has thyroid cancer and needs suppression of TSH to help prevent recurrence or spread of the cancer. A lower TSH could mean hyperthyroidism and an increased risk of serious heart arrhythmias, especially in individuals over the age of 50 and those with underlying heart disease. Finally, it is noteworthy that 62% of the patients reporting felt worse on the new medication, and nearly 60% expressed dissatisfaction with the result.
Lawrence C. Wood,
MD Medical Director
Thyroid Foundation of America.
The physician was noted as the person advocating the change in prescription less than half the time.
Even more important and of real concern is the fact that follow-up TSH tests were abnormal in 85 of the 121 patients reporting. A higher TSH would mean inadequate thyroid suppression in anyone who has thyroid cancer and needs suppression of TSH to help prevent recurrence or spread of the cancer. A lower TSH could mean hyperthyroidism and an increased risk of serious heart arrhythmias, especially in individuals over the age of 50 and those with underlying heart disease. Finally, it is noteworthy that 62% of the patients reporting felt worse on the new medication, and nearly 60% expressed dissatisfaction with the result.
Lawrence C. Wood,
MD Medical Director
Thyroid Foundation of America.
