Imitrex: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Warnings

There are safety considerations as SYNTHROID should not be used for treatment of obesity or for weight loss. And SYNTHROID is contraindicated in patients who have uncorrected adrenal insufficiency. Family history is very important when talking to these patients because there is a strong predisposition amongst family members in the primary setting to have another family member with hypothyroidism.

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Properly led therapy with just one daily dose of levothyroxine kind of cancels all the disease’s harmful effects on your body and life. Because of the increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease among the elderly, initiate SYNTHROID at less than the full replacement dose see Dosage and Administration (2.3) and Warnings and Precautions (5.2). Atrial fibrillation is the most common of the arrhythmias observed with levothyroxine overtreatment in the elderly. Addition of SYNTHROID therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus may worsen glycemic control and result in increased antidiabetic agent or insulin requirements.

Stop biotin and biotin-containing supplements for at least 2 days before assessing TSH and/or T4 levels see Drug Interactions (7.10). Treating hypothyroidism with the proper levothyroxine dosage is crucial to prevent complications. Take levothyroxine on an empty stomach, either 0.5-1 hours before breakfast or at bedtime (at least 3 hours after the last meal).

3 Oral Anticoagulants

• For pregnant patients with pre-existing hypothyroidism, measure serum TSH and free-T4 as soon as pregnancy is confirmed and, at minimum, during each trimester of pregnancy.
• SYNTHROID is indicated in adult and pediatric patients, including neonates, as a replacement therapy in primary (thyroidal), secondary (pituitary), and tertiary (hypothalamic) congenital or acquired hypothyroidism.
• It is crucial to treat hypothyroidism and take the right levothyroxine dosage.
• Since Imitrex is used when needed, it does not have a daily dosing schedule.
• Taking it on an empty stomach results in the best absorption of the drug from the intestine.

So, my job as a thyroid specialist in these patients is to make sure my patient is treated and gets to a point of consistency, because it is a lifelong course of medication. Serum TSH levels should be monitored and the SYNTHROID dosage adjusted during pregnancy. Since postpartum TSH levels are similar to preconception values, the SYNTHROID dosage should return to the pre-pregnancy dose immediately after delivery see Dosage and Administration (2.3). SYNTHROID may reduce the therapeutic effects of digitalis glycosides. Serum digitalis glycoside levels may decrease when a hypothyroid patient becomes euthyroid, necessitating an increase in the dose of digitalis glycosides. Biotin supplementation may interfere with immunoassays for TSH, T4, and T3, resulting in erroneous thyroid hormone test results.

Overuse of migraine headache medicine can make headaches worse. Tell your doctor if the medicine seems to stop working as well in treating your migraine attacks. Patients need to feel comfortable to alert me of any changes in their status in terms of their symptoms. But also specific medical changes that may indicate there may be a need for a dose change or something that could have affected their thyroid hormone levels. The signs and symptoms of overdosage are those of hyperthyroidism see Warnings and Precautions (5) and Adverse Reactions (6). Seizures occurred in a 3-year-old child ingesting 3.6 mg of levothyroxine.

Symptoms may not necessarily be evident or may not appear until several days after ingestion of levothyroxine sodium. Rapid restoration of normal serum T4 concentrations is essential for preventing the adverse effects of congenital hypothyroidism on cognitive development as well as on overall physical growth and maturation. Therefore, initiate SYNTHROID therapy immediately upon diagnosis. Levothyroxine is generally continued for life in these patients see Warnings and Precautions (5.1). The only possible danger is taking too little or too much of the medication.

If cardiac symptoms develop or worsen, reduce the SYNTHROID dose or withhold for one week and restart at a lower dose. SYNTHROID is contraindicated in patients with uncorrected adrenal insufficiency see Warnings and Precautions (5.4). The peak therapeutic effect of a given dose of SYNTHROID may not be attained for otc synthroid 4 to 6 weeks. While taking an excessive dose, a patient will complain about shakiness, nervousness, feeling hot, and diarrhea.

2 Important Considerations for Dosing

The general aim of therapy is to normalize the serum TSH level. TSH may not normalize in some patients due to in utero hypothyroidism causing a resetting of pituitary-thyroid feedback. Assess compliance, dose of medication administered, and method of administration prior to increasing the dose of SYNTHROID see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)and Use in Specific Populations (8.4). SYNTHROID is indicated in adult and pediatric patients, including neonates, as a replacement therapy in primary (thyroidal), secondary (pituitary), and tertiary (hypothalamic) congenital or acquired hypothyroidism.

ARE PATIENTS GETTING SYNTHROID

Treat patients with adrenal insufficiency with replacement glucocorticoids prior to initiating treatment with SYNTHROID see Contraindications (4). Persistent clinical and laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism despite an apparent adequate replacement dose of SYNTHROID may be evidence of inadequate absorption, poor compliance, drug interactions, or a combination of these factors. For adult patients with primary hypothyroidism, titrate until the patient is clinically euthyroid and the serum TSH returns to normal see Dosage and Administration (2.3). Concurrent use of sympathomimetics and SYNTHROID may increase the effects of sympathomimetics or thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormones may increase the risk of coronary insufficiency when sympathomimetic agents are administered to patients with coronary artery disease. SYNTHROID increases the response to oral anticoagulant therapy.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

Thyroid hormones, including SYNTHROID, either alone or with other therapeutic agents, should not be used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss. In euthyroid patients, doses within the range of daily hormonal requirements are ineffective for weight reduction. Larger doses may produce serious or even life-threatening manifestations of toxicity, particularly when given in association with sympathomimetic amines such as those used for their anorectic effects.