A fear that many patients treated with thyroid hormones have is that this treatment could “give complications”, given in the long term. Other concerns are related to the association with drugs. Dr. Ruxandra Dobrescu explained at large what is actually happening.
Patients ask themselves whether or not long treatment can have unwanted photo effects: Archive
“It is true that long -term complications occur after a long treatment with Euthyrox?” It is the question that worries many patients who are undergoing such treatment or who have received a recommendation in this regard. The primary physician endocrinologist Ruxandra Dobrescu explained, in a video posted on his Youtube account, what happens in the body when the hormone needs are no longer naturally insured, for this reason being prescribed substitute treatment, but also when using too high doses. It is important to understand why we are not afraid of this treatment.
Thyroid diseases are extremely frequent, and the most common of them is hypothyroidism, as a result of an autoimmune thyroiditis, or as a result of a thyroid operation. In the case of many people, hypothyroidism is installed early throughout their lives, so it exists, says the doctor, the care that long treatment with thyroid hormones can lead to problems and some complications.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wimebxt1h7o
“We must clarify that we use thyroid hormone treatment – that we are talking about euthyrox or acutehyrox syrup or treatment combined with Novotiral – to treat hypothyroidism, that is to treat a thyroid hormone deficiency. In other words, when our thyroid no longer works properly, due to an autoimmune destruction or, in people who no longer have thyroid, as a result of an operation, there is this deficiency of thyroid hormones for which we have no other method of correction, treatment, than to replace what is missing. Because of this, treatment with thyroid hormones is called substitute treatment. That is, we give the body what is missing. Why are we doing this? Because these thyroid hormones are essential for life. So in the absence of sufficient quantities in the blood, that is, in people who have untreated hypothyroidism, a number of problems and more severe complications occur as the thyroid hormone deficiency is aggravated. “explained the doctor.
“A severe, untreated hypothyroidism leads to installing an coming time”
In the first phase there are problems that are somewhat annoying, without necessarily being threatening life: a more apathetic disposition, concentration problems, memory problems. In time, however, more complicated others can be installed: depression or cardiac damage with bradycardia, installation of edema – edema in the face, on the legs, but also in the heart, ie pericarditis. Increase cholesterol, increase fats in the blood. The deposition on the blood vessels leads to other problems – ischemic heart disease, and can even reach a heart attack or a stroke.
Problems come because thyroid hormones are essential for life, warns the doctor. “A severe, untreated hypothyroidism, leads in time to install an Come and finally to death. So we do not play with these things.” warns Dr. Dobrescu.
The drug that substitutes thyroid hormone is one of the most studied photo: Archive
The fear of patients is that treatment, being synthetic, could cause problems over time. The doctor explains, on the other hand, that in fact the correct dosing itself is the problem. The administered hormones are identical to those produced by the thyroid, and this treatment has been studied for over 100 years.
“What we need to understand is that Euthyrox pill Or the acutehyrox syrup contains the thyroid hormone fixed, ie the levothyroxine that our thyroid produces when it works properly. It is a substance obtained in the laboratory, but it is obtained by a process of isolation, analysis and then synthesis of a molecule identical to the natural one. So, we simply treat and replace a hormone that is missing with an identical hormone, only comes from the euthyrox box or comes from the Asthyrox vial. And if we talk so, these thyroid hormones are probably among the best known drugs on the market, because we already have a long history. The first time, Levothyroxine was isolated in the laboratory in 1914 by Edvard Kendall, in his Mayo Clinic laboratory. So we already have more than 100 years of the history of levothyroxine. It was subsequently synthesized for the first time in the laboratory through the 1920s and became the basis of hypothyroidism treatment for at least 50 years ”, said the doctor.
When and why complications may occur
Doctor Ruxandra Dobrescu recommends patients to undergo treatment with all confidence. Problems can arise, but that means that either treatment is not followed according to the doctor’s instructions or the dose is not the right one.
“For example, if we have a person with a very severe hypothyroidism, which has been untreated for a long time, in this situation the body is so deficient in thyroid hormone, so poor and so thirsty, to say that if we start treatment with a high dose of thyroid hormone, this dose that begins suddenly can lead to complications. And the most common and most dangerous are the harmful effects on the heart, especially in an elderly and possibly cardiac. For example, a high dose of thyroid hormone in an elderly person with cardiac problems can precipitate cardiac ischemia and, God, a heart attack ”, explains the doctor.
The treatment never starts with high doses, Dr. Dobrescu says, depending on the particular situation of each patient will initiate the treatment with small doses, which will increase gradually, so that the body re -absorbs with the so -needed thyroid hormone.
Whether or not we have the right dose of thyroid hormone can be checked by doing thyroid tests, mainly TSH and FT4, analyzes that our endocrinologist recommends routine. “Depending on an initial set of analyzes, the doctor will recommend us what is the right dose to start with and will recommend when we repeat the analyzes and depending on these analyzes will adjust the treatment, so that we find the right dose for us. There is no standard, valid, universal dose, for everyone. Intestinal absorption may need high doses of thyroid hormone, without this being a problem ”points out the doctor.
When our analyzes are very good at a certain dose of euthyrox, this signals that is the dose we need in the long run. “Of course, we do not follow this continuous dose in the blind, but from time to time you need to do analyzes and the recommendation is, even in a well -balanced person at a certain dose, the thyroid analyzes to be repeated at six months or one year, depending on the particular situation ”, adds the doctor.
At too small doses of hormone, the aforementioned complications appear, while at too high doses can appear: agitation, anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations that can go to arrhythmias, precipitating a ischemic event suffering from an ischemic heart disease, a tendency to decrease, increasing, increasing, increasing, Potentially serious complication, especially in a more advanced person.
Why the use of thyroid hormones to lose weight is not a good idea
Because this hormone can also be administered in a high dose, it may also have weight loss effect, over time, says Dr. Dobrescu, there has been the idea of being used to treat obesity. “But, guess what, the result was not a good one, because in addition to this tendency to lose weight, sure, which is given by hyperthyroidism induced on treatment, all the other complications of hyperthyroidism appear. That is, anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations, sleep problems and so on. So we do not use thyroid hormones as weight loss drugs ”draws the endocrinologist.
Dr. Ruxandra Dobrescu also answers the question about the need to administer liver or stomach -protecting drugs, clarifying patients that there is no reason to protect the body from a hormone that is identical to the natural one. However, there is a caution, and this is related to patients who use antacid drugs and who should take gastric dressing drugs 3-4 hours after hormone administration, so as not to risk slowing it.
