“What are the side effects of hypothyroidism medication?”
I am a 44 year old female and I am taking hypothyroidism medication. What are the side effects of hypothyroidism medication?
8 Answers
If you are taking the correct dose given by your doctor, you should not experience any side effects. If you take too much, you will experience palpitation, sweeting, nervousness. If you take too little, you will feel fatigued, sleep a lot, gain weight, and even feel depressed.
The most commonly prescribed medication for hypothyroidism (also one of the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide) is levothyroxine. There are many brand names and generics. Levothyroxine is identical whether form your own thyroid or from the prescription bottle. Since it is a hormone your body requires the only adverse event would be it the dose was too high (causing palpitations, nervousness, tremor or become easily short of breath with minimal exertion) or too low a dose resulting in tiredness, constipation and cold intolerance. I have had a few people in my practice who had a sensitivity to the dye used in the production of the pills, but never to the medication itself.
Tiredness, weight gain, slowness in daily activities. Hypothyroidism may be present without symptoms.
There are usually no side effects to the medications. We see side effects when there is too much or too little of the medication
You should specify what you’re taking for hypothyroidism. In general there are no side effects if the amount of thyroid hormone replacement therapy is appropriate and that can be measured by proper blood test
Depending on the kind of medication, just read the side effects on the table.
Ali A. Achira, MD
Ali A. Achira, MD
Usually no side effects. Can have hives if allergic to it.
There are a lot of effects if you don't take your medicine & they can be fatal. Ifyou take your medicine & the dose is correct there should be no side effects since you are just replacing what has been lost. The dose must be correct though. If it is to high you can get symptoms of hyperthyroid (rapid heart rate & other metabolic parameters, such as wt. loss, shaky feelings, etc.). If you are taking too low a dose or missing doses then all the symptoms of low thyroid that you had before starting treatment will recur. A few people develop allergy to the preservatives or coloring, etc. in the pills & have allergic reactions such as hives & respiratory symptoms. This is very rare. Check with your Dr. at frequent intervals to be sure the dose is correct & you should have no side effects.
