Synthroid vs Levothyroxine: When to Switch Thyroid Medications

Generic drugs generally, but not always, cost less than their brand-name counterparts. The longer that a generic drug is on the market, the smaller the cost difference will be (due largely to the decreasing price of the brand-name drug). Generic levothyroxine products licensed by the FDA are just as safe as Synthroid.

In pregnant patients with primary hypothyroidism, maintain serum TSH in the trimester-specific reference range. Synthroid and Levothyroxine are both considered T4-only thyroid medications which means that they contain the bio-identical thyroid hormone Thyroxine. I’ve found that these 10 foods cause the most problems for thyroid patients.

What other drugs will affect levothyroxine?

Even though Synthroid and Levothyroxine contain the same active ingredient, they may not be tolerated equally among all patients. Generally, generic medications are less expensive compared to brand medications. This is given as an injection into a vein by a healthcare provider and should only be used to treat myxedema coma. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Having hypothyroidism during pregnancy may increase the risk of premature birth or other complications.

Levothyroxine sodium is a drug approved by the FDA as an oral and injectable prescription thyroid hormone medication that is used to treat underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and other conditions. Hypothyroidism is a medical term that refers to any state in which a person’s thyroid hormone production is below normal. This medication replaces or provides thyroid hormone support, which is normally produced by the thyroid gland. Low thyroid hormone levels can occur naturally or when the thyroid gland is injured by radiation/medications or removed by surgery. Having enough thyroid hormone is important for maintaining normal mental health and physical activity.

Risk of Heart Disease?

This content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Westin Childs and is for educational and information purposes only. I go to great lengths to help my users better understand their health; however, the content you see here is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have questions regarding your health you should seek qualified information from a medical professional or your doctor. Each of these thyroid medications falls into the class of “Thyroxines” which means they all contain T4.

Adult Thyroid Information

Administration synthroid gout of sertraline in patients stabilized on SYNTHROID may result in increased SYNTHROID requirements. Addition of SYNTHROID therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus may worsen glycemic control and result in increased antidiabetic agent or insulin requirements. Carefully monitor glycemic control, especially when thyroid therapy is started, changed, or discontinued see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS.

Also, in some cases, it may be cheaper to pay the “cash price” for medications instead of your insurance co-pay. Most physicians should not give you any trouble in making this type of switch, but they may give you trouble if you asked to be switched from Synthroid to another medication like Armour thyroid. You would then want to make sure that you check your thyroid lab tests after about 6 weeks to ensure that you did well with the transition. So if you fit the criteria on the list and you are taking 100mcg of Levothyroxine then you would want to switch to 100mcg of Synthroid. And even though this result didn’t reach statistical significance, it may still be important for certain people.

What are the side effects of levothyroxine sodium?

• Concurrent use of ketamine and SYNTHROID may produce marked hypertension and tachycardia.
• Practically speaking, this means that when changing between levothyroxine manufactured by different pharmaceutical companies, a change in dose may be necessary to maintain the desired effect or to prevent toxicity.
• Generic preparations may be less expensive for patients and pharmacists.
• Levothyroxine enters breast milk; use caution while breastfeeding.

Having low thyroid hormone levels during pregnancy could harm both mother and baby. Dangerous side effects or death can occur from the misuse of levothyroxine, especially if you are taking any other weight-loss medications or appetite suppressants. All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme. Selpercatinib is also recommended for advanced thyroid cancer with RET alterations after treatment with a targeted cancer drug in people 12 years and over (NICE technology appraisal guidance 1038). Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.

Check with your physician if you have health questions or concerns. Biotin supplementation is known to interfere with thyroid hormone immunoassays that are based on a biotin and streptavidin interaction, which may result in erroneous thyroid hormone test results. Stop biotin and biotin-containing supplements for at least 2 days prior to thyroid testing. Biotin supplementation may interfere with immunoassays for TSH, T4, and T3, resulting in erroneous thyroid hormone test results. Stop biotin and biotin-containing supplements for at least 2 days before assessing TSH and/or T4 levels see DRUG INTERACTIONS. 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.

• In adults, thyroid hormone helps to maintain brain function, utilization of food, and body temperature, among other effects.
• Avoid use in patients with large thyroid nodules or long-standing goiters, or low-normal TSH levels.
• This document does not contain all possible side effects and others may occur.
• When exercising their judgement, health professionals are expected to take this guidance fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients.

Oral Anticoagulants

Initiate SYNTHROID therapy in this population at lower doses than those recommended in younger individuals or in patients without cardiac disease see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION and Use In Specific Populations. 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 and Use In Specific Populations.