Not all thyroid tablets are the same
The Endocrine Society (USA) has expressed concern that patients are being placed at risk when their sodium levothyroxine (L-T4) prescriptions are switched between brands, from a brand to a generic, or from one generic to another.
Explaining their position, they state "The most sensitive and clinically relevant measure of thyroid function is serum TSH concentration and not the level of thyroid hormone in the blood. With significant time and effort, doctors can stabilize TSH when treating patients with L-T4.
"They do so by testing different doses of one brand of medication and measuring the patient’s TSH levels over time. When the physician finds the dose and preparation that maintains TSH at ideal levels , it is critical that the patient not stray from this dose or preparation......
"Even a slight change in L-T4 dose - such as might be encountered when a patient is switched from one source of L-T4 to another - can alter TSH levels and adversely affect cardiac and brain function, among other things. These effects are even more pronounced in children, who can also suffer long-term developmental delay."
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