Get Informed: Levothyroxine
Active Ingredient(s)
Levothyroxine
What does it do?
This product is primarily used to treat hypothyroidism. It consists of T4, one of the important hormones produced by the thyroid gland.
- Last Text Update:
- 2010-Sep-05 10:41 PM
- Last Data Update:
- 2010-Sep-05 9:08 PM
Other Names
- Synthroid
- Levothyroxine
- Levoxyl
- Levothroid
- Levothyroxine Sodium
- Eltroxin
- Unithroid
How Safe Is It?
- Your Risk Rating
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- Average Risk Rating
-
- Pregnancy Category
- A
Black Box Warning
This product has a black box warning relating to its ineffectiveness and dangers as a weight loss treatment.
Facts & Figures
- Date Approved
- 01 Dec 1963
- Est US Patients*
- 11,540,000
- Generic Available
- Yes
- OTC Available
- No
User Age Distribution*
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
* Estimated number of US people currently taking Levothyroxine or its active ingredient based on population adjusted patient numbers registered with iGuard.
Recent alerts for Levothyroxine
There have been no iGuard alerts regarding Levothyroxine during the past year.
Levothyroxine Safety Report
Learn more about iGuard's risk ratings
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What is Levothyroxine used for?
iGuard is currently tracking more than 87,000 patients that use Levothyroxine (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)). Use the table below to learn why iGuard users take this product; click on any underlined condition to get information on other medications used for treatment.
| Disease / Condition | % | Average Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Hypothyroidism | 96% |
mild
severe
|
| Hyperparathyroidism | 4% |
mild
severe
|
| Other | 2% |
mild
severe
|
How well does Levothyroxine work?
iGuard regularly polls our more than 87,000 users taking Levothyroxine (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM). This feedback is continuously updated in tables below for the benefit of the iGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@iguard.org.
Average Satisfaction Score
(out of 10)
Average Effectiveness Score
(out of 10)
- 80%
- of patients are confident that the good things about Levothyroxine outweigh the bad things.
- 8%
- of patients wish they were told more before they started taking Levothyroxine.
Common Side Effects of Levothyroxine
iGuard regularly polls our more than 87,000 users taking Levothyroxine (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) to monitor the development and frequency of side-effects. This feedback is continuously updated in tables and graphs below for the benefit of the iGuard community.
16% of patients experience side-effects on Levothyroxine
3% of patients experience significant side-effects on Levothyroxine
Most Common Side Effects...
-
Hair Loss
-
Weight Gain
-
Fatigue
-
Dryness
-
= 10%
Less than 1%: Abdo Pain/Cramps, Anxiety, Bloating/Gas, Bone Loss, Bruising, Cold Sensitivity, Constipation, Diarrhea, Grogginess/Confusion, Headache, Heartburn/Reflux, Heat Sensitivity, Increased Appetite, Insomnia, Itch/Rash, Memory/Speech Problems, Mood/Behavior Changes, Muscle Pain/Cramps, Palpitations, Skin/Nail Problems, Sweating, Swelling/Edema
Global Patient Feedback for Levothyroxine ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
I've been taking levothyroxine for about 6 months now. It seemed my doctor had been anxiously waiting for my thyroid to malfunction, since my grandmother had a condition. When my TSH levels finally showed I was borderline hypothyroid (at age 36) she jumped at the chance to medicate. I had no symptoms. Now my hair is falling out and my voice is hoarse, almost like the drug is creating the symptoms it's supposed to treat. So frustrating. Thinking about getting a second opinion.
36 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-08-31 17:20:58
Question/Comment:
I was given radioactive iodine in 1976. 15 years later i had hypothyroid. Since then, I've been taking eltroxin. Now I have osteoarthritis and the pain seems to be increasing at a very fast phase. I've been taking calcium, vit d3, glucosamine, collagen type 2, too. Does my taking of eltroxin for a long time have any connection with my knee, back, hip, shoulders, elbows, pain? My endocrinologist knew i was taking calcium but never told me of any risk.
60 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-08-26 08:24:13
Question/Comment:
am 47 female had thyroid cancer and they removed it. It is just awful because I also developed diabetes and it's just all messed up. Doctors are not helpful at all, you tell them what is going on with your body and they don't listen. I have a good doctor but he wont go against the other doctors. I dont have insurance and am using a charity care program in a big teaching hospital here in Florida. It's ok but they just dont want to hear my opinion on what is happening. I am on Levemir,synthroid 200mg and glimipiride. Sometimes it messes with my mood and sometimes I feel like electrical pulses going thru my brain. I dont know which causes it. But there is also some kind of degeneration of my synapses or something. They said it's due to the diabetes, who knows. Just feel sick and tired all the time.
47 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-08-20 22:23:09
Question/Comment:
I took estrogen for 37 years in a shot form. I stopped taking it three years ago. I have hashimoto's disease with my thyroid. The problem is I can not take Synthyroid, Levothyroxidine . I have extreme mood changes resulting in anger taking this drug. I took Armour for 12 years without mood changes...but it caused me to have a arthritis or fibromyglia symptoms for years. I was unware that the Armour was the cause until I stopped taking it and the pain quit. Now, I'm in limbo....I can't take either drug. I have a 0.4 tsh....and I think I will just quit taking any drugs....my doctors are not at all helpful, trying to push synthyroid on me if though I can't take it. Do doctors ever listen?
62 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-08-10 18:55:08
Question/Comment:
i am a 51 year old female, i have had hypothyroidism since the early 80's.i can not seem to lose weight because of this. i take 137mcg. of synthroid, in which the dr. changes every 6 to 12 months.i am wondering about changing dr's. i don't know what to do.
51 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-07-11 11:37:38
Member Answer/Reply:
I also take synthroid 150 mcg and have a weight problem. The synthroid helps your metabolism operate at a more normal rate. Having a slow metabolism makes you gain weight, a faster metabolism keeps you thin. DO NOT TAKE MORE THAT YOUR DR RECOMMENDS. READ THE INFO ON OVERDOSE!!
61 year old Male – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-07-19 09:56:39
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Comments may be either questions or answers to previously posted questions. Any iGuard user may post questions and reply.
1,017
Patient Comments About
Levothyroxine