Cytomel Uses, Side Effects & Warnings
The starting adult dose of Cytomel (Liothyronine) to treat hypothyroidism is 25µg daily. Do steroids not change the way you take Cytomel (Liothyronine) without consulting your doctor. Severe and prolonged hypothyroidism can lead to a decreased level of adrenocortical activity commensurate with the lowered metabolic state. When thyroid-replacement therapy is administered, the metabolism increases at a greater rate than adrenocortical activity.
Warnings for Cytomel
If your pharmacy or insurance plan changes your thyroid hormone to a generic preparation, it is important for you to inform your physician. You will need regular exams and occasional blood tests to check the response to treatment. If you receive this medication for an underactive thyroid, it may be several weeks before you notice an improvement. Paloma’s health care providers specialize in treating hypothyroidism and can provide a prescription for Cytomel if it aligns with your treatment requirements. Cytomel comes in doses of 5, 25, and 50 mcg, and the most common use of the medication is in combination T4-T3 therapy, where a patient takes levothyroxine (synthetic T4) along with the Cytomel.
What Are Side Effects of Cytomel?
- In children with severe or prolonged hypothyroidism, catch-up growth may not be adequate to normalize adult height see ADVERSE REACTIONS.
- We’ll start with one of the most prescribed drugs in the United States, the generic T4 medication levothyroxine.
- Liothyronine is used to treat an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
- Tell your health care provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
If Cytomel is appropriate for you, your provider can send the prescription to a pharmacy to fill. In pediatric patients in whom a diagnosis of permanent hypothyroidism has not been established, discontinue thyroid hormone for a trial period, but only after the child is at least 3 years of age. Obtain serum TSH, T4, and T3 levels at the end of the trial period, and use laboratory test results and clinical assessments to guide diagnosis and treatment, if warranted see Dosage and Administration (2.6). Bile acid sequestrants and ion exchange resins are known to decrease thyroid hormones absorption. Administer CYTOMEL at least 4 hours prior to these drugs or monitor TSH levels. Rapid restoration of normal serum T4 concentrations is essential for preventing the adverse effects of congenital hypothyroidism on intellectual development as well as on overall physical growth and maturation.
Proper use of Cytomel
Taking other medications can sometimes cause people to need an adjustment of their thyroid hormone dose. Other medications and supplements can prevent the absorption of the full dose of thyroid hormone. These include iron, calcium, soy, certain antacids and some cholesterollowering medications. Biotin supplements can interfere with the blood tests used to measure thyroid levels, so it is recommended to stop taking biotin containing supplements for 2-3 days prior to thyroid blood tests. Liothyronine is used to treat an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
You’ll want to have your full thyroid panel measured before and during dose titration trials. While trying to get on the right dosage of medication, you will want to test your thyroid labs every four to six weeks. Once you’re symptom-free, and if you’re stabilized on your new thyroid medications, every three months to one year may then be appropriate for testing and monitoring your thyroid levels.
This copyrighted material has been downloaded from a licensed data provider. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist. Other options include compounded T3, which allows customized dosing, sustained release formulations, and can exclude certain fillers or allergens. Discussing these alternatives with your doctor can help determine the best treatment for your situation.
Therefore, when the concentration of thyroid hormone is returned to normal with liothyronine, the elimination of theophylline is increased. This reduces the concentration of theophylline in the body and can reduce the effectiveness of theophylline. Patients who are treated for thyroid conditions and who are taking theophylline should have their blood concentration of theophylline monitored, and doses of theophylline should be adjusted as necessary. Furosemide has been shown to inhibit the protein binding of T4 to TBG and albumin, causing an increased free-T4 fraction in serum.
Warfarin acts by reducing the concentration of factors in the body that are necessary for blood to clot. The concentration of these clotting factors in the body is determined by the body’s rate of metabolism. In theory, by increasing the body’s metabolism (elimination) of these clotting factors, thyroid hormones reduce the body’s ability to clot and therefore enhance the effects of warfarin.
Estrogens tend to increase serum thyroxine-binding globulin (TBg). In a patient with a nonfunctioning thyroid gland who is receiving thyroid replacement therapy, free levothyroxine may be decreased when estrogens are started thus increasing thyroid requirements. However, if the patient’s thyroid gland has sufficient function, the decreased free thyroxine will result in a compensatory increase in thyroxine output by the thyroid.