Should I stop taking my levothyroxine on Religious grounds.

[Kadara917]

I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid in March 2018. My last level check was 2.9. I not sure what this mean. I have tried to get my Gp to explain this to me but to now avail. What should I do because I will like stop taking them.

[Elston]

I'm not sure of the amount it should be but why do you want to stop taking?

[Millea]

If you have been prescribed the medication then I would say please don’t just stop taking them. Your GP will have a copy of your last blood test results. If you do not already have a printout if these - then go to the GP and ask at the reception for a copy - you are entitled to have a copy of these. Then either take a photo of results and post on here or type into a post all the levels, what they’re for and (very important) the range next to each listing - that’s the bit in brackets. Then others on here will be able to see what’s going on and advise you best. Good luck.

[LouiseRoberts]

For the purposes of personal data protection your photo has been removed.

In order for people to offer advice, I think you will have to explain a lot fuller what reasons you have for thinking you need to stop your levothyroxine.

[Jazzw]

If you want to understand your condition a little better, this forum’s parent site has a good explanation here: thyroiduk.org/tuk/about_the...

If you’re taking Levothyroxine then know that it’s synthetic (man made). I’m not sure what your religious objections would be but if there’s anything we can do to reassure you, do please shout.

[shaws Administrator]

Are you taking 'natural dessicated thyroid hormones' which can be made with pigs' thyroid glands' which might be against your religion. There is another made from cows' glands which wouldn't be a problem.

If you take levothyroxine - this is a synthetic form of thyroxine - a natural substance in our body - so there should be no problem either. It is called levothyroxine.

If you are hypothyroid and do not take thyroid hormone replacements the very worst that could happen is you go into a Myxedema Coma which could cause death if it isn't realised you aren't taking thyroid hormone replacements.

Thyroid hormone i.e. T3 is the only active thyroid hormone, produced naturally in our body until our thyroid gland dysfunctions. Levothyroxine is a synthetic T4 and converts to T3 and we need T3 in the millions of T3 receptor cells which allows our brain and heart to work efficiently and also everything else in our body. It runs our whole metabolism.

It is such a serious illness if unmedicated that if in the UK, we pay for no more prescriptions for any other diseases/conditions we may develop

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Kadara

I cannot imagine what objection on religious grounds there could possibly be to take Levothyroxine. It is synthetic so no animal products. Can you explain why you think there would be a problem.

You have been prescribed Levo because your thyroid can't produce enough thyroid hormone. It is a life giving hormone. Stop taking it and you will start to slowly become ill, then you will become even more ill and maybe end up in myxodema coma.

[Angel_of_the_North]

What religion doesn't allow replacement hormones? Most religions are against you killing yourself, so I can't see how stopping your meds could be in accordance with any religion. You need to get a printout of your results and post them to get advice. You are entitle to this free of charge in the UK under data protection. It is probably TSH which is not a thyroid hormone and tells you very little apart from the fact that your dose in probably too low. You need to know the actual thyroid hormone levels: free t4 and free t3. If your thyroid doesn't work correctly, you need to take replacement hormones for life - or you die very slowly from heart disease and dementia