Has thyroxine ever caused anyone here to have hypertension?

[Spring_melody]

I am asking cos my doctor is trying to reduce my dose.He said long-term use of thyroxine is bad for the heart.Thanks.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Long term use of thyroxine or overmedication?

It's a hormone, you need what you need when taking hormone replacement. What would he say to me who has been diagnosed hypo for 45 years, or someone born without a thyroid and needs replacement for life?

What test result is he basing this need to reduce your Levo on?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Low TSH is common when on Levothyroxine

How much are you currently taking and do you have results you can add?

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

heart.bmj.com/content/84/4/455

Over replacement with thyroxine?

There is some concern that administering thyroxine in a dose which suppresses serum TSH may provoke significant cardiovascular problems, including abnormal ventricular diastolic relaxation, a reduced exercise capacity, an increase in mean basal heart rate, and atrial premature contractions.12 Apart from an increase in left ventricular mass index within the normal range, these observations have not been verified.13 Moreover, there is no evidence, despite the findings of the Framingham study, that a suppressed serum TSH concentration in a patient taking thyroxine in whom serum T3 is unequivocally normal is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I suspect your doctor does not suffer from hypothyroidism?

Therefore, his thyroid is pushing out thyroxine (T4) and T3 every single day of his life. Perhaps he should get a total thyroidectomy to ensure that he is kept safe from thyroxine?

I put forward the radical idea that LACK of thyroid hormone is bad for the heart.

If it isn't needed, taking thyroxine might be a bad idea. If you take too much thyroxine that might also be a bad idea. But taking the right amount of thyroxine, when it is needed, is probably a very good idea.

[Tina_Maria]

Your doctor needs to go back to medical school - what a load of s....!

In order for your metabolism and body to work correctly, you need the correct level of thyroid hormones.

Hypothyroidism is associated with cardiac dysfunction and in people with hypertension suffering from hypothyroidism, the hypertension actually decreases on replacement therapy.

I have found an interesting article for you:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/119...

Therefore the suggestion is actually that in people suffering from hypothyroidism, long term replacement therapy is essential to correct the underlying hypertension!

Hope this will help

[Celestialbeing]

Agree with above statements; cardiologists also use T3 thyroid replacement hormone for heart conditions. A few clinicians mentioned this at an International thyroid conference recently held in the USA.

[Hidden]

Even though I felt the need of an increase, I had to decrease my thyroxine instead due to suppressed TSH (0.01) earlier this year (can't really afford to go private). After several months I developed breathlessness on exercise (even going upstairs) and slightly swollen ankles. There were occasional bouts of breathlessness before this, but not as bad.

Heart tests were thankfully normal, but Levo was finally returned back to the previous dose, which helped a bit. Thanks to a brilliant doctor I have now been granted a further increase and some more improvement, but it shows that the problem was due to undermedication not over.

The myth that suppressed TSH is a sign of over medication or that it damages heart and bones is apparently just that, a myth. Although optimal vitamin D levels will help. Higher doses (I think that's over 1000 units - I'm currently taking 4,000) will need vitamin K and magnesium to protect the circulation and direct calcium to the bones where it should be

[Plum-tree]

I was told that over 11 years ago by my GP in Hants but am sure Dr Peatfield said if I wasn’t on thyroxine I would eventually end up with heart problems, (my words). Dr Broda Barnes found a lot of hypertensive patients improved greatly when he put them on thyroxine. Your Dr could do a trial, recording your BP while on thyroxine, then do same after you have stopped taking it, & compare results.