Accidentally over medicated for 2 weeks

[Clairewalker751]

Hello I've realised this morning that for the past 2 weeks I've been taking 200 levo instead of 150, I haven't felt great now I know why so in the last 2 weeks I've taken 700mcg of extra levo do you knowledgeable members think I should stay off levo completely and if so for how long ?I'm thinking 4-5 days?

[tattybogle]

Oops... personally i'd do it a bit more gradually, Even with the extra in your system, 4/5 days with none at all might be a bit of an unpleasant surprise to your system.

I'd leave off for one day and then take 100 for 10 day's and then 150 again.

Unless you feel really hot with a high heart rate in which case , maybe you're right to drop a bit faster.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to tattybogle]

Certainly agree that makes more sense than not taking any for days.

Bear in mind, it is not a case of reducing intake by 700 micrograms. At least some of that excess will have been excreted already.

Also, whatever plan seems sensible now, be prepared to change it if it is going wrong.

[tattybogle in reply to helvella]

Yes , you're right i'd forgotten to take natural loss into account. I was originally going to say none for a day , and then 100 for a week,, but then changed it to 10 days so the maths added up.. but probably a week would be plenty long enough, (cos it's not really about maths is it!)

[Clairewalker751 in reply to tattybogle]

Thank you, i have a lot of hot flushes anyway and before I was in Levi had them all the time seems symptoms for me are same whether under or over so really struggle to know which way I am unless I test, although heart rate is a good indicator as I wear a fit bit, will not take tonight's dose then will only take 100 for 10 days like you say, I also need to tell my pharmacy to not chop and change my brands.

[tattybogle in reply to Clairewalker751]

I'm convinced we'd all have much fewer problems if they would accept the principle of maintaining consistency in brands. You'd think it was just basic medical good practice wouldn't you.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to tattybogle]

Though for many medicines it makes little or no difference. I have never noticed anything between makes of paracetamol or anti-histamines. Suspect that is more often the case than not.

Hence, we assume all makes will be similarly efficacious regardless and then we come across thyroid hormones...

Have long suspected that most doctors simply do not appreciate the differences.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

There's quite a number of products deemed not suitable for generic prescribing.

Appendix 1 to this document has a list:

Greater Manchester Health and Care Commissioning

Generic Prescribing Guidelines

February 2019

Version 2.0

gmmmg.nhs.uk/docs/guidance/...

Ironically it includes this:

Hormone replacement therapy oral preparations

Different brands of the same formulation are available. Patient familiarity with one brand is important.

Funny how the very term Hormone replacement therapy is deemed not to apply to Hormone replacement therapy when the hormone in question is a thyroid hormone. Why should menopause-related medications have exclusive use of what is, after all, a simple English phrase?

[penny in reply to helvella]

Off-piste but this reminds me that my professional body objected to the use of the description’ massage parlours’ for beauty therapists as the connotation is a brothel. The powers that be didn’t change it and probably didn’t understand.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

A good deal more than 22!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...

Some of which were only relatively recently discovered. Like Ghrelin.

[humanbean in reply to helvella]

In the hormone listing you've linked to, can you tell me what "SN" stands for in the first column of the first table?

And the numbering system... Does it mean anything?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to humanbean]

I can't find any meaning in the numbers or numbering system.

I see tables with SN columns on this page - as well:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone

I'd have suggested it being as simple as Serial Number - except there are duplicates!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Well, sometimes.

With awareness of its faults.