Levothyroxine & bone density

[hairyfairy]

Iv`e just read on another website that Levothyroxine can cause osteoporosis, that has scared thelife out of me. Should I stop taking it? brittle bones is something I really don`t want!

[Hidden]

Hello, I have a good idea which site you might have consulted, but you may be interested in reading the following statements written by doctors who have had considerable success in treating people with hypothyroidism.

""Some women are told to be wary of taking thyroid medication because it can leach the calcium from bones. This assumption is now outdated. The research on people taking extremely high doses of thyroid hormone is mixed, but it is now known that thyroid pills in appropriate doses are good for your bones. Moreover, it has recently become apparent that the fairly common situation of undetected and untreated low thyroid is the cause of bone calcium depletion. Dr. Richard and Sharilee Shames

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In the 1970’s and 1980’s, many faulty studies were published that led to the erroneous conclusion that TSH-suppressive dosages of thyroid hormone decrease bone mineral density in most patients. Some conventional endocrinologists wrongly extrapolated from these studies that TSH-suppressive dosages lead to osteoporosis and increased risk of bone fracture. Among our patients who have used TSH-suppressive dosages of T3-containing preparations from 1-10 years, bone densitometry has shown that their density is HIGHER than other men and women for the same age.

The finding of higher bone density among patients taking higher-end dosages of thyroid hormone suggests that under-treatment with thyroid hormone can contribute to lower bone density. The lower bone density is likely to result from patients being unable to engage in weight bearing exercise due to low motor drive and decreased metabolic capacity. Hypothyroid patients using T4 replacement dosages commonly lack the drive to engage in weight bearing exercise, indicating that replacement dosages are often tantamount to gross under-treatment. Dr. John Lowe, Boulder Colorado

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Optimising the serum dialysis free T4 and T3 levels in all my patients has not contributed to osteoporosis at all (on the contrary, serial DECCA scans have usually shown dramatic increases in bone density despite my never prescribing any drugs for osteoporosis but using nutritional and metabolic corrective approaches instead); and cardiac arrhythmias are taken care of by making sure there is no functional deficiency of the pertinent minerals in the appropriate fluid spaces (RBC/packed cell levels in the case of magnesium and potassium). Not doing these things, and assuming that a “normal” TSH always means normal – even optimal – thyroid hormone function, is causing vast under-diagnosis and under-treatment in millions of patients in the US and around the world. Surveys of patient satisfaction with treatment, and websites devoted to this topic, invariably show deep distrust of the adequacy of their treatment, Dr John Dommisse, Tucson, Arizona""

....and also the information on this site: web.archive.org/web/2010122...

Hope this helps to settle your mind. Jane x

[nobodysdriving in reply to Hidden]

thanks Jane, very good x

[shaws Administrator]

This is also a link from Dr Lowe

web.archive.org/web/2010112...

[hairyfairy]

I think that`s very reassuring, thank you!