DR. MIRKIN ON THYROID PILLS
Taking Thyroid Pills Can Cause Osteoporosis and Heart Damage
By Dr. Gabe Mirkin
If you take thyroid medication without getting blood tests regularly to check for overdosage, you may be risking your life. A study presented October 27, 2011, at the annual meeting of the American Thyroid Association, checked 10 different brands of over-the-counter thyroid pills. These pills contain animal thyroid hormones that are biologically active in humans. The amount of thyroid hormone in the pills varied widely and some exceeded doses usually prescribed by physicians. Ten percent of the pills contained no active thyroid hormone.
Some misguided individuals take over-the-counter thyroid pills because they think it will help them lose weight, cure tiredness and improve performance at work and at school. They usually offer none of these benefits.
Over dosage of thyroid medication is far more dangerous than not getting enough.
Taking thyroid hormone when your thyroid gland is producing normal amounts causes severe osteoporosis in which your bones turn to chalk and break with minimal trauma. It also can cause irregular heart beats, jitteriness and emotional problems.
Every person who takes thyroid pills, even those prescribed by a physician, should get a blood test called TSH at least every six months to check for over dosage. If your TSH is below 0.5, you are getting too much, your bones are turning to chalk and you could be damaging your heart.
Dr. Pinna says:
I have seen many patients who complain that their obesity is caused by a “sluggish†thyroid. When we do the usual “Thyroid Panel†which includes TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) we see that all the different forms of the thyroid hormone are normal.
Then we must face the fact that the real cause is overeating and eating high calorie foods.
Rarely, we will find a patient with a low thyroid level. Roughly, one patient in one hundred. These I send to an endocrinologist (specialist in hormones) since the cause is always obscure.
I think the best part of thyroid screening (thyroid panel) is the fact that you finally realize that your behavior is the cause of obesity or sleepiness or inability to concentrate, etc.
For this reason, I am always happy to get a thyroid screen. Knowing precisely where you stand in life is the best way of modifying your behavior.
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