Levothyroxine side effects
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-525-6884
List of side effects
Hyperthyroidism due to therapeutic overdosage
Seizures
Hypothyroidism
Children/infants
Hypersensitivity to inactive ingredients
Hyperthyroidism due to therapeutic overdosage
Adverse reactions associated with Levothyroxine therapy are primarily those of hyperthyroidism due to therapeutic overdosage. They include the following:
- General: fatigue, increased appetite, weight loss, heat intolerance, fever, excessive sweating;
- Central Nervous System: headache, hyperactivity, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, emotional lability, insomnia;
- Musculoskeletal: tremors, muscle weakness;
- Cardiovascular: palpitations, tachycardia, arrhythmias, increased pulse and blood pressure, heart failure, angina, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest;
- Respiratory: dyspnea;
- Gastrointestinal: diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and elevations in liver function tests;
- Dermatologic: hair loss, flushing;
- Endocrine: decreased bone mineral density;
- Reproductive: menstrual irregularities, impaired fertility.
Seizures
Seizures have been reported rarely with the institution of Levothyroxine therapy. Return to top
Hypothyroidism
Inadequate Levothyroxine dosage will produce or fail to ameliorate the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. Return to top
Children/infants
Pseudotumor cerebri and slipped capital femoral epiphysis have been reported in children receiving Levothyroxine therapy. Overtreatment may result in craniosynostosis in infants and premature closure of the epiphyses in children with resultant compromised adult height. Return to top
Hypersensitivity to inactive ingredients
Hypersensitivity reactions to inactive ingredients have occurred in patients treated with thyroid hormone products. These include urticaria, pruritus, skin rash, flushing, angioedema, various GI symptoms (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea), fever, arthralgia, serum sickness and wheezing. Hypersensitivity to Levothyroxine itself is not known to occur. Return to top
The content of this page is taken from the FDA package insert for this drug and should not be edited.
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
