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Thyroid problems are affecting an increasing number of people. The most common diagnoses are Hashimoto’s disease, hyperthyroidism, neoplastic conditions, inflammation of the thyroid gland. The treatment consists in including drugs, and in extreme cases, a surgical solution occurs. A popular drug is Euthyrox 75. What is its composition and purpose? Can Euthyrox 75 cause side effects
What exactly is Euthyrox 75? It is a drug that is used in the treatment of neutral goiter, it is supposed to prevent recurrence after its surgical removal, in the case of hypothyroidism. Euthyrox 75 is also administered in thyroid cancer. It’s a prescription and is reimbursed.
Euthyrox 75 – dosage
Euthyrox 75 is produced as film-coated tablets, the tablet contains 75 micrograms of Levothyroxin natricum, i.e. sodium levothyroxine. There is also an excipient in the drug – lactose monohydrate. The drug is adapted to the individual treatment of each patient, therefore the pharmaceutical market offers packages containing tablets with different concentrations of the active substance. In most cases, Euthyrox 75 can only be taken once a day. Since thyroid parameters, i.e. T4 and fT4, are impaired in the majority of patients in the pivotal studies, the starting doses should be initially reduced to gradually increase them after a few weeks and achieve the correct replacement dose.
According to specialists, Euthyrox 75 should be administered in lower doses to patients with lower body weight, similarly to the elderly, patients with acute hypothyroidism, and patients diagnosed with ischemic heart disease. The dose may be increased gradually, but the decision to change the dose should be made by the treating physician. The dosages in children and adolescents are most often in the range of 100 to 150 micrograms per m² body surface area. The doses are adjusted to the individual needs of the patient, as well as on the basis of control tests of the concentration of thyroid hormones and TSH.
How to serve Euthyrox 75? If daily doses are established, they should be taken as an undivided dose in the morning, on an empty stomach, before the first meal. In young children, Euthyrox 75 should be administered half an hour before the planned first feeding. The preparation may be in the form of a suspension to be made with the preparation and a small amount of water. The suspension must be freshly made each time, it cannot be stored for longer until the next dose.
Euthyrox 75 in acute diseases can be taken even for the rest of life, in diagnosed with mild indifferent goiter, treatment may end after several years. As Euthyrox 75 is often a drug that is to be taken for life, the treatment cannot be interrupted during pregnancy and during breastfeeding, the doses may even be increased, but such a decision should be made not only by the endocrinologist, but also by the gynecologist in charge of the pregnancy.
Euthyrox 75 – contraindications
Of course, the main contraindication to the use of the drug is an allergy to the active substance of the drug or auxiliary substances. Before starting thyroid hormone therapy, the attending physician should exclude other diseases: adrenal insufficiency, coronary insufficiency, hypertension, atherosclerosis, autonomic thyroid function, and angina pectoris. Euthyrox 75 should not be taken by people diagnosed with diabetes.