Posted by mat on April 8, 2002, at 13:04:36
In reply to Lithium and thyroid disorders, posted by HMK on April 8, 2002, at 9:17:27
> Does anyone know if people who are hypothyroid can even take lithium? I thought there might be some kind of dangerous interaction effect.
hi!
i found the following in a pharmacology textbook (goodman&gilmans):
"a small number of patients treated with lithium develop a benign, diffuse, nontender thyroid enlargement suggestive of compromised thyroid function......lithium appears to interfere with the iodination of tyrosine and therefore with the synthesis of thyroxine. however, patients usually remain euthyroid, and obvious hypothyroidism is rare"
from another german textbook of pharmacology: "approximately 10% of the patients treated with lithium develop a euthyroid struma (enlargement of thyroid) that is treated with l-thyroxin.and i just looked up the contraindications for one of the lithium-containing drugs here in austria (quilonorm):
and-it is not allowed to prescribe this drug in case of an untreated hypothyroid disease (other contraindications in this list are: severe renal insufficiency, several cardiovascular diseases, m.addison, diet with reduced sodium-intake and disorders associated with dehydration)hope this helps
mat
poster:mat
thread:102374
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020408/msgs/102396.html