do you know that taking thyroid hormones may cause osteoporosis?

Philippines
September 28, 2008 9:48am CST
a friend of mine was diagnosed of multi-nodular goiter 3 years ago. her doctor advised her to undergo suppression therapy to prevent further enlargement of the thyroid glands and the nodules. she was prescribed with 100mcg of levothyroxine to be taken daily before breakfast. after two months of religiously taking the medication, she went for a thyroid ultrasound and the result looked promising for the enlarged thyroid glands and the nodules had decrease in size. so she continued with the medication. a year after, another friend of hers, upon learning she has multi-nodular goiter and that she has been taking levothyroxine for some time, advised her to see an endocrinologist because she had read it somewhere that this thyroid hormones if taken over a long period of time makes the bones brittle. she worried a bit so she heeded her friend's advice. she went to an endocrinologist who confirmed what her friend told her. the endo advised her to have a bone densitometry test, among other routine tests. true enough, her test result did show initial signs of bone loss. at 35 year old, she already has osteopenia. so the endo, advised her to lessen her dose of thyroid hormone and to regularly take calcium supplements.
1 person likes this
2 responses
@cream97 (29086)
• United States
28 Sep 08
How sad for this to happen at this age! I ma 30, so I am afraid of many things taken place with my body too. My mil has Osteporosis. So, I know how that can be. She is in pain a lot.. Her bones hurt. She does not drink milk..
@mscott (1923)
• United States
28 Sep 08
It is like most treatments or at least medicines now days. They give you something to fix a problem but the complications from the medicine can lead to other issues. I guess it is a matter of choosing what risk or ailment one is willing to live with.