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Concerned by prescribed treatment for high cholesterol?
I need some help to understand the medication prescribed to my mother due to her high cholesterol (for last 2 years).
Patient information: 60 years old, Female, 5 ft height, 81 lb weight.
I am giving the complete history below but this is the issue in nutshell "Is Levothyroxine right medication for high cholesterol, when the thyroid results (serum T3, T4, TSH) are normal ? If it is wrong treatment will it lead to lasting health effects, currently we are seeing about 17 lb wt loss in 6-8 months. Weight went down from 97 lb to 81 lb."
Long story:
Two years ago my mother's cholesterol levels were found to be elevated. She was prescribed Eltroxin (Levothyroxine 50 mcg) by "Doctor A" and she has been taking the same dosage for the duration.
Recently (within last 2 months) she complained about stomach ache, loss of appetite, bloated feeling, other times feeling hungry but wouldn't be able to eat much. Three weeks ago my mother consulted our family doctor, say "Doctor B", who was concerned by her weight loss. She has lost weight from 98 lb to 81 lb. Her weight has always stayed between 97-100 lb but I am unable to tell when this slide exactly started (sorry I do not stay in my home country).
Now "Doctor B" has asked her to stop Levothyroxine and prescribed some supplements which she has been taking for last 2 weeks, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B and soluble form of Vitamin B1, benfotiamine.
Two days ago my mother consulted Doctor A who had originally prescribed Levothyroxine and he did regular blood, urine work. Surprisingly he didn't recommend a Cholesterol, Urine test results were normal. Only abnormal value in blood work was C-reactive protein = 26.4 mg/ml, which is very high I suppose (recommended 0-6 mg/ml according to report). I read CRP test can indicate inflammation or infection of some kind and she was prescribed antibiotics for it by Doctor A (Oflox 400).
My question about cholesterol treatment after I did some reading.
1. Eltroxin (Levothyroxine) is supposed to treat hypothyrodism, I am not sure why it was prescribed to my mother in first place. Her thyroid hormone results were normal 2 years ago, she only had elevated cholesterol. I don't have values right now but I can provide them if someone needs.
2. If Levothyroxine was prescribed to reduce the high cholesterol values, the doctor never asked for periodic cholesterol check-up to monitor it. I think that was necessary, am I correct?
3. From reading about Levothyroxine, it seems it can cause bone density decrease. What tests can be done to check this ?
4. If Eltroxin was prescribed incorrectly, I see there are host of other problems/ side effects that can arise. Also is it wise to stop Levothyroxine suddenly ? There is conflicting information online.
5. What all tests you would recommend she should do now. I am asking for cholesterol, bone density measurement (not sure how it is done), Thyroid hormone values. Anything else ?
6. What does high CRP values in recent blood tests indicate ? Does the antibiotic treatment make any sense at all ?
I feel I should give some background: I am in US but my mother lives in developing world, south asia. There we have to travel bit to get to good doctors. Getting 2nd and 3rd opinion is not always easy. I only looked up Levothyroxine recently when I heard about her such drastic weight loss. I had no reason to doubt the prescribed medicine 2 years ago. I want to get some answers before I either confront doctor A or find someone else. Lawsuits are not possible in my country even if its mistake on part of doctor.
If you have any questions I will try to answer them. Thank you for your help.
Patient information: 60 years old, Female, 5 ft height, 81 lb weight.
I am giving the complete history below but this is the issue in nutshell "Is Levothyroxine right medication for high cholesterol, when the thyroid results (serum T3, T4, TSH) are normal ? If it is wrong treatment will it lead to lasting health effects, currently we are seeing about 17 lb wt loss in 6-8 months. Weight went down from 97 lb to 81 lb."
Long story:
Two years ago my mother's cholesterol levels were found to be elevated. She was prescribed Eltroxin (Levothyroxine 50 mcg) by "Doctor A" and she has been taking the same dosage for the duration.
Recently (within last 2 months) she complained about stomach ache, loss of appetite, bloated feeling, other times feeling hungry but wouldn't be able to eat much. Three weeks ago my mother consulted our family doctor, say "Doctor B", who was concerned by her weight loss. She has lost weight from 98 lb to 81 lb. Her weight has always stayed between 97-100 lb but I am unable to tell when this slide exactly started (sorry I do not stay in my home country).
Now "Doctor B" has asked her to stop Levothyroxine and prescribed some supplements which she has been taking for last 2 weeks, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B and soluble form of Vitamin B1, benfotiamine.
Two days ago my mother consulted Doctor A who had originally prescribed Levothyroxine and he did regular blood, urine work. Surprisingly he didn't recommend a Cholesterol, Urine test results were normal. Only abnormal value in blood work was C-reactive protein = 26.4 mg/ml, which is very high I suppose (recommended 0-6 mg/ml according to report). I read CRP test can indicate inflammation or infection of some kind and she was prescribed antibiotics for it by Doctor A (Oflox 400).
My question about cholesterol treatment after I did some reading.
1. Eltroxin (Levothyroxine) is supposed to treat hypothyrodism, I am not sure why it was prescribed to my mother in first place. Her thyroid hormone results were normal 2 years ago, she only had elevated cholesterol. I don't have values right now but I can provide them if someone needs.
2. If Levothyroxine was prescribed to reduce the high cholesterol values, the doctor never asked for periodic cholesterol check-up to monitor it. I think that was necessary, am I correct?
3. From reading about Levothyroxine, it seems it can cause bone density decrease. What tests can be done to check this ?
4. If Eltroxin was prescribed incorrectly, I see there are host of other problems/ side effects that can arise. Also is it wise to stop Levothyroxine suddenly ? There is conflicting information online.
5. What all tests you would recommend she should do now. I am asking for cholesterol, bone density measurement (not sure how it is done), Thyroid hormone values. Anything else ?
6. What does high CRP values in recent blood tests indicate ? Does the antibiotic treatment make any sense at all ?
I feel I should give some background: I am in US but my mother lives in developing world, south asia. There we have to travel bit to get to good doctors. Getting 2nd and 3rd opinion is not always easy. I only looked up Levothyroxine recently when I heard about her such drastic weight loss. I had no reason to doubt the prescribed medicine 2 years ago. I want to get some answers before I either confront doctor A or find someone else. Lawsuits are not possible in my country even if its mistake on part of doctor.
If you have any questions I will try to answer them. Thank you for your help.
Hello , please follow this system of natural way u wil b out of the problem. Take enima twice daily for one month. Fasting for 8hrs from morning. Drink green juice then fruit juices. Salads wenever u feel hungry. Dinner at night with more vegetables. Stop dairy products. I m sure u wil get benefit from this system.
Hello madam, please follow this system of natural way u wil b out of the problem. Take enima twice daily for one month. Fasting for 8hrs from morning. Drink green juice then fruit juices. Salads wenever u feel hungry. Dinner at night with more vegetables. Stop dairy products. I m sure u wil get benefit from this system.
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