Stopping medication (what to expect)

[rburrillo]

I can't get in to see my doctor for about two weeks, as I'm currently out-of-state, and I'm at the end of my bottle of dessicated thyroid. I take about 120mg per day. It looks like I'll be medication-less for about a week unless I can pull some emergency strings.

Is that.... would that be okay? I mean that's basically a cold turkey from 120mg down to zero, but it's only for a week. Has anyone else cold-turkeyed off NP thyroid like that before? Can I handle it for a week or should I expect it to be totally nightmarish? (If so I'll swing by an urgent care and see if I can get a temporary fill.)

Thanks!

[Brucergoldberg]

I cant even imagine stopping my medication for one day, little alone a week.  If you are out of town for a week because of work, and you truly need hormone, expect some pretty nasty side effects a couple days after you stop.  Plus you have been building cell levels for however long you have been on the medication and now you are going to deplete those cells of what it needs.  It will probably take you 6 weeks to rebuild your levels from being off of them for a week, plus you could be facing some pretty nasty effects.    yikes!

[gimel]

Good.  You should not stop meds.

[rburrillo]

lol - I'm guessing from the nature of your responses that I should take all necessary steps to avoid stopping my thyroid medication. Message received. Apparently my doctor's assistant can fax a refill in her stead because it's not a narcotic, so I think I'm all set :o)

[gimel]

There has to be someone that is taking care of the doctor's patients.  I'm sure they could find a way to get you a prescription at a pharmacy near you.

[rburrillo]

I should have mentioned that, too - she's out of town as well.

I don't think it would be too hard to go to an urgent care clinic, explain the situation, and get a week's worth of NP to avoid a disaster; but I'd rather not (those places are expensive) if it's not going to *be* a disaster.

[gimel]

Why not call the doctor and explain and try to get them to call in a prescription at a pharmacy near you?  They are usually pretty acommodating about that sort of thing.s