Comparative study on efficacy and safety of morning dose versus evening dose of levothyroxine in treatment of hypothyroidism: an outpatient department based prospective interventional study

Authors

  • Umakanta Mahapatra Department of Internal Medicine, Midnapore Medical College, West Bengal, India
  • Ram N. Maiti Department of Pharmacology, Midnapore Medical College, West Bengal, India
  • Bulbul Purkait Department of Biochemistry, Purulia Government Medical College, West Bengal, India
  • Dipan Saha Department of Emergency Medicine, Murshidabad Medical College, West Bengal, India
  • Sekhar Mandal Department of Pharmacology, Midnapore Medical College, West Bengal, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20204095

Keywords:

Levothyroxine, Hypothyroidism, Prospective interventional study

Abstract

Background: One of the common endocrine disorders in India as well as in the world is hypothyroidism. The treatment of choice is giving levothyroxine supplement orally to the patient in an empty stomach mostly in the morning. Often many patients feel uncomfortable or inconvenient to take levothyroxine in the early morning. In those patients changing the administration time of levothyroxine may get necessary to increase the patient compliance.

Methods: Drug naïve patients with primary hypothyroidism, randomly selected and assigned into two groups. Patients in group 1 received levothyroxine in the morning minimum one hour before breakfast and in group 2 levothyroxine was given at least two hours after dinner. Thyroid profile of the subjects was assessed at the baseline and reassessed after 8 and 24 weeks and compared with the baseline values.

Results: After 24 weeks we found significant differences in the thyroid profile of the subjects between two groups. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was found to be 8.70 ± 3.3 in the morning group and 7.0 ± 2.3 in the evening group. TSH levels in the subjects taking the evening dose got closer to the therapeutic target range earlier than the ones taking the drug in the morning.

Conclusions: Levothyroxine intake at bedtime can be a good alternative to levothyroxine intake in the morning for the patients taking concomitant medications.

Author Biography

Dipan Saha, Department of Emergency Medicine, Murshidabad Medical College, West Bengal, India

Emergency Medicine

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Published

2020-09-22

How to Cite

Mahapatra, U., Maiti, R. N., Purkait, B., Saha, D., & Mandal, S. (2020). Comparative study on efficacy and safety of morning dose versus evening dose of levothyroxine in treatment of hypothyroidism: an outpatient department based prospective interventional study. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 9(10), 1554–1559. https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20204095

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Original Research Articles