Published February 9, 2012 02:24PM
High-Flying Thyroid
Can altitude increase the effect of thyroid medications? I recently hiked four days in the Grand Canyon and had an experience which felt like an overdose of my thyroid meds. I skipped a dose and all the symptoms went away, even after climbing another 3,000 feet. What's up?
'Buck Tilton'
Question:
Can altitude increase the effect of thyroid medications? I recently hiked four days in the Grand Canyon and had an experience which felt like an overdose of my thyroid meds. I skipped a dose and all the symptoms went away, even after climbing another 3,000 feet. What’s up?
Submitted by – Pat – Ortonville, MI
Answer:
Studies of the thyroid at higher elevations indicate you can expect a rise in the tyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). Whether or not the rise will effect how your meds work I just don’t know. I can find no studies of thyroid meds at higher elevations, but it might be worth checking in with your doctor or contacting a high-altitude medical specialist.
Good luck!