This is in prepartion for my radioactive iodine treatment (RAI). I will be tested in about 3-4 weeks to see if my TSH level is high enough. If it is, I will then receive the RAI. If it is not, I will wait a week or two more and then do the blood test again.
It is tough on your body to have your thyroxine stopped. Every cell uses thyroxine every day to function. It controls your body temperature, heart rate, and metabolism. It is especially hard on the elderly who may already have other medical problems, like a heart condition.
Dr. Grist told me I will likely start to feel tired, move slowly, feel cold, and I may put on weight.
Note on generic versus name brand
Dr. Grist told me I should not use a generic, because drugs stores can switch the manufacturers of their generic medicine at any time. His comment was that their might be slight concentration or dosage deviations between manufacturers. Plus, if I ever needed to get a prescription filled at a different pharmacy (like if I were out of town), the manufacturer of the generic throxine at that location, might be different and the formulation/concentration could deviate. If you buy a name brand for the thyroxine hormone, like Synthroid (the brand I use), you are assured you get the same pill/dosage/concentration/formulation, wherever you buy it. I am not sure if this applies to other drugs. I know that with throxine, the dosage is very precise--it is based generally on your weight. Unlike other drugs, that may be avaiable in 3 or 4 dosages, thyroxine has about 15, so precision is important.
