General Medicine

» Elaine Moore - is pregnancy safe on neomercazole?

In response to is pregnancy safe on neomercazole? posted by gemmagirl:
Hi,
Carbimazole is widely used during pregnancy in European countries. Because it can cross the placental barrier, it's important to have your levels in control before becoming pregnant, and then using the lowest dose needed to keep your levels in control.
Carbimazole works by blocking iodine absorption, reducing the amount of thyroid hormone you can make. At the onset, when you first start on meds, you need a higher dose because the hormone stored in your gland is being released and you want to dramatically reduce the amount of hormone you can make.
After the first 6 weeks, the stored hormone is used up and you only need a minimal dose of Carbimazole, just enough to keep your FT4 level in range. Your TSH level will continue to be low for some time and this doesn't mean that you're still hyperthyroid. Most people can get by on a dose of 2.5-10 mg Carbimazole daily after the first 6 weeks. And over time, the dose usually needs to be reduced.
During pregnancy, thyroid hormone levels eventually fall and most people on anti-thyroid meds are able to stop meds completely or dramatically lower their dose. Best, Elaine