Improvements in quality of life and thyroid parameters in hypothyroid patients on ethanol-free formula of liquid levothyroxine therapy in comparison to tablet LT4 form: an observational study
Open accessAbstract
Levothyroxine (LT4) is a standard therapy in hypothyroidism; however, its bioavailability and therapeutic effects might be affected by many factors. Data shows that therapy with liquid LT4 characterized by quicker pharmacokinetics provides better thyroid hormones control than tablet LT4. We addressed the quality of life (QoL) and efficacy of the new ethanol-free formula of liquid LT4 (Tirosint®SOL) treatment in 76 euthyroid patients with primary (PH, n = 46) and central hypothyroidism (CH, n = 30), and compared the results to retrospective data on equivalent doses of tablet L-T4 therapy. After 8 weeks of liquid LT4 therapy, we found a significant improvement in QoL in both PH and CH patients. TSH levels were unaltered in PH patients. Free hormone levels (fT4 and fT3) increased in all the patients, with the exception of fT3 in the CH group. SHBG and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) also improved. Liquid LT4 therapy provided a better thyroid hormone profile and improvement in patients’ QoL than the tablet form, which was possibly due to the more favorable pharmacokinetics profile resulting in better absorption, as suggested by the increased free thyroid hormone levels. In summary, this is the first study addressing the QoL in hypothyroid patients, including primary and central hypothyroidism, treated with liquid LT4 formula in everyday practice.
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A new formula replacing all ethanol with glycerol 85% has been developed for pregnant patients, patients with liver disease or epilepsy, or those allergic to ethanol.
“A new formula replacing all ethanol with glycerol 85% has been developed for pregnant patients, patients with liver disease or epilepsy, or those allergic to ethanol (181).”
From Levothyroxine: conventional and novel drug delivery formulations. (2023) · cites this paper as [181]
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- Authors
- Bornikowska, K., Gietka-Czernel, M., Raczkiewicz, D., Glinicki, P., & Zgliczyński, W.
- Affiliations
- Department of Endocrinology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland
- Corresponding author
- Bornikowska, Katarzyna
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-11-10
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 22
- Pages
- 5233
- ISSN
- 2077-0383 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8624226
- OpenAlex
- W3213975363
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4
- FWCI
- 2.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Disorders and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Keywords
- levothyroxine, hypothyroidism, quality of life, primary hypothyroidism, central hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone levels, free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, sex hormone-binding globulin, LDL cholesterol, pharmacokinetics, bioavailability
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