Dr. Westin Childs Podcast: Thyroid | Weight Loss | Hormones

Can taking thyroid medication alter your blood pressure? The answer is absolutely. It doesn't happen all the time, but certain types of thyroid medication can lead to a rise in your blood pressure. Your cardiac tissue (heart cells) have different thyroid receptors when compared to most other cells. As a result, they are particularly sensitive to T3 thyroid hormone. When they come into contact with T3 it can act to increase the force of contraction of your heart which increases both your heart rate and your blood pressure. What can you do about it? #1. Pay attention to your dose (if your dose is too high you may need to lower your medication). #2. Take your dose of medication several times throughout the day. - By splitting up your dose throughout the day you can slow down how much thyroid hormone hits your heart. #3. Consider switching to a different thyroid medication. - Lastly, if you can't find any relief from the steps above then you may need to switch medications entirely. Switching from one c