Internet-Enabled Thyroid Hormone Abuse
Authors: Gerald W. Neuberg
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters6 January 2009Internet-Enabled Thyroid Hormone AbuseGerald W. Neuberg, MD, Kathryn E. Stephenson, MD, MPH, David A. Sears, MD, and Robert J. McConnell, MDGerald W. Neuberg, MDFrom Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032., Kathryn E. Stephenson, MD, MPHFrom Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032., David A. Sears, MDFrom Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032., and Robert J. McConnell, MDFrom Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-1-200901060-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Patients increasingly use the Internet for health information and services, including the convenient purchase and delivery of prescription drugs.Objective: To present a case of life-threatening thyroid hormone abuse, encouraged and enabled by unconventional health advice and nonprescribed medication obtained via the Internet.Case Report: A 56-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with dyspnea and palpitations. Eight years earlier, she underwent thyroidectomy for hyperthyroidism. After thyroidectomy, she took l-thyroxine but struggled with fatigue and weight gain. She saw 5 endocrinologists and tried various regimens but continued to feel weak and "not herself." She lost her job, got divorced, ...References1. Stop the Thyroid Madness. Accessed at www.stopthethyroidmadness.com on 19 November 2008. Google Scholar2. Walsh JP. Dissatisfaction with thyroxine therapy—could the patients be right? Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2002;2:717-22. [PMID: 12482736] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Ochs N, Auer R, Bauer DC, Nanchen D, Gussekloo J, Cornuz J, et al. Meta-analysis: subclinical thyroid dysfunction and the risk for coronary heart disease and mortality. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:832-45. [PMID: 18490668] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Snyder S, Jaffe M. Thyrotoxicosis insistiates: report of 17 cases [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 1997;127:88. [PMID: 9214262] LinkGoogle Scholar5. Keep Internet Neighborhoods Safe: Preventing the Illegal Internet Sales of Controlled Substances to Youth. Testimony before U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary (2007) (statement of Philip Heymann, Professor, Harvard Law School). Accessed at judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=2755&wit_id=6468 on 18 November 2008. Google Scholar6. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. "You'e Got Drugs!" V: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet. New York: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia Univ; July 2008. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThyrotoxicosis Insistiates: Report of 17 Cases Steven Snyder and Marc Jaffe Meta-analysis: Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and the Risk for Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality Nicolas Ochs , Reto Auer , Douglas C. Bauer , David Nanchen , Jacobijn Gussekloo , Jacques Cornuz , and Nicolas Rodondi Metrics Cited byThyroid hormone misuse and abuseDebunking Internet Myths: What Is the Best Approach?Quality of Online Pharmacies and Websites Selling Prescription Drugs: A Systematic Review 6 January 2009Volume 150, Issue 1Page: 60-61KeywordsDrugsHealth information technologyHypothyroidismInternetThyroidThyroid hormonesThyroid-stimulating hormoneThyroidectomyThyroxine ePublished: 6 January 2009 Issue Published: 6 January 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...