Health Centres - NeoMercazole
How does it work?
NeoMercazole tablets contain the active ingredient carbimazole, which is an antithyroid medicine. It is used to decrease the amount of thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid gland.
The thyroid gland uses a chemical called iodine in the formation of thyroid hormones. Iodine must be converted in the body to a useable form before it can be combined with other components to form thyroid hormones.
Carbimazole acts to prevent the conversion of iodine to its useable form. Carbimazole also acts to block the combination of converted iodine with other components to form thyroid hormones. This results in a decreased production of thyroid hormones.
Carbimazole does not immediately decrease the blood levels of thyroid hormones, because the existing high levels of thyroid hormones already produced by the thyroid gland must be used up by the body. This means it may take three to four weeks after starting carbimazole treatment before the thyroid hormone levels begin to decrease. Some improvement is usually felt within one to three weeks. However, full beneficial effects usually take four to eight weeks.
Carbimazole is used to reduce production of thyroid hormones when excessive amounts are being produced by an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). In some people this medicine may be enough to treat the condition and return thyroid function to normal. You may need to take this medicine for several months in order to maintain control of the thyroid gland.
Carbimazole can also be used to lower the amount of thyroid hormones in the body in preparation for surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy), or in preparation for treatment with radioactive iodine.
What is it used for?
Warning!
- This medicine may rarely cause a decrease in the normal amounts of blood cells in the blood. You should stop taking this medicine and consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms during treatment, because these may be signs of problems with your blood cells: sore throat, mouth ulcers, high temperature (fever), any other signs of infection, unexplained bruising or bleeding, feeling tired or general illness. Your doctor may want to take a blood test to check your blood cells.
- If you are having radioactive iodine treatment, this medicine should be stopped temporarily at the time that radioactive iodine is to be administered. Follow the instructions given by your doctor or pharmacist.
Use with caution in
- Liver disorders
Not to be used in
- History of adverse reactions to carbimazole
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
- This medicine should be used with caution during pregnancy, and only if the expected benefit to the mother is greater than any possible risk to the foetus. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
Side effects
- Headache
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- This medicine passes into breast milk in small amounts. The manufacturer recommends that mothers who are receiving treatment with this medicine should not breastfeed their infants. However, various studies have suggested that small doses taken by the mother do not appear to pose a major risk to a nursing infant, provided the baby's development and thyroid function are closely monitored. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Joint pain (arthralgia)
- Skin rashes
- Itching (pruritus)
- Disturbances of the gut such as nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Decrease in the normal numbers of blood cells in the blood (see warning above)
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice). Tell your doctor if you experience this.
- Muscle disorders (myopathy). Tell your doctor if you experience any unexplained muscle pain after starting this medicine.
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