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NeoMercazole Side Effects

In an article published in the August 15, 2005 issue of the American Family Physician, doctors Jeri R. Reid and Stephen F. Wheeler reported that 2 percent of all women and .2 percent of all men suffer from a disease of the thyroid known as hyperthyroidism. Doctors around the world utilize a number of medications to help control overactive thyroid. In the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and a number of European countries, one popular drug is NeoMercazole or carbimazole. Despite its effectiveness, NeoMercazole is not for everyone as it presents several risks for side effects and complications in some patients.

  1. Significance

    • The most common side effects of NeoMerconazole usually pose no long term dangers. Generally, symptoms of these side effects occur during your first eight weeks of NeoMerconazole usage and disappear as your body becomes acclimated to the drug.

    Types of Side Effects

    • Many patients experience gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting and an upset stomach. Fevers or headaches are also a common side effect of the drug. While taking NeoMerconazole, it is not uncommon to develop itchy skin rashes or to notice a general darkening of your skin. Many patients also report joint pain while taking the drug. Occasionally, reversible hair loss occurs due to use of NeoMerconzole.

    Drug Interactions

    • There are some medications which produce unwanted side effects when used in conjunction with NeoMercazole. For example, the heart medications digoxin or digitoxin cause an increase in side effects when taken with NeoMercazole. When combined with blood thinners like warfarin, NeoMercazole increases your risk of experiencing uncontrollable bleeding during surgery or following an injury. Drugs that contain iodine like Amiodarone decrease the effectiveness of NeoMercazole. Because the effectiveness is decreased, your doctor may need to prescribe higher dosages of NeoMercazole, increasing your risk of developing side effects.

    Risks

    • In addition to minor side effects and the risk of interactions, NeoMercazole has the potential to cause serious medical complications. In some patients, NeoMercazole causes dangerous drops in the amount of oxygen-rich red blood cells, blood platelets or disease-fighting white blood cells in your body. These decreases in blood cells and platelets have the potential to cause a number of complications to your health, including serious infections, difficulty breathing, extreme weakness, rapid heartbeat and bleeding within your brain. In some patients, NeoMercazole causes myopathy or muscle weakness and pain. Inflammation or damage to your liver is also possible while taking NeoMercazole.

    Considerations

    • Because it has the potential to cause complications to the fetus, doctors typically reserve use of NeoMercazole in pregnant women to situations where there is no safe alternative to treatment with the drug. If you have a history of bone marrow problems, liver disease or a previous allergic reaction to an antithyroid medication, you may not be able to take NeoMercazole due to its potential side effects. The New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority recommends that you not drive an automobile or operate heavy machinery until you know how NeoMerconazole affects you.

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