BIOCHEMICAL EFFECT OF DILTIAZEM IN HYPERTHYROIDISM

Objective: To evaluate the effect of diltiazem on thyroid function tests.Material and Methods: This prospective, interventional study was conducted on 19 newly diagnosed patients of hyperthyroidism attending the out patient department of Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, Peshawar. All patients took diltiazem 30 mg three times a day for 6 weeks. Serum free thyroxine (FT4) measurements were done before starting diltiazem and then serially after 2, 4 and 6 weeks (+ 3 days) of therapy.Results: FT4 decreased from 33.29 + 7.77 pmol / L to 32.77 + 8.15 pmol / L after 2 weeks (P = 0.509), to 31.86 + 8.15 pmol / L after 4 weeks (P = 0.138) and then to 31.50 + 7.80 pmol / L after 6 weeks (P = 0.i37).Conclusion: Diltiazem has some although not significant biochemical effectiveness in decreasing the thyroid hormone levels after 4-6 weeks of therapy.