Final answer:
The correct statement indicating patient understanding of levothyroxine instructions is that it should be taken in the morning to avoid affecting sleep. Taking the medication requires careful monitoring and may not lead to immediate symptom relief. Double dosing or abrupt discontinuation without medical advice is unsafe.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a patient is given discharge instructions regarding the newly prescribed medication levothyroxine (Synthroid), they demonstrate an understanding of those instructions with certain statements. The correct statement among the given options that indicates proper understanding of how to take levothyroxine is:
C. "I will take this medication in the morning so it does not affect my sleep at night."
It is well-advised to take levothyroxine in the morning as it can cause insomnia if taken later in the day. It does indeed take several weeks or even months for symptoms of hypothyroidism to improve after starting levothyroxine, not just one week as suggested in option A. It is also generally not recommended to stop taking levothyroxine without consulting a healthcare professional, which invalidates option B. Moreover, taking a double dose to make up for a missed one, as option D suggests, can lead to overdosing and is not recommended.
The reality is that for conditions such as hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis or post-thyroidectomy, the patient may require lifelong thyroid hormone replacement. However, this is not true for all thyroid disorders, and some may only require temporary treatment.