In the U.S.—

• Antihyperthyroid agent
• Nutritional supplement, mineral

Sodium iodide ( SOE-dee-um EYE-oh-dide) is used to prevent or treat iodine deficiency.

The body needs iodine for normal growth and health. For patients who are unable to get enough iodine in their regular diet or who have a need for more iodine, sodium iodide may be necessary. Iodine is needed so that your thyroid gland can function properly.

Iodine deficiency in the United States is rare because iodine is added to table salt. Most people get enough salt from the foods they eat, without adding salt to their meals. Iodine deficiency is a problem in other areas of the world.

Lack of iodine may lead to thyroid problems, mental problems, hearing loss, and goiter.

Injectable sodium iodide is administered only by or under the supervision of a health care professional. Some multivitamin/mineral preparations that contain sodium iodide are available without your health care professional's prescription.

Sodium iodide is available in the following dosage forms:

Oral
• Sodium iodide is available orally as part of a multivitamin/mineral combination.

Parenteral
• Injection (U.S.)

The daily amount of iodine needed is defined in several different ways.

For U.S.—
• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to provide for adequate nutrition in most healthy persons. RDAs for a given nutrient may vary depending on a person's age, sex, and physical condition (e.g., pregnancy).
• Daily Values (DVs) are used on food and dietary supplement labels to indicate the percent of the recommended daily amount of each nutrient that a serving provides. DV replaces the previous designation of United States Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDAs).

For Canada—
• Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) are used to determine the amounts of vitamins, minerals, and protein needed to provide adequate nutrition and lessen the risk of chronic disease.

Normal daily recommended intakes in mcg for iodine are generally defined as follows:

If you are taking this dietary supplement without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label. For sodium iodide, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your health care professional if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to iodine, iodine-containing foods, or sodium iodide. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—It is especially important that you are receiving enough vitamins and minerals when you become pregnant and that you continue to receive the right amount of vitamins and minerals throughout your pregnancy. The healthy growth and development of the fetus depend on a steady supply of nutrients from the mother. A deficiency of iodine in the mother may cause nerve or growth problems for the fetus. However, high doses of sodium iodide may cause thyroid problems or goiter in the newborn infant.

Breast-feeding—It is important that you receive the right amounts of vitamins and minerals so that your baby will also get the vitamins and minerals needed to grow properly. Taking high doses of sodium iodide may cause skin rash and thyroid problems in nursing babies.

Children—Problems in children have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts. However, high doses of sodium iodide may cause skin rash and thyroid problems in infants.

Older adults—Problems in older adults have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts.

Other medicines—Other medicines or dietary supplements

Although certain medicines or dietary supplements should not be used together at all, in other cases they may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your health care professional may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking sodium iodide, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Antithyroid agents (medicine for overactive thyroid)—These medicines may prevent sodium iodide from working properly

• Iodine-containing preparations, other—Use of these preparations with sodium iodide may increase blood levels of iodine, which may increase the chance of side effects

• Lithium (e.g., Lithane)—Use of this medicine with sodium iodide may increase the chance of side effects

• Kidney disease—Use of sodium iodide may increase the amount of iodine in the blood and increase the chance of side effects

• Thyroid disease—This condition may increase the chance of side effects of sodium iodide

• Tuberculosis—Use of sodium iodide may make this condition worse

Dosing—

The amount of iodine needed to meet normal daily recommended intakes will be different for different individuals. The following information includes only the average amounts of iodine.

• For oral dosage form (as part of a multivitamin/mineral supplement):
  • To prevent deficiency, the amount taken by mouth is based on normal daily recommended intakes:
    For the U.S.
    • Adults and teenagers—150 micrograms (mcg) per day.
    • Pregnant females—175 mcg per day.
    • Breast-feeding females—200 mcg per day.
    • Children 7 to 10 years of age—120 mcg per day.
    • Children 4 to 6 years of age—90 mcg per day.
    • Children birth to 3 years of age—40 to 70 mcg per day.
    For Canada
    • Adult and teenage males—125 to 160 mcg per day.
    • Adult and teenage females—110 to 160 mcg per day.
    • Pregnant females—135 to 185 mcg per day.
    • Breast-feeding females—160 to 210 mcg per day.
    • Children 7 to 10 years of age—95 to 125 mcg per day.
    • Children 4 to 6 years of age—85 mcg per day.
    • Children birth to 3 years of age—30 to 65 mcg per day.
  • To treat deficiency:
    • Adults, teenagers, and children—Treatment dose is determined by prescriber for each individual based on severity of deficiency.

Missed dose—

If you miss taking sodium iodide for one or more days there is no cause for concern, since it takes some time for your body to become seriously low in iodine. However, if your health care professional has recommended that you take iodine try to remember to use it as directed every day.

Storage—

To store this dietary supplement:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Keep the medicine from freezing. Do not refrigerate.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

Many other products contain iodine. For example, iodine is absorbed through the skin from some skin cleansers (e.g., povidone-iodine). It may be especially important that infants and small children not receive large amounts of iodine. Check with your health care professional before using any other products that contain iodine while you are using sodium iodide.

Along with its needed effects, a dietary supplement may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. When this dietary supplement is used at low doses, side effects are rare.

Check with your health care professional as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

• Less common
  • Hives;  joint pain;  swelling of arms, face, legs, lips, tongue, and/or throat;  swelling of lymph glands 
  
  

• With long-term use
  • Burning of mouth or throat;  headache (severe);  increased watering of mouth;  metallic taste;  skin sores;  soreness of teeth and gums;  stomach irritation 
  
  

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some individuals. If you notice any other effects, check with your health care professional.

Once a product has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although this use is not included in product labeling, injections of sodium iodide are used in certain patients with the following medical condition:

• Thyrotoxicosis crisis (severe overactive thyroid)

Other than the above information, there is no additional information relating to proper use, precautions, or side effects for this use.