If you’re like most thyroid patients then you’ve probably been told that once you start taking thyroid medication you have to be on it for the rest of your life.
But what if I told you that this isn’t the whole story?
What if I told you that there are plenty of people who can get off of their thyroid medication?
It may sound too good to be true but it doesn’t have to be.
New studies suggest that as many as 30% of thyroid patients (1) may be taking thyroid medication when they don’t need it and may be able to get off of it.
That’s a huge number of people when you consider that levothyroxine is one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States (2)!
But how is it possible that so many people may be able to stop taking their medication?
The reason is simple:
There are plenty of causes of reversible hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) and some of these conditions either go away on their own or can be reversed through therapies and actions that you take.
For instance, if you are someone who has been following the advice listed on my blog about how to change your diet, how to use thyroid support supplements, how to replace nutrient deficiencies, and how to exercise appropriately, then there’s a chance that you may fall into that group.
In addition to this group of people, there are also thyroid patients who may have been incorrectly placed on thyroid medication and have been taking it for years because no one ever stopped to ask why they were placed on it in the first place.
Regardless of the reason, there’s a chance that you can stop taking it.
It’s not a guarantee, though, which we will soon talk about but this potential outcome is something that every thyroid patient should know.
Today you will learn:
- Why some patients can get off of their thyroid medication
- Who shouldn’t try to wean themselves off of their medication and who must stay on it for life
- How to go about reducing your dose in a safe way
- What symptoms to look out for as you reduce your dose and which symptoms mean you are more likely to have a poor outcome
- How to use supplements to help your thyroid gland function as you reduce your dose of thyroid medication
- And much more…
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Disclaimer: Don’t Try This Without Physician Support
Before we talk about the how, a disclaimer is necessary:
You should never try to wean yourself off of thyroid medication without physician support!
Why?
Because thyroid hormone is a hormone that is required for life and some causes of low thyroid function result in permanent damage to your thyroid gland.
In these cases, it’s not possible to wean yourself off of your thyroid medication because that medication is life-sustaining!
The good news is that there are only a handful of conditions that cause this problem and those include people who have had their thyroid removed (via thyroidectomy), people who have undergone radioactive iodine ablation (RAI), and people who are in end-stage Hashimoto’s.
All of these conditions have one thing in common:
They result in permanent damage to the thyroid gland which means these people are reliant upon thyroid medication as their primary source of thyroid hormone.
One other group of patients that should not attempt to deprescribe off of thyroid medication include those who are breastfeeding and those who are actively pregnant.
Thyroid hormone is very important for fetal development and should not be altered or changed during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary (3).
And in the postpartum period, thyroid hormone is important for balancing sex hormones, balancing mood, and allowing your body to get back to its pre-pregnant normal state.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding you can always try to wean off of your medication when you are done.
What about everyone else?
What if you have early or mid-stage Hashimoto’s?
What if you were put on thyroid medication for some unknown reason?
What if your thyroid isn’t functioning because of other medical conditions which have since been resolved?
What if you are taking a low dose of thyroid medication and have noticed little benefit?
What if your thyroid wasn’t working well because of nutrient deficiencies that have since been resolved?
What if you were put on thyroid medication because you were overweight but have since lost that weight?
These situations all have one thing in common:
They result in reversible hypothyroidism!
And if your hypothyroidism is reversible, there’s a chance you may no longer need to be on thyroid medication.
Okay, But How Likely Is it?
The only thing I’m certain of in this life is death and taxes.
In other words, even though there is some data that suggests getting off of thyroid medication is possible, how likely is it that you will be able to get off of thyroid medication given your own personal situation?
Well, it depends on many factors but we do have some data to help guide us.
We know from the experience of other thyroid patients that these signs indicate you have a higher chance to get off of your thyroid medication:
- If you’ve been taking your thyroid medication for less than 4 years
- If you had normal free T4 levels when you were diagnosed
- If your current TSH is less than 1.8
- If you are taking a low dose of thyroid medication (around 50mcg of levothyroxine or less)
- If you are a woman (women are twice as likely to get off of their thyroid medication compared to men)
On the other hand, these factors predict that you will remain hypothyroid after you discontinue your thyroid medication or, in other words, you won’t be able to stay off of it:
- If you have a heterogeneous thyroid on ultrasound (a finding commonly associated with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease)
- If you have positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies with diffuse hypoechogenicity on thyroid ultrasound (4)
- If your TSH is greater than 8 at diagnosis
- If your baseline TSH is > 9.0 mIU/L
- If were diagnosed at a young age with thyroid disease (the younger you are the more difficult it is)
- If you have positive anti-thyroglobulin antibodies at diagnosis
- *Note: some of these factors apply to children and adolescents and some studies show different criteria so this information is not set in stone.
In general, the more severe your thyroid disease, the longer you’ve had it, and the more aggressive it is, the less likely you will be to stop taking your medication.
As always, your mileage may vary, so don’t lose hope even if you don’t fit the criteria above.
It’s still worth a shot to see how you do.
6 Things to Know Before You Try to Wean Yourself Off of Thyroid Medication
#1. You Need Your Doctor on Board
Before you do anything make sure that you discuss this with your doctor.
The reason you want to get your doctor on board is just to make sure you don’t do anything that could accidentally cause harm.
Getting off of thyroid medication isn’t a dangerous thing to do, as long as it is done correctly, but it may result in some changes in how you feel which should be evaluated by someone who knows what those changes mean.
You will need assistance from your doctor both in monitoring your symptoms and in ordering thyroid lab tests to determine how you are responding.
If you can’t get your doctor on board then you will want to seek out a second opinion using the resources found here.
I can’t express how important it is to do this with physician support so please do not try this unless you are being monitored by a doctor.
I’ve found that many doctors are pretty good about giving this sort of thing a try even if they aren’t up to date on other thyroid treatments and medications.
#2. Take it Low and Slow
Remember:
It’s not a race!
In this case, the fastest to the finish line isn’t always the one who wins, and here’s why…
As you take thyroid medication you are suppressing the normal feedback loop that exists in your brain and thyroid gland.
In a healthy person, your brain (via TSH and TRH (5)) talks to your thyroid gland which tells it how much T4 and T3 it needs to produce.
When you introduce synthetic or natural thyroid hormone into the equation (in the form of prescription thyroid medications or over-the-counter T2 thyroid hormone) you are shutting down this two-way messaging system so that your brain doesn’t communicate with your thyroid gland.
The more thyroid medication that you take and the longer you take it, the more suppressed this communication will be.
This is important because as you reduce your dose of thyroid medication you have to give your brain enough time to come back ‘online’ and start talking to your thyroid gland.
Luckily, the thyroid gland system (known as the HPT or hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (6)) tends to recover much faster than other endocrine systems.
Systems such as your adrenal system (HPA axis) (7) and testosterone (HPT axis) can take months or even years to fully recover.
In the case of the thyroid system (HPT axis), it usually recovers within weeks to months.
Providing time allows this system to recalibrate and begin functioning again which is required if you want to stay off of your medication.
#3. Monitor Your Symptoms as you Decrease Your Dose
As you reduce your dose of thyroid medication, you want to make sure you are keeping a close eye on how you are feeling.
When you reduce your dose of thyroid medication you are removing the source of thyroid hormone that your body used to rely upon.
As this occurs, it’s not uncommon to see changes in how you feel!
In fact, as many as 50% of people who reduce their dose of thyroid medication will experience some symptoms.
These symptoms can vary from severe and serious to mild and benign.
Your symptoms can help guide you and help you determine if you are reducing your dose too quickly, if you need to slow down, or if you should go back up to your old dose.
In terms of outcomes, it’s generally a bad sign if you start to experience severe hypothyroid symptoms as you titrate down on your thyroid medication dose.
If your symptoms are mild and tend to improve then this is a pretty good indication that your body is able to adapt to the changes.
Understanding these symptoms is very important because feeling worse isn’t always a bad thing.
In fact, feeling worse is going to be part of the game as you deprescribe.
#4. You May Feel Worse as you Reduce your Dose (and it isn’t always a bad thing)
As mentioned above, you may start to feel your old hypothyroid symptoms come back when you lower your dose.
You might automatically think this is a bad thing but that isn’t always the case.
When you reduce your dose there is a small window of time between when your body can start producing enough thyroid hormone on its own to make up for the lost thyroid hormone that you were giving to it from your medication.
During this window, you may feel poorly because your body is operating with less thyroid hormone than it used to.
Even though you may feel worse, this is usually temporary, provided your own body can kick in and start producing thyroid hormone on its own.
Because of this, as you reduce your dose you may experience waves of low thyroid symptoms.
To make matters a little more confusing, though, there’s also a situation in which those low thyroid symptoms are a bad sign.
If you lower your dose of thyroid medication and your body can’t take over for that lost thyroid hormone then you will feel significantly worse.
This could happen because part of your thyroid gland is no longer working or because there’s an issue with your pituitary gland, in either event, you will most likely not be able to get off of your thyroid medication if that’s the case.
How to differentiate between these two conditions can be difficult but I’ve found that most of the time thyroid patients can discern between the two intuitively.
If you are looking for more concrete metrics, some studies suggest that the presence of these symptoms while lowering your dose of medication predicts a poor outcome (8):
- Facial swelling or facial edema
- Constipation
- Weight gain
- Severe fatigue
- And a TSH greater than 10 on lab testing
Severe versions of fatigue and weight gain are likely early indicators that your own thyroid gland is not coming back online.
This is especially true if these symptoms persist or even get worse over a period of time.
The presence of these symptoms by themselves isn’t bad if they go away or improve within a matter of a few weeks but if they persist for longer than that then it’s a bad sign.
#5. Make Sure to Give your Body Enough Time to Start Working Again
As you think about getting off of your thyroid medication, you need to consider your own personal situation.
For instance, have you been taking thyroid medication for years or decades?
Are you someone who has required high doses of thyroid medication over the years?
Are you someone who has always had issues with finding the right dose for your body?
If you answered yes to any of these conditions then they all may impact how long it will take for your own thyroid gland to begin functioning again.
In these cases, you will want to make sure that you give your body a sufficient amount of time to recover before you determine that you can’t get off of your medication.
In most cases, the thyroid system is able to recover back to its normal state within 2-6 months but this is just a general timeframe.
#6. Use Thyroid Supplements to Support Thyroid Function
If you aren’t already, I would also recommend that you consider using thyroid supplements to help your thyroid gland as you wean off of your thyroid medication.
Even though you are reducing your thyroid medication you can still support thyroid function in your body with the use of certain vitamins, minerals, and botanical ingredients.
And these supplements can help your thyroid gland work more efficiently as long as you use the right ones.
When trying to get off of your thyroid medication, here are the supplements you’d want to consider using:
- Supplements that support thyroid production from the thyroid gland – As your thyroid comes back online you can help support it by providing it with the nutrients it requires to produce thyroid hormone. Remember, your thyroid gland produces T4 and T3 thyroid hormones when it is stimulated by the brain via TSH. Most important on this list include iodine (9), tyrosine (10), and iron (11). These nutrients are required at various steps in the production of T4 and T3 and taking them in supplement form may help your thyroid more easily produce the thyroid hormone it needs. When it comes to iron, you’ll only want to take it if you have a documented deficiency. The other nutrients like tyrosine and iodine can typically be taken without testing.
- Supplements that support thyroid conversion – In addition to supporting thyroid hormone production, you will also want to support T4 to T3 conversion. Thyroid conversion is the process your body uses to produce the most powerful thyroid hormone T3. Optimizing T3 production both from your thyroid gland and from thyroid conversion can help ensure a smooth transition from thyroid medication to the production of thyroid hormone from your own gland. Supplements that help this process include zinc, selenium, and guggul extract.
- Supplements that support thyroid hormone sensitivity – Next, you can take nutrients that help the thyroid hormone that your thyroid gland produces do its job at the cellular level. Vitamins A and E (12), as well as zinc (13), assist in this process.
- Supplements that contain thyroid glandulars – Another ingredient to consider using would be thyroid glandulars. Thyroid glandulars are portions of thyroid glands from animals that contain ingredients, prohormones, proteins, and enzymes that can help assist your thyroid function.
Thyroid support supplements are by no means a replacement for thyroid medication because they contain completely different ingredients, but they may help improve your chances of getting off thyroid medication by taking the edge off negative symptoms that you may experience as attempt it.
Practical Examples of Titrating Off of Thyroid Medication
To illustrate how this might look for you, let’s create two different scenarios:
Example #1:
Let’s imagine you are someone who is taking 100mcg of levothyroxine. In this case, you have been taking levothyroxine for 2-3 years and you are using it for hypothyroidism of unknown cause (you don’t know why you are taking thyroid medication except that your labs showed you needed it).
Because you’ve only been taking thyroid medication for 2-3 years (which is a fairly short time period for thyroid patients) and because you are taking levothyroxine, you can try to get off of your thyroid medication using the standard approach.
This is what it would look like for you:
- Start by taking thyroid support supplements for 2-3 months before you attempt to reduce your dose
- After 2-3 months of using your thyroid supplements, you would reduce your dose of levothyroxine down to 75mcg (from 100mcg)
- After 2 weeks you would then decrease your dose down to 50mcg
- After another 2 weeks (1 month from when you started) you would reduce your dose down to 25mcg
- After another 2 weeks (6 weeks from when you started) you would then reduce your dose down to 0mcg
- Allow your body 2-4 weeks to acclimate before rechecking your labs (TSH, free T3, free T4, and reverse T3)
- *Note: you should recheck your labs at the 6-week mark or if you experience a sudden or abrupt worsening in your thyroid symptoms (if you find that your TSH is > 10.0 this is a sign you are not responding well)
In this example, you would be able to completely come off of your thyroid medication in about a 6 week period.
Because levothyroxine stays in the system for about 1 month (due to its half-life of 7 days (14)), you will still have some residual thyroid hormone floating around in your body for 4 weeks after you completely go off of your thyroid medication.
This is good because it gives your own pituitary gland some time to come back online.
Most people feel really good when they start going off of their thyroid medication and it isn’t until 1 month after they completely stop taking it that they feel the effects.
So it’s around this time that you want to pay close attention to how you are feeling.
Let’s use another example.
Example #2:
Now let’s imagine that you are someone who has been on thyroid medication for 10 years and, in this case, you are using Armour thyroid to treat low thyroid function from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Your dose of Armour thyroid is 60mg and you’d like to try to wean yourself off of it.
This situation is a little bit different from the first because Hashimoto’s can lead to permanent thyroid gland destruction.
This is something you have to keep in mind if you are trying to wean yourself off of thyroid medication if you have Hashimoto’s.
If your Hashimoto’s has been around for many years then you can bet that there is at least some permanent damage present but there’s no way to know how much until you try to go off of your medication.
Because of this, and because you are using a thyroid medication that contains T3 (which has a half-life of about 2.5 days (15) compared to the 7-day half-life of T4), you will want to wean yourself off a little bit slower than our first example.
This is what it might look like:
- Start by taking thyroid support supplements for 2-3 months before you attempt to reduce your dose
- Reduce your dose from 60mg of Armour thyroid to 45mg
- After 2-4 weeks (depending on how you feel), reduce your dose from 45mg to 30mg
- After 2-4 weeks (depending on how you feel), reduce your dose from 30mg to 15mg
- After another 2-4 weeks (depending on how you feel), reduce your dose from 15mg to 0mg
- Allow your body 2-4 weeks to acclimate before rechecking your labs (TSH, free T3, free T4, and reverse T3)
- *Note: you should recheck your labs at the 6-week mark or if you experience a sudden or abrupt worsening in your thyroid symptoms (if you find that your TSH is > 10.0 this is a sign you are not responding well)
This method is similar to the first but allows for extra time between dose reductions.
Using this strategy, you can reduce your dose down to 0 in as short as 6 weeks or as long as 12 weeks.
This slower approach is ideal for people using Armour thyroid (or other medications with T3) because the half-life for T3 is less than half of that of T4.
The half-life refers to how long it takes your body to eliminate half of that ingredient.
And it takes about 4 to 5 half-lives (16) for any medication to completely clear your system.
This means that medications that contain T4 will be in your system for 35 days (7-day half-life x 5 half-lives for elimination) and that T3 will be in your system for 12.5 days (2.5-day half-life x 5 half-lives) after your last dose.
In other words, T3 won’t stick around in your body as long as T4 will.
And because T3 is much more powerful than T4 (17), you are likely to feel more symptomatic as you drop your dose compared to someone taking only T4 medications like levothyroxine or Synthroid.
This isn’t always true but it’s a general rule that you can use to guide your deprescribing.
Your Next Steps
Is it possible to wean yourself off of thyroid medication?
Yes, but it should never be done without physician supervision.
There are some thyroid conditions that require thyroid medication and you would not want to try and go off of your thyroid medication if you have one of these conditions.
If you are serious about getting off of thyroid medication then I would encourage you to get aggressive with natural therapies before you give it a try.
As you take supplements, change your diet, reduce your stress, and get more sleep, you will give your body the best shot it has at getting off of your medication.
Please note that not everyone will be able to do this, though, so don’t be frustrated if you are someone who can’t.
Just because you can’t right now doesn’t mean you won’t be able to in the future, though.
Now I want to hear from you:
Did you know that some people can get off of their thyroid medication for good?
Have you ever tried to wean yourself off of your thyroid medication?
How did it work for you? Did you feel better or worse as you did it?
Are you planning on discussing this with your doctor to see if it’s right for you?
Leave your questions or comments below!
Scientific References
#1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33161885/
#2. goodrx.com/drug-guide
#3. niddk.nih.gov/health-information/endocrine-diseases/pregnancy-thyroid-disease/
#4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8409448/
#5. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2849853/
#6. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27347897/
#7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279156/
#8. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32469958/
#9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049553/
#10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK285550/
#11. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11099370/
#12. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9592814/
#13. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8670238/
#14. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6822824/
#15. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350501/
#16. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554498/
#17. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499850/
I have been taking levothroxine for several years probably 10 or more. I wanted to come off of it because I no longer trust that I am going to be able to get this medication and because I am feeling vulnerable with the way that government is controlling medications that doctors can prescribe now. I have been off of it now for around a month maybe a month and a half. I took 50MG and had skipped to every other day for about a week. I am taking iodine right now and vitamin D3. What other supplements should I take. I did this without support from my doctor because the office I used to go to closed down. I will go to a doctor but now I am very hesitant to take “any” medications because I don’t know what is in them or where they come from.
Hi Kim,
In terms of supplements, I would recommend using this bundle: https://www.restartmed.com/product/hypothyroid-bundle/
As mentioned in the article, I would strongly recommend seeking out physician help when you wean yourself off or your thyroid medication. There are some people that must be on thyroid medication for life and that’s something that a doctor can help you understand. The supplements linked above can help support your thyroid while you wean yourself off but would not be a substitute for medical advice. Hope this helps!
Hey Dr. Child’s. What’s the best way to take probiotics that come in packets? People are saying that it’s not working well when you mix with water. I have an idea i’d like to message you about privately. If your interested shoot me an email. Thanks!
Hi Hunter,
My own probiotic (Gut Bomb 350 billion) comes in a packet and I’ve had people take it with water for years without any issue.
Hi Dr. Childs; I’ve searched the blog and can’t find anything that addresses my questions directly (but I’m sorry if I’ve missed it somehow). I have had symptoms of low thyroid for years, but docs would check my TSH/FT4/FT3 and say they were “normal” and dismiss me. I went through 3 pregnancies and again, never got diagnosed. When I check my labs against your recommendations, I would have qualified for low FT4 and FT3 every single time; but my TSH was always under 2. I had TPO antibodies and so forth, but I ended up going gluten free for digestive issues and they cleared up after that. That being said, I got in as a patient with an “old school” endocrinologist who treats based on symptoms more than normal TSH; and when he checked my labs (1 time) my TSH was 3; so he said that combined with symptoms, I needed to be treated for low thyroid. That being said, I’ve been on the meds for a year now (NP Thyroid); and I haven’t lost any weight (in fact, when I started meds it felt like my appetite went away completely but I kept gaining weight), my energy is slightly better but I still crash in the afternoon, my cold hands/feet are better but body temp is still under 97 when I wake up, I still have brain fog and difficulty concentrating, etc. All of that being said, I thought when I started meds and got the dose titrated up, I would feel “normal”, and I still don’t. He has said it will just take time. My TSH is now 0.03, and my FT4 and FT3 have come up (but just barely). The doc I see doesn’t believe in checking labs routinely, he only does it if your symptoms are problematic. He’s upped my dose to 150 mg NP Thyroid, but I started having palpitations, so I went back to 90 mg (what I had been on before). I guess in looking through your blog, I just am wondering: can it take over a year to get your dose normalized and to start feeling well? And is it possible that the TSH being over 3 was a fluke, and I really have more of a euthyroid syndrome going on (with low FT4/FT3)? But can that happen with TPO antibodies, or does that strictly mean hashimotos? Is it possible to not feel better with treatment if you have Hashimotos? I guess I am just not sure what to think/what to try.
Hi , I am on 75 mcg of Levothyroxine for several years, prior to being on Armour for 10 years, before that Synthyoid for 10 years.
The drugstore has given me Euthyrox instead of Levothyroxine. I am requesting drugstore for the levothyroxine as prescribed.
My Tsh is 0.337 and T4 is 1.42, T3 is 2.5. I take zinc, selenium, probiotic, D3, B12, B1, K2, Magnesium, lots veggies/fruits, lean meats, Himalayan salt. I really want to come off Levothyroxine and let my body work as it is suppose to. I am 67 years old, very healthly otherwise, what can I add to help supplement? Can I reduce the levothyroxine on my own, if so how often. I read the information to slowly reduce, maybe see results in six weeks.
Hi Caroline,
I wouldn’t recommend making any changes to your thyroid medication without physician oversight just to be on the safe side.
In regards to supplements, these may help facilitate the transition:
https://www.restartmed.com/product/t3-conversion-booster/
https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-adrenal-reset-complex/
https://www.restartmed.com/product/ultra-biotic-x100/
https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-daily-essentials-thyroid-multivitamin/
Hi,
I am taking 13mcg of Tirosint for 6 months, and before that I was on 25mcg for 2 years (on and off)
currently my TSH level is just over 4, (when I was taking 25mcg my TSH was a bit higher)
I have lost a bit of weight 3-4 kg’s due to diet and daily jogging (10 mins a day)
I’m 49 years old 5’9″ and now 86kgs
I take Selenium / zinc / D3 (5000iu) / K2 / and a digestive enzme with pre-pro biotics (from zenwyse) with each meal (otherwise I burp a lot).
I eat breakfast and lunch as a vegan (pretty light meals), and I eat a balanced meal (with non-veg food too) in the evenings.
How would you suggest to me to come off this medication?
also are there other things I should implement into my life?
I will discuss this with my dr. too
Hi Harj,
The recommendations listed in this article would apply to Tirosint (and all other thyroid medications).
Hello Dr. Westin,
I take 100 mcg of Tirosint and 25 mcg of Cytomel. I didn’t see an example on to wean off these meds for that combination. My doctor has me estrogen and progesterone which have helped with my menopausal symptoms. She mentioned that when your hormones are in balance that can also help your thyroid . I’ve been on meds since 2015.
Hi Margie,
The same basic principles would apply on that combination of thyroid medication. You’d want to slowly reduce your dose over a period of time but you’d want to only do 1 thyroid medication at a time. I would probably start first with the T3 and then move to the T4 because of the half-life but there’s no right or wrong way to do it.
Hello Dr. I have found this very helpful. Why? Because you give an eg of how wean self of meds. My Dr not believe I can ever stop, yet my cat scan shows small increments of growth in the thyroid. On thyroid meds for >20yrs, diagnosed with Hashimoto’s since about 7yrs (at which time told I’d have had it at least 10yrs – more in my estimation) ..long time use natural remedies. I have many ??s already started reducing what I take but.. so much to say… can I use Lugols solution to replace dr’s meds? My TSH at times over 10, antibodies came down from over 2,000 to now in 4-500’s. I’m 75. Still have a chance? Await your response, see if you need more info. THANKS SO MUCH, you give me hope.
Hi Ingrid,
Unfortunately, it’s hard to predict who will be able to get off of their thyroid medication with a high degree of certainty. Generally speaking, the longer you’ve had your thyroid condition, especially Hashimoto’s, the less likely you are to be able to get off of it. This is why it’s so important to start early if you can.
In regards to your other question, there isn’t a good replacement for prescription thyroid medication but some supplements can help assist thyroid function as you wean yourself off. I mentioned a couple in this article which may help but they are not considered a substitute for thyroid medication.
Hi Doc!
I am on 2 thyroid medications, Levothyroxine 50mng Np 60- plus daily Iodine 12.5 mg
I want to get off the Levo-Artificial one, I don’t even know why I’m on both.
I do bioidentical hormones pellet every 3 months 75 mg of testosterone and 6 mg of Estrogen and 200 mg Progesterone at night
Thank you
Hi Deena,
It would probably be best to consolidate if possible! You will want to touch base with your current provider to make it happen. At the very least you will want to ask why you are on that combination so you can get a better idea of what the person who prescribed it was thinking.
I had to increase my dose in February from 75 to 88 because I was feeling hypo. It worked but then I wanted to go back to 75. I know once you keep increasing it’s hard to come down since your body gets used to it.
From then I was able to slowly lower the dose on my own. Every month I went down by 3.5 to 4 and lastly a 5 point drop. I didn’t feel a difference. I did feel a change one or two months.
I took it upon doing it this way because initially when I attempted to do it I had dropped 12 points and noticed a hypo difference. I figured best to go slow. I’ve been at 75 since June.
And since I started working on a small protocol on my own to help eradicate Sibo I am loosing a lot of hair which makes me think I may be over medicated. Of course, I have filled in my doctors on this and they approve of it. However, just yesterday I asked whether if I needed labs down before I change my dose and the answer was you can change your dose if you want to, because we ultimately will go with how you feel then paper.
In attempt to help increase my ferritin the ND wanted to try another iron supplement this is what caused my stable ferritin to drop to 22. Initially it was at 48. My hair is suffering the most now. Loosing a lot and it’s very thin and fragile. I hope I still have hair left after this.
With hashimoto there can be many things correlated. I hope I found my root cause being my gut so I can finally find a path to heal and get to remission.
My goal from diagnosis was and still is to get off the med and get under remission. God willing I will achieve it.
Have been on Levothyroxine 100mcg for nearly 30 yrs. Saw a naturopath about 3 yrs ago and he increased my Levo to 125mcg and added Cytomel 25 mcg. Initially I felt much better but TSH was down to .01. FP freaked out!
Reduced dose but still on Cytomel.
Decided on my own to try being off Levo and just take Cytomel with your recommended supplements. Feeling ok but haven’t had labs checked. My FP says she wants to treat my sx not labs. Have some fatigue and lack of motivation. Lazy or age? I’m 76
Hi Sandy,
It’s hard to say for sure because fatigue can be caused by so many different things ranging from how well you sleep to how active you are and everything in between. I would first focus on the easy things like getting enough sleep each night and staying active. From there you can then move onto other potential causes such as your adrenals and thyroid.
Hi
I’m on 10mcg of liothyronine for about 2 years. I have celiac and Sjogrens. I don’t like taking it but it did improve my body temp (it was low) and I started perspiring more ( I didn’t perspire hardly at all before). I’m wondering if there’s a supplement that can help while I’m weaning off? I was borderline hypothyroid so I went on it as a trial and it did help with the above symptoms but I don’t like taking it because I’m concerned about the ingredients (what is even in Liothyronine)?
Hi Charleen,
This article includes several options for supplements that can be used to help while weaning off of thyroid medication. I will also post them below:
https://www.restartmed.com/product/t3-conversion-booster/
https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-glandular-plus/
https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-adrenal-reset-complex/
https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-daily-essentials-thyroid-multivitamin/
All should research a carnivore diet. For the first time in 15 years all symptoms are disappearing and I’ve been coming off my thyroid meds.
Hi Loni,
It’s discussed here: https://www.restartmed.com/carnivore-diet-for-hashimotos/
It works for some people and can be very effective but isn’t for everyone.
I am 66 and have been on levothyroxine 50mcg for decades ever since my bloodwork indicated Hashimotos with no symptoms other than difficulty losing weight.
I am 5’ tall and have a slow metabolism. I have tracked calories and activity for years, I have a degree in Dietetics, and I’m pretty sure I only need around 1100- 1200 cal to stay the same. I recently lost 57 pounds on Optavia (Medifast) … I am not at goal, would like to lose 20 pounds more. But since going off of Medifast using their transition program yo “take a break” I now only seem to need about 1000 cal. Meanwhile my husband went on the program with me, lost his weight in a quarter of the time, and still needs about 2200 cal to stay the same (he is 6’ 77 yrs old)
After reading your articles I am feeling that perhaps my levothyroxine 50 MCG might be just working against me particularly since I never had symptoms of low thyroid and I have never had to alter the dose.
My internist laughed at me, I think he doesn’t believe that I know how to count calories. It’s very frustrating. I have ordered the bundle. I’m thinking of just not taking my 50 MCG and using the bundle and see what happens.
I have another blood test scheduled with my doctor in December, and if I start to develop symptoms I could certainly just start taking it again.
In the meantime I did get my reverse T3 levels tested and I’m awaiting results. If my reverse T3 levels are high could it be due to too much T4 In the form of levothyroxine? Could the level be putting me in starvation mode which has then been compounded by my dieting?
At this point I’m sort of grasping at straws to try to find a solution. I am fairly active and increasing exercise just seems to add weight like it makes my “starvation mode” worse. What thoughts do you have for me?
Hi Jan,
I would recommend reading these articles which can give you a better idea of how calorie restriction impacts your thyroid:
https://www.restartmed.com/metabolism-thyroid-hormone/
https://www.restartmed.com/the-reverse-diet/
https://www.restartmed.com/thyroid-obesity-myth/
https://www.restartmed.com/hypothalamic-obesity-disorder/
Hi Dr. Childs,
The words, thank you, do not convey how much I appreciate all the work you have done in this area to help me understand what I can do to take charge of my own health when it comes to my under-active thyroid gland.
I believe (based on electro-dermal screening) mine was damaged by radiation from dental x-rays, and a mouthful of amalgam fillings (all of which have been replaced). My life, and that of my father’s, turned into a nightmare of practically begging western medicine doctors for some relief which fell on deaf ears. I had to drink boatloads of coffee just to function (barely) for decades until I finally got help from a Naturopath.
I have been taking your high dose iodine, and T3 conversion booster supplements since May of 2021, plus I have added everything else you have mentioned nutrient-wise in order to prep for going off thyroid medication. I had actually already started the process on January 2nd, 2022 after withdrawing from a small dose (12.5 mcg/ 2x per week) of levothyroxine.
I am currently trying to get off Nature-throid since I do not think RLC Labs will be coming back anytime soon; when things went south due to the FDAH (not a typo) messing with them over a ridiculous amount (wasn’t it 3%?) of hormone level discrepancies (allegedly) in some of their products, I could see the handwriting on the wall. I have no desire to go back to Armour, or try synthetics since I never want to experience what I went through to finally get it right again.
So now, I am cutting up some 113.75 mg (my old daily dose) tablets I found on the internet last year (for a premium) in hopes that I may have enough to seal the deal…time will tell.
I came on here to share my story, hoping it will help others in some way, but I also have a couple questions.
1. Why is this statement “Are a woman (women are twice as likely to get off of their thyroid medication compared to men)” true?
2. Given that I have to cut tablets to play around with the dosing reductions, would it be wise to put them in liquid form to titrate down?
( I ask because I have been taking it sublingually for years, and I understand the absorption rate is higher )
And now to answer your questions:
Did you know that some people can get off of their thyroid medication?
I do now thanks to you!
Have you ever tried to wean yourself off of your thyroid medication?
Yes, and it has been difficult until now.
How did it work for you? Did you feel better or worse as you did it?
In January 2022, I started reducing my dose 10-15 mg PER WEEK, then I went to every other week, but by May I started feeling hypothyroid again; it was too intense, so I upped my last dose reduction back to where it was, and stayed at that level until June at which time I changed my morning dose to be more equal to my evening dose.
Are you planning on discussing this with your doctor to see if it’s right for you?
I did, she was supportive, and the issue with Nature-throid no longer being available sent me over the edge. Thanks to my doc, she helped me stock up a little before RLC went dark, and then I scoured the internet for unrecalled bottles.
I have decided, based on my experience so far, everything I have learned from you (and about myself), that I am ready, and fully competent to do this without further consultation with a doctor.
Hi Timetothrive,
I don’t think anyone knows for sure why men are more likely than women to get off of thyroid medication except to say that’s what’s observed. My guess is that it probably has to do with thyroid hormone sensitivity in men vs women probably due to hormones like testosterone but that’s just speculation.
Lastly, I suppose you could try dissolving your thyroid medication in liquid but I would be cautious with that approach. There’s a chance that if you are playing chemist you may alter the hormone and impact its absorption.
Thank you for your quick reply Dr. Childs. I kept refreshing the page to see if my comment posted, so my apologies for double submissions.
Your point about possibly altering the hormone is not something I care to take a chance with, so I plan to stick with cutting tablets.
One question I forgot to ask is:
Based on your experience with people weaning off thyroid medication, would I be better off reducing my evening dose, or my morning dose?
(It seems like an either/or choice to me, but it would be more difficult to play around with the morning dose than the evening given what I have to work with, and I’m assuming I would need more T3 during the day, than during the night?)
Once I have adjusted to taking a single dose per day it should be a lot easier to manage.
Although I feel good about my decision to attempt to go off, any other thoughts you have about what I am doing, and my thinking would be much appreciated; it is a bit scary on some level…
Kind regards,
Harry
Dr Child’s – I went off my thyroid meds for two months after being on them for 30years – I felt good and monitored my vitals. The only problem I found was my hair started breaking and I went back on the meds after two months but now I have hair breakage most of the time. Any ideas or suggestions please? I have Hashimoto, hypothyroidism and vitiligo. My thyroid has atrophied. I take slow release t3 now.
Hi Heather,
Yes, please see this article which outlines many of the causes (and treatments) for thyroid hair loss: https://www.restartmed.com/thyroid-hair-loss/
Hi! I am so excited to find this page and this information!
I am a female/45. I am in surgical menopause for 3 years. Been on thyroid meds for over 15 years, supposedly for hypothyroidism, but NOT Hashimotos. Under the guidance of my current NP, we are slowly titrating me off thyroid medication. I am down to zero cytomel and 25 mcg of Levothyroxine. Weve been decreasing now for over two months. My next cut to 12.5 is actually this weekend. I am on bioidentical hormones as well – 300 mg of progesterone and a high dose of estrogen/estradiol (my body is not properly absorbing). I am also dealing with parasites for over a year, and was just diagnosed with mold. I am waiting treatment plan for the mold.
My question is with regards to the weight gain. As we titrate down, my weight is slowly creeping up. I know this is due to hormone imbalance, with a thyroid trying to come back online, adrenals that are recovering after years of burnout, and no ovaries (a triple whammy!). My thyroid has also shrunk, most likely due to overmedication for so long (but it does appear to be growing back when comparing thyroid ultrasounds from 2021 to 2022).
Will I eventually be able to balance my weight? I weighed 132 a month ago. Today I weigh 143. And nothing I do (exercise, good sleep, fasting, coffee enemas, red light sauna, castor oil packs, healthy clean eating) seems to be helping with dropping these 10 pounds.
It also should be noted that as I am decreasing the thyroid medication, I have become dangerously close to being considered diabetic (glucose serum was at 102.4) AND my cholesterol jumped 69 points in a matter of 5 weeks to 242. I view these abnormalities as my body trying to catch up to the changes in thyroid meds and will (hopefully) balance out eventually.
Ironically, this last round of bloodwork in the midst of the decrease in thyroid meds showed my thyroid functioning the best it has functioned since prior to my surgery that placed me in surgical menopause to begin with (TSH 2.41, free T3 1.98, total T3 .82, free T4 .96, and total T4 7.43).
Any insight you can provide would be appreciated. I am doing my best to be patient and kind and loving to my body, but I would be lying if I said this process was easy.
Hi Allison,
It’s impossible to say for sure without more information. It’s possible your weight may go back to normal over the next few months but it’s also possible that it might not. It will all depend on whether or not you need that thyroid medication.
Hello Dr. Childs
I hope you are doing great.
Thank you for this detailed article. It is undoubtedly helpful in so many ways. And I appreciate the way you replied to almost every query.
I am 29 yrs old/Female/Unmarried. As a healthcare professional, I do understand the concept of withdrawal in some cases where required. Reading your article is like a light in a tunnel.
In Sept 2022, my Labs were (Serum TSH=4.71, FT4=0.83, FT3=3.20, Anti TPO=208, ANA=Negative, Ultrasound=Non-specific thyroiditis, Minimally enlarged with Moth-eaten appearance), Vit D3 deficiency and Low Hb level. My symptoms were Fatigue, Severe depression due to family, financial and educational crises, face acne and pressure felt in my neck. No family, No medical history, No weight gain. So I started taking Levothyroxine 50 mcg, Vit D capsules and iron supplements, and moved towards a healthy diet (including iodised salt), yoga and exercise.
Now in Nov 2022, all my labs are in the normal range (TSH=1.72, FT4=1.13, FT3=2.88). No depression, No fatigue and reduced acne. But with increased hair loss, diarrhoea and sometimes face swelling as well.
I want to withdraw levothyroxine but I don’t know what is the best method for me. Can you please mention whether I should start taking 50 mcg on alternate days or I should gradually move to 25 mcg first and then start to gradually skip on alternate days? Should I get my labs done during this gradual decrease to keep check? How much time does this process take?
I apologize for bombarding you with all these questions. I am unable to find any doctor who would explain to me the right method of withdrawal.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Best Regards,
Dr. Azka
Hi Dr. Azka,
There really isn’t a ‘best’ way to remove yourself from thyroid medication but the general mantra of ‘go low and slow’ is usually the best course of action. I try to categorize patients into a category based on their sensitivity to thyroid medication (and other medications). The more sensitive someone is, the slower the titration should be. In some cases, eliminating thyroid medication cold turkey is usually fine but that’s uncommon.
Both of the methods you mentioned above could work, but I tend to find the best success by reducing the total dose by 50% every 2 weeks or so. That seems to work for most people.
There’s no reason to get your labs checked while you are reducing your dose because it won’t give you meaningful information and the process typically takes a few months but it can be shorter or longer depending on the person.
Thank you Dr. Childs for your detailed reply. I will reduce my dosage gradually and see what happens.
I have started experiencing some overdosage symptoms like fine tremors in my hands, nausea, diarrhoea, headache and leg cramps. Now, I know the cause as skipping levothyroxine once every 2 days helps me feel better and more energetic. and I am glad that I came across your website during my research regarding Hashimoto’s.
Keep up the good work 🙂
Hi Dr. Childs,
I hope you are well. I am 54 years old with hypothyroidism and have had 11-12 pounds of water weight that would not resolve no matter what I did. Tried 45 mcg SRT3 for 6 months-fixed all symptoms but would not reduce water weight. Tried 45 mcg IRT3 for 3 months-did not reduce water weight. Tried adding Tirosint for two weeks to the 45 mcg T3 and my symptoms of water retention, achiness, and fatigue worsened so I stopped. Then, the Endo had me try 1 grain of Armour and again I felt like I had more water weight and achiness so I stopped after ten days. Endo in NY told me to just stay on T3 and keep raising the T3 and finally I am at 125 mcg. I have finally lost five pounds at this dose. However, it feels like I have muscle loss too (even though I lift weights 3 days per week) and my heart rate has gone from 75 to 98! It comes back down to the 80’s after several hours of taking T3. The endo recommended taking Propranolol to block the adrenaline which would lower my heart rate. I have anxiety about this treatment plan. For your patients, would you have waited longer to see results from adding the Tirosint or Armour; or if symptoms slightly worsen is this indicative that it is the wrong medication? What do you think about a patient being on high dose T3 and taking Propranolol to keep the heart rate down? Lastly, I asked the endo about thyroid resistance and he said he does not check that until a patient does not respond to 300 mcg! Another thyroid advocate told me that a patient cannot have thyroid resistance on 125 mcg of T3 if the heart rate is too high. I am at my wits end. I would sincerely appreciate any insight you may have in general as it relates to your patients. Thank you, Dr. Childs.
I want to get off levothyroxin and switch to dessicated animal thyroid product. Do I take the dessicated product simultaneously with the levothyroxin as I decrease it?
On levothyroxin 2years, Hashimotos, 150 mg daily.
Thanks
Hi Marguerite,
It would depend on what you are taking. Natural Desiccated Thyroid hormone like Armour thyroid contains T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. Thyroid glandulars, however, do not and would not be a replacement for your thyroid medication.
I have been on Armour Thyroid (15 mg) for 15 years. Was put on it then after I lost my first pregnancy (natural triplets) at 20 weeks and was seeing an integrative doc to help me address anything that may have contributed to my loss. I don’t remember exactly what my TSH was then, but know it wasn’t super-high. It was either 2.something, but no higher than 4.5, if that. With the craziness in our world lately, and my lack of trust for BIG PH-ARMA, I wanted to try to come off my Armour recently so as not to need to depend on a pharmaceutical drug. I have tried to do this cold-turkey in the past, and struggled with serious constipation, weight gain, etc., so knew I couldn’t do it cold-turkey. I decided to make a schedule for myself, making a change every 3 weeks. My first change was from 1-15mg pill daily to 1-15mg pill one day, alternating with a half pill the next day, and so on. I then would add in another day or two per week at the half pill dose (7.5mg) – but only making a change every 3 weeks. That went really, really well, until I got to a half pill every day. It took me 3 months of slowly reducing my dose to get to 1/2 pill every day. 15 days after I got to 1/2 pill every day, I had one of the worst cases of constipation I’ve ever had. This proceeded for a couple days until I could clear, but then I also got a terrible fissure after I was finally able to “go.” Sorry for the TMI. I continued reducing my dose of Armour at this point every three weeks, not having yet made the connection, until I struggled again with severe constipation about 1 month later, and re-opened the same fissure at that point. Oh, the pain. I couldn’t sleep, the pain was so, so bad. I began doing a lot of things to help – drink olive oil with lemon in the morning, aloe water at night, soaking a fig and eating that each day, eating more fruit, etc. Grain fibers seemed to make my constipation worse. But anything liquid-filled – fruit, etc. would help. I also noticed that my constipation would occur after eating more sugar, so I cut out sugar and gluten, for the most part – not 100%, but mostly. After the 2nd bout of severe constipation and the re-opening of the fissure, I started to think this may be due to my trying to come off of my Armour thyroid, but I had already made so much progress (literally had ZERO problems until 15 days after I got to the half pill every day), that I wasn’t ready to give it all up. I wanted to see if my body could adjust, with time, and changing some things I was eating, etc. I eventually decreased to 1/2 pill EVERY OTHER DAY during this time. However, I also noticed that I started having some reflux (not normal for me), my social anxiety was way up, my cravings were way up, I had severe bloating at night especially, and my period was knocked slightly off its regular schedule. I also noticed I got a couple of sore throats during this time. With a third bout of constipation about a week after the 2nd one, and then another about 1 months after that, I decided with the unbearable pain and lack of healing of the fissure, I would increase my Armour thyroid dose back to 1/2 pill every day. I did that a little more than 1 month ago, and my fissure seems to have completely healed at this point (thank GOD) and, thank God, I haven’t struggled with any major constipation since either. So, that was a journey that started at the end of August 2022 and has continued until now for me. I am afraid I cannot decrease my dose any more, and may need to be on Armour for the rest of my life, but I’m not sure. I’m 43 years old, and I currently am cutting my pills in half with a splitter, although they don’t usually cut clean. I couldn’t deal with the ongoing fissure issue that wouldn’t heal, and recurring severe constipation that would cause the fissure in the first place. My quality of life with the pain and anxiety was so diminished that I just could take it at that point. I’d be interested in any feedback. I did see a naturopath (but he is also an MD) and he didn’t seem to think that the constipation and fissure were related at all to my reducing Armour. I disagree. I know it was. I could feel and see everything that was going on with my body and the difference as I decreased and then increased my dose. (I also began taking Selenium and l-Tyrosine, and the fissure seemed to be healing anyway, but seemed to improve more quickly at the end there right after starting the Tyrosine. I have since discontinued taking the l-Tyrosine after a week and a half of taking 500mg daily as I was having pretty bad headaches. So now, I’m going to take it once a week or so.)
Hi Katrina,
Constipation is definitely a sign of hypothyroidism and could very well be related to your dose of thyroid medication, at least in part. It is a solvable issue with the right treatments, though, but it’s not something that you would want to live with long-term if it was related to your thyroid.
Are hemorrhoids also related to hypothyroidism, Dr. Westin? My constipation is mostly resolved, as is the fissure (thank God), but still struggling with inflamed hemorrhoids. Thank you again.
Hi Katrina,
Hypothyroidism can cause constipation which can increase your risk of developing hemorrhoids.
Thank you, Dr. Childs. I recently switched from 15mg of Armour to a compounded thyroid from a local compounding pharmacy (expensive!) as I saw my NP and told her I’d like to try to come off Armour. After struggling with the hemorrhoids, and then having another bad flare due to constipation, I had to go back on my full dose of Armour a little while back (after my last msg above). I noticed when I went back on the full 15mg dose of Armour the following – SUPER increased high anxiety, extremely hungry and lots of cravings, weight gain, and loss of outer eyebrows. 🙁 I was so bummed, and anxious through the roof. Completely unable to sleep. My NP wrote an Rx for a compounded thyroid at 14mg to try to go down very slowly – but the difference is that I used to put Armour under my tongue and let it dissolve right into bloodstream, and this new compounded 14mg dose is a powdered form in a capsule that I swallow, so I’m guessing the dose decrease feels like MUCH more than 1mg to my body due to the way of ingesting it. Do you agree? I have since been struggling with SEVERE constipation and flaring of hemorrhoids since. Very, very uncomfortable. This has increased my anxiety around the toilet and I feel consumed by thoughts of my bowels, what I’m eating, etc. However, my eyebrows did grow back, and in general, anxiety has been MUCH improved since switching off of Armour. I am so bummed. I feel like I may need to be on thyroid med for rest of my life. I don’t like how Armour makes me feel anxious or like the fillers in it, but maybe it’s worth it?? Not sure what to do, if I should just try to manage constipation and hemorrhoids and see if my body will adjust? It’s only been about 1 month since I switched off 15mg Armour to the 14mg compounded thyroid. Constipation issues started about 2 weeks ago. Seems to be getting worse. 🙁 Any advice?
And P.S. My constipation and hemorrhoids did gradually seem to less/go away after going back on full dose of Armour. I just hated how I felt on it – also felt apathetic, zombie-like.
Hi Dr. Childs,
I hope you are well. I am 54 years old with hypothyroidism and have had 11-12 pounds of water weight that would not resolve no matter what I did. Tried 45 mcg SRT3 for 6 months-fixed all symptoms but would not reduce water weight. Tried 45 mcg IRT3 for 3 months-did not reduce water weight. Tried adding Tirosint for two weeks to the 45 mcg T3 and my symptoms of water retention, achiness, and fatigue worsened so I stopped. Then, the Endo had me try 1 grain of Armour and again I felt like I had more water weight and achiness so I stopped after ten days. Endo in NY told me to just stay on T3 and keep raising the T3 and finally I am at 125 mcg. I have finally lost five pounds at this dose. However, it feels like I have muscle loss too (even though I lift weights 3 days per week) and my heart rate has gone from 75 to 98! It comes back down to the 80’s after several hours of taking T3. The endo recommended taking Propranolol to block the adrenaline which would lower my heart rate. I have anxiety about this treatment plan. For your patients, would you have waited longer to see results from adding the Tirosint or Armour; or if symptoms slightly worsen is this indicative that it is the wrong medication? What do you think about a patient being on high dose T3 and taking Propranolol to keep the heart rate down? Lastly, I asked the endo about thyroid resistance and he said he does not check that until a patient does not respond to 300 mcg! Another thyroid advocate told me that a patient cannot have thyroid resistance on 125 mcg of T3 if the heart rate is too high. I am at my wits end. I would sincerely appreciate any insight you may have in general as it relates to your patients. Thank you, Dr. Childs.
Hi Andrea,
If you need to take propranolol to reduce the symptoms associated with T3 intake then there’s a very good chance you are taking too much. That type of dosing may cause problems if used long-term.
Thank you for this website Dr. Childs and for your work!!! It’s so needed.
Do you think it is helpful to take your T2 supplement while trying to get off of Armour Thyroid? I just ordered your Hypo-thyroid Bundle of 3 products and T2 is included in that. I just want to make sure taking the T2 isn’t going to confuse the issue if I’m planning to start reducing Armour Thyroid after 2 months of supplementation.
Also I’ve taken 30 mg of Armour Thyroid for about 4 or 5 years. My doctor just prescribed 15 mg for me so that when I’m ready I could drop from 2 tabs/day to 1 tab/day, cutting my potency in half. Do you think that 15 mg drop is too much at once? If so, what potency should I be asking my doctor for do you think?
Thanks! Debra
Hi Debra,
It won’t confuse the issue if you use a low dose but you’d be replacing the thyroid hormones from your Armour for T2 thyroid hormone. In terms of deprescribing, it all depends on your body. Starting with 15mg increments is reasonable, but you’d need to try it and see how you do.
Thank you Dr. Childs!
So if my goal is to get off of ALL thyroid hormone, it might make sense to also stop the T2 supplement at some point. Maybe not right away (when I initially drop the Armour Thyroid), but maybe after a few months of no AT (if labs look promising), I could then try reducing or dropping the T2 as well. Make sense? Or not… ??
Hi Debra,
Yeah, that’s basically what I’m saying. I’m not sure I follow the logic of replacing thyroid hormone with another thyroid hormone (just a different type) unless that is somehow what you are aiming to do for some reason. But, as you mentioned, you could wean off of the thyroid medication first and then the T2 later if that was your goal.
Thank you Dr. Childs. My first goal is to get off the prescription medication for a variety of reasons. I’ll take the T2 (which came with my 3 pack) at that point, IF my experience and labs suggest I still need some hormonal support. The goal would be to need no hormones, of course. Once off all hormones, I can then move to support the thyroid with good nutritional supplementation only. I have bradycardia as a result of my hypothyroid and my long term goal is to correct that as well.
Thank you for your time and responses. Debra
Hi Debra,
Gotcha! Given that information then your plan sounds good. You may be someone who needs the thyroid hormone long-term but there’s no way to know for sure without trial and error.
Hi Dr. Childs,
My daughter, who is now 29, was diagnosed with preclinical hypothyroidism when she was a teenager. At around 18 she was prescribed oral contraceptive pill due to bad acne. Eventually, as her thyroid symptoms started to affect her more, especially fainting episodes, I insisted on her being prescribed thyroid medication. During past 10 years we had to increase her Synthroid from 25 mg to 100 mg. Recently I have learnt how oral contraceptive has been damaging her health. I insisted that she stops taking the pill. She mentioned it to her doctor. The Doctor only said, “you can try”. About a month later she started to feel hyper and heart palpitations. She took two capsules of Ashwagandha for a couple of days to help her sleep and the next morning she had a crisis. She felt like she was about to die. In the hospital the blood work results revealed that her TSH was 0.12 mU/L and her T4 20.5 pmol/L. Later I have learnt online that OCP affects thyroid health by increasing the amount of thyroid binding protein, which in turns increase symptoms of hypothyroidism. I also learned from the same source that Oral contraceptive can also increase the risk of other health problems and make it harder to restore thyroid health naturally. We now reduced Synthroid to 50 mg, because at 75mg she still had symptoms of hyperthyroidism. After I read your article, I got a hope for her to get of Synthroid. She used to take this medication at night, and it worked better but since she has been suffering from insomnia lately, she can’t do it any longer. There is no good time to take this medication for its full benefit, since foods and supplements interact with it. As you suggested in your article, she started to take Thyroid supplement and we hope that her thyroid will start working. But because she had been on both Synthroid and OC for 10 years is there a possibility?
Hi Irene,
It’s possible, but whether or not it can happen will depend on the underlying cause and whether or not that is reversible. You can learn more here: https://www.restartmed.com/do-you-have-to-take-thyroid-medication-for-life/
Hi Dr. Childs,
My daughter now has been of the Oral contraceptive almost a year. We have been decreasing Synthroid to 50 mcg, 25 mcg, and then completely stopped. Three months after being of Synthroid she had a blood test, that showed 4.5 mU/L. She will get another test in three months.
She had dramatic hair loss for about 6 moths, probably related to both, getting of the pill and getting of Synthroid. Generally she feels well, but she still experiencing some hair loss. Will this get better? Could Thyroid supplement help?
Hi Irene,
It really depends on the cause. Both thyroid and sex hormone dysfunction can lead to hair loss and it can be difficult to tease out the primary contributor between them.
Supplements will likely offer some support, but it’s impossible to predict how much.
If you’d like to try that route, then here’s what you’d want to use:
https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-hair-regrowth-complex/
https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-collagen-complex/
Hi, Dr. Childs. I have been trying to get a proper diagnosis for five years after my family physician found a nodule on my thyroid. (This was after a period of time, a few years, when I was under tremendous stress, including my mom dying from cancer, job loss, and other family drama, and startesd to gain weight even with exercise with a trainer and diet changes.) I had to change doctors after my physician’s office closed, and finally got a diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism which your article at https://www.restartmed.com/stages-of-hashimotos/ says is stage 2 of Hashimoto’s. I highly suspect it could be Hashimoto’s because of the initial symptoms before the nodule of hot flashes and because I know the other kind, iodine deficiency, is very rare in the USA. However, the doctor only checked my TSH and T4 levels, didn’t check my T3 levels, and didn’t check for antibodies. This doctor prescribed me levothyroxine 25 mg. I took one dose this morning. I am leery of taking more because of the possible side effects. I want to treat it naturally if possible. I am not sure if I should resume taking the levothyroxine or stop. I am so frustrated, I want to switch to a different doctor, because my mind and my gut are telling me the current one is not a good listener and is too much a stickler for following guidelines instead of personalized care. Advice?
Hi Chris,
You really don’t need a doctor to get started on natural treatments like diet, exercise, supplements, etc. If you want to, you can, but most of that information can be found for free on my website. You can just search my name for whatever query you are trying to address and an article should pop up.
Diagnosis Hashimoto Disease 1976 by Calif Lab ordered from Ohio State Infectious Disease Dept University Hospital Columbus, Ohio This was considered a “new” disease at the time. Guess what: put on synthetic Thyroid and sent home with app to Endocrinologist. Been living in medical Hell ever since. Everything you can think of I’ve had and all under the “help” of Stupid Allopathic doctors/specialist whatever their initials. I fired so many doctors in my lifetime just to find another stupid one in it’s place. 5 years ago I told my regular GP to write me a script for NP thyroid 125mcg and have been on that since. No help test results go up and down like the wind. Have nodules for last 3 years last fall ultrasound Results say: diffusely hetero thyroid. I know the thyroid is all but gone and have never had a doctor no matter their title that knows anything other then how to write a script for synthetic thyroid med. I have had 56″Doctors” who are suppose to specialize in the Thyroid and Not one of them is as useful or smart as a box of rocks. Right Lobe: L 3.7 AP 1.0 TR 1.2 Left Lobe 1.9 AP 0.4 TR 0.8 Isthmus 0.18 cm AJ 0.2 X 0.2 X 0.2 cm omechac I have not had normal blood work results in years. Always off and the doctors all say it’s a mystery.