The Best Supplements for an Underactive Thyroid

Living with an underactive thyroid is challenging.

You not only have to deal with low-thyroid-related symptoms like weight gain, hair loss, and depression but also the general incompetence of doctors who think your symptoms are purely related to your age or depression.

If any of this resonates with you, then I have some good news for you:

There are things that you can do to improve your situation that do not require a doctor or his or her prescription pad:

Underactive thyroid support supplements.

Let’s talk about which ones work and how they can help you feel better starting right now:

1. Tyrosine

One of my all-time favorite underactive thyroid-support supplements is the amino acid tyrosine.

Well, it’s not technically tyrosine but a synthetic analog known as l-tyrosine.

It serves as a building block for the creation of thyroid hormones (1) like T4 and T3 in addition to some adrenal hormones.

Even though tyrosine deficiency isn’t common, it’s not uncommon to see a boost in energy and thyroid function when taking extra tyrosine.

And it’s for this reason that tyrosine makes the list.

How it helps:

Taking l-tyrosine can improve thyroid hormone production resulting in better T4 and T3 levels.

How to use it:

The amino acid tyrosine is found in protein, so you are probably getting a decent source as long as you are eating a relatively moderate to high protein diet.

But even though you may be getting ‘enough’ from your diet, doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from additional tyrosine.

To get it in supplement form, look for l-tyrosine at a dose of around 150-300 mg per day.

Some doses can go as high as 500 to 1,000 mg per day but these higher doses can be very stimulating for thyroid patients which is why I recommend starting at the lower range.

2. T2 Thyroid Hormone

T2 thyroid hormone is another great option if you are suffering from an underactive thyroid.

Why?

Because it’s an actual thyroid hormone that you can take in either cream or capsule form thereby providing your body with the very hormone that you aren’t making enough of.

If you are thinking this sounds a lot like thyroid medication, you’d be right.

But there’s a big difference between T2 and other thyroid hormones:

T2 is less biologically active compared (2) to something like T3 and is the only thyroid hormone available over the counter.

Making it an amazing thyroid-support supplement that all underactive thyroid patients should consider.

Its use is associated with a higher metabolism, an enhancement of T4 and T3 levels through its function on the thyroid nuclear receptor, better muscle tone, and better liver function.

How it helps:

Taking additional T2 helps your other thyroid hormones do their job and it also provides its own unique benefits to metabolism, energy expenditure, and muscle tone.

How to use it:

Based on available research, doses of T2 less than 300 mcg per day have been found to be safe in humans.

That said, I still think dosing in the range of 100-200 mcg per day is ideal for most people with an underactive thyroid.

And if you want to use a cream form instead, you can cut that dose down by about 2-2.5x due to its better absorption.

Both forms are available over the counter here (cream form) and here (capsule form).

3. Thyroid Glandulars

In ancient times, if you had a disease of say your liver, you were given liver from an animal.

And, perhaps not surprisingly, this treatment actually worked fairly well (3).

The idea is that if you consume the very organ that you are having trouble with, you’ll probably get the things that that organ is unable or incapable of producing.

Well, we can extend this same logic to the thyroid gland of animals known as thyroid glandulars.

These animal thyroid glands contain the exact same hormones found in the human thyroid.

So when you encapsulate them and take them by mouth, you are getting the very hormones that your underactive thyroid is incapable of producing thereby improving your symptoms.

Make sense? Good, because it’s a great treatment option for all low thyroid states.

How they help:

Glandulars provide raw materials that support thyroid repair and function, particularly in those with sluggish thyroids.

How to use it:

Typical doses range from 150-600 mg daily, depending on the product, and it’s one of those things that you want to start low and slowly increase your dose over time.

4. Iodine

Ahh, yes, the most controversial on the list is iodine.

Despite the fact that iodine consumption remains very controversial, it’s actually fairly easy to understand:

Iodine is needed for thyroid hormone production (4). If you don’t have enough iodine, you can’t make thyroid hormone.

And if you are someone who is already having a hard time creating thyroid hormone, you wouldn’t have an underactive thyroid otherwise, taking extra iodine often makes a lot of sense.

But, it’s also the case that taking too much can become problematic, so it’s one of those Goldilocks-type things.

But if you take the right amount, you can get all of its benefits without any of its downsides.

How it helps:

Taking extra iodine can restore thyroid hormone production to normal levels, especially in those who are iodine deficient.

How to use it:

This is one where the RDA is pretty darn accurate.

Daily doses for those with an underactive thyroid should be in the range of 150 to 300 mcg per day.

It is not recommended that you increase beyond this 300 mcg per day range unless you are working with a practitioner of some sort and can monitor for adverse reactions.

While you can get better results at higher doses, these benefits come at a higher risk which is why lower doses are preferred.

5. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that supports your thyroid at the level of the brain.

How?

Through its impact on the hypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis.

By balancing stress hormones like cortisol, which negatively impact thyroid hormone, you can boost thyroid function indirectly with its use.

To make matters even better, ashwagandha has positive effects on sexual health (5), weight loss (6), and muscle recovery.

How it helps:

Ashwagandha helps your body recover from and tolerate stress which indirectly supports T4, T3, and TSH levels.

It also improves vitality, energy, and sexual health.

How to use it:

There are many different forms and extracts of ashwagandha which all impact the recommended dose.

If you are using a standard extract of 2.5% withanolides, then your dosing will be around 200 to 600 mg per day but dosing can vary if you are using other forms.

6. Pre-Methylated B Vitamins

B vitamins are essential for the proper utilization of calories and macronutrients in the body.

If you don’t have enough B vitamins then your cells will have a hard time extracting energy from fats, carbs, and proteins.

As you might have guessed, this often leads to symptoms like fatigue, depression, hair loss, and more (7).

Due to how the thyroid impacts gut health, those with an underactive or sluggish thyroid are often deficient in many of the B vitamins.

This is terrible if you are unaware of it, but great if you are, because it gives you an opportunity to replace these vitamins.

How they help:

Pre-methylated B vitamins help your cells process and utilize energy-supporting symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and depression.

How to use it:

If you are going to take B vitamins then look for pre-activated and pre-methylated formulations.

Lower-quality B vitamins may be cheaper, but they aren’t absorbed as well and may include potentially harmful byproducts like cyanide.

Get yourself a high-quality B complex that is filled with pre-methylated and pre-activated vitamins, like this one, and you’ll be glad you did.

7. Magnesium

Magnesium stimulates the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormones directly and also is involved in the conversion of T4 to T3 (8).

It also happens to be eliminated in times of stress, which means if you’re a human living in modern times, you probably don’t have enough of it.

How it helps:

Magnesium helps the body bring iodine into the thyroid gland for the creation of thyroid hormones.

It also has a relaxing effect on the body providing benefits to blood pressure, muscle cramps, and anxiety.

How to use it:

There are many forms of magnesium available and each one has a different recommended dose (you can see the full list here if you are interested).

My recommendation for general thyroid support is to use a magnesium amino acid complex which is highly absorbed.

As far as dosing goes, look for 200 to 400 mg per day.

8. Fulvic Acid

Fulvic acid is a group of organic compounds naturally found in soil that acts as a cellular booster.

It provides a host of trace minerals which essentially improve the function of other nutrients, vitamins, and hormones in your cells (9).

For this reason, it complements all other ingredients and supplements that we’ve discussed so far and should be the supplement that you use to tie everything together.

How it helps:

By improving cellular function leading to better thyroid and overall health.

How to use it:

Look for a shilajit resin extract that contains 40% fulvic acid and use a dose of around 200-400 mg per day.

Final Thoughts

You can absolutely manage your underactive thyroid symptoms with natural treatments like supplements.

Will they take the place of thyroid medication? Not necessarily.

But will they help you feel better? Absolutely.

And that’s what matters here.

By the way, if you are interested in natural treatments, I would also recommend looking into your diet.

Because the foods that you eat can have a profound positive or negative effect on your thyroid.

If you’re ready for that, check out this article next.