What to Use Instead of Thyroid Medication: 5 Natural Options

What to use Instead of Prescription Thyroid Medication: 5 Natural Options

Is it possible to use something other than the standard thyroid meds that you’ve been given by your doctor?

The answer is maybe. 

But I don’t want you to think that it’s always possible to get off of your thyroid medication because that just isn’t the case. 

If you are someone with REALLY advanced Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, someone who has had their thyroid completely destroyed with RAI, or even someone who has had their thyroid completely removed surgically then you will need to be on thyroid medication for the rest of your life. 

But what about all of the others?

Are there any other alternatives available to them?

That’s exactly what we are going to go over today. 

The short answer is yes, there are certainly some options available. 

I’ve discussed in detail in other articles how to determine if you are one of the people that can potentially get off of thyroid medication so I would recommend you read that post if you haven’t already. 

Today we are going to focus on the therapies that YOU can use that can help your thyroid do the job it was supposed to do:

Create thyroid hormone. 

If you can find a way to naturally improve this function then you can either completely get off of the thyroid meds that you are using OR you can potentially reduce the dose that you are taking (which is also a good thing). 

But, before you go ahead and jump into this, you should be aware that getting off of your thyroid medication (while possible in some cases) is not without risks

Using thyroid medication (of any type) creates a dependence in your body and it takes time for the body to return to its normal state once stop (if it’s capable of it). 

So use caution when doing this! I would prefer you do it with the help of your doctor but most doctors may not be on board due to a lack of knowledge

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Alternatives to Using Synthroid & levothyroxine

We are going to focus primarily on therapies that can be used INSTEAD of both Synthroid and levothyroxine which about 90% (or more) of thyroid patients are taking. 

These thyroid meds are among the most PRESCRIBED in the entire United States (1) which indicates to me that a great many people take these medications. 

The good news is that there are other options that can help!

The list below includes these therapies (in no particular order) and they are all therapies that I have used in my own personal practice to help thyroid patients. 

#1. Thyroid Glandulars

The first on the list is something referred to as Thyroid Glandulars. 

Thyroid glandulars are over-the-counter supplements that literally contain crushed portions of animal thyroid glands. 

Animals, especially pigs and cows (porcine and bovine-derived sources), have thyroid glands that have the SAME thyroid hormones that humans use (but in slightly different ratios). 

Once the animal passes away, it’s possible to take their thyroid glands and process and desiccate them in such a way that they can be used in over-the-counter supplements. 

Why would you want to do this?

Because the thyroid gland itself contains enzymes, proteins, hormones, and precursors that your OWN thyroid gland contains!

These ingredients, if taken by mouth, can then be used as a therapeutic agent to help your OWN thyroid gland work. 

We don’t actually know how exactly they work (from a scientific point of view) because there aren’t many studies being pumped out by pharmaceutical companies on the topic. 

But we do know from patient experiences and from expert opinions (doctors who have used them before) that they can indeed work for certain patients. 

We also know that these supplements are SAFE! Well, I should say that they are safe if created and formulated in the proper way to determine that there are no pathogens or bacteria in the ingredients. 

In addition, because it would be illegal, the thyroid glandulars can be stripped of any active thyroid hormones before they are processed into supplement form. 

This means that you are getting all of the enzymes, proteins, and other ingredients WITHOUT the added thyroid hormones (and this is exactly what you want). 

You do NOT want to find supplements that contain thyroid hormone because it can be dangerous if they are not dosed or used properly. 

As I mentioned previously, it isn’t exactly known how or why thyroid glandulars work but my suspicion is that they are providing your body with enzymes and proteins that the thyroid needs to work that we probably don’t have a complete understanding of. 

They may also work to help reduce inflammation and heal the thyroid gland similar to the way that stem cells would work. 

But this is my own speculation and isn’t backed by any research or studies. 

#2. Adrenal Glandulars

Next on the list would be adrenal glandulars

Adrenal glandulars are similar in how they work and what they contain to thyroid glandulars. 

The only difference is that adrenal glandulars come from the adrenal gland of animals instead of the thyroid gland. 

Why do we care about adrenal glands when we are talking about thyroid meds?

The reason is simple:

There is a huge connection between your adrenal gland and your thyroid gland. 

This connection is so strong that if one of these hormone systems goes down it will take the other with it. 

This is why so many thyroid patients suffer from adrenal fatigue and it’s also why people with adrenal fatigue can suffer from hypothyroid symptoms. 

In addition, there is also a lot of overlap between the symptoms of adrenal fatigue and the symptoms of hypothyroidism. 

Symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, changes in blood sugar, brain fog, and depression can occur in BOTH states. 

We care about this because treating your adrenals is a way to indirectly (or directly, depending on how you think about it) treat your thyroid gland. 

I have seen really good results in thyroid patients using adrenal glandulars which is evidenced by the fact that my number-selling thyroid supplement contains adrenal glandulars

If you have thyroid disease, pretty much of any type, then you should treat your adrenal glands with either adrenal glandulars or adrenal adaptogens. 

When it comes to trying to get off of thyroid meds I do think that adrenal glandulars are more powerful and more effective but both have the potential to work. 

#3. Iodine

Another incredibly useful tool for treating the thyroid gland is the use of iodine. 

Many thyroid patients are actually scared to use iodine because they’ve heard from someone or some source that it’s dangerous. 

And while there may be some truth to these claims, the idea that an essential and required nutrient in your body is dangerous is largely overblown

If you avoid iodine as a thyroid patient (even those with Hashimoto’s), you actually run the risk of making your thyroid worse. 

So we can use this as an advantage if you are trying to get off of thyroid meds considering that MANY thyroid patients are deficient in iodine. 

How does iodine help?

Iodine is an essential and critical nutrient that is required to CREATE thyroid hormone in the thyroid gland. 

Iodine forms the backbone of thyroid hormone (both T4 and T3) and dictates if that thyroid hormone will be functional. 

Low levels of iodine results in decreased thyroid hormone production and, therefore, hypothyroidism or low thyroid function. 

How much iodine you should be taking is a different story entirely

If you are trying to use iodine to get off of your thyroid meds then you would want to use a different dose than someone who is okay staying on their thyroid medications or who just wants it for a “daily” dose. 

People who are trying to get off of their thyroid meds will need a larger or higher dose of iodine (much higher compared to the RDA). 

In addition, you will ALSO want to use certain nutrients such as Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A to try and help improve thyroid cellular sensitivity. 

The dose of iodine you’ll want to use to naturally improve your thyroid is somewhere in the range of 6mg to 12.5mg per DAY

You can compare this dose to the “standard” RDA which is about 150 to 270 MCG per day. 

Note that this is in MICROGRAMS and not MILLIGRAMS like the higher dose listed above. 

High doses of iodine do carry a slightly increased risk of side effects, though, such as detoxification-like reactions (acne) (1), and rarely they can cause thyroid inflammation if you are also selenium deficient (2). 

These side effects may be worth the risk, however, if it means that you can ultimately reduce or get off of your thyroid meds in the future. 

#4. Essential Oils

Another potential option is the use of essential oils to naturally treat your thyroid. 

I’ve never been a huge fan of essential oils in the setting of reversing thyroid disease (I just think there are better options available) but recently I’ve started to shift my thinking on them. 

I find the best way to use them is in conjunction with the other therapies that you see listed here. 

While it may be possible to use some therapies such as adrenal glandulars or adrenal glandulars by themselves, I don’t think you should take this approach with essential oils. 

It would be far better to use them WITH adrenal glandulars or WITH thyroid glandulars. 

In terms of their efficacy, I find that they are probably one of the weaker therapies listed in this article (probably the weakest now that I say that). 

It doesn’t mean that they can’t be used or that they aren’t effective but our main goal here is to try and get OFF of your thyroid meds. 

And to do that we have to use strong therapies. 

Essential oils in the setting of treating your thyroid are best used to indirectly treat the thyroid by either reducing inflammation, promoting cellular repair, reducing thyroid antibodies, or improving your tolerance and resilience to stress. 

These are the essential oils that you would want to use: 

#5. Natural Desiccated Thyroid Gland (NDT)

Finally, we have the option of using Natural Desiccated Thyroid

I know this is an article about how to get OFF of thyroid meds and here I am talking about another thyroid medication but it’s my list so I am going to tell you about it 🙂 

Natural Desiccated Thyroid doesn’t really fit the bill of thyroid medications simply because most doctors are NOT willing to prescribe it or let patients use it. 

So even though it is technically a thyroid medication that requires a doctor’s prescription, it’s still different from levothyroxine and Synthroid in that it is sourced from an animal (much like thyroid glandulars). 

In fact, you can think of Natural Desiccated Thyroid (or NDT for short) as basically the same thing as thyroid glandulars but the only difference is that the hormones are kept IN during formulation. 

Remember:

Thyroid glandulars contain thyroid gland materials MINUS thyroid hormones whereas NDT contains thyroid gland material PLUS thyroid hormones (T4 + T3 + T2 and even calcitonin). 

The reason that these can be included in NDT and not in thyroid glandulars is that the FDA ensures that the companies creating NDT maintain standards and consistency in each batch of NDT produced. 

They ensure that each grain of NDT contains the exact same amount of hormones (8) (both T4 and T3) so that doctors can reliably prescribe these medications to patients across the United States. 

Unfortunately, most doctors fail to realize that this occurs and some even make the erroneous claim that NDT is not standardized and it doesn’t contain consistent concentrations of thyroid hormone. 

This is simply false and the FDA wouldn’t let them operate if that were the case. 

In addition, we also have third-party tests confirming the T4 and T3 concentrations of each batch to ensure that they are standardized. 

Why would you want to use NDT over Synthroid and levothyroxine?

I think the main reason is that they are considered a more natural source of thyroid hormone in that they are not produced in a lab (they are not synthetic in that sense). 

Another reason and this one is huge, is that NDT contains the additional enzymes, proteins, and hormones that are found in animal glands (much like what would be found in human thyroid glands). 

So you are getting all of the benefits of thyroid glandulars PLUS the added bonus of T4 and T3 PLUS the added bonus that NDT is more natural in its origins than levothyroxine/Synthroid. 

This makes NDT very appealing to many patients. 

My recommendation is to try and get on NDT if you find that the other natural therapies listed above don’t work to help you get off of your thyroid meds completely. 

At least at that point, you can honestly say that you gave it your best shot and you can transition to a prescription thyroid med which is more natural and contains added ingredients. 

This isn’t to say that NDT is completely free of problems, I don’t want you to believe that. 

All thyroid medications have their pros and cons. 

But I do believe that NDT offers certain benefits that you don’t find in levothyroxine and Synthroid which may be part of the reason that so many patients prefer these medications. 

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. 

At least 5 different alternatives to thyroid meds that you can potentially start using right away (with the exception of NDT). 

And while ALL of these things have the potential to help you get off your thyroid meds (or at least reduce your dose), I want you to also be aware that you can combine them with your current thyroid medications. 

So, even if you try one of these options and you don’t see amazing results, you can still use them in conjunction with your Synthroid or levothyroxine. 

You should also be aware that not all of these therapies may work for you! But that doesn’t mean that they are useless or shouldn’t be considered. 

Remember:

Each of you is unique and will require different therapies in order to feel 100%. 

Don’t be discouraged if you try one or more of these therapies and don’t see the results that you want. 

Continue to try various things until you find what works for YOU (this may take some trial and error!). 

But now I want to hear from you:

Have you tried any of these alternatives?

If so, how did it work out for you?

Were you able to reduce your thyroid meds or completely stop using them?

Have you tried other therapies? If so, please share what worked for you and what didn’t!

The best thing we can do is to keep the conversation going! Please leave your questions or comments below. 

Scientific References

#1. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1090031-treatment

#2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19594417

#3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5788221/

#4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5801909/

#5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3607906/

#6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27117114

#7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4556964/

#8. https://media.allergan.com/actavis/actavis/media/allergan-pdf-documents/product-prescribing/06-2018-Armour-Thyroid-PI-final.pdf

can you replace your thyroid medication with natural options?

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About Dr. Westin Childs

Hey! I'm Westin Childs D.O. (former Osteopathic Physician). I don't practice medicine anymore and instead specialize in helping people like YOU who have thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and weight loss resistance. I love to write and share what I've learned over the years. I also happen to formulate the best supplements on the market (well, at least in my opinion!) and I'm proud to say that over 80,000+ people have used them over the last 7 years. You can read more about my own personal health journey and why I am so passionate about what I do.

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#1. Get my free thyroid downloads, resources, and PDFs here.

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45 thoughts on “What to use Instead of Prescription Thyroid Medication: 5 Natural Options”

  1. my son is 26 has autism seizures anxiety and other issues. was diagnosed as hypothyroid in 2006. has taken levothyroxine for years but still no changes. hes extremely exhausted all of the time weight gain keeps going up no matter what we do. his tsh is normal,free t4 very low,vitamin d is low despite 10,000 iu daily. hoping you can help especially since his endocrinologist is not helping.

    Reply
    • I am inquiring for my daughter who is taking levothyroxine. She had her thyroid removed by radiation. Can she switched to go product instead of the levothyroxine? Thank You

      Reply
      • Hi Nancy,

        Once the thyroid has been surgically removed or ablated by radioactive iodine there is no replacement option except for thyroid medication. This assumes that 100% of the thyroid gland was destroyed, though.

        Reply
  2. Hi! What would you consider “really advanced Hashimoto’s”? I am a 41 yr old woman and I’ve had Hashimoto’s now for almost 9 years. I have some good days, weeks and months, but all of a sudden out of nowhere, my thyroid will go out of wack. Right now, it has been two years that it hasn’t been under control. It’s as if I am not taking medication at all, even though I take Tirosint and a compounded t3. The weight spiked up, vitamin and iron levels are at an all time low, even though I take them religiously.

    Reply
    • Hi Alex,

      Advanced Hashimoto’s, by my definition, is atrophy of the thyroid gland with irreversible inflammatory damage from thyroid antibodies.

      Reply
  3. My daughter’s levels (after having thyroid cancer) are normal TSH (just under 1), mid range free T4, but off the charts high for Free T3. We haven’t gotten her recense back yet, however her last labs were the same with decent (low) reverse numbers. She’s on NP only. What could be the cause and how do we get her t3 down. She has hypo symptoms.

    Reply
  4. Hi doctor.
    What’s helped me is homeopathy medicines!
    I have half my thyroid, so whenever I see a new doctor they want to put me on thyroid medications even before doing tests.
    My tests always come back “normal”. But I feel I need some extra help.
    Homeopathy helps. I don’t take thyroid medications exactly because of the long-term problems they are likely to cause.

    Reply
  5. i’m confused. You list 10 alternatives to thyroid meds and only one of the ten is remotely related to thyroid maladies? Any recommendation for natural non-preparations that will boost T3-T4?

    Reply
    • Hi Rodney,

      I’m not sure I understand your question. If you can clarify I’d be happy to help.

      Reply
  6. I read an article a few yrs ago about the man who discovered that NDT worked really well ( cannot remember his name ) but because of it working really well & because it couldn’t be patented he was discredited .The sign of things to come for all naturopathic doctors and holistic medicine but thankfully people are waking up to the true benefits of what nature put on this earth to help & heal us.

    Reply
    • Hi Jane,

      I’m not sure I follow. NDT is still available as a prescription medication, at least in the United States.

      Reply
  7. Hi dr childs! Hypo since 2003, hashi since 2011, nodules are small, tried all sorts of thyroid meds through the years. Rubbing patchouli oil and taking dmae. Weaned off my thyroid meds and take other supplements too. Stomach pains are gone but scared I’m hurting something. I feel so good though. Not falling asleep all the time. Should i try the glandulars? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Hi Dawn,

      It’s probably a good idea to recheck your labs to see where they are at. That way you can see how much improvement you’ve made.

      Reply
    • Hi Tricia,

      Some are used topically and others are used internally. I’ll make a blog post on that topic in the future.

      Reply
  8. Hi Dr. Childs, Looking for a solution to many nodules,(non cancerous) on my thyroid… Each year they find another one. I am 69 years old I tried taking a drop or 2 of Lugols Solution 2% in water and after 3 days I started spotting blood so I stopped. Last year blood test: TSH 1.88, Free T3 2.8, FT4 0.9, Reverse T3 15, Total T3 96, TgAB <1, TPO ab 1. Tried to see a Doctor who understands these results and she refused to see me because I am on Medicare.My primary Does Not Believe in alternative ideas. Is there any suggestion that can assist me in reducing the size or eliminating the nodules? I currently take Zinc, Selenium, B 12, B 6, Vitamin E, and D, as you recommended, Curcumin, Vit C, Lutein, Magnesium. Would Lugols rubbed into my arm help me at all? At 69, I do not feel as good as I thought I would. Thank You

    Reply
  9. Hi Dr Childs, I diagnosed with Hashimotos around 2005. I put on 15 kilos and still struggling to loose.Before 2 years I found out that I have Microprolactinoma on my pituitary gland and the doctor put me on Dostinex.(0.25 once a week).
    I have tried all kind of diets and I lost 8 kilos, but for 7 months it seems that my body refuse to loose more.
    My current weight is 66.7.kilos my height 1.62 my BMI 25.8 and I am 47 years old.
    I will appreciate your opinion because I want to feel good again.Thank you.

    Reply
  10. Hi Dr. Childs, I am a 62 year old woman. In my teens & 20s I had plenty of energy and maybe I was hyper thyroidal? No test were done to confirm. I missed my energy dropping in my early 30s and pushed for ‘help’ and received armour thyroid. Later, maybe early 40s I was changed to synthroid when my numbers were not stable until sometime in my mid 50s the markers spiked high and another markers dropped. My doctor took me off all meds and sent me to a specialist. Boy was that painful experience! The specialist prescribed levothyroxine and I took that for about 4 years. All through the time of the scripts I did ok, but had side effects I did not like such weight gain, hair loss & thinning, skin issues, spacey feeling etc. Through a natuaraIpath I was weaned from the levothroxine and now only supplement with a thyroid gladular for the last 5 years. My thyroid levels seem to be almost always perfect, or so my physican says, but still have issues with mental clarity, weight and tired. I am sometimes even ‘drunk’ tired and no, I am not drinking. I recently retired and I am getting better sleep and not always so very tired, but still tired. I find if I skip one day of the supplement I am exhausted. I wonder if I ever really needed the meds, but caused my body to depend on it!? My hope is to reset my thyroid! Any thoughts? Thank you for your help!

    Reply
  11. Hi Dr Childs,

    I have hyperthyroidism. My TSH and T3 are normal but my T4 is always very high. I am using Neo-Mercazole to get my T4down and have refused surgery and radio active treatment.

    Is it possible to do a similar article for Graves Disease/hyperthyroidism please?

    Thanks,
    Erna.

    Reply
  12. Hi Doctor, I have been taking 2 grains of Armour thyroid for approximately 7 years. Due to a change in insurance and Covid I recently ran out. I have not had it since November 20, 2020, almost one month. Been supplementing with Gaia Thyroid and Adrenal formulas. Honestly, I feel so much better. I have lost significant water weight and puffy face. My hair texture has changed considerably. I’m not moody, anxious or tired. No hair loss either. I feel so much better without it. I’m questioning the original diagnosis.

    Reply
    • Hi Marjorie,

      It could definitely be that you were misdiagnosed in the beginning! Just as a precaution, be aware that thyroid hormone stays in your body for about a month. So if you were to crash it would be in the next few weeks.

      Reply
  13. Hi Dr Childs. I was diagnosed with hypo about 8yrs ago after having feelings of anxiety and palpitations. My Dr prescribed meds after a blood test. She never explained why it happened and told me I did not need to see an endocrinologist. I also discovered that this could be for life. I am so happy that came across your article. I did a amature bodybuilding for a few years and completely abstained from salt quite frequently. I believe lack of iodine may have been the cause. I am currently taking 50microgram doses,however I have no idea whether that is a high dosage or not. I would really like to get off the meds. Do I sound like a candidate? I am very forgetful. 65 yo.

    Reply
  14. I am 61 and in good physical health. I was previously on daily doses of Armour Thyroid 15 mg and Iodoral 12.5mg approx 1 yr.
    I have weaned off w dr’s help due to side effects of acne, facial eczema, hair thinning and random heart palpitations.
    Just received your Thyroid Adrenal Reset Complex and Thyroid Glandular+.
    Would you recommend continuing w the Iodoral as well?
    I had previouslyreduced the iodoral to a weekly dose as opposed to daily.
    I am very concerned about my skin and hair changes.
    Thank you for your help

    Reply
  15. My mother’s thyroid was low for many years. When she was finally diagnosed with tyoe 2 diabetes and started using insulin then she no longer needed her thyroid meds. Any idea why this would happen?

    Reply
    • Hi Miriam,

      I’m unaware of any connection between starting insulin and no longer needing thyroid medication. I would say that’s probably just coincidence but there’s no way to know for sure without more information.

      Reply
  16. My wife takes 45 mg of Armour per day, her thyroid levels are close to normal but she gets extremely tired after taking the pills – just the opposite of what you would expect. Her only other medication is 20mg of Lisiniopril for blood pressure, one per day.

    Any ideas what might cause this ?

    Reply
    • Hi Jame,

      Some people just react negatively to various thyroid medications for unknown reasons. The best approach is to just swap between another medication in the same class to see if the symptoms persist. Often times, switching medications solves the issue. If it doesn’t then she can just try taking her medication at night or something similar to mask the symptoms.

      Reply
  17. Hi Dr Child’s
    I have Hashimotos and take 75mg of levothyroxine. I would be interested in trialling iodine. I just don’t know how to start the process. Any advise as to how to start taking iodine and reducing levothyroxine would be great. Obviously very nervous about doing this but would like to try. My weight has just gone through the roof! Also if you could recommend a good safe iodine to take that would be great.

    Reply
  18. Thank you for the information regarding the thyroid gland . My question is are there no foods and herbs which we can take to help to reduce the thyroid gland .

    Reply
  19. I just had a partial thyroid removed . Now they want to put me on Levothyroxine 25 micro grams. I do not want to take another pill.
    What would you suggest? TY

    Reply
  20. Hi Dr. Childs,
    Kudos to you, bringing awareness, hope and help to humanity!
    I never understood my thyroid condition so well, thanks for explaining everything so clearly.
    I am Jewish, and would prefer not to take a supplement that is made of pigs (it’s not Kosher…) Although, if this is my only option, then I am allowed to use it to heal myself.
    I just started taking Iodine, but is there anything stronger to replace the glandulars?
    Thank you!

    Reply

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