Originally published on 7th February 2017 Last updated on 9th August 2024
It’s a question that’s been asked many times:
What happens if you stop taking your thyroid medication?
For one reason or another, you may be wondering if you can get by without it. Perhaps you don’t feel any better on it, perhaps you feel worse or that it gives you some side effects. It could be expensive for you to maintain or you might not be keen on taking any pills for whatever reason.
You may even be wondering how long can I go without thyroid medication?
I’m often asked:
- What happens if I don’t take my thyroid medicine?
- Can you stop taking thyroid medication once you start?
- I feel worse on my meds, so why should I take them?
Learn more about how to make the most of your health with hypothyroidism. The book Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate: When You’re Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired builds on this article in detail and explains how to thrive with thyroid disease.
It’s very important to be aware that failing to take your thyroid hormone replacement medication opens you up to many health risks. Having thyroid disease is serious and taking hormone replacement medication is important.
As adequate levels of thyroid hormone are needed for every function of the body, not having enough would open you up to:
- Abnormal blood pressure
- An increased risk of heart disease
- An increased risk of infection
- Weight gain that is almost impossible, if not completely impossible, to shift
- Depression and anxiety
- Hair loss (on the head and eyebrows) and an itchy and sore scalp
- Infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth
- Irregular periods or periods that are too heavy or too light
- Extreme fatigue and an inability to handle exercise
- Muscle weakness
- Joint and muscle aches and pains throughout the body, though most commonly in the legs
- Numbness in limbs
- A long recovery period after exercise
- Feeling cold a lot of the time, including cold hands and feet
- Brain function issues such as brain fog, memory issues, degeneration and confusion
- High cholesterol
- Constipation
- Acid reflux
And the most serious of all, myxoedema coma, which, although uncommon, can be fatal. This is a loss of brain function as a result of longstanding, severely low level of thyroid hormones. It is considered a life-threatening complication of hypothyroidism that develops over quite a long amount of time.
At the end of the day, whatever your reason is for not wanting to take your thyroid medication anymore, don’t just stop it.
Instead:
1. Talk to your doctor about trying another thyroid medication if you feel no better on it, have side effects or your symptoms haven’t improved.
Read my related article: Why Do I Feel Worse on Thyroid Medication?
I do not endorse stopping thyroid medication without a doctor having another way to replace those thyroid hormones.
If you’re feeling worse on your meds, explore why.
Maybe you need a higher dose (a lot of thyroid patients aren’t on the optimal dose of medication), a different type of medication altogether or there is something else impacting whether the medication is properly working – e.g. adrenal dysfunction, low iron levels or taking it incorrectly.
Please take a look at my list of suggestions for other reasons why you may still be feeling unwell even when on thyroid medication.
Even if you feel worse since starting the medication, never just stop taking it. Explore why you still feel unwell.
2. Talk to your doctor or insurance provider if applicable, about payment plans…
or sorting out something more affordable, if affordability is the issue.
Some thyroid patients look in to self-sourcing their own thyroid medication, as this can be less expensive, but it is incredibly risky and not necessarily recommended. (Medications are always best prescribed and dosed by a medical professional.)
3. Try a different medical professional.
If you’re wanting to explore being able to live without thyroid medication and stabilising your condition through diet and lifestyle alone (which reportedly can be done in a very small amount of individuals but I must state doesn’t seem overly common), you may consult someone like a functional doctor for example and be extremely cautious.
Most of us end up needing thyroid hormone replacement for life, even after putting Hashimoto’s into remission. So never stop taking your meds without a doctor’s support.
Related Article: I Don’t Want to Take Thyroid Medication. Can I Take Something ‘Natural’ Instead?
4. Or learn to look at your thyroid medication as an essential part of living for you.
Just like food and water, instead of looking at it negatively. Read this.
How Long Can You Go Without Thyroid Medication?
If you stop taking your medication, you can expect thyroid symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, brain fog and hair loss for example, to return.
The longer you go without taking your medication, the lower your thyroid hormone levels will drop, thyroid symptoms are likely to become more intense and the higher your risk for severe effects, such as myxoedema coma as mentioned above.
The half-life of levothyroxine is 6-7 days, which means it takes about 4-5 weeks for your body to clear itself of levothyroxine completely. [1]
Therefore, you may feel fine for a month or two before you start to feel more unwell.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you stopped your meds? Let me know below.
References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6193522/
You can click on the hyperlinks in the above post to learn more and see references to information given.
Learn more about how to make the most of your health with hypothyroidism. The book Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate: When You’re Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired builds on this article in detail and explains how to thrive with thyroid disease.
64 Comments
Sharon Cantrell
August 15, 2022 at 1:38 amI have Hashimotos, but dr put me on 50 levothyroxine, recheck in 3 months, bumped up to 88 and was having major hair fallout and numbers were going back down very low, dr lowered my dose, then had massive hair loss hand fulls daily, they lowered dose back to 75 and still have massive hair loss. Prior to dx’s I had very full amount of hair, only could get ponytail holder around 2 times. Now telling my dr I have lost over half my volume and half the length was at my butt. Now hair is just below my shoulder. Now I have about the size of a quarter, very thin hair and thinning on the scalp as well. Dr wants me on the Synthroid name brand as the off label brands have a lot of filler in them, that we should not be putting in our bodies. I cant loose more hair, so just started the Synthroid. Does anyone know what will stop the hair loss? Before I knew I had hashimotos, I would find a hair or 2 fallin out, I fell and broke my back and now 10 years latter I am still loosing hair It is daily handfuls after I brush. Going to try the Synthyroid for a few weeks and see what gives. How does the thyroid medications make such a wide variety of symptoms. When taking the pills and then not taking the pills, Just seems like the guinea pig has run out of clues as to what is happening. Any suggestions much appreciated.
Rachel Hill
August 18, 2022 at 11:08 amHi, please see my info on hair loss here: https://www.theinvisiblehypothyroidism.com/hair-loss-and-hypothyroidism/
Sandra
September 14, 2022 at 8:42 pmBefore I was 62 I went through hair loss, and now all I do is use shampoo twice a week, all the other days I just rinse my hair with water only .. my hair is better then it’s ever been
Kari
April 13, 2022 at 2:30 pmA couple of years ago I went into the Emergency because my heart was beating so fast. Turns out my TSH was low and I was experiencing Hyperthyroidism, so I stopped taking my Synthroid. I couldn’t get to my doctor for a few weeks, but I was having extreme anxiety from my hyperthyroidism, and I was scared to take any pill at all. I ended up having a hard time swallowing as if I had a huge lump in my throat. It was the worst symptom.
Elizabeth
October 19, 2020 at 5:15 pmI had my thyroid removed and one of my para thyroids also removed in jan !i was 9st 4 !but now weigh 11 st !which is really getting me down .I don’t eat any more than I used to and approached my doc who ruled out that my med were not balanced out enough .i am on 125 msg of levothyroxin daily
nandini
October 5, 2020 at 11:02 amas i am taking thyroid medication past 4 years, now 20 days back i have stopped to take medication. i noticed that i have little bit overweight and good sleeping at night. what will happen if i will stop for a few months or a years.
while taking medication i lose my weight and disturb with night sleeping. my dose is 75 mg hypothyroidsm.
or shall i continue the tablet from next days. pls reply to my answer, so i can get correct clarification about this issue.
Rachel Hill
October 5, 2020 at 6:37 pmThe article itself answers your questions!
Isabella
September 14, 2020 at 3:08 amWhat happens if you cannot get your prescription for a month? Will weight gain and other side effects occur? What is the time frame for that?
Jennifer
September 12, 2020 at 10:12 pm38 years with hypo/hashis and no matter the meds/dose I still have just about everything on that list as tho I don’t take meds. Been to multiple docs/specialists. Tired of the fight.
Lynn
April 9, 2020 at 6:08 pmI’m considering stopping my medication because I don’t know what else to do and I keep getting worse. I was on Naturethroid for about 6 years with no challenges (1 grain). They switched me to WP thyroid due to shortages without me realizing it from 1/19 – 5/19 and had no problems. Then when Naturethroid came back I started taking it again on 6/1/19. By 6/15 my hair started to really shed badly and then joint pain and fatigue followed. I read that others had experienced that and switched to NP thyroid on 8/1 and the the symptoms started to get better until my next refill and the pills smelled like cat urine and the symptoms started to return. Since then I have tried synthetic t3/t4 combo which made my head hurt, Armour Thyroid which started to cause hair fall again with a worsening of symptoms when I increase. My levels seem slightly below optimal. I found some old Naturethroid and started that two days ago. What do you do when nothing seems to help? Could I not need thyroid medicine anymore? I have tested B12, ferritin, adrenals, metals etc. Adrenals a little low but I feel like anything I take at this point could be the cause of me feeling terrible the next day as in I don’t know what is causing what anymore. I was also prescribed estrogen and progesterone because those were low too (I’m 52).
patricia lasek
June 5, 2021 at 12:48 amDid you ever get to feeling better? What are you taking now? I am in the same boat. None of the meds. are giving me any relief. Armour used to work better than it does now.
Tanya
March 28, 2022 at 11:21 pmI totally hear you and had the same story. Was on NDT from overseas and was so functional…then shortages hit and dr was under scrutiny so I was put back on synthetic t4! Bluuuurgh! Felt like total crap over night again. Spoke to my clinical nutritionist and said I want to get off this merry go round so he gave me a supplement to support my thyroid function and I’ve been off any meds now for 18 months.
Cheryl
June 19, 2022 at 4:04 pmWhat is the supplement support I’m interested in hearing more
Jessica S
April 28, 2022 at 3:32 amPellet therapy! Testosterone for the win!
Lisa
March 8, 2020 at 11:44 amHi Rachael,
I was diagnosed with Graves disease at a young age and at 25 had RDI, I was put on thyroxine and at the age of 38 found a dr to prescribe NDT. I am now 50 and my bloods are showing tsh and t3 high. Having just found a Dr who is open minded has suggested to go off meds and supplements for a week have new bloods done and start from scratch. Will this do me any harm?
Kind Regards
Grace
January 6, 2020 at 10:36 pmI was taking Nature Thyroid medication for years but, when I flew out to visit my daughter during the holidays, I forgot to bring them with me. I called the doctor, and she said I should be ok. When I flew back home I never started taking them again. It’s been over 1 week. I was thinking about not taking them anymore. Has anyone experienced any side effects? I’m going to see my doctor soon, and tell her to run blood tests on me. I’m hoping I don’t have to take them any longer.
Rachel Hill
January 6, 2020 at 10:37 pmHi Grace, thyroid hormone replacement medication is usually needed for life but it’s wise to keep on top of your testing and see what your doctor thinks 🙂 It can take a few weeks for thyroid meds to fully leave the body/blood levels to drop, so you may not feel any effects for another week or two.
Adam Williams
December 18, 2019 at 3:18 amI want to voice my passion for your kind-heartedness giving support to people that really need it. You’ve helped so many individuals just like me.
Arriella
November 23, 2019 at 5:25 amI had regular bloods done as my thyroid was being monitored as it was creeping up slowly for over a year, eventually I was put on levothyroxine initially 50mg, then they continue to monitor my bloods every few weeks and it was increased to 75mg. I was terrible at taking it forever missing them…then I just forgot to take them. At the start of medication my levels were 4.6 I can’t remember the t3 but it was tested. It’s been around 2 month now without any medication maybe more and my levels have decreased on the blood test and my most recent one shows I’m at 3.6. No mention of t4/t3 just thyroid 3.6 normal … So … this means what exactly? I’m confused I was told I’d be on this forever but now I’m not so sure being that it’s decreasing without taking them
Arriella
November 23, 2019 at 5:41 amAlso to add that I actually felt like it was becoming worse so I was shocked at the levels. I have all the classic symptoms but I had previously been diagnosed with fibromyalgia/cfs which fits too. My fatigue feels worse and I’ve had a few strange issues with my throat and swallowing which my mum said was my thyroid as I choked a few times drinking or eating it’s as though I couldn’t swallow. Yet I’m normal now … but still feel terrible… so perhaps they are not my thyroid symptoms? Dr said when I started the meds I’d start to feel better but I feel worse now…
Paula
October 31, 2020 at 8:55 pmThe same exact thing happened to me. I have been off my meds for six months and my levels are still showing normal. What the hell is going on?
Rosalea
November 14, 2019 at 4:04 pmI’ve been taking synthroid for a long time after half of my thyroid was removed. For some time now I’ve been experiencing leg cramps, all over tiredness, dizziness, etc. My endo doc say can’t be synthroid since my “numbers” are good. Our primary card doc recently prescribed synthroid for my husband who is now experiencing the same symptoms. What should we do?
Rachel Hill
November 14, 2019 at 4:05 pmHi Rosalea, when they say that your numbers are good, what numbers are three referring to? They may only be checking TSH for example, and not the full thyroid panel (which includes Free T3, T4 and thyroid antibodies).
Jamie
October 11, 2019 at 7:11 pmNo I haven’t but I will look into that. So it’s definitely not normal to struggle to move, bend, stand from sitting etc.
Thanks for the help!!
Jamie
October 6, 2019 at 4:22 pmI was on levothyroxine but my muscle weakness and inability to move well was making me feel like I was 90. I am 37 with two young children (8 and 5), so that was definitely not ok. I did a lot of research and read that levothyroxine is basically synthetic chemicals. So I asked my Endo to switch me to the name brand Synthroid. I have been on that for nearly 6 months with no change. I recently stopped taking that on my own because all this medication crap was making me frustrated and I still couldn’t freaking move. Even standing from a sitting position was a struggle. I again researched and read several testimonials where people felt the same as me on those two medications. This is totally not ok and not how I should be forced to live my life. I literally was only tired before being on either medication. I would rather be a tired mom than one struggling with mobility. Sick of doctors getting kick backs for prescription drugs/ big pharma and not heard about how I feel and my side effects. I know it’s the medication. It’s just so frustrating!!
Rachel Hill
October 6, 2019 at 4:23 pmSorry that Levo and Synthroid haven’t helped. You may need a T3 med. Have you looked in to Liothyronine or NDT?
Michael Robison
September 16, 2019 at 2:15 amWas on levothyroxine .175 for many years after a complete removal of my thyroid. After my doctor refused to refill my prescription without an appointment, I decided to quit taking it. I see the doctor tomorrow. Its been about 4 months since I took any meds for hypothyroidism. Am I at risk for a serious condition?
Maria Naro
July 4, 2019 at 5:43 amHello
I was taking Levothyroxine for three years. I felt that it wasn’t helping me, I stopped the meds two and one half years ago..Because I was still getting the symptoms…Heart Palpitations, muscle weakness, lightheadedness, headaches, Fluctuations of Blood Pressure, Frequent Urination…
Also, Dx with Autonomic and Small Fiber Neuropathy
Now, my symptoms are worse..BP is very unpredictable and dangerously High or Low…BP meds do not help, I take the BP meds only when the BP goes too high only for a couple of days, because the meds make the pressure go very low..ie..76/57 close to fainting..Muscle pain a lot worse, etc..
Thank You for your blog and For Reading my message
Maria
James
July 2, 2019 at 3:48 pmI have been on levothyroxine for about 2 years now and just lately developed swelling in my legs and feet with a rash and itching hives. I saw my gp and told him I know it’s a reaction from the meds. I told him I wanted to try Armour to see if that would do any good. has anyone had this experience and can I stay off any meds for a few days before I start the Armour ?
AngelaReyes
June 18, 2019 at 9:50 amI have thyroid problems and I have problems getting medication in my location. And I’ve been off of it for a week. They stopped my SSA check, which I need to pay and it’s hard to get one. There’s nobody available and they can’t help me with anything about it. They say it’s not their problem about the medication I take. I don’t know what to do if I don’t take them. I just don’t care no more if social security don’t care about my health so why should I? Its hard I have asked for help and been turned down.
Megan Cervantes
May 21, 2019 at 11:23 amHi, Im 31 years old and last year was diagnosed with hypothyroid.I started feeling worse everyday and I couldnt barely manage my life. I was angry all the time and took it out on my daughter and boyfriend. I became extremely fatigue that I would pass out standing up at work. Then the worse pain or some kind of weird throughout my body; that made me clench up. So I did alot of research and decided to stop taking the meds. Then everything was fading away; like my pain and fatigue. The doctors gave me meds at 4.0 which i dont think should have been put on meds so fast. Its day six now, and im still feeling great and even getting better by the day.
Rachel Hill
May 21, 2019 at 11:26 amHi Megan – sorry to hear you didn’t feel any better on your thyroid meds. Do bear in mind that they take a good few weeks to leave the system so you may not feel the full effects for a little while yet. A TSH of 4 can cause issues in some people but with others they feel fine. Hopefully you’re working with your doctor to monitor how you do off them and I’m worried about you feeling worse in the long run. It is possible that you were not converting well (if you were on T4 only meds) which can make you feel worse but please ensure your full thyroid panel is checked going forward, including the important Free T3.
johnny wingo
May 8, 2019 at 3:54 pmwhat are the things that happen if I suddenly get off my thyroid medication ,,,, the phar. cant get them been off them for about three weeks
Rachel Hill
May 8, 2019 at 4:00 pmHi Johnny, generally what is mentioned in this article.
eric
May 8, 2019 at 7:42 pmYikes.
I just refilled mine last week and had no problem.
You should probably go talk to your doctor about it and see about maybe getting it from another source.
Once you art taking them again, it can take a couple of months or more for the levels to build back up. Because of that, the symptoms you start to have again will not just disappear when you start taking it again.
Carolyn A Candia
April 24, 2019 at 3:02 amI have a thyroid and when I did not take my meds for 2 weeks i went crazy
Trish
December 14, 2018 at 10:08 pmHi Racheal,
Yes they did bloods and they said they were ok.
Rachel Hill
December 14, 2018 at 10:28 pmBeing ‘in range’ and being ‘optimal’ are very different and impact how we feel by quite a bit. If you haven’t already then I’d recommend starting with a copy of your bloods when on the different meds and seeing if either are optimal. It takes around 6-8 weeks to stabilise on any dose though.
Trish
December 14, 2018 at 9:53 pmHi,
I have been hypo for 4 years. Eltroxin never agreed with me, still felt very unwell and caused a lot of pain. Finally changed to Ndt beginning of October and that seemed to be worse. Nose, ears and throat felt as if they were closing plus stiff neck. Persisted for 6 weeks on it, but had to throw in the towel and give up on it. I have a migraine 24/7 and can barely function. Endo said go back on eltroxin, which I tried, but that seemed to do the same. My gp said to stop thyroid meds for now to see what is going on with my head. Feel like my brain is on fire any medication, even a vitamin tablet that I take seems to just set my head on fire. Don’t know what to do now. Anyone any ideas?
Rachel Hill
December 14, 2018 at 9:54 pmHi Trish, did you have you levels tested when on ndt to see what it was doing to your levels? It can take a while for your body to adjust to any meds but I’m wondering if the dose was too low?
vivienne sullivan
September 23, 2018 at 9:15 amHi, I have not been great at taking my meds for hyperthyroidism for a long time. Partly due to a crazy busy life and partly due to not liking taking tablets. I had my bloods taking on Friday morning by Friday afternoon the doctors surgery called me to say, my functions were so low they couldn’t understand how I was ever walking around! I got a scare and how to take them daily. I was always on such a high dose, 275 eltrocion I’m hoping regular testing and taking my meds will bring this down.
Shell
September 22, 2018 at 4:51 amHi there I’ve had underactive thyroud for 8 years and take levethyroxine 100mg and for the last month I’ve stop cosi got a bad asthma cough which only went when stop medication I was told go back on it 100mg a day soon as I did feel wasted and cough got bad again so back and forwards to doc not much happen….my levels were perfect egore I stop but this cough is bad hard to breath so now stop meds cos made eyes swell head sore so not sure what to do
Reva
September 9, 2018 at 6:02 amI was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in feb 2018.my doctor asked me to take only one tablet on daily basis for six months. Should i stop taking it now because im lacking in periods from the last two months.
Rachel Hill
September 10, 2018 at 11:23 amTaking thyroid medication doesn’t cause a lack of periods. Quite the opposite. Please see this article for more information- https://www.theinvisiblehypothyroidism.com/2017/08/29/how-your-thyroid-can-cause-period-problems/
Kim
September 1, 2018 at 10:42 amI was told I had a low thyroid in Feb 2018, I was trying to get pregnant and it wasn’t happening so my dr put me on syntheoid 75mg two months later we were pregnant. I have had some major bleeds so far one at 7 weeks and one at 13 (currently 19 weeks) after my last bleed I slowly stopped taking my pills in fear it was causing the bleeds. It has been about 5 weeks since I stopped but my question is can I start back on them? Or do I need to get my levels checked first in case I need a different dose? I know I shouldn’t have stopped but I’m worried now if I start back up it will harm baby even though I was told it was safe to take while pregnant.
Rachel Hill
September 1, 2018 at 8:42 pmHi Kim, stopping taking your thyroid medication will expose you to a lot of risks and whilst pregnant, even more risks. And risks to your unborn child. Does your doctor know you’ve stopped your meds and are they monitoring you closely? You can (and I recommend) starting straight back on your previous dose. You don’t need to build them back up.
Nitasha
August 30, 2018 at 11:00 amHi i was diagnosed with Hypothyroidsim in 1996 at the age of 19. i was on medicatiion for a while & i was told that it would be lifelong. Its been more that 15 years that i stopped the medication but continued to do regular blood checks every year. This has come back normal & with range every single time. My doctors advise was not to interfere with it. My concern is now I am 41& am having a whole lot of symptoms of fatigue, restlessness, severe joint & muscle pain, tiredness & the list goes on… I been to my GP again & she done a full blood count as well as checked my Tsh levels & its all come back normal. Im very confused about this.
Rachel Hill
August 30, 2018 at 11:13 amHi, have you checked that your levels are optimal as opposed to just ‘normal’ or ‘in range’? It can make a whole load of difference.
Hassina Mohammad
August 27, 2018 at 4:50 amI have been taking recently the Synthroid med now for tthree months my dr checked my thyroid level and she said im supposee to take 50mg on weekends and 75mg on weekdays im just curious if that actually helps i have been losing alot of hair im worried about my hair i have long beautiful hair any suggestions plz thank u
Rachel Hill
August 27, 2018 at 9:56 amHi Hassina, have you checked out this article? https://www.theinvisiblehypothyroidism.com/2016/12/06/hair-loss-and-hypothyroidism/
Sacha
August 8, 2018 at 10:01 pmHello, I’ve been on a very low dose of levothyroxine for about 2 years…last week my hair fell out, yes, I now have a number hair cut after losing all of mmmy shoulder length curls…had bloods done and my levels are low so my dose has been upped..and have to go back in 3 months..my doctor is lovely but I really don’t understand why all my hair fell out, in a way it was good because I wouldn’t of been due too have my levels checked for a couple of months, so they obviously did a different test as not long had one…but why all of a sudden did it all fall out..doc just said, it can happen…but why.. I really a.m. confused…Sacha uk
Rachel Hill
August 9, 2018 at 5:47 amThere could be many reasons behind hair loss when you have Hypothyroidism. I’ve covered them all here – https://www.theinvisiblehypothyroidism.com/2016/12/06/hair-loss-and-hypothyroidism/
Michi
July 21, 2018 at 12:26 pmHi!
Looking for some advice love.
I’ve been diagnosed with hypothyroidism since I was 13 but have been in and off taken the meds since then. I now haven’t had my period for three months… you reckon if I start taking my meds properly I’ll go back to normal?
Cheers love ❤️
Rachel Hill
July 25, 2018 at 11:31 amHi Michi, Usually once your body needs thyroid hormone replacement, it needs it for life. Hypothyroidism can affect your periods hugely. Please get a FULL thyroid panel tested ASAP.
Jane
July 17, 2018 at 5:11 pmI seem to suffer with all those items which you listed above even whilst medicated on Levothyroxine… Double edged sword much! Just goes to show if one is only treated with T4 then a large portion of patients within the UK are just using up precious overworked/underpaid NHS resources with endless appointments and getting other ‘band aid’ drugs prescribed to them (probably to mess the patient up even more that they’ll require more appointments, eventually surgery, more expensive drugs vicious cycle) – When there is a dispute about the NHS NOT allowing T3 to be prescribed (because “it’s too expensive, not within the NHS budgets blah-blah-blah”, surely the NHS would SAVE on all those endless doctor’s appointments, hospital stays/surgeries, and additional prescriptions… Oh sorry I forgot, greed, greed, greed! – The big Pharmaceutical companies want to make their money in whichever possible, (keep everyone in sick mode and let money make the world go round) Big Pharma has held the NHS at ‘ransom’ for “expensive” T3 for years, only getting addressed in the House of Lords now in 2018!! Still all so very vague and unsatisfactory… Disappointing. ~Tired. How is it that combination T3 and T4 Liothyronine costs about 52p per box when purchasing it without a prescription in Europe? Why did the UK get such a bum deal? Sick and Tired of being the Thyroid hostage in a Body that will not function properly, depressedANDstressed.com
Rachel Hill
July 17, 2018 at 5:30 pmHi Jane – I have the exact same argument myself! If the pharmaceutical companies weren’t so greedy, then the NHS would stand to save money by having thyroid patients on T3 containing medicine because like you say, we wouldn’t need so many other medications, appointments etc. that being inadequately treated on T4 only meds does. All the while more and more thyroid patients get more and more sick. But we’re told we’re adequately treated as we’re sent on our way with the hundredth prescription in hand!
Val
August 7, 2018 at 8:55 amWell said. Fed up with the whole Endo lot, and their excuses. I cannot work in my condition, and I have side effects that nobody seems to put together. I feel nauseous, weak and foggy most of the time, plus skin allergies. The UK won’t allow NDT either.
Rachel Hill
August 7, 2018 at 8:59 amHi Val, NDT is available for prescription in the UK on a named patient basis. The problem is that most doctors don’t know how to use it.
Laura
May 17, 2018 at 10:14 pmGreat article! I was successful at quitting my thyroid medication by healing my leaky gut. I have been chronicling my journey on my blog if you are interested in figuring out you you can read http://storyofmyhealth.com/index.php/2018/05/17/quit-thyroid-medication/
Safa
May 16, 2018 at 7:16 pmIm 16 years old and I was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I started taking the meds about a month ago and iron along with it. in this time period i didnt get my period but once i finished both i wasnt on anything for about a week, and i got my period. before this the last time i had gotten my period was about two months ago.
eric
April 20, 2018 at 7:55 pmI just got off the phone with a nurse for the physicians assistant I’ve been going to since last June.
I had another blood test last Friday. She has decided that since my thyroid tests are within normal levels at 150 mcg of levothyroxine per day, I no longer need to take thyroid medication at all!
I think that it is time to shop for a new doctor. I’m going to call the insurance company first to see if I can at least get a refill until I can see another doctor. My current prescription ran out this morning.
eric
May 8, 2019 at 7:48 pmI just realized that I hadn’t updated this.
It turned out that what happened was that the physicians assistant wrote down to continue as before and one of the medical assistants somehow interpreted that to mean that I was to stop taking the thyroid medication.
I got a call back that afternoon about 5:10. Since the pharmacy closes at 5:30 and isn’t open at all on Saturdays and Sundays, they hurriedly called the pharmacy with the new prescription. I called the pharmacy and told them that I was on my way (it’s 15 miles away). One of the employees of the pharmacy stayed after closing so that I could pick up the prescription. I got there about 5 minutes after their closing time.
Shampa roy
February 24, 2018 at 7:50 amHi I’m 29 year old and Im thyroid patient. recently I stop my thyroid med approx 1 month 13 days due to not available my med here. But problem is that this month my period not came. my previous period date is 23rd jan 2018. This month till now not come my period.is dat any worried to not taking med? Pl help. why my period not coming n when I expect my period pl suggest.
Rachel Hill
February 26, 2018 at 6:00 pmHi Shampa,
As thyroid medication is crucial to every cell and function of the body, you cannot be without it. Many functions will begin shutting down such as your periods, so this is a big warning sign. Can you see another doctor/chemist/pharmacy to source your medication?