I recently received a question from a reader that I would love to share with you. It has to do with reducing and coming off thyroid medications, and I what action steps you should consider.
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Question: Coming Off Thyroid Medications
“My question is do you in any way advise that Hashimoto’s people come off or wean off their thyroid extract as they heal and feel better?
This is something that I always feel afraid to do but it seems a double-edged sword as I am also concerned my thyroid gland may atrophy due to being on hormone support for so long.
I would really appreciate your advice on these questions!
Many thanks,
Stacey”
Breaking Down The Science
This is a great question, and one that comes up quite a bit.
The idea of being forced to take a pill for the rest of one’s life could certainly be seen as a loss of freedom.
Roughly 25% of people with Hypothyroidism from Hashimoto’s typically have the condition reversed due to sheer luck. 20 to 30% tend to have their thyroid gland end up destroyed and left unable to make much of any hormone at all.
The remaining, roughly half the people, with Hashimoto’s end with their gland slow long-term but not completely stopped.
Those numbers come from studies tracking people who take new special steps to improve their situation. It is entirely possible that the odds are even better for those who avoid iodine, stay caught up on sleep, use desiccated thyroid, get enough selenium and Vitamin D, and minimize processed foods.
A Program Designed For Your Thyroid
I put together The Thyroid Program for those who would like more details on strategies like these that can help your thyroid work by itself again. You can learn about it HERE.
What You Can Do
The more hormones your thyroid makes currently, the better its chances are to make more in the future.
One way you can know how much hormone your thyroid is making is by comparing your medication dosage to your body’s total needs.
The average woman who had her thyroid removed WILL require about 1.5 to 2.0 grains desiccated thyroid to have stable levels. This is roughly the same as 150 to 200 µg of a T4 medicine like Synthroid.
If you are taking one half of a grain and your thyroid levels are stable, this means that your thyroid is still making about 2/3 to 3/4 of what your body needs by itself. On the other hand, if you need two grains to be stable, your thyroid is not likely making much by itself.
What About Decreasing Medications?
I do recommend decreasing your thyroid medicine if your thyroid shows signs of getting stronger.
But, how do you know when this is happening? You would have stable blood levels on a dose and over time start seeing signs on future tests that the dose is now more than you need.
Your blood levels show a combination of thyroid hormone from medication you take and from what your body makes by itself.
If the total amount goes up but the medication did not change, then that means your gland is getting stronger and it is time to decrease the dosage.
Start With Your Health Today
If you lower your dose before your gland is ready, your TSH will elevate and it will put even more pressure on your gland to work harder which will lower its odds of getting healthy again.
If you’re curious about the status of your thyroid, I’d love to share the perfect first step. That’s taking the Thyroid Quiz (Click Here: Take The Thyroid Quiz Today).
Resources
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3 – Reed BD, Harlow SD, Sen A, et al. Prevalence and demographic characteristics of vulvodynia in a population-based sample. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2012;206:170.1–9.
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5 – Nickel JC, Tripp D, Teal V, et al. Sexual function is a determinant of poor quality of life for women with treatment refractory interstitial cystitis. J Urol. 2007;177(5):1832–1836.
6 – Gerrits MM, van Oppen P, van Marijk HW,et al. Pain and the onset of depressive and anxiety disorders. Pain. 2014;155:53–59
7 – Pacik PT, Understanding and Treating Vaginismus: A Multiimodal Approach. Int Urogynecol J. 2014 Dec;25(12):1613-20. doi: 10.1007/s00192-014-2421-y. Epub 2014 Jun 4.
8 – Doing Harm, Maya Dusenbery. New York: Harper Collins, 2018.
9 – Paulson JD, Delgado M. Chronic pelvic pain: The occurrence of interstitial cystitis in a gynecological population. Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. 2005;9(4):426–430.Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3015651/?tool=pubmed.
10. Gray’s Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice, 41e by Susan Standring PhD
11. Kavvadias T, Baessler K, Schuessler B. Pelvic pain in urogynaecology. Part I: evaluation, definitions and diagnoses. International Urogynecology Journal. 2011;22(4):385–393. doi: 10.1007/s00192-010-1218-x. [PubMed]
12. Crisp CD, Hastings-Tolsma M, Jonscher KR. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for military women with chronic pelvic pain: a feasibility study. Mil Med. 2016;181(9):982-989. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00354
13. van der Kolk BA, Stone L, West J, et al. Yoga as an adjunctive treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Psychiatry. 2014; 75(6):e559-65. doi:10.4088/JCP.13m08561
14. CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain — United States, 2016 Recommendations and Reports / March 18, 2016 / 65(1);1–49
15. NIH State-of-the-Science Conference: Prevention of Fecal and Urinary
Incontinence in Adults December 10-12, 2007 Bethesda, Maryland
16. Goldfinger C, Pukall CF, Thibault-Gagnon S, et al. Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and physical therapy for provoked vestibulodynia: a randomized pilot study. J Sex Med. 2016; 13(1):88-94. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2015.12.003
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Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.