Did you know that thyroid medication is one of the most widely prescribed medications in the entire world? But the data is telling us that most people do not need to be on it.
In this article, I want to help you understand if you should quit your thyroid medications. But, most importantly, I want to tell you how to do it safely!
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What Does Quitting Thyroid Medication Look Like?
Why Quit Your Thyroid Medication?
Are You Taking Too Much Thyroid Medication?
Who Can Quit Thyroid Medication Completely?
How Is Quitting Thyroid Medication Even Possible?
The Risks of Thyroid Medication
Typical Responses to Quitting Thyroid Medication
Quitting Thyroid Medication: What Can Help Your Odds?
Take The Next Steps Today
Let’s talk about what I mean when I use a word like “quitting” your thyroid medication. For many folks, it means exactly that, they could go without their thyroid medication and be completely fine. They can reach a point where they can take none and feel just fine.
For others, it means taking no more thyroid medication than needed. Tapering your thyroid medication to a place where you are feeling your best, without the risks of overdoing it and taking too much. It’s a process, but a good one!
Over the years, I have guided thousands of people through this process. Sometimes, as their prescriber, but other times as a guide for them and their prescriber.
Of course, they were all good candidates going into the process – which is something I’ll help you determine today. While many have not been able to reduce their medication as much as they had originally hoped, none of them have regretted anything.
In most cases, this is a pretty cut-and-dry response. I have heard this so much over the years, and for quite some time I didn’t think it was possible. I found that personally frustrating because I knew just how many people didn’t want to have to take their medication.
Here are some of the top reasons I’ve heard from people looking to quit their thyroid medication:
The fact is that it’s not all or nothing. If someone is able to reduce their dosage, they can still see partial benefits from any of the above. They can have more freedom, fewer symptoms, and lower overall risk because their body is better able to regulate itself.
If you are thinking about whether or not to quit or taper your thyroid medication, that is a conversation best had with a medical professional. You need someone alongside you to consult and guide you in the process. That is critical.
That said, here are a couple of instances where dose reductions are best avoided:
Even in these cases, though, it is still best to take no more medication than absolutely necessary.
If you’re thinking of quitting, that typically comes from a place of feeling like you are taking too much. So, how can we hone in and figure out if we’re getting too much? Here are a couple of ways to know for sure:
If your dose is far higher than expected, then you should definitely fix something. You might be taking your medication with things that block its absorption, your digestive system isn’t working properly, or your medication has ingredients that don’t work with your body.
As it happens, most people! Studies show that 84% of people can take less thyroid medication and do just fine. They feel just as good, or better, and their thyroid levels remain healthy.
That’s already a pretty good number, but your odds climb higher for two reasons:
Key Insight: If you are someone who has never had severe hypothyroidism, and you are doing all the right things to help your thyroid, your odds of success stand at over 84%.
The same studies mentioned above showed that about half of those who could reduce their dose, could also come off it completely.
They felt fine, and their thyroid levels stayed normal – with no medication required. If you’re curious about these studies and their details, I wrote about them in detail in this blog.
But here’s the thing: Most people who were put on thyroid medication did not have severe hypothyroidism. They were often given medication because:
All of these things are real issues that warrant treatment. Unfortunately, none of them are reasons to need medication on a long-term basis.
Key Insight: If you were given thyroid meds for one of the above reasons, your odds of being able to come off are even higher than average.
The truth is that thyroid disease often gets better on its own. Up to 40% of those with abnormal thyroid levels get normal results if they do nothing more than wait and retest in a couple of months. Over more extended periods, the odds of improvement are even better.
However, medications keep your TSH low. If it is too low, the thyroid won’t have a chance to heal. This is true even when it otherwise would.
Another important factor is that tapering thyroid medication can be therapeutic. Imagine that your thyroid was wearing a cast while on medication—it never had to work as hard and got to rest and heal. When the cast comes off, there will naturally be an adjustment period, but it will eventually get back to normal (just like a broken leg or arm).
Assuming that you are a candidate to quit your thyroid medication, the main negative to consider is that you may not feel well during the process.
As you lower your dose, your thyroid will gradually produce more hormones, but you may also experience a sort of lag. If you reduce the medication before your body has a chance to make more, you may also experience some hypothyroid symptoms.
The most common symptom is fatigue. Some folks also notice constipation or brain fog. Others may witness the same symptoms they had when starting medication.
Interestingly enough, the typical experience is that not only do these symptoms diminish as they taper off, but they often get better than they were while on medication.
Let’s consider an example: Jane was tired before going on thyroid meds. Her energy level was 5 /10. Medication brought it up to a 7 or 8. Before thyroid disease, she was always at 9 or 10.
While tapering her medication, her energy dropped to 4 or 5. After coming off medication, though,, she was back up to 9 or 10.
Does that seem unexpected? What happens in cases like Jane’s is that the medication helped somewhat, but it did not work as well as her own thyroid. The taper process can jumpstart the thyroid to work again on its own.
I’ll talk a bit later on about typical deprescribing protocols, but the fastest rate from start to finish is about two months. No rate is too slow – you can take all the necessary time.
Whether you like to take a bandage off quickly or slowly. In other words, would you rather have minor symptoms for a long time or more symptoms for less duration?
The fact is that no one can answer that for you.
I have seen some people lower their dose by tiny amounts and never seem to go further. But they do fine when they lower their dose by more significant amounts. Sometimes, a bigger jump works better for you, but it depends on you.
Sometimes, our thyroid needs a “louder alarm clock” to wake up. What happens is the TSH gets high as you reduce medication. That’s how your body gets your thyroid back in gear.
If it does not get high enough, your thyroid might not be stimulated back into action. If the reduction is not significant enough, the TSH may not elevate. This is something important for you to consider.
Studies run on deprescribing find that the experience can be broken down into thirds:
You will want to understand this with your prescribing doctor or a knowledgeable guide. Ideally, you would talk to a professional in endocrinology at the halfway mark and near the end of your taper. They can help you make sense of your symptoms and talk them through with you.
Key Insight: Those who do begin a taper should be permitted to stop tapering or reverse the taper at any time. Sometimes, symptoms arise when you don’t have access to your doctor.
Here’s something especially important: The success of your taper should not hinge on TSH tests. This is true at least until several months have passed. Why? Because your TSH will elevate and kick your thyroid back into gear.
Here is the most common problem. A well-intended doctor has a patient’s TSH measured near the end or shortly after their taper. If you know what to expect and you get a full thyroid panel, including T4 and T3, there is nothing wrong with testing.
But if you don’t know what to expect, you might freak out about an elevated TSH. This can lead to improper decision-making, which is why an experienced guide helps.
The more good you do for your thyroid, the more likely it is to respond properly. Your body will make a healthy TSH spike, your thyroid will hear it, and you will make many new thyroid cells.
What is most likely to help? Here are the top steps in order:
Let me give you a breakdown of each, in order…
Thyroid disease is based on genetics, gender, age, and iodine. Do you notice how many of those you can actively change? Staying at a low but reasonable level of iodine is especially important for those on thyroid medication.
Ultimately, thyroid meds contain iodine and a lot of it. So does your average diet – even if you’re already working to minimize iodine.
When you get more than your body can tolerate, it drives autoimmunity and puts a parking brake on your thyroid. Once you dial in your iodine, your thyroid has the best chance to heal.
Key Insight: I wrote an entire book dedicated to this concept and how massively important it can be to your health. I’d love for you to check out the Thyroid Reset Diet today.
If you can lose a few pounds, it will help the process. The truth is that low thyroid levels cause weight gain, and weight gain causes low thyroid levels – it’s a vicious cycle that we need to learn how to break.
Additionally, extra weight creates inflammation that hurts the thyroid and blocks your body from entirely using its hormones.
Key Insight: The Metabolism Reset Diet can be a great place to start. It can help you get to the bottom of how your metabolism works and make weight loss a priority again.
Think of supplements in one of two camps: The ones you should avoid and the ones to get. You should start by avoiding any that are:
Key Insight: I have spent years reviewing all the medical literature on which supplements can help thyroid function in the best ways possible. I used this data to make the Thyroid Specific Formulations products from scratch.
The best supplements, as part of Thyroid Specific Formulations, which help the tapering process include the following:
I often recommend antibody support while tapering, even if you don’t have positive thyroid antibodies. Half of those with thyroid autoimmunity don’t have positive antibodies. Antibody Support lowers thyroid inflammation and helps the thyroid work again.
You probably know your thyroid and adrenals are connected. Well, not literally, but they are essential to each other. If your adrenal health is terrible, you should get it back before deprescribing.
Key Insight: Your adrenals can be a big needle mover for your thyroid and your overall health. I also wrote the Adrenal Reset Diet with this very much in mind.
Hormone replacement has a place and natural forms carry low (not zero) risk and can help most women with many menopausal symptoms. Yet they are not meant to be used long term.
Even natural hormones block the thyroid to some extent. If you no longer need hormones, quitting them will immediately help your thyroid work better.
If you are on thyroid medication, please consider how you might go about quitting medication for the benefit of your health. There is a good chance you would feel better with less medication (or none) and have fewer long-term risks. If you’re a candidate, you won’t know unless you try.
Overall, you will still want the blessing of your prescriber and the guidance of someone who has helped others through the process.
In my own work, I have trained hundreds of naturopathic doctors in the process. Look for one in your area and see if they have taken my training on deprescribing. Even better if you can find a Naturopathic Endocrinologist.
Occasionally, my calendar will open up for consultations and I would be glad to help. You can learn more by clicking here: www.scheduledrc.com.
P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:
Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Hormone Healing Cookbook, The Metabolism Reset Diet, and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what works has helped hundreds of thousands reverse thyroid disease, heal their adrenals, and lose weight naturally. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.
