Hypothyroidism, also known as underactive thyroid, is a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. These hormones, primarily T3 and T4, are responsible for regulating a number of bodily activities, including your metabolism, heart rate, metabolic rate, and more. Therefore, having a properly functioning thyroid is essential if you want to live a long and healthy life.
In most cases, hypothyroidism is the result of an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks itself. In this case, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland and keeps it from producing adequate amounts of hormones. Hypothyroidism can also happen as a response to treatment for hyperthyroidism, which is when the thyroid gland is overactive.
Regardless of what caused your hypothyroidism, it is a serious condition that must be treated. Luckily, there are several treatment options available that can help you manage your condition and live a mostly normal life. However, treatment is often lifelong as the thyroid gland rarely, if ever, repairs itself. Additionally, treatments are designed to manage hypothyroidism and not to cure it.
A medication known as levothyroxine is the most common and effective treatment for hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine is a hormone medication that increases the amount of T3 and T4 hormones in your body, which are the hormones that your underactive thyroid is failing to produce.
It is important to note that levothyroxine does not repair the thyroid or help it produce more hormones. Instead, its job is to add more hormones to your body on its own. This treatment is often referred to as hormone replacement therapy, and it is a lifelong treatment. Levothyroxine is an oral medication that is taken in the form of a pill.
If you start hormone replacement therapy with levothyroxine, it is important that you manage your condition properly. The amount of levothyroxine you need may change during your lifetime, and it is dangerous to take too much or too little. Therefore, you will likely require ongoing medical checkups with your doctor to ensure you are taking the right amount.
While levothyroxine is the best treatment for hypothyroidism, it is not without its side effects. The biggest risk of the medication is that it will introduce too many hormones into your system, resulting in hyperthyroidism. Levothyroxine can also cause headaches, tremors, sweatiness, skin rash, fever, and other physical symptoms.
Unfortunately, levothyroxine is currently the only approved treatment for hypothyroidism. There are no medications or treatments that can repair the thyroid gland or cause it to produce more hormones. You also cannot surgically repair the thyroid gland, as damage is permanent.
While hypothyroidism may not seem like a big deal at first, it can rapidly progress in seriousness. Hypothyroidism can slow down your metabolism and cause a decrease in appetite, increased weight gain, depression, a lack of energy, slow heart rate, and more. Therefore, it is essential that you see a doctor and receive a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. That way, they can start you on levothyroxine and figure out what dosage you need to keep your body functioning.