Hypothyroid Medication

Hypothyroidism is the condition in which the thyroid gland located in the neck is producing insufficient thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is needed for body metabolism, such as breaking down of food into energy. When you are suffering from this disorder, you may experience some symptoms which include constipation, depression, weight gain, muscle fatigue, dry skin, low sex drive and heavy menstrual period. It is important to consult your doctor for treatment when you notice any of these symptoms. Treatment should start immediately once you are diagnosed, because it can develop into a more serious health problem if left untreated.

There are various hypothyroid medications to control the disorder depending on the types and severity of the problem. The main function of these medications is to supply the body with sufficient thyroid hormones needed to function properly. They are generally available in form of synthetic hormone pills, tablets or powdered form.

The followings are the main hypothyroid medications:

Levothyroxine Sodium (Levothyroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid, Unithroid)
This is a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, thyroxine or T4. These hormones are effective in maintaining proper thyroid level needed in the body. It is recommended that you take a tablet a day. You can experience changes to your thyroid function in a couple of weeks once you start taking the tablets. This medication is the most widely prescribed by doctors to hypothyroid patients.

Thyrolar

This contains both hormones thyroxine, T4 and triiodothyronine, T3. This medication is not generally prescribed by doctors. It is required only for patients in which T4 medication is not capable of relieving them of the symptoms.

Desiccated hormones 

These are also called natural hormones. They are available in dried and powdered form, like Armor thyroid hormone, made from pig or cow thyroid tissues. This hypothyroid medication is not generally recommended because the amount of hormone in them cannot be evaluated. It is difficult to regulate thyroid hormone level of patients taking these natural hormones.

It is very important that you take your medications daily as prescribed by your doctor. Do not stop your hypothyroid medication without your doctor's advice. If you stop, your thyroid hormone level will fall again and you will start to experience the associated symptoms.

Like any other medications, if hypothyroid medications are not properly administered they can lead to adverse side effects. These include joint pain, fever, insomnia and nervousness. Similarly, these medications can react with other medications and foods that you eat. You must avoid eating foods containing iron and calcium as they can react with synthetic hormones.

Therefore, it is important to have a diet plan in order to avoid taking any food which can interact with the synthetic hormone and inhibits its effectiveness. There is a program which elaborates on appropriate diet combination and other Natural Remedies For Hypothyroidism which can guide you on how best to control your thyroid.

To learn more about this program visit http://www.squidoo.com/natural-remedies-for-hypothyroidism.

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