Hypothyroidism

Prevention

There is no way to prevent hypothyroidism.

Treatment

Hypothyroidism is treated with replacement doses of thyroid hormones. Synthetic forms of these hormones are used, including levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl and other brand names), liothyronine (Cytomel) or liotrix (Thyrolar).

Anyone taking thyroid medication has to have a blood test periodically to make sure the dose he or she is taking is maintaining the right levels of thyroid hormones in the body. It is especially important for people with hypothyroidism to be monitored during pregnancy, because the need for thyroid hormone may go up. Also some foods and medications can lower the amount of active thyroid hormone available to the body's cells. For example, iron can interfere with the absorption of thyroid medication inside the intestine and oral estrogen tends to increase the binding of circulating thyroid to proteins in the blood, so less free thyroid hormone is available to the body's cells.