I was very interested to learn how to wean off Levothyroxine. However, I was most surprised to hear you saying that iodine should be reduced, are you able to cite the studies you referred to? Dr Brownstein’s iodine protocol clearly states that the thyroid needs iodine and if there are insufficient levels in the body, then the thyroid cannot make the necessary thyroid hormones. He goes on to state that the current RDA for iodine is woefully inadequate. I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on this please.
Be careful, because there are those of us who cannot stop taking this medication. I tried once, and my levels went to 0. I nearly went into coma. My hair was falling out by the handfuls, my body ached, and I had severe depression and anxiety. Listen to your body!
Did you have mucins accumulated in your body? I have a thick layer of them in my legs; especially my thighs; so discouraged! I was a distance runner competing at the elite level before I went into this hypothyroid state.😢 How are you doing now? Hope you are well unlike myself.🙏🏼
Thank you for this! I've been wanting to get off my NP thyroid medication for a long time. Both my parents were on medication. I feel like my thyroid didn't get a fair chance. I was put on meds without being given the opportunity to look at natural solutions first. Maybe I need more selenium or more iodine? Nobody talked to me about that. I will have a talk with my doctor!
I feel the same way. We need to know how to heal our thyroid...not just take medications. I've been trying to find the answer. I'm sure thyroid problems are connected somehow to nutrition. I also think thyroid issues can be caused by other medications for other conditions.
I am so depressed! My hair is falling out and I've gained ten pounds! I tried taking one every other day but then I ended up being terribly depressed so I have went back, just this week, to taking one every day! I'm still terribly depressed but hopefully by end of week I'll be better!
What a lot of very great info. THANK YOU SO MUCH 😊 Wish the danish doctors just knew a fraction of what ypu here present. The danish doctors works under agreements made - maybe 20 yesrs ago, between the danish doctors and the danish endocrinology society. Not even being interested or taking tests of the T3 etc etc.
What if you have been taking 45 mcg of Armour Thyroid? My doctor doesn’t think that I won’t feel well if I ween myself off.. I was having palpitations at night so I just started taking my 30 mcg… should I take it slower? I have been on meds for a very long time. Also I have been sleeping much better since I lowered the dose.. Thanks so much! I’m a new subscriber
Not me. I’m carnivore and feel terrible without thyroid hormone.. slow and not myself mentally. I eat raw liver, so I’m receiving a lot of necessary vitamins and I still need thyroid hormone.
Hi Dr. Alan, you said coming off med is not possible in which sense? I am taking since last 5 years and always my TSH is higher when I do blood test. So far this med hasn't lowered my TSH level yet then what is the sense to keep taking this med. When I read about this med there are many side effects and especially heart disease and bone thining. I don't care I am going to reduce it gradually which I am doing every 2nd day and after month and half quit taking it. I think most of the problems people are having because of this med side effects and still not benefited lots of people. I will take the chance and will see what will happen.
@@DrChristianson sorry about that I must have misunderstood. Yeah, I am going to come off the med and see because it is not benefitting me but would cause other problems in future. Thank you for reply.
Hi Dr. Christianson, I asked my doctor to stop taking levothyroxine 88mcg (after 12 years) and she said since it was a low dose to just stay on it. So a few weeks ago I watched Dr. Child's video on how to taper 25% every 2 weeks. That's what I've done and I feel okay, but my blood pressure is elevated to 150s/90s, but my pulse is in the 60s. I read it could affect BP. I decided to take iodine 2% Lugols 2 drops daily and selenium. Do you think this is a good course of action? I do have my thyroid and take no other drugs and have no other comorbities. Thank you for any advice.
I have had Hashimoto’s for 31 years and have tried stopping it. I really need a diet guide while I ween off my medication. I’m sure it will be a while before I can stop it completely, but maybe I’ll be able to loose weight. Every since they put me on medication I’ve gained weight. 😢
I started 50mcg from 2016. It was all good until end of 2021 after having 2 vaccines for Covid19. I became.very sensitive to temperature and food and have frequent heart pain. After taking some nutional yeast together with cod liver oil, my heart rate could jump to 95 from 45. My normal heart rate is 65. I have done a whole package of test on thyroid recently and found my TRAB(ATSHR) test is much higher 6.56 than the normal range 0-1.75. Does it mean I have hyperthyroidism as well? I have already reduced my dosage to 25mcg since I have listened to your book last Feb because of having irregular heart rate. My TSH is 1.31. All my other tests are fine except my TPO is a little bit high. Can I totally stop levothyroxine or reduce to 12.5mcg? The size of my thyroid has almost come back to normal after doing exercise. Thank you Dr Christianson.
I tried to stopped thyroid med and while my TSH and TPO antibodies went down I was feeling cold all the time, having lots of palpitations and struggling with low blood pressure so I had to go back to the original dosis :-)
Hi Conny - its good to do this with guidance of a deprescriber. They can help make sense of symptoms and see if there are other factors worsening symptoms.
@@DrChristianson thank you. I did, my naturopath doctor was helping me and decided that I should go back to full dosis 🥲 and to be honest, I hate to have those bad symptoms:-( so maybe it’s not the right time since having low blood pressure and dizziness is a serious issue:-(
Dr starts medicine just looking Tsh and not thyroid health and not finding cause then hooked to it body stop working . Do not go to doctor take holistic
The first question is if you need thyroid meds. Your thyroid was removed or you have overt hypothyroidism meds are necessary. If your levels are normal but not optimal or you have sub, clinical hypothyroidism, they are rarely the best choice.
@sarahgrooms5606 Don't want to interfere, but I had severe fatty liver and pancreas. Did keto and intermittent fasting 18/6. Now, no sign of any fat. Also lost 50kgs (110 pounds).
Hello doctor, I am a patient who suffers from subclinical hyperthyroidism , my tsh was super low but my other levels where ok,so my doctor started with 10 mg of methimazole and little after that was lowered to 5mg. My endo followed this for 18 months. On October she stopped the treatment saying she wanted to see if my body responded by it self since I stabilized really fast with this treatment. I felt a little sick after leaving the meds but soon started to take lemon balm and motherworth in a form of tincture. Still have some mild symptoms but I feel way better then when I was taking medication. I don’t know if I’m taking the best path but I feel pretty well. Waiting to do some blood work . Hope this helps someone.
Please know that the Thyroid Reset Diet makes the hyperthyroid journey easier. Methimazole works by blocking iodine uptake. The thyroid reset diet helps by making less iodine available.
Possibly and it’s likely to occur if you aren’t eating healthy-i.e., high quality meat, no dairy, no soy, no sugar, no grains, nothing processed. You have to change your lifestyle and even then, you may still need thyroid hormone.
You are spreading dangerous information to vulnerable people who need thyroid hormone. Eat well first, then make sure you are on the correct thyroid hormone-because this does matter. No one should suffer without thyroid medication if it’s needed! Now, many do terribly on T4 only medications, so it’s necessary to add some T3 to the prescribed dose.. if your wife was overweight and needed thyroid hormone, I’m sure you would encourage her to take it if diet didn’t heal her!
Many people do need thyroid hormone, but most doctors prescribe it in situations in which it is not required or helpful. Here is a good blog from Yale University talking about the same problem I did: medicine.yale.edu/news-article/21-million-americans-may-take-a-hypothyroidism-drug-they-dont-need/
I need to come off asap, ive developed tinnitus on t3 only, its driving me crazy
I was very interested to learn how to wean off Levothyroxine. However, I was most surprised to hear you saying that iodine should be reduced, are you able to cite the studies you referred to? Dr Brownstein’s iodine protocol clearly states that the thyroid needs iodine and if there are insufficient levels in the body, then the thyroid cannot make the necessary thyroid hormones. He goes on to state that the current RDA for iodine is woefully inadequate. I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on this please.
Be careful, because there are those of us who cannot stop taking this medication. I tried once, and my levels went to 0. I nearly went into coma. My hair was falling out by the handfuls, my body ached, and I had severe depression and anxiety. Listen to your body!
Yes, not everyone can or should deprescribe. Anyone who does should do so under a doctor's supervision.
Did you have mucins accumulated in your body? I have a thick layer of them in my legs; especially my thighs; so discouraged! I was a distance runner competing at the elite level before I went into this hypothyroid state.😢 How are you doing now? Hope you are well unlike myself.🙏🏼
Thank you for this! I've been wanting to get off my NP thyroid medication for a long time. Both my parents were on medication. I feel like my thyroid didn't get a fair chance. I was put on meds without being given the opportunity to look at natural solutions first. Maybe I need more selenium or more iodine? Nobody talked to me about that. I will have a talk with my doctor!
I feel the same way. We need to know how to heal our thyroid...not just take medications. I've been trying to find the answer. I'm sure thyroid problems are connected somehow to nutrition. I also think thyroid issues can be caused by other medications for other conditions.
I am so depressed! My hair is falling out and I've gained ten pounds! I tried taking one every other day but then I ended up being terribly depressed so I have went back, just this week, to taking one every day! I'm still terribly depressed but hopefully by end of week I'll be better!
What a lot of very great info.
THANK YOU SO MUCH 😊
Wish the danish doctors just knew a fraction of what ypu here present.
The danish doctors works under agreements made - maybe 20 yesrs ago, between the danish doctors and the danish endocrinology society.
Not even being interested or taking tests of the T3 etc etc.
What if you have been taking 45 mcg of Armour Thyroid? My doctor doesn’t think that I won’t feel well if I ween myself off.. I was having palpitations at night so I just started taking my 30 mcg… should I take it slower? I have been on meds for a very long time. Also I have been sleeping much better since I lowered the dose.. Thanks so much! I’m a new subscriber
Thanks Dr Christianson.
Keto and Carnivore diet help lots with going off thyroid medication...
SAD diet ..( standard America diet)......makes it worse ..
Not me. I’m carnivore and feel terrible without thyroid hormone.. slow and not myself mentally. I eat raw liver, so I’m receiving a lot of necessary vitamins and I still need thyroid hormone.
Yup!! Sad diet causes hypo thyroid amongst many other dis eases
Hi Dr. Alan, you said coming off med is not possible in which sense? I am taking since last 5 years and always my TSH is higher when I do blood test. So far this med hasn't lowered my TSH level yet then what is the sense to keep taking this med. When I read about this med there are many side effects and especially heart disease and bone thining. I don't care I am going to reduce it gradually which I am doing every 2nd day and after month and half quit taking it. I think most of the problems people are having because of this med side effects and still not benefited lots of people. I will take the chance and will see what will happen.
Hi - the point was that many people CAN come off or lower meds. I don't think I said people can't come off.
@@DrChristianson sorry about that I must have misunderstood. Yeah, I am going to come off the med and see because it is not benefitting me but would cause other problems in future. Thank you for reply.
Sever hypothyroidism for 42 years I’ve been on meds. Hashimoto’s
Is it easier for a teen to get out of meds or adults?
Hello Dr C, Could a person with only half a thyroid potentially get off thyroid medication if they have been taking a 88mcg for over 10 years?
Hi - it may be possible.
Hi Dr. Christianson,
I asked my doctor to stop taking levothyroxine 88mcg (after 12 years) and she said since it was a low dose to just stay on it. So a few weeks ago I watched Dr. Child's video on how to taper 25% every 2 weeks. That's what I've done and I feel okay, but my blood pressure is elevated to 150s/90s, but my pulse is in the 60s. I read it could affect BP. I decided to take iodine 2% Lugols 2 drops daily and selenium. Do you think this is a good course of action? I do have my thyroid and take no other drugs and have no other comorbities. Thank you for any advice.
I have had Hashimoto’s for 31 years and have tried stopping it. I really need a diet guide while I ween off my medication. I’m sure it will be a while before I can stop it completely, but maybe I’ll be able to loose weight. Every since they put me on medication I’ve gained weight. 😢
I tried coming off my med and the dose is 25mcg so it’s low but my thyroid disagreed
Did you have a knowledgeable deprescriber to guide the process? There can be a fair amount of details that are not intuitive.
@@DrChristianson no my health care providers aren’t interested in finding solutions, just bandages
I started 50mcg from 2016. It was all good until end of 2021 after having 2 vaccines for Covid19. I became.very sensitive to temperature and food and have frequent heart pain. After taking some nutional yeast together with cod liver oil, my heart rate could jump to 95 from 45. My normal heart rate is 65. I have done a whole package of test on thyroid recently and found my TRAB(ATSHR) test is much higher 6.56 than the normal range 0-1.75. Does it mean I have hyperthyroidism as well? I have already reduced my dosage to 25mcg since I have listened to your book last Feb because of having irregular heart rate. My TSH is 1.31. All my other tests are fine except my TPO is a little bit high. Can I totally stop levothyroxine or reduce to 12.5mcg? The size of my thyroid has almost come back to normal after doing exercise.
Thank you Dr Christianson.
I tried to stopped thyroid med and while my TSH and TPO antibodies went down I was feeling cold all the time, having lots of palpitations and struggling with low blood pressure so I had to go back to the original dosis :-)
Hi Conny - its good to do this with guidance of a deprescriber. They can help make sense of symptoms and see if there are other factors worsening symptoms.
@@DrChristianson thank you. I did, my naturopath doctor was helping me and decided that I should go back to full dosis 🥲 and to be honest, I hate to have those bad symptoms:-( so maybe it’s not the right time since having low blood pressure and dizziness is a serious issue:-(
Dr starts medicine just looking Tsh and not thyroid health and not finding cause then hooked to it body stop working . Do not go to doctor take holistic
I haven't started thyroid rx yet. Is Armour or NP a better choice? I have my 1st appointment tomorrow with the kidney doctor
The first question is if you need thyroid meds. Your thyroid was removed or you have overt hypothyroidism meds are necessary. If your levels are normal but not optimal or you have sub, clinical hypothyroidism, they are rarely the best choice.
@@DrChristianson Thank you!
I have fatty liver deseas and am going to try to come off my medication. What food list do you recommend for me to eat from?
@sarahgrooms5606
Don't want to interfere, but I had severe fatty liver and pancreas. Did keto and intermittent fasting 18/6. Now, no sign of any fat. Also lost 50kgs (110 pounds).
@@lizmegginson1614 low carb? It seems that I loose on low carb but when I do the high carb cycling, I gain a pound.
Hello doctor, I am a patient who suffers from subclinical hyperthyroidism , my tsh was super low but my other levels where ok,so my doctor started with 10 mg of methimazole and little after that was lowered to 5mg. My endo followed this for 18 months. On October she stopped the treatment saying she wanted to see if my body responded by it self since I stabilized really fast with this treatment. I felt a little sick after leaving the meds but soon started to take lemon balm and motherworth in a form of tincture. Still have some mild symptoms but I feel way better then when I was taking medication. I don’t know if I’m taking the best path but I feel pretty well. Waiting to do some blood work . Hope this helps someone.
Please know that the Thyroid Reset Diet makes the hyperthyroid journey easier. Methimazole works by blocking iodine uptake. The thyroid reset diet helps by making less iodine available.
I'm in the same boat but my tsh is good t4 is goof but free t3 is high
If I come off my thyroid medication will may Goiter get bigger will I lose more hair?
Possibly and it’s likely to occur if you aren’t eating healthy-i.e., high quality meat, no dairy, no soy, no sugar, no grains, nothing processed. You have to change your lifestyle and even then, you may still need thyroid hormone.
Can you come off of you have 1 gland ?
😜 P R O M O S M
Thank God I NEVER took the medication 😌
You are spreading dangerous information to vulnerable people who need thyroid hormone. Eat well first, then make sure you are on the correct thyroid hormone-because this does matter. No one should suffer without thyroid medication if it’s needed! Now, many do terribly on T4 only medications, so it’s necessary to add some T3 to the prescribed dose.. if your wife was overweight and needed thyroid hormone, I’m sure you would encourage her to take it if diet didn’t heal her!
Many people do need thyroid hormone, but most doctors prescribe it in situations in which it is not required or helpful. Here is a good blog from Yale University talking about the same problem I did: medicine.yale.edu/news-article/21-million-americans-may-take-a-hypothyroidism-drug-they-dont-need/