THYROID HORMONE REPLACEMENT

Hypothyroidism is a very common medical condition, that unfortunately is sometimes inadequately treated because T3 levels are not commonly measured and therefore neglected to be recognized as low and furthermore ignored for treatment. Levothyroxine (T4) has been for decades the mainstay of therapy and should continue to be considered the preferred therapy. However, levothyroxine alone sometimes cannot achieve total normalization of thyroid blood work or resolution of symptoms and in certain cases it should be supplemented with liothyronine (T3) for better results. I probably recommend combination therapy with levothyroxine and liothyronine in over 30% of the patients that I treat for hypothyroidism. The addition of liothyronine can be a fundamental aspect in therapy that can improve symptoms of hypothyroidism and completely normalize thyroid blood work to true normal levels. We will always monitor not only your TSH to determine adequacy of response to therapy, but we will always also monitor your Free T3 and Free T4 levels to fully document optimal response to therapy.