How to Quit Taking Thyroid Medication 

I had RAI 131 ablation of the thyroid due to Graves Disease. I was then on full hormone(levothyroxine)replacement for 12yrs. I never felt good while taking levothyroxine, so I titrated off over an 18-month period. Started taking iodine, selenium and zinc and my thyroid started functioning on its own. The so-called ablated thyroid is back on duty. I didn't tell the doctor until I had completed my plan because his attitude was that I would be on levothyroxine for the rest of my life. Giving the body what it needs makes all the difference in the world. 👍🏼

This is great information, and much needed. Thank you Dr C! I am off thyroid hormone thanks to you. I wish more people would get your message.

I love Dr Christianson. Adrenal reset diet changed my life

I’m reading your thyroid reset diet book !!

Thanks Dr for this amazing video. I wish I saw it few months ago. I was feeling awful for more than 1 year, my GP noticed I had too much levothyroxine and my levels were very hypo. I stopped all medication and 3 months later I got diagnosed with Graves. Now Im taking Carbimazole but honestly want to stop. The Endocrinologyst said minimum 1 year on this drug. I want to be free and look after my diet in the moat natural way. I have improved my diet and all my digestive issues and massive inflammation is gone.

Thanks for this, I'm going to look at your book. I've been on levothyroxine for over 35 years, but the dose has been titrated down a couple of times... it was actually my health care provider who suggested yesterday that my current issues (weight loss, diarrhea and heat intolerance) could be too much levothyroxine again. I am eagerly awaiting the blood test results as I've been on an elimination diet because I thought I had yet another food intolerance. What a joy it would be if I didn't need the allergist, the food elimination test and the other tests! And for sure, my diet has just gotten better and better over the 35 years. In fact the past year I have really aided my microbiome, and I wonder if that could have lessened my need for levo? It certainly helped my GI tract up until the past few weeks...

Thank you very much for sharing all that information.

Thank you for sharing your informative video. Precisely which thyroid medications can increase chances of many cancers by up to 50% (2:30)?

Hello Dr Christian I was diagnosed as Hashimoto syndrome with high Anti microsmal Ab and high Antithyroglobulin...I had subclinical hypothyroidism with TSH of 8 and normal T3 and T4 in 2021 after I got covid illness and I started levothyroxine 3 years ago..My symptoms improved a lot after taking it and I started healthier lifestyle by decreasing gluten intake cutting down sugar in my diet and walking in the morning for an hour daily and I also do fitness exercise, weight lifting and resistance bands and I feel way better now most of hypothyroid symptoms disappeared and I've got in shape and even my memory improved..I believe I can tapper my levothyroxine dose but I'm osteopenic dianosed by Dexa and thanx God I don't have a history of fracture. By the way I'm a 42 yrs old female. I 'm afraid if I decreased my dose will it affect my bone density. U know that bone remodelling or bone turn over cycle needs optimum thyroid hormones to work well and build up stronger bones..Do you think I'm still a candidate for tappering my dose?

I am a 76 year old female. Been on lowest dose of Levothyroxine --since 2008-16 years. Because my ash was too high is why I put on Levo I believe. I recently learned that Levo can cause bone loss, anxiety and insomnia! All of which I have! One doctor on RU-vid says Levi contains lactose and I am lactose intolerant. My primary doctor has never told me about any of these side effects and she knows I have bone loss and anxiety and insomnia! I am active-walk an hour a day and I am not overweight and eat healthy. I do not eat dairy- I am a vegan. I read Armour is made from pig’s glands so I don’t want that! I see my doctor for my annual physical and blood draw in September. I’m wondering if I can start taking kelp and selenium and start tapering OFF the Lego and see if my bloodwork shows what my tsh is then? Or should I ask to see an endocrinologist..?

Well I am not so sure about this. I quit taking my medication and my thyroid antibodies went sky high. Then I developed debilitating muscle and tendon pain in my shoulders, hips and knees. It has been 8 months and I am still battling this. I have managed to get the thyroid antibody numbers down quite a bit with the thyroid antibody supplement and have been going to physical therapy. Things have gotten about 75% better but it is still a battle. Doctors and physical therapist are at a loss as to what is causing this, but I really think it was from going off my medication. I had been off my medication for 6 months before this happened.

I had been feeling good for years but hadn't gone to Dr for 8 years. Figured being 59 years old needed to have a Dr asi get older( my old Dr retired) . He tell me I am doing well does a blood test calls and tells me my thyroid level was low and put me on levothyroxine. After a couple months does another blood test now telling me my hemoglobin beads are small and wants me to do an upper and lower GI to see if I am bleeding. Felt like crap since taking thyroid med,he says no you should feel better. Any feed back?

Thank you so much, Dr. Christianson. I have Graves, should I also aim to quit MMI?

I was able to get off levothyroxine after taking it for over 20 years, for about 2 years was fine, my TSH was bwtter than when on meds and was feeling great. I made sure my diet included iodine rich foods. After the 2 years of being med free I got a very bad upper respiratory infection that lasted over two months and during that time I developed thyroiditis, all tests lead to whatever causing the respiratory infection disturbed my thyroid and caused the thyroiditis, went from being normal to Hyper. My doctor said once the thyroiditis resolved on its own my thyroid will go the opposite direction so will be hypo. Sure enough that exactly happened, since I recovered from the thyroiditis my leves were low so I had to go back on med, but I would like to get off the med like I did it before.

I’ve been on 45 milligrams of Armour Thyroid and cut my dose to 30 for the last 2 weeks and feel great! I ve been on Thyroid meds for the last 30 years for hypothyroidism.. should I lower my dosage to 15 or stay on the 30 dosage a little longer… my doctors thinks that I will feel horrible if I ween myself off but I wasn’t sleeping that’s why I started weening off and I was also have heart palpitations.. Thanks so much for your help..

What happens if you have had a ultrasound that showed I had a fair amount of scar tissue on my thyroid? Can I do this?

Ihave been taking methimazole for 1 1/2 month- will It be fine to stop methimazole and just have a the right diet?

4 months

My husband never felt good on thyroid medication. Why take something that doesn't help?

I've been on for 2 yrs, now ive developed tinnitus 😢on t3 only

@DrChristianson, what about if it looks like your gland is becoming inflamed, as we don’t want a goitre to develop, lest it doesn’t ever go back down. We should probably turn back at some point before it gets too advanced? This is what I noticed as I had reduced down to 1/4 of my original dose, then suddenly the gland looked inflamed.

My thyroid antibodies were 740 years sgo and now they are zero, because my dr said it's destroyed now. I have Hashimotos. Why would I stop taking my thyroid hormones if my thyroid doesn't function? I don't understand.

I half cut my np in half and been taking half dose for 8 weeks - fyi my tsh low and my free t4 perfect and my free t4 perfect but both my free t3 and t3are low - so I have conversion from t4 to t3 issue- will this work for me if I taper -

What about if you have low cortisol?

Hello sir my tsh is 1.06, ft3,2.34,f t4 1.12, antibodies less than 0.4,0.9 do i have thyroid i have hairloss my ferritin is 53 its not increasing some functional dr said this is not optimal tsh,f t3 i was confused according to ur lab range is optimal