Thyroid supplements are used to treat hypothyroidism, where the thyroid doesn’t release enough of the thyroid hormones and thus the hormones are supplied in the form of supplements. The thyroid supplements can also treat thyroid enlargement as well as thyroid cancer.

Thyroid supplements are of two types:--
The Synthetic supplements and the Natural supplements.

The natural thyroid extract are a better option because the synthetic versions usually contain only one of the thyroid hormones, (either T3 or T4), while the natural supplements contain all types of thyroid hormones (including T1, T3, T2 and T4).

Before you start taking supplements, it is better to measure the TSH (also known as thyroid stimulating hormone) and find out whether the supplements are required or not. The thyroid levels and TSH levels are inversely related, which means that the higher the levels of thyroid hormones the lower the TSH levels. Both of these hormones should be at an optimum level for the body to function properly. The thyroid function varies with a person's age and thus it is advised to keep monitoring the TSH levels periodically so that the proper quantity of thyroid supplements can be taken

Dosages of thyroid supplements depend a lot on your age too. A daily dosage of 15 to 30mg should be taken and if required, it may even be increased after a couple of weeks.

WARNING: You should reduce or completely stop taking your thyroid supplementation if you feel sick or unhealthy, or if your thyroid function blood tests are showing abnormal results and your pulse is more than 75 beats per minute.