Levothyroxine is a leveling medication that basically functions as hormone replacement. There isn't anything OTC you can do to make a non-functional gland function*. You need a refill. *assuming good nutrition overall: proper iron stores, good B12 levels, good vit d levels, etc.. Answer from Creepy-Tangerine-293 on reddit.com
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SingleCare
singlecare.com › home › levothyroxine alternatives: thyroid treatment options explained
Levothyroxine alternatives: Thyroid treatment options explained
October 3, 2025 - Armour Thyroid, Cytomel, Thyrolar, Synthroid, and Levoxyl are some levothyroxine alternatives. Learn about your thyroid treatment options.
Discussions

OTC meds/supplements to replace levothyroxine short term?
Levothyroxine is a leveling medication that basically functions as hormone replacement. There isn't anything OTC you can do to make a non-functional gland function*. You need a refill. *assuming good nutrition overall: proper iron stores, good B12 levels, good vit d levels, etc.. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Hypothyroidism
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February 17, 2023
Levothyroxine alternative?

Tirosint is the best T4 replacement hormone on the market.

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🌐 r/Hashimotos
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October 30, 2022
Is there a natural herb to replace medication
No just like there's no replacement for insulin if you need to administer insulin to control your diabetes More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Hypothyroidism
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December 5, 2023
Alternative to Synthroid

Synthroid is levothyroxine, just a particular brand. Side effects from levo are generally either from being on the incorrect dose or the fillers, since the medication itself is just a supplement of something that your body is supposed to make.

Check “inactive” ingrediants to see what might be causing the side effects, this is very individual. I can’t take the Synthroid brand since it contains lactose and I am lactose intolerant.

Weight gain suggests you are on a too low dose. Ideally you should be on enough to keep your TSH between 1 and 2, though it’s not always possible.

If your dose is correct, then you should have them look into other possible causes of the weight gain, like high cortisol, PCOS, other medications, etc.

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🌐 r/Hashimotos
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April 15, 2022
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Drugs.com
drugs.com › home › compare drugs
Levothyroxine Alternatives Compared - Drugs.com
Compare Levothyroxine head-to-head with other drugs for uses, ratings, cost, side effects and interactions.
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HealthCentral
healthcentral.com › article › treat-hypothyroidism-without-drugs
Can You Treat Hypothyroidism Without Prescription Drugs?
July 25, 2017 - Research has also shown NDT to be as safe and effective as levothyroxine. But keep in mind, NDT is available only by prescription. Over-the-counter thyroid support supplements are not NDT and they can’t replace prescription thyroid hormone medication for your hypothyroidism.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/hypothyroidism › otc meds/supplements to replace levothyroxine short term?
r/Hypothyroidism on Reddit: OTC meds/supplements to replace levothyroxine short term?
February 17, 2023 -

Hi all, in a bit of a weird predicament and was hoping for a bit of help. I’ve had to change doctors recently, but unfortunately my new doc is having a family emergency and I’ve had to reschedule twice now. I’m now completely out of my meds and the office has not been helpful so far in even getting me an emergency refill to last me until next week. I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion of something I can do or possibly take until then? To be clear I’m NOT looking to go off my meds permanently. I just don’t want to lose all the progress I’ve made because of this. Thanks

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Marley Drug
marleydrug.com › blog › euthyrox-vs-levothyroxine
Euthyrox vs Levothyroxine: Which is better?
April 8, 2024 - Euthyrox comes in blister packs designed to shield it from light, oxygen, and moisture. This packaging helps maintain its potency better than generic Levothyroxine, which is dispensed in bottles, making it more vulnerable to environmental factors.
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Institute for Natural Medicine
naturemed.org › home › health conditions › thyroid health
Natural Desiccated Thyroid: An Alternative to Synthroid - Institute for Natural Medicine
September 17, 2025 - Clinical research supports NDT use, showing it can significantly relieve symptoms and improve quality of life for patients with hypothyroidism—especially those who remain symptomatic on levothyroxine.14Heald AH, Taylor P, Premawardhana L, et al. Natural desiccated thyroid for the treatment of hypothyroidism. Front Endocrinol. 2024;14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1309159 A notable 2013 clinical trial found nearly 49 percent of participants preferred DTE over levothyroxine.15Hoang TD, Olsen CH, Mai VQ, et al.
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Thrivelab
thrivelab.com › blog › natural-thyroid-medication
Natural Thyroid Medication
Note: Unlike levothyroxine, desiccated thyroid medications —like Armour Thyroid — aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Find elsewhere
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-a-natural-substitute-instead-of-thyroid-medication
What is a natural substitute instead of thyroid medication? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): What makes you think that thyroid hormone medication is not natural? I would be careful about taking a lot of so called natural sources for iodine. Typically there is plenty of iodine in iodized salt. You do not need to eat sea grasses or kelp to get enough iodine to make your ow...
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BuzzRx
buzzrx.com › blog › levothyroxine-alternatives
Levothyroxine Alternatives: What Can I Take Instead of Levothyroxine
February 11, 2025 - Explore safe, effective alternatives to levothyroxine for hypothyroidism treatment. Discover natural options and other brand-name drugs that may help.
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American Thyroid Association
thyroid.org › home › patients portal › clinical thyroidology for the public › vol 6 issue 8 › vol 6 issue 8 p.3
Desiccated thyroid extract vs Levothyroxine in the treatment of hypothyroidism
January 17, 2017 - Prior to the availability of the pure levothyroxine, desiccated animal thyroid extract was the only treatment for hypothyroidism. Today, some individuals prefer dessicated thyroid extract as a more “natural” thyroid hormone.
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Healthline
healthline.com › health › hypothyroidism › five-natural-remedies-for-hypothyroidism
5 Natural Remedies for Hypothyroidism
March 12, 2024 - Standard treatment for hypothyroidism includes oral medication, but there are natural therapies too. Read about the pros and cons of five natural remedies.
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FDA
fda.gov › drugs › enforcement-activities-fda › fdas-actions-address-unapproved-thyroid-medications
FDA’s Actions to Address Unapproved Thyroid Medications | FDA
These medications have been FDA-approved for decades and are marketed as branded and generic medications containing levothyroxine sodium or liothyronine sodium.
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Thyroid UK -
thyroiduk.org › home › if you are hypothyroid › treatment options – hypothyroidism › treatment options for hypothyroidism › about treatment options
About Treatment Options - Thyroid UK
March 20, 2025 - There are many different thyroid hormone replacements available globally. There are branded replacements and generic replacements (generics are copies of the original drug). They come in tablets, capsules and liquid form. Some are lactose-free and you can also get some with minimal inactive ingredients.
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Teva
tirosint.com › home › getting to know tirosint
Getting to Know TIROSINT | TIROSINT® (levothyroxine sodium) Capsules
September 12, 2025 - TIROSINT Capsules is a gel capsule form of levothyroxine that contains only 4 ingredients. It does not contain other ingredients that might interfere with how your body absorbs or responds to it.
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GoodRx
goodrx.com › goodrx health › health conditions › hypothyroidism: symptoms, causes, and treatments › armour thyroid vs. levothyroxine for hypothyroidism
Armour Thyroid vs. Levothyroxine for Hypothyroidism - GoodRx
April 17, 2020 - Still, some people report feeling better when they take Armour Thyroid than when they take levothyroxine. ... recent study of 250 people found that those who switched from levothyroxine to Armour Thyroid felt better overall.
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Johns Hopkins Lupus Center
hopkinslupus.org › home › lupus treatment › common medications for other conditions in people with lupus › thyroid medications
Thyroid Medications : Johns Hopkins Lupus Center
March 27, 2019 - Thyroid replacement is used to treat people with underactive thyroid, whether it is caused by autoimmune disease, radioactive iodine treatment, or surgical removal. The main medication used to treat hypothyroidism is levothyroxine sodium (Synthroid, Levoxyl, and Levothroid), a synthetic version of thyroxine (T4), a thyroid hormone your body produces naturally.
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PubMed Central
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC10801060
Natural desiccated thyroid for the treatment of hypothyroidism? - PMC
In other countries NDT can be bought ‘over the counter’ in person or on-line. There is emerging evidence that may account for the efficacy of liothyronine (NDT contains a mixture of levothyroxine and liothyronine) in people who are symptomatically unresponsive to levothyroxine (19).
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SingleCare
singlecare.com › home › armour thyroid alternatives: what can i take instead of armour thyroid ?
Armour Thyroid alternatives: What can I take instead of Armour Thyroid ?
December 6, 2022 - When switching from Armour Thyroid to levothyroxine products, desiccated thyroid 60 mg (1 grain) is considered approximately equivalent to levothyroxine 100 mcg. When switching from Armour Thyroid to Cytomel desiccated thyroid 60 mg (1 grain) ...