Thyroid drugs (thyroid hormones) are used to supplement low thyroid levels in people with hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones to meet the needs of the body. Doctors may use the term “an underactive thyroid gland” to describe hypothyroidism.
Our thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland that is located just below the Adam’s apple, along the front of the windpipe. Even though thyroid hormones are made in the thyroid gland, the production of these hormones is regulated by another hormone, called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which is made by the pituitary gland (a pea-shaped organ found at the base of the brain). If thyroid hormone levels are low, then our metabolism and many other body functions slow down.
Another condition, called hyperthyroidism, is when the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone. Although hyperthyroidism seems to be the opposite of hypothyroidism, the link between them...