Thyroxine or Thyronorm tablets are common medicines for Hypothyroidism. But what are these tablets & what do they do?
Thyroid gland produces 2 hormones – T3 (tri-iodothyronine) & T4 (thyroxine), of which iodine is one of the main constituents. T3 is the active form of the hormone, and T4 is the inactive form.
Our blood carries mainly the inactive form (T4 : T3 in the ratio 14 : 1 ). T4 is converted to the active form, T3, by the liver & kidney. T3 is pivotal in controlling & regulating the metabolic rate, heart rate, digestive functions, muscle control, brain development and maintenance of bones
Hypothyroidism is the condition where the thyroid glands are underactive and hence not producing enough thyroid hormones. It is characterized by a low level of thyroxine (T4) and a high level of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone)
TSH is produced by the Pituitary gland (below the hypothalamus region of the brain). The TSH levels are high in hypothyroidism because the body has to stimulate the thyroid gland with more TSH, in order for it to produce more T4
The Thyronorm tablet that is usually had for such a thyroid abnormality is nothing but a synthetic form of the T4 hormone. Your body (thyroid gland) is not able to produce enough T4, so you are providing it in its synthetic format through a pill
So if you are on thyronorm tablets and your blood work says, thyroid is normal, it doesn’t meant the thyroid gland is fine. It means, that the thyroid gland is still underactive and the dosage of the pill is enough to compensate for the lack of T4 secreted by the gland
This leaves us to the obvious question – how do we get the thyroid gland to produce T4 by itself without external intervention!?
The possibility of completely reversing the hypothyroidism is very bleak. However, physical exercise has shown to greatly improve the thyroid function and the gland’s ability to produce thyroid hormones!