A review of the current standard treatment options for low thyroid function. In the nineteenth century, a few years after a relationship was observed between myxedema and surgical removal of the thyroid gland, physicians began to feed hypothyroid patients whole or powdered extracts of animal thyroid glands. This was one of the first successful medical treatments based on careful scientific observation.
Some physicians are uncertain about whether to treat such cases of subclinical hypothyroidism.
One guide for treatment are the patient's own feelings. Some experts believe that the association between hypothyroidism and unhealthy cholesterol and other lipid levels warrants treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism. Others feel there is no downside in delaying treatment until after symptoms develop. A recent study reported that low-cost generic thyroid preparations are as effective as and certainly less expensive than the brand name drugs Synthroid and Levoxyl. The manufacturer of Synthroid, who had expected the results to favor its drug, had been accused of blocking this study from publication for at least two years.