About a third of patients with hypothyroid who stop taking the hormones go on to have normal thyroid function. This is most likely if your thyroid activity was “subclinical” or only slightly below normal. If your thyroid was more severely affected, it’s less likely you’ll have normal thyroid activity after you stop taking your medication. If you’d like to stop taking the medication, talk with your doctor about how to taper off slowly and safely, and monitor for signs of your symptoms returning. You should also have regular blood tests to see that your thyroid hormone levels remain in a healthy range. If your thyroid was removed, you will need to take the medications for life. If you have hyperthyroidism, your doctor may suggest stopping the medication after a year or two to see if you remain in remission.