Levothroid is manufactured by Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
How Does Levothroid Work?
Although it is synthetic, Levothroid is identical to the naturally occurring thyroid hormone levothyroxine (also known as T
4).
In addition to T
4, the thyroid gland makes another thyroid hormone, known as triiodothyronine (T
3). Usually, the thyroid gland produces much more T
4 than T
3 (however, T
3 is much more active than T
4). The body can convert the less-active T
4 hormone into more of the T
3 hormone as necessary. If your thyroid does not make enough thyroid hormones, there are a few different ways to increase your levels.
Some forms of thyroid replacement combine both T3 and T4 (such as natural thyroid replacement made from pig thyroids). However, because the body converts T4 into T3 as needed, most people can successfully take just T4. Alternatively, just T3 can be taken. Currently, most people just take T4 products, such as Levothroid.
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