The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck, controls a number of metabolic functions in the body. Thyroid disease is common; about 10 percent of all women have some thyroid dysfunction and 10 million Americans overall have hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland, according to endocrinologist James Norman, M.D. of Endocrineweb. Synthroid is a medication that replaces the thyroid hormone T4 when the thyroid does not produce enough. Iodine deficiency is another cause of hypothyroidism. Taking iodine will not help and may hurt if there are other causes for the condition, however.
Causes of Hypothyroidism
The most common cause of underactive thyroid in the United States is Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies in the blood attack the thyroid gland and destroy it. Post-therapeutic hypothyroidism occurs when thyroid tissue is destroyed in people who have been treated for hyperthyroid disease or for thyroid cancer. A lack of iodine in the diet causes hypothyroidism with goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid. The addition of iodine to salt has made goiter rare in the United States, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Treatments
Synthroid, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, contains hormones produced by the thyroid. Known generically as levothyroxine, it is given when the thyroid cannot produce its own thyroid hormone because the tissue has been destroyed either by Hashimoto's thyroiditis or by post-therapeutic hypothyroidism.
Iodine is useful in treating goiter and hypothyroidism caused by low iodine levels. If iodine deficiency is not the problem, however, giving more iodine will not help hypothyroidism. Iodine supplementation is also not beneficial in cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis or post-therapeutic hypothyroidism, as the destroyed thyroid tissue can't make more thyroid hormone even with higher iodine levels.
Interactions
Taking Synthroid and iodine together can actually worsen Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Do not take iodine to treat hypothyroidism unless your doctor has approved it, the University of Maryland Medical Center warns. Patients taking Synthroid should avoid all supplements or medications containing iodine unless cleared by their physician to take them, endocrinologist Sheldon Rubenfeld, M.D. of Baylor College of Medicine states.
Risks
Iodine preparations can both aggravate thyroid disorders and change thyroid blood test results, which could cause your doctor to change your Synthroid doses based on misleading test results. Most Americans already consume 300 to 500 micrograms of iodine per day. This far exceeds World Health Organization minimum recommendations of 150 micrograms per day and makes supplementation unnecessary and potentially harmful.
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