Condition

Hypothyroidism

Clinical trials and treatment information for Hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough thyroid hormones.

350M
People Affected
150
Active Trials
10.5M
New Cases/Year
129K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Levothyroxine
90% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 65% Safety• 132 trials• 1M participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 25-200 mcg daily, titrated based on TSH
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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65
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 weeks for initial symptom improvement, 4-6 weeks for full thyroid hormone stabilization

Duration

lifetime

Response Rate

95%

Remission Rate

95%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

3

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

500

Common Side Effects:

Palpitations/Tachycardia (if overdosed): 8%
Tremor/Nervousness (if overdosed): 7%
Insomnia (if overdosed): 6%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$30

Monitoring

$300

Side Effects

$10

Total Annual

$340

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.8

ICER

$8,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$358

Cost per Responder

$358

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)15.0 mIU/L
-90% (-13.5 mIU/L)
Free Thyroxine (FT4)0.7 ng/dL
+71.4% (+0.5 ng/dL)
Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) Score50/63
-30% (-15 points)
Body Weight180 lbs
-5.6% (-10 lbs)
Secondary Benefits
SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) Score30/100
+20% (+6 points)
Resting Heart Rate55 bpm
+9.1% (+5 bpm)
PHQ-9 Depression Score18/27
-27.8% (-5 points)
Common Side Effects
Palpitations/Tachycardia (if overdosed)
+8%
Tremor/Nervousness (if overdosed)
+7%
Insomnia (if overdosed)
+6%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Iodine Supplementation (for iodine deficiency)
90% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 85% Safety• 300 trials• 50K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 150-300 mcg daily (dietary)
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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Meth💀
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Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
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Water💧
85
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months for full correction of deficiency

Duration

Long-term for prevention, months to years for correction

Response Rate

90%

Remission Rate

90%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

50

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

5000

Common Side Effects:

Iodism (with excessive doses): 3%
Hyperthyroidism (in susceptible individuals): 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$20

Monitoring

$150

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$170

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.9

ICER

$1,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$189

Cost per Responder

$189

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+90%
Response Rate
+90%
Remission Rate
+90%
Common Side Effects
Iodism (with excessive doses)
+3%
Hyperthyroidism (in susceptible individuals)
+0.5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
3
Desiccated Thyroid Extract (DTE)
85% Effectiveness• 55% Confidence• 60% Safety• 80 trials• 15K participants
LOW EvidenceModerate ValueDose: 30-180 mg daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
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Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 weeks

Duration

lifetime

Response Rate

80%

Remission Rate

80%

Common Side Effects:

Palpitations/Tachycardia: 15%
Anxiety/Insomnia: 12%
Weight loss: 8%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$250

Monitoring

$350

Side Effects

$75

Total Annual

$675

Cost-Effectiveness

MODERATE

QALYs Gained

0.75

Cost per Remission

$844

Cost per Responder

$844

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+85%
Response Rate
+80%
Remission Rate
+80%
Common Side Effects
Palpitations/Tachycardia
+15%
Anxiety/Insomnia
+12%
Weight loss
+8%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
Levothyroxine + Liothyronine (Combination Therapy)
80% Effectiveness• 65% Confidence• 60% Safety• 8 trials• 25K participants
MODERATE EvidenceModerate ValueDose: Levothyroxine 50-150mcg daily + Liothyronine 5-20mcg daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 weeks

Duration

lifetime

Response Rate

75%

Remission Rate

75%

Common Side Effects:

Palpitations/Tachycardia: 12%
Anxiety/Insomnia: 10%
Tremor: 7%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$180

Monitoring

$350

Side Effects

$50

Total Annual

$580

Cost-Effectiveness

MODERATE

QALYs Gained

0.7

Cost per Remission

$773

Cost per Responder

$773

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)15.0 mIU/L
-80% (-12.0 mIU/L)
Free Thyroxine (Free T4)0.7 ng/dL
+71% (+0.5 ng/dL)
Free Triiodothyronine (Free T3)2.5 pg/mL
+40% (+1.0 pg/mL)
Thyroid Symptom Questionnaire score28/50 points
-64% (-18 points)
Secondary Benefits
Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) score5.5/7 points
-45% (-2.5 points)
SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) score38/100 points
+32% (+12 points)
Body Weight82 kg
-5% (-4 kg)
Common Side Effects
Palpitations/Tachycardia
+12%
Anxiety/Insomnia
+10%
Tremor
+7%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
5
Selenium Supplementation (adjunctive for Hashimoto's)
40% Effectiveness• 45% Confidence• 85% Safety• 50 trials• 8K participants
MODERATE EvidencePoor ValueDose: 80-200 mcg daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
85
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

3-6 months for antibody reduction

Duration

6-12 months, then re-evaluate

Response Rate

40%

Remission Rate

0%

Common Side Effects:

Selenosis (with excessive doses): 0.5%
Diarrhea/Abdominal pain: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$30

Monitoring

$800

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$830

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

0.05

Cost per Responder

$75

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+40%
Response Rate
+40%
Common Side Effects
Selenosis (with excessive doses)
+0.5%
Diarrhea/Abdominal pain
+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4