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Table 2: Thyroid Medications1,2,4
Brand Name (Generic Name) Description
Armour® Thyroid
Nature-Throid®
WP Thyroid®
NP Thyroid®
(Thyroid USP)
Desiccated pork thyroid gland
T4/T3 combination
Mimics the biological ratio of
80% T4 to 20% T3 with a T4:T3
ratio of 4:1
May also contain TPO and
thyroglobulin, which can
perpetuate the autoimmune
attack in some
Proloid® (Thyroglobulin)
Partially purified pork
thyroglobulin
T4:T3 ratio of 2.5:1
Synthroid®, Levothyroid®,
Levoxyl®, Thyro-Tabs®, Unithroid®^
(Levothyroxine)
Synthetic T4
Variable absorption among
products. Should not switch
back and forth between
brand/generics
Cytomel® (liothyronine) Synthetic T3
Liotrix® (Thyrolar)
Synthetic T4:T3 in 4:1 ratio
(on long-term backorder at
time of writing; see thyrolar.com
for details)
Compounded Thyroid
Tailored dosage forms with
unique ratio of T4/T3. Free of
allergenic fillers and prepared
by specialized compounding
pharmacists. May be
formulated as immediate-
release or slow-release. Slow-
release products may be more
difficult to absorb.
Tirosint®
New liquid gelcap formulation of
T4; contains only glycerin, gelatin,
and water