Dealing with the NHS for hypothyroidism?

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]So, a question came in from England and I'm not familiar with the NHS system since I have always worked in the United States, but I did some Googling, I did some research and this question was that the only treatment for hypothyroidism that is prescribed is Cytomel, which is T3 and needs to be taken twice a day.

[00:00:19]And if here in the States, we usually start with levothyroxine and then we'll add Cytomel if needed. Thinking outside the box in my mind, I would want a more stable medication. Levothyroxine has a very long half-life, Cytomel does not.

[00:00:35]And so, with Cytomel alone, your TSH could be going up and down and that doesn't feel good. You want things stable. But if you're in England and your NHS is paying for the Cytomel, which actually is more expensive than levothyroxine, are you able to get a prescription if you will pay for it out of pocket? And if you are, then I would ask your physician in England to write a levothyroxine prescription. They would need to drop your Cytomel dose and then follow your thyroid function tests.

[00:01:05]Because levothyroxine here in the States for a 3-month supply ranges from $10 to $30 for a 3-month supply, for 90 days.

[00:01:14]So, not bad. That's what I would recommend. I hope that works. I'd love to hear feedback and see what the docs over there would say.