Q: I have a few questions which bother me and thought to write it in NDTV DOC queries to clear my doubts. Suffering from hypothyroidism, apart from the regular medicine, Thyroxine 50 mg, which my doctor recommended, there are others too - Restore, Encorate Chrono and Ensoft Gel. The last two drugs Encorate Chrono and Ensoft Gel are relatively new, is this also in the treatment schedule of the disease? Ensoft Gel is not available so what is the next appropriate medicine equivalent to this? Hope to hear from you soon.

A:The specific medicine for hypothyroidism is thyroxin replacement. This is best taken as a single daily (early morning, empty stomach) dose of Thyronorm or Eltroxin. Whether the dose is enough/too little/too much, is monitored by getting the blood T4 and TSH tested every 6-12 months, from a good laboratory. Both values should be maintained in the normal range. The tablet should be taken after the blood sample is given for testing. Nothing else is needed for the management of hypothyroidism. There are a huge number of supplement tablets in the market with various combinations of vitamins and minerals. These are not required in a normal person (including a hypothyroid person who is properly replaced) under usual circumstances. Most of the time, they are a waste of money, and sometimesthey can cause toxicity also. So if your doctor has prescribed anything for you, please enquire closely for what purpose it is, and please do not take any medication of this kind on your own.