Hypothyroidism has become an epidemic in the last decade. More and more patients are suffering from this condition. Often times, many patients are not diagnosed properly and continue to suffer for years. The main symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, feeling cold, constipation, depression, anxiety, dry skin, dry hair and hair loss. Many doctors fail to diagnose this disease because most run a test called a TSH test to evaluate thyroid function. This test is not sensitive enough for diagnosis. Dr. Santos runs a complete thyroid panel to properly evaluate thyroid function. Also, an ultrasound can also be performed to look for abnormalities in the thyroid gland itself.

Some patients who have already been diagnosed and are taking synthroid usually still complain about still suffering the same symptoms. There is a large population of patients who can't utilize synthroid properly. These patients require a different drug in order to optimize thyroid function. Dr. Santos typically prescribes desiccated thyroid or cytomel to normalize thyroid hormones.