"Normal" is a setting on a washing machine.

I gathered from looking at the links (it was a fairly quick look, I admit) that the pituitary is the master gland as it controls a heck of a lot of hormones in the body - including the thyroid hormone.

Your body may have quite an adjustment to the removal of the gland - but it may be waay better for you in the long run.

And just because the writeup on a med tells you the side effects, doesn't mean you'll get them! Ask your doctor how many people have taken the meds and how they are doing.

My meds had side effects - and the worst was over in a week as my body adjusted.