THYROID DISEASE

Read and learn more about thyroid symptoms. For more, visit the Thyroid Disease website ThyroidDiseaseWiki.com.

Q: Thyroid symptoms?
HI, I have dealt with my thyroid for almost 15 years. Off and on the symptoms return, my thyroid levels balanced or not. My question is, can the symptoms of Hyperthyroidism, and Hypothyroidism intermingle? For example, the biggest symptoms have been fatigue, nervousness, etc. but another big one has been the numbness in only my left arm. Also in my left arm, I feel the strong pulse and weakness. Any help would be great, thanks.

A: yes, to answer your question, hyper and hypothyroidism symptoms can mesh together. Fatigue is the biggest one that is present in both. But hyperthyroidism is usually associated with your body being more revved up than it should be causing you to have a higher basal metabolic rate, thus causing WT loss, anxiety, sweating, hot temper, heat intolerance whereas hypo is the exact opposite. There are a number of conditions in which you may switch from hyper to hypo. One of them that comes to mind is after treatment for hyperthyroid, there may be too drastic a swing and you’d become hypo. Its best to see your doctor about your concerns and he’ll probably order up a T3/T4 lvl and TSH test maybe a thyroid scan. Best of luck. 15 years is a long time to suffer, so go see your doc! My guess though would be that you’re more leaning on the hyperthyroid side of things.

Q: Thyroid Symptoms????
I think I have a slow thyroid…what are some of the signs? Any help would help..I don’t have money for the doctor yet.

A: Hypothyroidism symptom may include:

Fatigue
Sluggishness
Increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Pale, dry skin
A puffy face
Hoarse voice
An elevated blood cholesterol level
Unexplained weight gain
Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
Muscle weakness
Heavier than normal menstrual periods
Brittle fingernails and hair
Depression
___________________________________________________

The link below has additonal information as well.

Good luck!

Q: What are some thyroid symptoms? What is the procedure for getting it checked?
Ive been tired alot more lately for no reason really other then my sleep is messed up & I like to stay up late & then sleep during the day, but I get adequate hrs of sleep (8-10) I cant seem to lose weight either, I heard that this could be from thyroid problems. What are some of the symptoms & how does it get checked?

A: I recently was diagnosed with a thyroid disease. I would sleep about 16 hours a day and was tired all the time. Not being able to loose weight could be due to a hypo active thyroid. You will the really cranky and if it is really bad it could hurt when people touch you and easily bruise. Also increased sensitivity to cold, constipation, puffy face, hoarse voice. These are some possible symptoms. All you need to do to get it checked is a blood test. There are different level tests so make sure they do the secondary with the T3, T4, and TSH and so on. Even if you don’t have these symptoms I would get checked, because when they found the thyroid problem I only had the sleepiness. You should go to your doctor and get your thyroid checked if you think it is a possibility, if you let it go untreated for to long it can make you really sick. All you have to do is take a pill every day.

Your sleepiness could also be sleep apnea, so if your thyroid comes back normal look into that.

Also if it comes back normal one day get it checked again because it can be normal one day and not normal the next.

Hope this helps!

Q: What were your thyroid cancer symptoms?
I was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism as well as nodules that may be cancerous. To those of you who have had thyroid cancer, what kinds of symptoms did you experience prior to your diagnosis? I know symptoms are different for everyone, but I’m really worried right now, and any information you can give me about this would be really helpful.

A: The only symptom I had was a large, hard lump on my throat. Many people have nodules, and the vast majority (95%) are benign, so more likely than not, you don’t have to worry.. Here’s a list of symptoms: http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/thyroid-cancer-symptoms also check out http://thyca.org for everything you’ve wanted to know about thyroid cancer.

Q: Due to my hyperactive thyroid symptoms, I want to cut my hair…?
I’m 15 years old and have all of the symptoms of a hyperactive thyroid, though only two of my doctors have seen it. One of the symptoms is thinning hair and eyebrows, both of which I have. I’ve had long hair all of my life but now that it is thinning, should I cut it short and save myself from any further embarrassment? Or should I just wait for it to get shorter and shorter?

A: i would cut it because that way you have control over how it looks you know? but i would wait until you are really sure it’s time to give up on your beautiful long locks. once you’ve decided to go short, go to the hair salon and ask for a really cute short cut. something flirty and fun! good luck and i hope everything goes well (:

Q: Does anyone know what the symptoms of thyroid problems are?
My sister told me see was having blood work done because her doctor thinks her symptoms may be explained by a thyroid problem. What are some common symptoms? She says one of her symptoms is her hair falling out. I can’t find anything about that symptom as related to thyroid problems!

A: The thyroid gland, which is in your neck, sets the rate at which you produce energy from your body’s stores by the release of thyroid hormones.

Hyperthyroid
If you’re producing too much hormone, and the gland is overactive, you’re said to be hyperthyroid. You’ll have too much energy, lose weight, feel warm and may have symptoms such as palpitations.

There are many causes of an overactive thyroid and you may need blood tests and scans to find out what’s responsible.

The most common reason is when your body’s defences falsely recognise your own tissue as an invader and begin to attack it. This is called autoimmune disease and it stimulates the thyroid to produce more hormones.

If you have a cyst or growth in the thyroid, it may also produce too much hormone.

Hyperthyroidism symptoms may include:

weight loss
rapid heartbeat
tremor
excessive sweating
heat intolerance
anxiety
muscle weakness
goitre
irregular periods

Hypothyroid
If your thyroid is underactive – not producing enough hormone – you’ll have too little energy and will feel slow, tired and lethargic. You’ll become hypothyroid.

Again, there are many causes, but for some it seems to be part of the ageing process. Hypothyroidism is especially common in women after the menopause. Look for the following symptoms:

exhaustion, tiredness, sleep problems
difficulty concentrating or remembering
weight gain
dry hair, skin and nails
depression or anxiety
constipation
poor libido
breathlessness and swelling of feet
hoarseness
cold intolerance
face swelling and puffy eyes
in women, heavy periods

How many people are affected?
Hyperthyroidism affects up to one in 50 people and is ten times more common in women than in men. It can occur at any age but is most common between the ages of 20 and 50.

Hypothyroidism is ten times more common in women than in men and usually occurs over the age of 40.

What’s the treatment?
It’s difficult to prevent thyroid illness. Hypothyroidism is treated with thyroid hormone medication. Treatment of hyperthyroidism may involve medication to reduce the production of thyroid hormone, radioactive iodine therapy or a thyroidectomy (removal of part of the thyroid gland).

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in July 2006

Q: What are your thyroid symptoms?
I’ve read all the literature and some other questions, but I want to know YOUR symptoms of an over or underactive thyroid. What do you experience? I think mine is low, but I haven’t had it checked yet. What do you say to the doctor if it is a low normal and they don’t think you need meds, but you know it just ain’t workin’ for you? “Give me some freakin’ drugs!”?
Holy crap! That low temperature thing is totally me! Who knew?!

A: I know exactly what you’re talking about.

You know you aren’t feeling right. You just KNOW it’s probably your thyroid, because according to all the literature, and everyone you talk to, your symptoms and the way you just “feel” match a diagnosis of thyroid deficiency perfectly.

BUT… you go into your doc’s office, he draws blood. You ask him to be sure to check both T3 and T4. Reluctantly he says okay, acting like the patient shouldn’t be making suggestions like that. So the results come back, and what a surprise, they are within “normal limits.” Am I right?

So, here’s what worked for me. First, I came upon this website for Dr. Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. This is a naturopath, I think, who presents compelling evidence that people with otherwise normal thyroid blood results, but who have lower than normal body temperature, can be helped with his particular thyroid therapy. It’s the real deal, and it works.

I went to my doctor, told her the situation, explained why I thought I might be a candidate for this therapy, and she went ahead and gave me cytomel. It is a pre-thyroid hormone, or something like that. Look it up to be sure I’m not giving you incorrect information about the cytomel. Anyhoo, it has worked wonders for me.

My symptoms (and on the Wilson website you’ll be surprised how many of them there are!), have almost completely subsided. We started at 50 micrograms (mcg), and I am at 150 mcg right now, and expect that’s where I’ll stay.

She told me that the main possible side effect is osteoporosis from the cytomel. However, I am going to have the bone density scans done as time goes by. I’m being careful about the calcium content of my diet, and I do weight bearing exercise to try and keep my bones pointing in the right direction.

Check out the Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome website, and see what you find out. If your doctor says no, try a different doctor.

I am very lucky with mine, in that she recently graduated and is still loving her profession. She is also open to new possibilities and new ideas. Try a young doctor if your current one isn’t doing it for you.

Good luck, and keep pushing for this. It just might work for you, and if it does, you’ll wonder where the real you has been hiding! Your body should have the proper hormones to feel and function right!

Incidently, my symptoms included extreme fatigue, uncaring or unwilling to move through the day, constipation, body aches, being cold or chilly a lot, feeling kind of “foggy”, losing words when I was talking… I KNEW the word I wanted to say, but couldn’t recall what it was… things like that. Once I was driving and all of a sudden just panicked because I thought I was going the wrong way on a 1 way road. Totally not the way it was, but I was confused and frightened. Only happened once, but it felt like just a severe mental fog setting in briefly. Nothing even similar to that has happened since I started on the cytomel. All the symptoms have lifted, and the lack of fogginess and having some energy (not an abnormal amount, just a NORMAL amount), feels great!

Hang in there, and keep trying. Check out cytomel on the net and learn about it so that when you talk with your doctor, you will be informed and ready to champion your cause. It’s your body, make sure that whatever doctor you have knows that is how you feel!

Q: Can low thyroid hormone symptoms like hair loss be reversed?
I’m a 19 year old guy, I recently found out that I have a low thyroid hormone level and I’ve had the symptom of hair loss for more than 3 years now, but it’s really starting to show now. Can it be reversed once I start taking the hormone pill that my doctor prescribed to me?

A: If the hair loss is indeed due to low thyroid (hypothyroidism), then yes, it can reverse when you take prescribed replacement therapy.

Q: anyone know the symptoms of thyroid condition?
I have been having night sweats, and inability to lose weight, and chronic fatigue. I am 26 and my mom had these symptoms when she was my age and it was her thyroid. Does anyone know what the symptoms are of a thyroid condition?

A: Thyroid problems can be genetic, primarily in females. I did not know I had until my sister was diagnosed after becoming pregnant, so my Dr. checked me and sure enough..now my other sister and mother also have.
There are two types-hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Hyper–is what is pretty much what it sounds. It speeds your heart up, you tend to lose weight, you sweat a lot, etc… and Hypo-is the opposite. You can gain weight, you feel sluggish, your speech may be affected (I tend to not be able to get the words out that I want to say…); Your hair becomes brittle and can fall out, etc…
You can google, but you really should consult a Dr. because even if you don’t have now, you may get in the future. It can be resolved with a simple blood test, that you have to get every so often because your levels can change.
Good Luck and take care~

Q: what are some signs and symptoms of thyroid problems?
what are the symptoms of thyroid problems…basically,how do you know you have issues with you thyroid (male)..what happens to you…do you lose appaetite,hairloss/balding???etc…what happens?

A: Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid. Symptoms would include; weight gain, difficulty losing weight, fatigue, constipation, depression, dry thinning hair, dry skin, low body temp, brain fog, decreased sex drive, muscle and joint aches

Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid. Symptoms may include; weight loss, diarrhea, anxiety, excessive sweating, headaches,

Q: what are signs or symptoms of a thyroid problem or disorder?
Hello, I have not had mine checked yet, but one of my doctors (for anxiety) told me to because I have anxiety and night sweats. I am in the process of finding a doctor to do blood work for me to get it checked. In the meantime though, can you tell me what other signs or symptoms are associated with thyroid?

Thanks

P.S.. I am 27 year old female, if that makes a difference.

A: hypothyroidism/Hashimotos disease:
fatigue
weight gain or inability to lose weight even when dieting
high (bad) cholesterol
low (good) cholesterol
high triglycerides
joint pain
light sensitivity
dry skin
depression
anxiety
arrhythmia’s
cold hands and feet
low blood pressure
fibromyalgia
tingling hands & feet
sleeping too much
heavy periods
infertility
cold intolerance
low body temperature

hyperthyroidism/Graves disease:
anxiety
heart palpitations
weight loss
bulging eyes
eye problems
aggression
trouble sleeping/inability to sleep
weight loss/inability to gain weight
fatigue
heat intolerance
elevated body temperature
high blood pressure
tacchycardia

Q: Have all the symptoms of low thyroid but my blood test was normal?
Can anyone relate to this? I have many of the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism but I don’t have low thyroid. I just got the call that my blood test showed normal. I have been living with these awful symptoms for two years now, what do I do now?
Thank you everyone for your responses, very helpful. My symptoms are: very bad muscle aches, headaches, cold intolerance, memory problems, FATIGUE, concentration problems, dry skin, dry hair, low sex drive, and some others I can’t think of because of memory problems

A: What are the symptoms? Are you seeing a proper endocrinologist, or just a regular physician? They’ve narrowed the range that is “normal” so your doctor might be looking at the old range. They’re much more aggressive with treating thyroid. (I take thyroid meds and I never had symptoms, it was because of my blood test). Be AGGRESSIVE with your doctor — YOU are the client, remember!

Hypothyroidism

Clinically apparent hypothyroidism usually warrants treatment. In case the hypothyroidism is due to dietary minerals and iodine, supplementation with these may obviate the need for hormonal treatment, but only if iodine deficiency has been documented, which is very rare in the Western world. Whilst subclinical hypothyroidism is thought to have long-term consequences, such as atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease risks,[1] there is no current consensus as to the benefits of treatment in this group.[2][3]

Treatment is usually with levothyroxine (starting at 50 μg/day), a synthetic thyroxine analogue. There is no evidence suggesting that there is any need to substitute T3 as well.[4][5]

Symptoms as well as TSH levels are used to monitor effect of substitution; a high TSH level suggests treatment is not yet adequate and that dose adjustments are necessary. A low (“suppressed”) TSH may indicate the dose is too high. Some patients prefer a pig thyroid extract, natural desiccated thyroid hormones, which contains T3 as well as T4 and traces of T2, T1 and calcitonin.

Q: what is thyroid and what is the symptoms?
i just wonder what is thyroid and what is the symptoms of thyroid?

A: The thyroid is a gland in your anterior neck region supplied by the superior and recurrent laryngeal nerves and thyroid arteries. It uses iodine to produce compounds such as T3 and T4 in order to regulate normal body physiology.There is 2 types of thyroid (1)Hypothyroid (2) Hyperthyroid. Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which an overactive thyroid gland is producing an excessive amount of thyroid hormones that circulate in the blood. hypothyroid deficiency of thyroid activity.
Hypothyroid:-Weight gain Puffy face
Loss or thinning of eyebrows Cold intolerance
Low sex drive Depression
Abdominal bloating Cold hands or feet
Dry or thinning hair Joint or muscle pain
Thickening of the skin Thin, brittle fingernails

Hyperthyroid Symptom:- * Excessive sweating
* Heat intolerance
* Increased bowel movements
* Tremor
* Nervousness; agitation
* Rapid heart rate
* Weight loss
* Fatigue
* Decreased concentration
* Irregular and scant menstrual flow

Q: Is there any reason for having symptoms of a thyroid problem, but having normal blood levels?
I have a lot of the symptoms, but I got my blood tested and it came back normal. My mom had hyperthroidism and had her thyroid removed. Problems in this area are hereditary, but I cant figure out why I have all the symptoms and no reason for it…. Help me?

A: You probably have what is called “Subclinical Hypothyroidism”. Basically, with this condition, the pituitary gland, which is in charge of regulating the thyroid gland, produces extra amounts of TSH to stimulate the thyroid to maintain a normal circulating level of thyroid hormones. While with “Subclinical Hypothyroidism” you technically are not Hypothyroid (thyroid hormone levels are normal), your pituitary is working hard at keeping your thyroid hormone levels within the normal range. In a significant number of patients, the TSH levels must climb in order to continue to stimulate the thyroid gland. Eventually, over the course of months to years, the thyroid gland no longer responds. At this point, “Subclinical Hypothyroidism” turns into overt Hypothyroidism. With Subclinical Hypothyroidism you will have Hypothyroid symptoms. Some doctors refuse to treat Subclinical Hypothyroidism and wait until you become fully Hypothyroid. I think this is a huge mistake. Treating Subclinical Hypothyroidism early on not only helps the patient so they don’t feel horrible, but also lessens the extent of how bad the Hypothyroidism can get. I had a doctor who refused to treat my Subclinical Hypothyroidism and I got so bad that I couldn’t hold down a job and spent most of my time in bed. I searched for a new doctor and found one that was willing to treat my Subclinical Hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, going for so long without treatment caused other problems…I ended up with heart damage, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lost most of my hair for a while and when it grew back it turned completely gray (it wasn’t before) and many other bad things happened. So it’s important to get treated right away.

I suggest you find yourself a good “thyroid doctor” called an Endocrinologist and have a simple blood test including an antibody test (sometimes called an ANA test) to see if you have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (an auto-immune disease of the thyroid which often starts out as Subclinical Hypothyroidism). Here is a good Endocrinologist locator:

http://www.armourthyroid.com/con_phLocator.aspx

I highly recommend you get the book, “Living Well with Hypothyroidism” by Mary J. Shomon. It is an easy book to read and you will learn a lot. You may buy it cheap at Amazon.com for as little as $6.05 used

(http://www.amazon.com/Living-Well-Hypothyroidism-Doctor-Revised/dp/0060740957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249143075&sr=8-1)

or you can get it at a book store (if they don’t have it, have them order it for you).

Once you find a good doctor that is willing to treat you have him/her put you on Armour Thyroid (a type of medication for Hypothyroidism). I was first placed on Synthroid (Levothyroxine) and although it got my thyroid levels in the normal rage, I still had the hypo symptoms and felt awful. It wasn’t until I went on Armour Thyroid that I felt like my old self again. The difference is a hormone called T3. Synthroid doesn’t have T3 in it only T4. Many in the medical field think that Hypothyroid people only need T4 and that your body will convert T4 to T3, but many people’s bodies don’t convert T4 to T3 well and that’s why they still have hypo symptoms while on Synthroid. The human thyroid gland naturally produces hormones T1, T2, T3, T4, T5…etc. Synthroid is a synthetic hormone replacement with only T4. Armour Thyroid is a natural hormone replacement and it has all the hormones your thyroid naturally produces so it stands to reason that treating a disease as naturally as possible is best. Synthroid has a huge marketing campaign with medical schools and doctors’ offices and they try to tell everyone Armour Thyroid isn’t any good. Don’t believe that. Armour Thyroid has been around for over 100 years and is very reliable and is regularly tested and approved by the American Food and Drug Administration. Because of all the negative marketing from Synthroid about Armour, you may have a difficult time getting a doctor to prescribe Armour. However, if you go to the Armour Thyroid web site and use their doctor locator you should be able to find a doctor in your area and state that is willing to prescribe Armour. Believe me it is well worth it to go out of your way to get Armour.

http://www.armourthyroid.com/

Print this out. Take it to your doctor. If your doctor poo-poos this, then fire your doctor and go to that doctor locator I gave you and find a doctor that will help you. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get treated right away. Good luck!

Q: I have a lot of symptoms of a slow thyroid, but every test I take comes out negative. What do I do next?
I have a family history of slow thyroids and, frankly, thyroids that quit. My metabolism is SLOW. I’ve had depression and a lot of other symptoms. My mom’s thyroid just gave out and they’ve put her on replacement thyroid hormone. She’s lost a ton of weight and she’s much happier.

I’ve taken every blood test that I know to ask for. They agree my thyroid is on the sluggish side, but that’s it. Should I see an endocrinologist? What do I do next?

A: See an endocrinologist and bring some knowledge with you. Find out your test scores, including your TSH. A TSH above 3.0 indicated hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), but most labs use an older standards and a TSH may need to be as high as 5.0 to be considered underactive.

http://www.aace.com/newsroom/press/2003/index.php?r=20030118

Until November 2002, doctors had relied on a normal TSH level ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 to diagnose and treat patients with a thyroid disorder who tested outside the boundaries of that range5 . Now AACE encourages doctors to consider treatment for patients who test outside the boundaries of a narrower margin based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.04. AACE believes the new range will result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now.