thyroid symptoms

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.

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!

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

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!

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~