What causes an underactive thyroid?

Question

Is there any connection with long-term antidepressant use?

Answer 1

here is some information about myself, plus some symptoms in case anyone coming upon your question may be interested;
i have low thyroid. if you have low thyroid...here's a great question to answer: can you see the floor of your house? that was what was asked of me at one point, and to my amazement, the answer was no!
anyway, the signs are:fatigue and lack of energy. Women suffering from underactive thyroid experience heavier menstrual periods. Sluggishness and forgetfulness are symptoms of underactive thyroid problem. Other symptoms of this thyroid disorder are dry skin and hair and constipation.
if you have high thyroid, or an overactive one, the signs are:increased body metabolism. This is followed by weight loss and excessive warmth and sweating. Persons suffering from overactive thyroid experience trembling hands, irritability and rapid heartbeat or palpitations. Women with overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism may experience shorter or lighter menstrual periods.
I take medication, and sadly will have to take 1 pill everyday for the rest of my life. there's a blood check that they will do to see if you have low or high. i hope i've helped you!!

Answer 2

The most common cause of hypothyroidism results from an inflammation of the thyroid gland known as thyroiditis or Hashimoto's disease. It is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to try to destroy the thyroid gland. (An autoimmune disease occurs when the body's immune system becomes misdirected and attacks the very organs, cells, or tissues that it was designed to protect.) Another cause of hypothyroidism is not enough iodine in a person's diet. Iodine deficiency is rare in the United States, because many food products (such as table salt and bread) are supplemented with iodine. Iodine is found naturally in spinach, shrimp, oysters, and lobster.

Hope this helps you some =]

Answer 3

An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is when your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of the hormone thyroxine, also called T4.
Most cases of underactive thyroid are due to either the immune system attacking the thyroid gland or a damaged thyroid.
Immune system

My friend suffered for hypothyroid 2 years ago. she read a book on the internet which is useful for her disease. you can see the book at: http://adola.net/go/hypothyroidismrevolution/

Good luck!

Answer 4

Hypothyroidism is caused by a reduced thyroid function, deficient production of thryoid hormone or insufficient circulating thyroid hormones.

Answer 5

If its underactive, it could cause weight gain , I don't think your anti-depression medication has anything to do with the thyroid..

Answer 6

My thyroid is overactive. it's mostly carry down from your mothers side (ladies) of the family.

Answer 7

underactive thyroid can be caused by several things:

autoimmune disorder (Hashimoto's)
pituitary disorder
exposure to radiation in the neck area
others

see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000353.htm#Causes,%20incidence,%20and%20risk%20factors

nice avatar!

Answer 8

yes. hypothyroidism leads to rickets, convulsions, teeth problems,twisting of muscles and fatness, dullness,etc

the remedy lies in freeing urself from dependance on antidepressants
u may go in for acupressure treatment at ur house itself, take a kit and activate all ur remote control points in hands and soles, and or u can go in for meditation/ yoga. before that reveal ur problem to a good and trustworthy friend. by that u can have 50% relief