What are your thyroid symptoms?

Question

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?!

Answer 1

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!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

FIRST THING~ If your doctor won't listen to YOU, get a new one! YOU KNOW when your body is good & when it's not! I refuse to listen to someone who won't listen to me...because they think they know it all since they "went to school for the degree". Well, they didn't go to school & study MY BODY! So, get a new doc, and don't feel bad about it. What if something bad happened to you? Would you hesitate to let that doc know at that point? DON"T LET IT GET THERE!
I have given several links below to read & perhaps you can read through & understand the different thyroid symptoms & problems.
Here is some information about myself, plus some symptoms since you seemed to 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!
My signs are: messy house, no desire to do anything...go anywhere, spend time with my kids or my guy, sleep a lot, hard to keep my eyes open at times, HUGE weight gain that over the past years have not found an easy way to take off...so I give up a lot, I have terribly dry hair & don't wash it a lot so it stays strong, I have bumps on my face...not like pimples, but I think it's from dry skin, and perhaps some others that I can't remember at this time...that's another symptom--forgetfullness.
Here are the "GENERAL" signs for most people: 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 4

Your thyroid affects every system of your body. Symptoms of an overactive thyroid (Graves disease):
Sleeplessness, hair loss (not just on your head), irritability, bulging eyes (only a little bit, but enough to notice), increased appetite, possible weight loss, but not always, rapid heart beat, shakiness, restlessness, taking on more than you can handle (because you have so much pent up energy), I had absolutely beautiful skin (it gets thinner, more translucent, no break outs). It's been a while since mine's been under control, so those are all I can remember. It it both unpleasant (racing pulse, i mean my resting heart rate was like 125 and shakes) and addictive (you can stay up all night, night after night and do stuff, A LOT of stuff).

Answer 5

I've got a low thyroid. My symptoms are fatigue and weight gain. I have a healthy weight, work out frequently, and lead a relatively healthy lifestyle. The doc notices my thyroid gland is slightly swollen, but it is barely at a low level.

There are some doctors who think that celiac (gluten intolerence) is linked to low thyroid and weight gain. There are a lot of docs who specialize in treatment of celiac and will prescribe meds regardless of the thyroid level.

Answer 6

Firstly let me tell you that it takes time for you to wake up one day and go, what the heck is this?? i never did this before..
You need an endocronoligist, not your family md. Although they can give you a prescription a specialist will be familiar with the choices and sensitive to your symptoms. My MD likes to say "no prob Angela , we will have you looking like a ballerina in NO time" 2 years later i am slowly losing weight by busting my *** at the gym and over hauling my diet. Its worth it. The fact that i can get UP and GO to the gym is a miracle.
My symptoms: Hair loss, memory loss, inability to focus/stay alert, depressed, weight gain, sensitive to cold/heat, need to take naps, insomnia, poor grades, sharp decline in socail life, feeling of desperation, sense of frustration over inability to get my body to respond to diets/ work outs.
Recovery: Synthroid i am upto 88mg. I can function all day without a need to nap, i am also taking vitamins (Read Mary Solomon). It has been 7 months since i made a decision to get my act together. 20 lbs later it is a uphill battle but i am making progress AND FEEL LIKE MY OLD SELF IS BACK.
Realize that this is serious, it will keep you from working, living, enjoying. Take the time to get the meds, get the vitamins, go to the gym. But meds are first because unless you stop napping you are not going anywhere.

Answer 7

I don't know about the low thyroid part, but my doc just ran tests to check my thyroid because I've been complaining about menopausal symptoms for about a year and am a bit too young for that...

Answer 8

I had hyperthyroidism, and I first knew about it because I could hear my rapid pulse in my ears when I tried to sleep.

Don't jump to drugs as a first option! Many thyroid drugs can cause nasty side effects. Do an internet search for herbal and diet options first, and give them a try if you feel your thyroid is sluggish.

Answer 9

There are no symptoms that are unique to hypothyroidism. There may be no symptoms early in the disease process. Long standing, untreated hypothyroidism can cause obesity, joint pain, heart disease, and infertility. Other symptoms can include:

increased sensitivity to cold
constipation

My friend treated the disease by using natural ways through a e book which provide healthy diet and suitable exercise so you can refer to here for more information: http://adola.net/go/hypothyroidismrevolution/

Answer 10

My hair is dry, brittle and falling out. I went from silky, curly thick hair to thin hair that looks like straw. I'm tired all the time. I sleep 15 hours a day. I'm very sensitive to heat and cold. If it is warm I start to bake and cold I start to freeze.

My doctor will give me the prescription even if my blood test doesn't show a problem.