My doctor is sending me in for blood work because I am having really bad depression, weight gain and sleeplessness. What are some other symptoms of thyroid problems and things that help?
2007-01-12 04:29:37 · 10 answers · asked by xquis81 3 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Also, what medications are you taking for it?
2007-01-12 04:48:52 · update #1
Sounds like you are being tested for hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) Other symptoms are; IBS with constipation, dry skin, dry thinning hair, brain fog, low bp, low heart rate, low body temp, muscle and joint aches, sensitivity to cold, sensitivity to light, ridged fingernails with no moons, losing outer portion of eyebrows, and fatigue.
Testing should involve a morning only blood test, consisting of TSH, Free T4, Free T4, and an antibody test. Unfortunately most doctors will only test TSH. Very important....find out the results. Don't just accept normal or nt normal. Get the numbers. The reason I say this is that AACE has changed the TSH range to 0.3 to 3.0, but most labs still have the range at 0.3 to 5.5. If the lab where your blood gets tested goes by the old ranges, it may stop a disgnosis. Basically once on medication you want the TSH to be below 2.0. (always a morning test)
There are many thyroid medications. That's why it's important to get a free t3. For if the free t3 is below midrange, you might feel better on a T4/T3 medication. Most doctors only do a TSH an put their patients on a T4 medication. I started out of Levoxyl. It lowered my TSH, but did nothing for my symptoms. I eventually added Cytomel, which helped a little. Now i'm on Armour (T4/T3) and I have very little for symptoms, just the ridged fingernails with no moons. Not bad, for someone who had almost every hypo symptom,
Below are a couple of websites. Educate yourself. It's the only way to get treatment where you can be almost symptom free.
2007-01-12 07:27:47 · answer #1 · answered by DNA 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Those are all symptoms of an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism. I used to have hyperthyroidism which is the exact opposite. I lost weight, had the shakes, could not concentrate and I had to take a radioactive pill in a room and leave the hospital immediately through a back door and I had to stay away from people that did not want to be sterile. That pill killed my thyroid and led to hypothyroidism. You will be given a prescription of Synthroid or a generic of it. You take it for 90 days and then they will draw some more blood to see if the dosage they have prescribed for you is correct. The bad thing is that you do not feel any different immediately or the next week. The changes are very gradual and even though your blood work says the dosage is correct for you, losing weight will really become a challenge from now on and you may have to take additional depression medication. I do and I feel much better. Good luck, I hope you have a good doctor..
2007-01-12 04:41:37 · answer #2 · answered by Barbara U 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Since my mom had thyroid problems, I urged my daughter to have her thyroid checked before trying extreme surgical measures for her weight. She had simply forgotten a doctor mentioning her enlarged throat as a possible thyroid problem. Thanking me for the reminder, she found some helpful sites online (*a couple are listed in sources below), discovering that she has over half the symptoms of thyroid disease. She had her blood work done yesterday & is waiting for the results.
(There are about 30 million with undiagnosed thyroid problems!)
TEN TOP SIGNS YOU MIGHT HAVE A THYROID PROBLEM:
10. muscle & joint pains, carpal/tendonitis problems
9. neck discomfort/enlargement
8. hair/skin changes
7. bowel changes
6. menstrual irregularities & fertility problems
5. family history
4. fatigue
3. depression & anxiety
2. weight changes
1. difficulty losing weight
(For further details on these top ten, go to the website below)
If you have some of the above symptoms, your next step should be a visit to the doctor for a complete thyroid blood test, and a thorough reading of Thyroid Disease 101: Basic Information on Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism, Nodules, Goiter, And Thyroid Cancer.
Wishing you lots of good health!
2007-01-12 05:20:01 · answer #3 · answered by californya_girlygirl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have hypo-thyroid. That means it isn't producing enough hormones. My symptoms caused me to be lethargic, gain weight, I didn't tolerate cold, my hair got coarse and my skin got leathery. It took my Dr. about 2 months to get my medication right but after that I haven't had any problems. I have been on the same dose for 12 years. Everything is good except for tolerating cold.
2007-01-12 04:40:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like the doctor is checking for hypothyroidism...there are many websites with info on this...best to read for yourself. I have listed one below. If the doctor finds that you are hypothyroid, he/she may put you on a daily thyroid supplement to correct it. If this is not the cause of your symptoms, then the doctor will check for other reasons. It is quite reasonable to check thyroid function when searching for cause of your problems.
2007-01-12 04:41:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
your skin can become dry. your hair can become coarse. sometime a feeling of being cold. a hard lump in the neck..sometime the thyroid gland enlarges. if you go on the meds for thyroid for the most part it for the rest of your life. also periodically going for blood work to check your hormone level and to see if you need adjustment in your meds. my doctor tell me to look for change..like sleeplessness, depression, hair and skin changes..etc. i take my synthyroid pill in the morning and go in every 3 months for blood work. if i feel out of whack then just make an appointment to have blood work.
2007-01-12 04:51:03 · answer #6 · answered by irulan10191 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism almost 2 years ago and they are having trouble getting my "levels" just right. Its very frusterating, I had weight gain, very dry hair and skin, I was extremely tired yet couldn't sleep. depression easily bruised and they took along time to go away. just a very overall feeling of being extremely bloated.. swollen face "especially in the a.m"
I'm being sent to an endocronologist for mine, my doctor seems to think there is more going on with mine and they treat it a bit more aggressively than a primary dr. would.
good luck
2007-01-12 04:43:33 · answer #7 · answered by me 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are generally two types
Over active
under active.
You sound like yours in under-active.
Plenty of info on the net. Go to google and type in Thyroid.
Mine is overactive. Restlessness, poor sleeper, heart problems, dramatic weight loss at first.
2007-01-18 23:39:34 · answer #8 · answered by sylvia a 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have hypothyroidism
I hate it
Been treating it for almost 2 years and still cant get the doseage of Levothyroxine right.
Depression weight gain. all kinds of stuff. It really sucks
2007-01-17 13:37:49 · answer #9 · answered by eddie9551 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have hypothyroidism and let me tell you, IT SUCKS!
Some Symptoms I Have:
hair loss
weight gain
slow metabolism
brittle hair and nails
lack of energy
possible swelling of throat
poor circulation, feet and fingers may turn blue
2007-01-12 04:37:23 · answer #10 · answered by j_goodwin27 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋