thyroid problem.. please help?

Question

my mother aged 69.. is suffering from thyroid problem. please let me know best treatment available in medical and also in alternate medicine and if any other type of treatment if available. how much time does it takes to fully recover. and is full cure there.

Answer 1

Hi,
I am a med student and we just covered this in pharmacology and endocrine lecures. It all depends on which type of thyroid problem she has.
Possible thyroid problems are hypofunction: caused by any number of things: not enough secretion of TRH (thyroid releasing hormone) from the hypothalamus, undersecretion of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) from the pituitary, TSH receptor destruction from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, or insufficent iodine uptake (normally in salt).
Hyperfunction: over secretion of TRH, TSH, toxic multinodular goiter (not as bad as it sounds), adenoma (one of the easiest cancers to treat), or graves disease (an autoimmune disease where antibodies bind to the TSH receptors in the thyroid and cause over secretion).
Treatments are as follows: (These are the only FDA approved ones)
For Hypofunction: (unfortunately not curable, just very manageable with treatment)

synthetic T4: called levothyroxine (aka: synthroid), takes 4-6 weeks for maximum action, but results in stable levels.

synthetic T3: called cytomel, takes 3-6 days for max action, but not as stable levels of thyroid hormones.

For Hashimoto's it is often necessary to titrate the doses up and down weekly untill there is a stable period (which can last weeks to years, this is a life long process).

For Hyperfunction: Most cases are curable others are manageable.

Thionamides (destroy thyroid cells):
Tapezole and PTU are the two drugs used. Takes a few weeks to have max effect because of stored thyroid hormone. Only on it for a few weeks to a month or so depending on severity.
Tapezole is first line. (Mostly for Graves Disease)

Radioactive Iodine (RAI-131): Very good treatment
Overactive cells take up the iodine and are destroyed, but the normal cells are not effected. It is normally a one time pill NOT chemo therapy (no really bad side effects). No studies have shown increased risk of future cancer with this. It is very safe and effective. (For everything else)

Surgery: not used commonly anymore because of complications and RAI-131 effectiveness. It is only used in people who have really large goiters which obstruct swollowing or cause significant discomfort, or people who refuse RAI-131. Can cause other problems like hypofunction if too much is taken out, or if a parathyroid gland is removed too it may cause calcium problems (affecting bones and kidneys).

Beta Blockers: when not contrindicated (you mother is not taking another drug which may interact with it) is used with other treatments to lessen the symptoms caused by hyperthyroidism: tachycardia, hypertension, and others.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

It's normal for a woman at her age to have some problems with their thyroid. You didn't say what kind of problem though. If she has hypothyroid (low functioning thyroid) then she will need to a little pill once a day called Sythroid. If she dosn't have insurance this medication is very inexpensive. She will also need to watch what she eats due to it slowing down her metabolism.

Hyperthyroid- High functioning thyroid, your mother would be very thin and able to eat whatever she wanted and not gain a pound. But this is still a problem and they use medication as well to correct this.

If she has a goiter due to hyper/hypo then they should first see if the goiter is going to stop growth after taking the medication. They will do a thyroid uptake (xray) and they should do a thyroid scan (ultrasound) to see what the thyroid looks like and if there is any nodules. They can remove the thyroid if there is nothing more they can do, its a simple surgical procedure that is done every day and is relatively safe and she will continue to take thyroid medication for the rest of her life. Their is no "cure" but they can treat it and she will have to learn to cope with the side effects of having a malfuctioning thyroid.

I would not recommend ANY alternate medication such as herbal etc to correct this problem. Due to the constant monitoring of the thyroid function. They will recommend she has blood levels every 3 to 6 months to test for the T4 and T-free levels to make sure her levels are in normal range. The thyroid plays a major roll in our bodies and needs to be treat by her Medical doctor or an Endocronoligist. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

There is no cure for thyroid conditions, but they are easily treated. The treatment depends on whether she is producing to much thyroid hormone, or not enough hormone.

If the problem is not enough hormone, the hormone is available in a pill that works within a few hours. If the problem is too much hormone, the treatment is a little more complicated because there are different causes of hyperthyroid, so the treatments vary. An overactive thyroid is treated by medicines that counteract thyroid hormone, surgical removal of thyroid tissue, or use of radiation or chemicals to kill thyroid tissue.

There are no effective alternative treatments for a thyroid condition. The only way to change the hormone levels in the blood is by adding the hormone or reducing the hormone.

Answer 4

If you are interested in alternative medicine for your Mom, it's actually the oldest thyroid med around. What worked 50+ years ago, still works today. Unfortunately most of the doctors put their thyroid patients on the lab made meds, instead of a natural med like Armour. I have tried both lab made and natural and I have to say when used correctly the natural med is far superior for getting rid of the hypothyroid symptoms.

Armour thyroid is natural and the dosage is adjusted by Free T4 and Free T3. More info about this can be found at the links below.

Answer 5

She needs to find a good endocrine doctor to discuss treatments. There are many treatments for a thyroid problem. You should go with her also. That was you can ask your questions along with her. My husband never went to any of my doctor appointments so he never fully understand what I was going through. He was beginning to think that I was making up everything and "just had to have something wrong with me or I just didn't feel right". He even said "*****, *****, *****. All women are crazy. There is not one woman who does not think something is wrong." I packed my things and went to a friends house for a while. The next doctor appointment I had, I asked the doctor to give me something that someone who didn't understand the problem could read quickly and have a better meaning. I took a 2 page printout to my husband along with some websites for him to look at. About 2 days later, he showed up at my friends house with the look of shame and guilt. He told me how sorry he was and that I had every right to complain about how miserable I felt. Never again did I hear him say anything about how miserable I was.
Recover time varies. It depends on how her body reacts to the treatment that is chosen. She will need moral support also. Be there for her. Good luck and I hope whatever treatment she chooses, it works well for her.

Answer 6

A few months ago, I was very sick, zero energy, freezing cold, depressed, weight gain, thought I was dying. I read every word of this Hypothyroidism Revolution program and followed all the advice. My life turned around the first week. I started to feel human again. Within weeks my energy came back and I felt like living again.

Get the entire hypothyroidism revolution system today? just choose the best option for you.

Answer 7

Noni herbal fruit or its juice helps to balance the thyroid complaints.

Answer 8

see a doctor. cancer will cause tumors or nodules in your thyroid. you can have a problem there without it being cancer.

Answer 9

you can operate and remove the thyroid gland and its safe, and also you have medicines like thyroxine tablets.

Answer 10

Please see the web pages for more details on Hyperthyroidism, Goitre, Graves' disease, Hypothyroidism.