What happens when your thyroid status is checked and they discover that it is under-active?

Question

I've been having a few problems lately and all of a sudden my weight has rocketed so my doctor said she wants my thyroid to be checked, before she can give me any treatment for my other problems.

Answer 1

If this is your problem it is easy to fix. You should get 3 results :

T4 which will be low
TSH which will be high
Thyroid antibody which would be positive

If these are all abnormal the treatment is replacement hormone, levothyroxine.

Answer 2

Hi I just wanted to say that you can have a thyroid problem and your blood tests can be borderline !! Some doctors take a wait and see approach others will treat it so be very alert when they are giving you your results as to how they word it. Dont sit back and wait and see I know too many people who have had this happen and they have felt a lot worse before getting the treatment needed.

There are also a few other medical problems that can present as similar to thyroid such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I was told for 19 plus years I had that and now they are debating whether this was the right diagnosis !!

Good luck it is all treatable and you should feel better once its sorted.

Answer 3

Hopefully you tested in the morning, as TSH is highest then. Once diagnosed with an underactive thyroid you will be placed on thyroid hormone. You levels will be checked every 6-8 weeks until you find the best dosage. For most, this means getting the morning TSH below 2.0 close to 1.0

There are man made and natural medications, so read up on i before your visit to he doctor again. I have been on both and prefer the natural.

Answer 4

Some thyroid disorders can be cured, but many require lifetime treatment. Learn here https://tr.im/KwtRF
For example, sometimes early stage thyroid cancer can be cured by surgery to remove the thyroid gland, but you will need to take thyroid hormone medication afterwards for the rest of your life. Goiters can also be surgically removed and do not always recur after surgery. In most cases, thyroid disorders need treatment over a lifetime. However, with treatment most people with thyroid disorders can live normal, healthy lives.

Answer 5

HI, I HAD A CYST EMBEDDED IN MY THYROID WHEN I WAS 17, DUE TO THE CYST MY THYROID BECAME UNDER ACTIVE.
I UNDERWENT TESTS EVERY WEEK FOR A YEAR AND MY WEIGHT WENT UP AND UP. I WENT FROM A SIZE 10 TO A 16/18. I WAS MOODY AND HORRIBLE TO ALL MY FAMILY MONTHS BEFORE I FOUND OUT ABOUT MY CONDITION.THEN ONE DAY AT WORK I PUT MY HAND ON MY NECK AND FELT THIS LUMP. I WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AND HAD CYST REMOVED AND MOST OF MY THYROID. THEY SAID IT COULD COME BACK AGAIN WHEN THEY COULDN'T SAY.I'M 41 NOW AND NEVER FELT BETTER.SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO TAKE TABLETS EVERY DAY FOR LIFE SOME NEED THE THYROID REMOVED.YES AN UNDER ACTIVE THYROID DOES MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT.
HOPE YOUR OK.X

Answer 6

Most the answers so far have given you the conventional answer.

However I would suggest that you investigate your hormone balance. Search the web for “natural progesterone thyroid” and you will find pages such as this
http://www.natural-progesterone-advisory-network.com/thyroid-function-and-natural-progesterone.php

How many of your symptoms (other problems) are on Miriam Brazel's list. This is the link to my web page regarding hormone tests and Miriam Brazel's page
http://uk.geocities.com/[e-mail]/willim_001.html#W_180
1 do an on line hormone test http://www.johnleemd.com/store/resource_hormonetest.html
2 do an appropriate saliva test and obtain results
3 get the results & discuss with a NPIS doctor or educate your GP/MD

Weight gain is a symptom of oestrogen dominance. It is the oestrogen in your body that causes weight gain. American farmers are allowed to add oestrogen to their cattle feed so that the cattle gain weight faster. Fortunately we do not add oestrogen to the cattle food in Europe.

... an aside
Optimal Health Guidelines
"One of them, 17 beta-estradiol is banned by the European Union on Scientific Committee on Veterinary Medicine since it is considered a "complete carcinogen ... that exerts both tumour initiating and tumour promoting effects."

The sub text of that is don't eat beefburgers or hamburgers and low quality beef if and when you visit the United States.
back to main story ...

Oestrogen causes the same effect on humans if we are oestrogen dominant we cannot lose weight permanently but will yo-yo between being too heavy and our “target weight”
If we are estrogen dominant food is converted to fat. If there is adequate progesterone (hormone balance) both food and fat can be converted to energy.

May be your next call will be to a NPIS doctor, see www.npis.info, to assist you in deciding the path to take

I hope this is of use.

Answer 7

They usually just put you on a daily pill that adjusts your thyroid function. They'll put you on it and check the levels from time to time, to see if they need to lower it or raise it. After you're on the meds you will definately tell the difference.

Answer 8

your thyroid being under-active means you have a slow metabolism, so you will gain weight fast and it will be hard to shift. your doc will probaoly put you on thyroxine. there is also a product called kelp that you can get from health shops....that has been proven to work. but if you take it with thyroxine, you will need to let your doc know..... as the kelp decreases the need for thyroxine and the dosage you will need to take.

Answer 9

If your thyroid is underactive, you'll be given a synthetic supplement -- Synthroid or a generic.
After a couple weeks of taking the daily pill, your blood tests will be repeated, and the dosage adjusted as needed.

Answer 10

I recently found a good online resource about hypothyroidism. I wanted to know more about treatment options and how to stop hypothyroidism at the source and I bumped into this program called hypothyroidismrevolution. I found it very useful. Check it out here http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=560
Cheers.