Is a Hyperactive Thyroid a possibility?

Question

I'm hungry ALL THE TIME. I can't stop eating. I'll have breakfast at 6:50, be hungry at 7:20. Literally. Every 30 minutes i'm hungry. And even when i'm not physically hungry, I have the compulsion to eat, and eat, and eat. I'm eating pretzels, junior mints, starburst right now. But my weight isn't an issue, I bounce around between 115 and 125, and am 5'1".

I lose weight and gain weight very quickly, however. I didn't eat well for about a week due to not feeling well, and lost 10 pounds. I gained 12 in the past 3 days.

Is this a possible thyroid disorder? I'm sick of feeling hungry all the time!!

I don't have much time with my doctor, so I only want to discuss it if it's realy important or serious.

It's not a sugar craving. We only have sugary things in the house, I want a friggin' salad, i've wanted salad for 3 months, but my family doesn't eat it!! And I just finished all the steamed veggies and hamburger helper, so I can't eat that.

Marz

I didn't know what other symptoms would be pertinent. My nails have always been brittle and weak, when they get to the edge of my finger they split down the center; therefore I keep them cut past my fingertip. I've always been easy to anger / get annoyed; my father and I have a screaming match about once a week, always with me as the cause. I'm always thirsty, but I never drink anything because it's the same as the hunger. I'm still thirsty, no matter how much I drink, and then I just have to pee every 30-45 minutes.

As for the hunger, i'll do a quick "calorie-count.com" list instead of boring you with little details.
Breakfast : 960 Calories
Lunch : 780
Dinner : 546
Before-Bed : 546
3 Daily Snacks : 811
Total : 3643

That's a rough estimation, minus the starbursts, pretzels, popcorn, granola bars, french fries, and other random food I snack on throughout the day, and i'm still always hungry. Whenever I say "i'm not hungry", my dad makes me take my temperature.

As for eating when bored, i've tried chewing toothpicks, my nails (it's become a bad habit by now, and I need them short anyway), reading, etc... But I keep getting distracted by thinking about food. I can't concentrate well unless eating.

Also, from that link:
# Palpitations – undue awareness of heart beat
# Rapid and sometimes irregular heart beat

I've noticed that when I stand up after sitting or take a deep breath that my heart races and I get dizzy. I also have the fastest heartrate in my health class. While everyone else has a 60-80 heartrate in my class, I had 106. Sitting.

I'm also very clumsy- At the current moment I have 4 bruises, 2 cuts, 1 swollen finger, and numerous recent scars. I have an almost permanent bruise on my right leg from walking into our baby gates. I've never slept well, always been hyper, have an anxiety disorder, sweat a lot, that "weak muscles" one describes me perfectly, and i'm ALWAYS cold, I don't know if that fits in there anywhere, but just FYI.

Answer 1

You don't mention any other symptoms, so, in all likely hood, if hunger is your only symptom, no.
Usually with Hyperactive thyroid you have a whole host of symptoms and when you loose the weight, it's really hard to gain it back. My girlfriend's symptoms were general malaise (not feeling well) weight loss, brittle nails, irritably and thirst...she thought she had diabetes...until she saw the MD.
Check out the following link to see the list of symptoms.
http://www.btf-thyroid.org/index.htm

Now for the hunger, you didn't say how much you were eating.
If you are, lets say, eating just 1 egg for breakfast, I really would expect you to be hungry again in 30-60 minutes. Now, if you are eating a Denny's Grand Slam with an extra side of hash browns and waffles, and hungry in 30-60 minutes, I'd be really concerned.

Something else to think about, you state that you feel the compulsion to eat, even when you are not physically hungry, are you just bored and looking for something to do? I know it sounds really weird, but a lot of people eat out of boredom, just like stress. I've caught myself doing this on occasions, so, take a look at the following link, it's a good one for boredom eating http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Eating-When-You're-Bored

If this continues to bother you, please go see a doctor to see if you do have a thyroid problem, something totally different than you expect, or just to put your mind at ease that there is nothing wrong.

Answer 2

This does NOT sound like hyperthyroidism. This sounds more like an eating disorder. People that are hyperthyroid have more pronounced symptoms like hyperactivity, temperature fluctuations ( always very hot), pronounced eyes and lose a lot of wgt. It is remotely possible you have hyperthyroidism but highly unlikely. You should see your family Dr. who can do some tests to see what's going on with you. GL

Answer 3

Sounds like sugar crash to me. There could be many things going on. It can''t hurt to see a doctor and get some blood tests.

It also may be due to candida (have you been on anti biotics lately or in the past 7 years or so?) that can cause major sugar cravings.

Answer 4

Yes, it is a possibility. Until 1977, I had that luxury. Then I had half my thyroid removed in order to remove a tumor (thank G-d, it was benign). Up until then, I had to consume about 6,000 calories a day just to hold my weight. Enjoy your situation.

Answer 5

I believe there is.

I think you should speak with your doctor.
=/

Good luck.