Hypothyroidism

Question: How to fix hypothyroidism after thyroid being removed via surgery? A friend of mine have part of her thyroid being removed several years ago (not sure exactly why), and logically she's having hypothyroidism problem currently, although the doctor gave her medicine to meet the requirement. Anyone know how to fix this problem? Thanks. Oh yes, she's been having bad mood and seems to forget simple things. She is also gaining weight, but unfortunately no none seem to be able to stop her from consuming hi-fat/cholesterol food. Is this common in such problem?

Answer: There is no way to fix the problem. She will be on a thyroid medication for the rest of her life. After you start synthroid it will take about 6 weeks for the medication to start really kicking in. I bet the reason she had part of her thyroid removed was due to hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). Now that she doesn't have all of her thyroid it has become underactive. They do the procedure because it is much easier to treat hypothyroidism tan to treat hyperthroidism. I hope this helps. She just needs to take her medication at the same time every day and in a matter of a few weeks she will likely be okay. Tell her to take care of herself to. Eat right and exercise.

Question: What is the difference in hypothyroidism and thyroid disease? I have hypothyroidism and want to take some sinus medication. It says don't take if you have thyroid disease.

Answer: It sounds like hypothyroidism is classified as thyroid disease. I wouldn't take that medicine!

Question: Hypothyroidism-How long did you have symptoms before gaining weight? I had the Flu last Novemember and have had chronic fatigue since. I have had two blood tests that point to Hypothyrodism. I haven't started on meds for it yet because I have also developed serious allergies/allergy-related asthma and I am trying to get that under control first (also started after the flu and thought the chest pain was fatigue related and only after 9mos of complaining, my doctor finally got a clue). I have not had any weight gain so far but I've been told that it happens if the problems with the thyroid go undiagnoised long enough. My only concern about this is because a few of the women in my family have been over weight and it has been such a struggle for them for so many years. I am already struggling with debiltating fatigue and allergies I'm not sure I want to add trying to loose weight to the mix either. What has your experience with hypothyroidism and wieght gain/trying to loose the weight been? Any advice?

Answer: Yes, get on the synthroid asap! Hypothyroidism can also cause you to be lethargic and tired all of the time; not to mention losing your hair, gaining weight and a host of other symptoms. I don't think it would interfer with your allergy related problems. Get on it right away. You'll be glad you did.

Question: What are some underlying causes of hypothyroidism in dogs? The vet wants to run a full blood panel on my dog (nine years old) to see if there is an underlying cause of her newly diagnosed hypothyroidism. Does anyone know what some of the more likely culprits are?

Answer: Thyroid Cancer, or atrophy. I had mine out & take a pill daily. Not a big thing.

Question: How do you lose weight with Hypothyroidism? I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 17. My thyroid function is "normal" or at least that's what the doctor says. I've been taking levothyroxine for as long as I've been diagnosed. I'm 22 now and even thought I'm taking the medication, I'm still having symptoms: Hair loss, Intolerance to cold and of course, weight loss. Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can lose weight with Hypothyroidism?

Answer: Try the Lil Jack Workout Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKCGe2Ezris its free and it works

Question: What's the difference between cretinism and congenital hypothyroidism? Is congenital hypothyroidism a TYPE of cretinism? Or vice-versa? I'm doing a research project and I'd appreciate anyone who can help! Thank you in advance!

Answer: Cretinism is caused by extreme hypothyroidism during fetal (congenital), infancy or childhood. So congenital cretinism is the same as congenital (severe) hypothyroidism.

Question: What happens when you don't take synthroid for hypothyroidism and start taking it again? I have Hypothyroidism, I am sopposed to be taking synthroid everyday, but the last year I haven't been able to cause of no insurance and no doctor and just haven't had the money. Now i am getting insurance again, can i stary taking it again, will it make me tired and sleepy and wore out again?

Answer: this is not really a good answer, but I had to make sure this was not a question I asked!!!!! I JUST started taking my synthroid again 3 days ago b/c I was in the same boat as you w/o insurance for 6 mos!! I hear its supposed to make you feel better very fast. I feel very tired and sleepy and kind of depressed, losing hair by the handfulls and always cold. I'm going to keep an eye on your question b/c I was just about to ask the exact same thing! One of my big questions I asked the other night was is it hard to have kids with hypothyroidism. Just know you are not alone and I am in the exact same boat, hope you feel better and it should work really fast! = )

Question: Anyone recently or trying to conceive with hypothyroidism? I have hypothyroidism and have fairly high hormone levels, which my naturopath has told me will make it difficult, if not impossible to conceive. Has anyone here conceived with hypothyroidism? I should add: I am not on thyroid medication, other than natural treatments. **Naturopathic medicine (also known as naturopathy, or natural medicine) is a complementary and alternative medicine which emphasizes the body's intrinsic ability to heal and maintain itself. Naturopaths prefer to use natural remedies such as herbs and foods rather than surgery or synthetic drugs.

Answer: I have conceived with hypothyroidism and am trying again. Are you taking thyroid replacement (such as Armour, the natural replacement or levothyroxine, the synthetic)? I conceived our first baby while I was on Armour. After he was born, my Integrative Med doctor added some levothyroxine in addition to the armour. My TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 are all in good ranges for conception again. A TSH around 1 seems to be good for a lot of women. If your TSH is too high and your Free T4 too low, then yes, it might be impossible to conceive. Until I started on armour, my cycles were quite uneven, and my BBTs were dismally low (they've improved by and average of .4 degree at least!) and etc, but I never actually tried to conceive until after I was put on replacement.

Question: What are the syntoms of hypothyroidism ? My mom is getting over weight. She had two liposuction and she tried every diet she have heard. We know she has an hormone disorder, but she went to the doctor and didn't help, she heard that probably is hypothyroidism. Her legs and arms are huge and she feels discomfort , burning, tingling, tired, and not even before to go to bed. Also she is retaining water.

Answer: early symptoms of hypothyroidism include: energy loss, sensitivity to cold, unexplained weight gain, fatigue, constipation, forgetfulness.. as the disease progresses, the patient may have: loss of appetite, numbness, prickling or tingling, joint stiffness, muscle cramping

Question: Is there a link between hypothyroidism and high potassium? I had a very high TSH level (93.16) and also my potassium was high (not sure what the level was). My doctor said that's common with hypothyroidism; however, I can only find it common with hyperthyroidism. Any ideas what could cause high potassium levels?

Answer: Hypothyroidism causes high potassium. It causes you to retain potassium. This causes severe problems with your muscles. This is why some people with hypothyroidism can't walk. Plus, don't forget, your heart is a muscle and is affected by this as well. Your heart can be destroyed by this.

Question: Hypothyroidism? I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism - I've been taking Synthroid religiously for a year. It has done nothing for me - I'm gaining weight, I'm still as tired, I walk every day and eat well 99% of the week. My MD has up'pd the dosage a few times already and says that my level is still too low. I'm tired of feeling like crap - I want to lose weight - I'm 24 years old and weight nearly 169lbs - and I'm only 5'4 1/2". I've gained nearly 40lbs in the past 2 years - it's disgusting. I need to lose the weight - but I am having an awful time with it. Is anyone else having issues with gaining weight on Synthroid? Or does anyone have a weight loss plan that has really worked for them when dealing with Hypothroidism? I feel myself becoming more & more depressed with this - obviously the Synthroid meds aren't working for me. I still feel as terrible as I always have. Anyone with any suggestions/advice/weight loss plans?

Answer: Stop obsessing about your weight. You don't need a diet right now. Or do you want to be skinny but die in a myxedema coma anyway? You have a serious health problem, and a bad doctor. So take control of your health and get a new doctor. If your levels are still too low, but balanced, you need to up your dose even more. It happens. Some people need high doses. And the required dose changes throughout your life. you have to keep having blood tests, and keep adjusting your dose. For the rest of your life. If only some of your levels are too low, then maybe synthroid isn't the drug for you, or maybe you need something else (T3) in addition to the synthroid. Only your doctor who has your blood tests in from of him can tell you what's going on. So get to a new doctor who will do all of the appropriate tests (Free T3 and Free T4) and help you.

Question: How do you deal with hypothyroidism symptoms? I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about a year and a half ago. I have since been trying to find a stable dose of synthyroid with my endocrinologist. He believes that the 100 mg dose I am on now may be suffienct. I only have to see him twice a year now, instead of blood work every 6 weeks and an office visit every three months. I still don't feel like my old self. I will admit that I feel about 80% better than I did, but the feelings of anxiety and depression are still lingering, worse sometimes than others. I am looking for your experineces with the illness, how you coped with it all, and how long after you were stable on your medication that you felt like your old self again. I have thought this whole time that something more serious is wrong with me, only my doctors can't find out what it is. Did any of you feel this way? Thanks for the help.

Answer: My husband and my daughter have hypothyroidism. Both of them are stabilized with 1.25. My daughter has different symptoms than my husband. My daughter does get depressed, weight gain, etc. Not being able to take most over the counter medicine she suffers with allergies and cold. Stay with synthroid. I have used generic med on her and it was like she wasn't taking any medicine at all. My husband has the mood swings. They are the worse. He also had weight loss that was very low. That was before the medication. If your test show you are stable them from there you will be able to cope with anything. My husband's blood work is good. I wish mine was as good. My daughter is pregnant. This mess with your medication. The baby needs more than you realize. My daughter has had this since 8 years old. It interferred with her growth. My husband had it for years but wasn't diagnosed until last year. He didn't think anything was wrong. I was the one that had to deal with his mood swings. He was about to go into a coma when the dr. finally found what was wrong. Take your medicine and do your tests regular and you will be fine.

Question: What exactly do the meds for hypothyroidism do? I have had trouble losing weight forever. I finally went to the doctor to see if there was something wrong with me. It turns out, i have hypothyroidism. I just started the medication today. Will it help me lose weight? or what exactly do the meds do? I don't really know anything about hypothyroidism except that my thyroid isn't producing enough hormones to keep my metabolism working at a steady rate. any information about hypothyroidism would be great!

Answer: Treatment for hypothyroidism restores your metabolism back to normal. However regular check up of the hormonal levels, TSH, T3, T4, etc., are very important to regulate your treatment. Please consult your Doctor if you have any symptoms like palpitations, tremors, too much increase in apatite, loss of weight etc., to enable him to control the dose.

Question: What is the best medicine for hypothyroidism? I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a month ago and was put on Levothyroxine. I am still feeling run down and tired and my muscles and joints in my legs hurt so bad I can barely walk sometimes. Do I need to talk to my endocrinologist and get a different medication or do I need to give it a little longer? Is it normal to hurt so bad? I had a full blood work up, the only other thing that it shoed was anemia. My TSH was 246.42.

Answer: Levothyroxine, aka synthroid is the standard medication that is prescribed. The key is getting the medication to an optimal level in your system. That's why you will be getting repeated blood testing. I would call your endocrinologist and let him/her know what symptoms you are having. Your medication dosage may need to be readjusted. Muscle fatigue and leg cramping could be attributed to something else as well, such as hypokalemia or a low potassium level in your body. Call your doc, pa, or practitioner.

Question: How can I prevent goiter or hypothyroidism if I have an iodine allergy? I suffered two anaphylactic shocks in the past 13 months due to consumption of foods that contained iodine. I don't want to develop a large neck (due to goiter or hypothyroidism), so how can I stay healthy with an iodine allergy?

Answer: That is a question that you should take to your Physician, or go to the Health Food store and ask for their recommendation. There are also Nutritionist that should be able to direct you, to what may be available for you instead the Iodine. I am just trying to be helpful, and wonder if you are aware that there is a white iodine, and that perhaps you may be able to tolerate, better that the regular brown iodine. I wish you the best, by finding a specialist that treats Thyroid disease

Question: Would a thyroidectomy resolve the problems I have due to my hypothyroidism? For many years I have had extreme problems due to my hypothyroidism. I have dark course hair on my face, stomach, back, buttock, and legs(I am female so this is not normal.) I also get hot flashes, overactive sweating, extreme weight loss and weight gain. I have been on Synthroid medication int he past and this hasn't helped wtih any of these things. Would a thyroidectomy solve these problems for me?

Answer: NO, I have hypothyroidism, not to the extremes like you, but you need to see and Endocrinologist. Your hormones sound way out of balance. So before you make a decision that cannot be reversed, seek out another doctor and get more than one opinion. I believe the Endocrinologist should be your first step. Good luck.