An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) makes you sweat more, feel hot, lose weight, or makes your heart beat faster. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) does the opposite. You might feel cold, gain weight, and get a slower heartbeat. But there are other less obvious signs that you need to learn about.
About underactive thyroids
Common signs of an underactive thyroid are tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed. An underactive thyroid can often be successfully treated by taking daily hormone tablets to replace the hormones your thyroid isn't making. There's no way of preventing an underactive thyroid.
The most common symptoms in adults are fatigue, lethargy, cold intolerance, weight gain, constipation, change in voice, and dry skin, but clinical presentation can differ with age and sex, among other factors. The standard treatment is thyroid hormone replacement therapy with levothyroxine.
Hypothyroidism is a common condition where the thyroid doesn't create and release enough thyroid hormone into your bloodstream. This makes your metabolism slow down. Also called underactive thyroid, hypothyroidism can make you feel tired, gain weight and be unable to tolerate cold temperatures.
Persistent nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain can be caused by hypothyroidism.
Thyroid disorders can have a noticeable impact on your energy level and mood. Hypothyroidism tends to make people feel tired, sluggish, and depressed. Hyperthyroidism can cause anxiety, problems sleeping, restlessness, and irritability.
Silent thyroiditis is an immune reaction of the thyroid gland. The disorder can cause hyperthyroidism, followed by hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland is located in the neck, just above where your collarbones meet in the middle.
Health Effects, Risk Factors for Exposure, and More. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy often include pain, numbness, or tingling in your arms or legs, and may also include muscle weakness or partial loss of muscle control.
Sensitive Skin and Skin Discoloration
Thyroid hormones also influence the quality of your skin in various ways. For example, with hyperthyroidism, you may notice itchy and dry patches of skin. Your face may feel softer and swollen. You may even notice swelling around your fingertips.
Does Hypothyroidism Affect Life Expectancy? With proper treatment, a person with hypothyroidism usually has a normal life expectancy, with little or no decrease in quality of life. 1 Hypothyroidism generally carries a greater life expectancy than hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
People with hypothyroidism may also have headaches, including pulsing pain, on both sides of the head. In most cases, the headaches subside after the person receives effective treatment for hypothyroidism.
Brain fog in hypothyroid patients was associated most frequently with fatigue, forgetfulness and difficulty focusing and often persists after normalization of the thyroid hormone levels and negatively impacts patients' lives.
This is called hyperthyroidism. Using energy too quickly will do more than make you tired — it can make your heart beat faster, cause you to lose weight without trying and even make you feel nervous. On the flip-side of this, your thyroid can make too little thyroid hormone.
Untreated hypothyroidism can lead to serious complications, including heart disease and nerve damage. In rare cases, it can be fatal. Most people with hypothyroidism have to take thyroid hormone replacement long term. You will need ongoing thyroid level checks to ensure you are on the right dose.
Because hypothyroidism develops slowly, you may not notice symptoms of the disease for months or even years. Many of these symptoms, especially fatigue and weight gain, are common and do not necessarily mean you have a thyroid problem.
Myxedema crisis (also called myxedema coma), the most severe form of hypothyroidism, is rare. It occurs when thyroid hormone levels get very, very low.
Cruciferous vegetables – Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts can inhibit the production of thyroid hormone. This is especially common in those who have an iodine deficiency. Digesting these vegetables can block the ability to absorb iodine, which is needed for normal thyroid function.
General joint and muscle pains are common when hypothyroidism is not sufficiently treated, and your dosage of thyroid hormone needs to be increased. Joint and muscle weakness and pain, especially in the arms and legs, can be evidence that you need an increased dose of antithyroid drugs for your hyperthyroidism.
The most obvious symptom of subacute thyroiditis is pain in the neck caused by a swollen and inflamed thyroid gland. Sometimes, the pain can spread (radiate) to the jaw or ears. The thyroid gland may be painful and swollen for weeks or, in rare cases, months.
The release of insufficient thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) may result in low blood pressure and a slowed heart rate, causing dizziness, weakness, lethargy, and chills.
Eye problems, known as thyroid eye disease or Graves' ophthalmopathy, affect around 1 in 4 people with an overactive thyroid caused by Graves' disease. Problems can include: eyes feeling dry and gritty. sensitivity to light.