Brief Guide To Hyperthyroidism: Spotting It, Living With It and Controlling It
Posted: Saturday, January 30, 2010
by Amina Razaq
ThyroidWeight
Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism
Anxiety
Panic attacks
High blood pressure
Sensitivity to heat
Flushed face, neck
Increased sweating
Weight loss
Racing / rapid pulse
Slight bulging of the eyes
Insomnia
Increased appetite – failure to ever really feel full
Muscle weakness and aching
Testing for Hyperthyroidism
If the TSH tests come back as borderline (around the 0.4 mU/L level), you should wait for 4 weeks and have the TSH and T4 tests done again and make sure you get both sets of numbers from your doctor – the ones you have done recently and the ones from a months time so you can see if your condition is worsening. This may also help with convincing your doctor to prescribe meds for you sooner rather than later.
Supplements to help alleviate the symptoms
Eat more of:
High fiber foods – but low calorie (wholemeal cereals, wholemeal bread, sweet potato etc.)
Eat more goitrogens – they help to suppress your thyroid function – broccoli, cabbage, spinach, Brussels sprouts, kale, turnips, soy beans.
Drink herbal teas
Eat less of:
Dairy
Salt – try and cut this out completely if possible – there is already enough salt in the food anyway. Avoid also pickles, crisps, chips.
Coffee, tea, sodas
Herbal supplements
These can really help reduce the day to day symptoms but are most effective alongside hyperthyroid medication. Till you can get a prescription, they are a great place to start. These should be taken daily.
Calcium
Magnesium
Multivitamins
Vitamin C 1000mg daily
Vitamin B daily
The 3 most common forms of treatment for an overactive thyroid are:
1. Anti-thyroid meds – meds that help to get rid of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism by suppressing the amount of hormones being produced by your thyroid. Doctors will usually start you on a short course of treatment to gauge response and the success rate of this is fairly high and can result in the problem disappearing completely.
2. Radioactive iodine – You usually drink this medicine which causes the thyroid to shrink (to normal size) and help alleviate the symptoms. This has to be carefully monitored so that the thyroid problem doesn’t swing to the other extreme and you then get hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). Most people cured with a single dose. Although the levels in this treatment are low, doctors advise women not to try to get pregnant for 6 months after a course of treatment.
3. Beta blockers – Propranolol is the most common med prescribed by doctors for hyperthyroidism. These may not help to reduce your thyroid levels but they are often used to help reduce the symptoms like the rapid heart rate and palpitations which are common with hyperthyroidism.
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