Nearly but not quite overactive thyroid.

[sugarplumfairy01]

Hi all

So I've just been told I'm on the outskirts of having an overactive thyroid and I just need bloods to be done every 6 months to keep an eye on it.

I was also told I was right on the edge for it whilst I was pregnant but was told it would just be pregnancy hormones and they didn't do anything.

Having an over active thyroid would certainly explain a lot of things:

Constantly tired
Constantly hungry
So irritable that I actually just feel like I need to smash things or burst into tears.
No sex drive what so ever
Low mood, I wouldn't say depressed. Had depression before and definitely not that, just don't feel happy for no reason if that makes sense
Anxiety is through the roof, even had a panic attack whilst at a gig the other week. Even get anxious just sitting in play area for no reason.
My weight is sky high for me (probably cos I'm always hungry!)

Has anyone else been told they're results are on the verge but they don't think they need to do anything?

My 3 year old keeps asking why I'm not happy and it's breaking my heart. I normally have a lot more patients with him but everything is annoying me that I'm just constantly shouting or moaning at him. I also have a 3 month old as well.

My husband just put his hand on me last night and stroked my leg and I was like get the fuck of me you're just annoying me 🙈

Christ even the dog is annoying the hell out of me just by being there!!

Think I'll book another drs apt. I originally thought I was just anemic and all this was tiredness related but iron level are fine.

Any advice or anyone else been the same?

Xx

Overactive, or underactive? Your symptoms sound more like underactive to be honest.

Indeed, you seem to have symptoms that would be more expected from an underactive thyroid. When overactive, you eat more, but you also lose weight and you are very hyper (although exhausted too) rather than depressed.

Get a second opinion. Thyroid issues cannot be ignored or it could spiral out of control very quickly.

Did the doctor mean hypo (under) active rather than hyper (over) active? That sounds far more likely.

I disagree that those symptoms are not indicative of an overactive thyroid. Mood disturbances and irritability are really common with an overactive thyroid. Even weight gain isn't unheard of (albeit weight loss is more common).

I think the bottom line OP is that if you're symptomatic despite your bloods being borderline, then you should go back and discuss treatment options. Personally I'd be asking for a referral to an endocrinologist.

Good advice. Do you have any results that you could share with us?

Thanks all, very helpful.

No results to share...just the receptionist reading from a computer!

Looking on the NHS website there are symptoms I have for bother over and under so who knows. I don't really understand any of it!

I was just saying to my husband that I'm all achy as well and muscle aches is also a symptom for under active. And actually looking at under active the only thing which isn't on there is anxiety, and in all fairness I've suffered anxiety throughout most of my life just seems to have spiked recently.

I shall definitely call and make another appointment, just always feel I get fobbed off with blood tests and never any definitive answers.

X

@reallybadidea

Had to Google endocrinologist but that's very interesting as I've always said I think there's something wrong with my hormones! But whenever spoke to drs about my moods and feelings just given anti depressants.

I've not taken them since I got pregnant with my 3 year old though.

We don't all conform to the "usual" symptoms, which is the nature of thyroid disease. I am hypothyroid, but had plenty of symptoms which would seem to point to me being hyper. I also didn't have all the usual hypo symptoms.

Ask for a copy of your blood test results - you are legally entitled to have them. I don't expect the doctors tested any of your antibodies, which would help to definitively diagnose you with Graves (hyper) or Hashimoto's (hypo).

I started off with overactive thyroid, my weight went right down to about 5 stone from about 9, could not eat a thing, crying and mood swings constantly and my memory just went completely until I had treatment (Radioactive Iodine Capsule) to try and correct it but it went the other way. The only problem with the Capsule treatment is you can't be around children under the age of 15, cancer patients or anyone with a weakened immune system because it is radio active.

So I've got drs today at 12. I asked the receptionist for a copy of the blood results and she seemed a bit off! Said she had to ask the duty Dr before she could give them to me.
Will update more after 12!

So after going back to the drs today I've got an appointment with a phlebotomist next week to have my anti bodies checked.

I've also got an appointment to see a mental health nurse and then a call with the Dr after my bloods.

I got a copy of my bloods I had done and my TSH is slightly low at 0.12 my T4 is normal at 15 and they've not checked my T3.

Ive been over active and I didn't lose a single iota of weight. I had every other symptom of hyper just not the weight loss. I am hypo with hashimotos and honestly the symptoms can be very similar.

I was hyperthyroid 4 years ago..paranoia, anxiety, irritable, coudn't concentrate, night sweats, weight loss, pain in hands & wrists. Then after medication I went underactive.... though of course not according to the NHS.
So treated myself with Iodine & fine now.

Did it take everyone a while to get a diagnosis from the drs?

I hope that they are testing antibodies for both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism then, as your TSH isn’t that low to have Graves diagnosed, nor your T4 too high. It’s a shame that your T3 wasn’t tested, but doctors often regard it as unimportant. What about your B12? Vitamin D? Ferritin?

As for being diagnosed myself – it was fairly quick once what appeared to be a goitre appeared. However, I had many many years of being fobbed off with dire symptoms that were put down to stress, my age (being a young mum, then a mum of toddlers, then a mum of teenagers, and then “just getting old”), more stress, depression, a bit more stress, being pre-menopausal, then menopausal, then post-menopausal, even more stress, IBS, and being told I was a hypochondriac didn’t help – it’s a miserable catalogue of being ignored, and I certainly wasn’t continually going to the GP.

On a positive note, I manage my hypothyroidism very well now and, funnily enough, all my lifelong symptoms have disappeared like magic.

Have a look at the Health Unlocked forum on Thyroid UK for more information.

My sister is in her third week of being radioactive after taking the Radioactive Iodine Capsule. She had been going to her gp for a number of years with various complaints and still felt awful.

2 years ago she got a thrombosis after a flight and was sent straight to A&E, had more appointments after that to treat it and had lots of tests and it was only then that she got referred to an endocrinologist who told her she had an overactive thyroid, he told her most people think you lose weight with that but there's a percent of people who put on weight.

My sister had most of the symptoms OP has described, she had a shake in her hand too, she was put on medication and soon felt better but was taken off the medication a few weeks ago so she could take the capsule. She was told she had pre-cancerous cells in her thyroid.

Although it took getting a thrombosis and having to take blood thinners for life my sister reckons it's what got her the diagnosis and treatment for her thyroid.

*percentage