Have you been feeling dull and out of sorts lately, with none of your regular energy? Have you been putting on pounds, struggling to fasten buttons or zip up zippers, even though you’re not eating any more than you normally do? Do you find yourself often irritable and unable to concentrate? Are your fingernails growing slower?
If so, you may have hypothyroidism, a lower than normal amount of the hormones T3 and T4, produced by the thyroid gland. The thyroid is one of the most important glands in the body. Its hormones affect every organ in human bodies. Those hormones also regulate human metabolism, as well as the energy of nearly every cell in our bodies.
If ‘normal’ defines what is most common, then hypothyroidism is normal. According to webmd.com, “Synthroid (levothyroxine), which treats hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid disease, has been the top-prescribed medicine for several years.”
The thyroid can also produce too much of its hormones, causing hyperthyroidism, which produces the exact opposite symptoms as the hypo version. Too much thyroid hormone causes sudden weight loss, rapid heartbeat, anxiety and irritability. But the hypo version, or an underactive gland, is much more common.
You can actually feel your thyroid gland. It’s a two-lobed gland, with one lobe lying on each side of the lower windpipe. It’s shaped a little like a butterfly. But feeling it won’t let you know whether gland is producing too little of the hormones your body needs. For that, you’ll need a blood test. When your blood is checked for the T3 and T4 hormone, your physician will be able to tell whether you are low in thyroxine. The doctor will then know what dosage of thyroid medication to prescribe for you.
The problem is that many folks don’t know how involved their thyroid gland is in their well being, so they may struggle along for years with lowered ability to concentrate, unable to sleep well, and feelings of extreme tiredness even if they do get eight hours or more of sleep.
More women than men suffer from low thyroid. It often hits women in their mid-to-late 30s. Often the women don’t recognize their fatigue, or suddenly brittle, dry hair and nails, frequent mood changes, weight gain and other issues as medical symptoms. Because hypothyroidism can come on slowly without making an instant change, many physicians suggest that everyone — both men and women — have a blood test done for their thyroid hormone levels every few years.
This is also true if you already take Levothyroxine or another thyroid prescription. Through the years, your need for externally supplied thyroxine may increase or decrease. Your doctor can do more than just give you the results of a blood test. He or she knows exactly which probing questions to ask that will reveal whether you are still suffering from low thyroid, even though you are taking Synthroid, Levothyroxine or another medicine for the condition. You may be taking the right amount of medication, but all of it may not be bioavailable. In other words, though you may be swallowing the pills, your metabolism may not be absorbing all of the artificial hormones.
The care provider will usually be able to change your dosage to one that’s better for you. Here’s a piece of good news: whether you are being prescribed your first dose of thyroid medication or your prescription is being adjusted, it only takes about a week to feel the effects. You may be glad to know that the first thing to disappear is the fatigue.
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Wina Sturgeon is the editor of the online magazine Adventure Sports Weekly
