Hypothyroidism symptoms
Hypothyroidism symptoms are fairly common. Depending upon how severe your particular condition is, the symptoms of hypothyroidism that you suffer will vary.
As a general rule of thumb, for most patients, the hypothyroidism symptoms tend to develop slowly over a number of years.
Often times, certain symptoms of hypothyroidism are attributed to aging, like weight gain or fatigue, but as one’s metabolism continues to slow down, these symptoms will become more obvious.
Some of the most common hypothyroidism symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Increased sensitivity to cold
- Constipation
- Dry skin
- Unexplained weight gain
- Puffy face
- Hoarseness
- Muscle weakness
- Elevated blood cholesterol level
- Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
- Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
- Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
- Thinning hair
- Slowed heart rate
- Depression
- Impaired memory
If hypothyroidism is left untreated, these symptoms will continue to worsen severely over time. Because your body must constantly stimulate the thyroid to encourage it to produce the needed hormones, goitres can develop. When goitres develop, many patients often feel as though their thought processes become fuzzier, or they may develop depression. Advanced cases of hypothyroidism tend to be rare, but they can result in death.
Now that you know the hypothyroidism symptoms and signs to look for, when should you see a doctor? The time to see your primary care physician will be when you are experiencing two or more of the aforementioned symptoms at the same time.
If you have had thyroid surgery before, then you should be seeing your doctor regularly for thyroid testing, to ensure that it is in proper working order. For some individuals, radiation therapies to the face or neck regions, the taking of anti-thyroid medications or radioactive iodine treatments can cause them to develop hypothyroidism, but it often takes years for this disease to develop from these courses of treatment.
Individuals who suffer from high cholesterol levels are encouraged to discuss with their doctor whether or not this is one of the many symptoms of hypothyroidism. If this condition is to be treated with hormone therapies, then it will be very important for the patient to schedule visits as often as their doctor recommends. For your health, it is important to ensure that you are receiving the proper dosage of medication, and over time, this exact dosage may need to change.
If you have questions or concerns about thyroid problems see your local doctor who will arrange for you to see a thyroid surgeon.
