Weight gain

[M1tzi]

Hi my thyroid blood results indicate hyperthyroidism,after looking at treatments they allseem to show to cause massive weight gain , are there any medications that don’t ?many thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Do you have any recent thyroid and vitamin results you can add

Are you currently taking levothyroxine

How much?

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

If/when also on T3, (or NDT) make sure to take last third or quarter of daily dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Thriva also offer just vitamin testing

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

[radd]

M1tzi,

Have you had a diagnosis? Previous posts indicated hypothyroidism.

Without thyroid hormone test results it is difficult to assess thyroid hormone levels and function. If you supply these results complete with ranges, members will comment.

If you are in the UK you are legally entitled to a copy of your test results. Ask at your surgery for a printed copy that you can post here. Do not accept verbal results or them scribbling results down because they risk omitting important information.

[M1tzi in reply to radd]

Hi THS is 0.30 normal range is0.550_4.78 T3and T 4 is middle of normal range I’m not on any medication for thyroid but insulin for diabetes thank you for reply

[Valarian in reply to M1tzi]

Who is suggesting medication for hyper thyroidism? You say your FT3 and FT4 are mid-range, in which case you AREN’T hyperthyroid.

Current treatments for hyperthyroidism are fairly blunt. Anti-thyroid medication will inhibit production of thyroid hormone, but why would you want to do that when you are mid-range? Radioactive Iodine and Thyroidectomy will leave you without a (fully) functioning thyroid, and you will end up taking replacement hormones for the rest of your life.

Weight gain for people who are hyperthyroid is a complex issue. People taking antithyroids do often gain weight as their thyroid levels (and therefore their metabolism rates) drop, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the medication is itself causing the weight gain. In many cases, people who lost a lot of weight in the early days of being hyperthyroid simply regain that weight. Others put on more than they lost, but after months of being able to eat as much as we want without putting on an ounce, it’s likely our appetites increased, and we may not have taken account of this as our thyroid levels dropped. I also found I was very thirsty all the time, so always went for food with plenty of (typically calorie-laden) sauce. Due to the impact of being very hyperthyroid, people who cook for themselves are likely to head for convenient options, which may not be the healthiest.

[radd in reply to M1tzi]

M1tzi,

You cannot be hyperthyroid with thyroid hormone levels within range.

You are most likely hypothyroid. This is a level of thyroid hormone that is too low for us to function well on (even when hormones are within range).

Your TSH level does not correlate with your thyroid hormone levels and could indicate a pituitary issue. Tell your doctor how unwell you are feeling and ask for further investigations into why your TSH level is so low when your thyroid hormone levels are within range.

If you get any more results post them here for members to comment, or just post for support. Everyone here is very friendly. I hope you feel better soon.

[M1tzi in reply to radd]

Hi thank you for your reply I’ve got a telephone appointment soon so will try get some information thanks