Weight Gain and Thyroidectomy

[diogenes]

T his paper reviews the relationship between thyroid loss and weight gain and suggests some ideas as to why it happens.

Folia Medica 63(6):834-8.


Weight Gain after Treatment of Thyroid Dysfunction and Thyroid Surgery.

A Argaska, B Nonchev

:researchgate.net/publicatio... Mar 21 2022].

Doi: 10.3897/folmed.63.e59851

[Hoxo]

In my experience weight gain after thyroid surgery for Graves’ disease was because I was left for weeks before levels were checked and by then I was severely hypothyroid with a TSH of 110. Then I was treated with Levothyroxine to get my TSH ‘in range’ which at the time had an upper reference limit of 6. My free T3 was rarely checked. My care was then left to various GPs who were solely using TSH as a guide for euthyroidiam and then when my TSH became suppressed despite low free T4 I had to educate myself and fight to continue on Levothyroxine. I’m sure my story is not unique. I figured out what I had to do to keep myself ‘functioning’ - weight gain was the least of my worries. It’s not rocket science! Or maybe it really is more complicated! Thanks for posting the paper. Interesting.

[tattybogle in reply to Hoxo]

left for weeks before levels were checked and by then I was severely hypothyroid with a TSH of 110. Then I was treated with Levothyroxine to get my TSH ‘in range’ which at the time had an upper reference limit of 6.

Yes ... i can see how that might lead to gaining weight..... for crying out loud. i'm still shocked when i here how they casually abandon people after thyroid surgery,

I remember that TSH range that went up to to 6 ... i quite liked it cos the bottom end of it was 0.02.. which meant i was 'allowed' to have TSH of 0.04 on levo for a decade without anyone giving me any grief about being 'overmedicated'.

[AliF]

Thanks for this Diogenes. All of the recent papers you have posted are fascinating and I’ll be armed with them next time I see my endo. I tried some T3 but it didn’t seem to help me, although I’m wondering if I had been monitored and the dose tweaked whether it might have helped. I am certainly laying down adipose tissue in my body, arms, legs and feet which is very unpleasant. Just wondering how we can find out about these research projects to possibly volunteer to take part in them? This particular paper isn’t a good example for me as I haven’t had a thyroidectomy but I would be interested in taking part in any research looking at people who appear euthyroid from blood test results but who don’t feel euthyroid or anything to do with adipose tissue/lipoedema. Is there a way to find out about planned research ?

[TSH110]

I wonder if any studies exist where NDT was given and if post operative weight gain was common.

[Batty1]

Great article!

I definitely can relate I gained the majority of my weight in the first 1 1/2 after my thyroidectomy and at that time I was still exercising 6 days a week at a reduced capacity due to crazy fatigue and horrendous body pains and I also believe that my surgical menopause 11 years earlier definitely helped contribute to my ever expanding body.

Do you have any good articles about Leptin and what can be done?

Thyroidectomy and Menopause = disaster