Underactive Thyroid

[patmahe]

Hi,

Been to see my doctor and he suspects I may be suffering from an underactive thyroid (awaiting blood test results to confirm). Anyone here had this and been treated for it, how did you find the treatment early on, how long before you really started to feel better?

Thanks

Pat

[driverrob]

From my experience with family and colleagues, if you're female and over 40 it's almost an inevitability. Might take a week or two for the medication to settle things down but it works. You'll probably have to take it for ever and have regular blood tests to check you're on the right dose. The good news is you're entitled to a prescription exception certificate - for everything

[TpdNotts]

Yes, very common for women over 40 but I have had it since I was about 35. Usually you're given a prescription for thyroxin; it may take a while to get the correct dosage and you take it before food once a day. As stated above, it does mean you are given a medical exemption card entitling you to free prescriptions but unfortunately you do tend to have to take the tablets for life. I think you then have yearly blood tests. It's difficult to know how an underactive thyroid affects your life; I still feel crap some days but that can be from any number of things!

[5harp3y]

Grandmother, Mother and Sister all had under / over active thyroids.

Gran and Mum take tablets, sister @ 23 just had her thyroid removed, three weeks and she is back to work, tiny scar.

[arebrec]

under active thyroid gland here too!! or hypothyroidism as it's otherwise known.

I was diagnosed about 6years ago, after months of feeling tired, having no energy and generally feeling unwell and always cold...I put a lot of these sypmtoms down to just being a busy working mum and no time to relax... but started to get numbness of my hands, unable to concentrate, and always forgetting things!! turned out my thyroid levels were so low if they had fallen anymore I would have gone into a coma! (myxoedema)

I now take 100mcg of thyroxine daily and have to have regular blood tests to check levels, they still fluctuate after years of treatment, and my dosages are always changing! It can run in the family, as my nan was recently diagnosed but only takes 25mcg daily and keeps her levels stable..

In answer to your question, I think I left mine too long to get sorted so I didn't really start to feel better for months and even now I still feel tired and have problems with concentration!! but if caught early and treated most people do feel better after a few weeks, but everyone is different and they put you on small doses and increase if needed..

good luck and hope you feel better soon..