Posted in: Hyperthyroidism.
Hi,just wanted to find out what everone else thinks about weight gain. When I first found out that I had a hyper thyroid I weighed 120 lbs. NOW after about a year I can't seem to loose any weight. I am up to 150 and I am sick of gaining more even though I work out like crazy. Doesn't seem fair and I need some advice please!
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16 Responses
I am in the same situation. I have steadily been gaining weight. I thought it was the beta-blockers I was on, so I greatly decreased how much I was taking. I still seem to be gaining weight and it is depressing. I'm tired all the time to begin with, but the weight gain is just too much to deal with on top of everything else. I've already suffered a miscarriage due to the hyperthyroidism and it's taking forever to get any help.
I've had well over 10 blood tests and two hospital scans, I'm now awaiting a meeting to try medication instead of getting my thyroid removed. I was pregnant when I was first diagnosed so radiation is not an option since I still want to get pregnant again soon. However, my thyroid levels are raging (for the last 4 months) and I'm gaining weight and I'm not on any medication yet. My vision is starting to blur and it's making me angry that treatment takes so long.
My T3 levels are particularly high and I'm gaining weight. I've been watching what i eat and don't know what could 'cause this?! I'm also irritable and tired all of the time.
Wow, me too.. I weighed 120 lbs and now weigh 150..I've NEVER weighed this much!!!!
I was diagnosed Hyperthyroid 3 years ago. My appettite grew and grew. I could eat a whole 8 in cake, and not be stuffed! Once I got on PTU, it stablized, but now my metabolism is slowed because of the meds, which makes it really hard to lose weight. I developed a rash from the PTU and was switched after about a month without meds to Methimazole. But during that month, I was able to lose 15 lbs! It came off so quickly doing low carb and exercizing for an hour a day at the gym. But then the Methimazole kicked in, and slowed everything down, so I'm almost at a standstill as far as weight. I sleep a lot better though. But when I go back to the Endo, I'll ask if I can lower my dosage some and see what he says.
Hello. I, too, am fighting a similar battle. I suffered a m/c in November 2005, had a successful pregnancy/birth in December 2007, then another m/c in March of 2009. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroid in July 2009. My TSH was at 0.1, T3 at 30.0 & T4 at 4.7. Symptoms were excessive heat intolerance with terrible night sweats, tremors, enlarged thyroid gland, increased appetite, and weight gain. I, too, want another child, but my cycles were irregular to begin with, but have become regular since being put on Propylthiouracil, though I am not sure I am ovulating. I've made an appointment with my OB/GYN who advertises infertility treatment this upcoming Monday. I expect to have to have the medication increased, but am not sure since have been on 100mg 1x/d since 3/10. My advice, find a dr you trust, whether OB/GYN or ENDO and stay on top of it. I wish I would have, but am going to make up for it now. Keep us posted as to the weight issue as I am also hoping to take up running again to aid in managing it and hope I will be successful.
Ugh! I am so with you on the weight gain!
Before I was diagnosed, I was starving all the time. I didn't gain weight, but I didn't lose any either.
Once diagnosed, I was prescribed 10 mg Methimazole . During this time, my weight stayed the same. The doctor then upped my dosage to 20 mg and POOF! I GAINED 20 lbs in 2 months!!!!! It was horrible. My hair also fell out in clumps-so I was getting fat and going bald-fun!
Because my energy level was soooo low I could barely function, I knew I was on too much methimazole. I had to beg the dr. to run labs early so we could switch. Slowly over the next few months he brought me down to 17.5, then 15 then 10 mg.
I feel better now and haven't gained anymore, but I can't lose anything either! It's very frustrating, isn't it??
It's so hard to find the right dosage. It's been a year now!
When I hear about people who have been sick for years with this it's depressing! I thought once levels were figured out you just stabilized and felt good, but I guess not. =0(
well, I started getting the "blah's" probably shortly after graduating high-school. I was about 200 in my sophomore year of highschool, but by college even though I had an active livestyle, I boosted up to 290 pounds and by the time I was out of college I weighed 310 lbs. After college I played dance dance revolution literally 3 hours a day for 3 months, and was down about 60 pounds. Granted, I was playing on "hard" and literally burned about 2500 calories a day playing it, however my diet consisted of a fruit smoothie in the morning, and a small portion of food at night. But after getting a job, who had time to workout hardcore for 3 hours? I immediately gained 20 lbs, and by the time I was married in 2008 I was at 265 lbs. Now I'm back up to 303. I even went vegetarian for a month and a half and only lost about 4-5 pounds! I can't handle the heat, and I can't seem to lose the weight. I'm not gaining anymore weight either. I seemed to have plateaued. Even with drinking extra water and working out hard for an hour a day, I still bounce between 289 and 300.
It wasn't until a few months ago that I went to the dr. for a test on a bump in my lower back, just to find that it was fine, but my TH levels were really low indicating Hyperthyroid. Went to an endocrinologist and was diagonosed with Toxic Hot Goiter. Benign tumors covering my thyroid!
So I took the radioactive iodine and won't find out until march when my hormone levels are not in thyroid storage anymore.
Weight loss sucks when dealing with the Thyroid. Also can't stand hot places, and I am so sick of being fatigued all the time! I'll sleep 10 hours, and take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and still feel like I haven't slept enough!
I feel your pain!
I read on one of the blogs that when people get the tumor removed they gain weight. But I feel the same way I work out and eat right and I cant get the weight off with my hyperthyroid.
I am new here. I am in Australia and a 64 y o male. I have had my thyroid gland removed...2007, subsequent biopsy revealed follicular cancer which seemed not to have penetrated the thyroid wall. I had a precautionary ablation with iodine 131. Seeming ok so far.
I didn't experience any notable weight gain but that may be due to my smoking 30 cigarettes per day. I was about 80kg at 1.7 metres.
I thought you would lose weight if you were hyperthyroid? Were you referring to the effect of the medication taken to treat the hyper condition?
I gave up smoking in early 2009 and packed the weight on then. I am now 100kg...alas I haven't grown any taller.
Phillippe
I have the same problem I thought the medicine would help to have a stable weight not to increase my weight. I have my thyroid and am on medicine to control it. They have me on levothyroxine I haven't heard of the medicine that you are on.
Hello,
I am a 53 year old woman,very active,thought healthy, a year ago this March 8th I had a heart attack due to a "Thyroid Storm" in the hospital I was diagnoised with Graves disease. I am on 60 mg. of Tapazole, beta blockers, I had another "thyroid storm" this Christmas. Did NOT sleep for seven days.Was put on very high dose of librium to try to calm my body down and get some sleep. I admit I dont take the full dose,dont want to have to depend on it. I only average four straight hours asleep a night. I am very "hyper" I have great anxitiy,dont sit still so I am confused most of the post here say how tired/weak they are.
I was diagnosed with hyperthyroid in 2000. After TEN years on methimazole starting at 20 mg, i gradulayy lowered my dose and now take nothing. Granted it did take 10 yrs but anything is better than taking radioactive meds to kill my thyroid. No thanks. Finally I am able to lose some weight. It was a steady gain fo 10 yrs. Every 6 months or so I lowered my dose even just a tiny bit, getting blood test every 4 months to make sure I was ok. Sometimes I had to go up a bit on methimazole and sometimes I took less. But it worked! Methimazole is cheap. I still take 1/2 of a 5 mg every few days. I need to get another test to make sure i'm ok. Once you have hyperthyroid you kind of know the rushy fast heartbeat out of breath feel =hen your counts are out of whack. My heartrate has finally gone down and don't have to take much in the way of beta blockers.
Hang in there. It takes time but many people can reverse hyperthyroid. I am 67 now.
It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one with these symptoms and concerns. My doctor doesn't seem to like to entertain my thoughts about what has been happening to my body. It's annoying. And I'm glad there's a place I can find learn from people with similar concerns.
I'm 27 and have never had any kids and are not planning on having any in the near future. I'm currently on a 5 year IUD to keep that all in check. There was never any family history of thyroid issues.
I was first diagnosed with HyperThyroidism just a few months ago. It's been a hellish battle. Earlier in the year I had a bad case of tonsillitis which caused my body to attack itself. The auto-immune disease, whatever it was, developed into a thyroid problem. After months of bloodwork and radiation tests they came to the final diagnosis of hyperthyroid. But none of my symptoms corresponded.
I've gained close to 30 pounds, my body is always cold and I have trouble sleeping.
I've been on beta blockers and methimazole for 3 months now. I'll be starting radiation to reduce the size of the goiter on my left thyroid where the hot nodules are located.
And all the time, my appetite hasn't increased, nor has my eating habits and my exercise regime has stayed constant. But the weight gain is out of control.
Right now I've been toying with the idea of surgery over radiation. Thinking that maybe if I just get the goiter/nodule removed, my body will get back to normal.
What I'm hoping to do through this blog and other sites, is find out what has happened after hyperthyroid treatments? Does radiation fix it? Would surgery be a better option? I know it's a completely vain subject but, which option gets me back to being me? The me before all the weight gain?
I am female and 51 y/o. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2000. I was on the Tapazole also. In 2002, my asthma suddenly became very severe and not controlled and I was placed on very high dose steroids which I remained on until last year. I was already gaining weight from the hyperthyroidism, and the steroids just made the weight gain ridiculous. I have a hard time determining symptoms because my asthma flare symptoms are the same as the hyperthyroidism symptoms as far as heart rate, hot flashes, shortness of breath and fatigue go.
I have developed osteonecrosis from the steroids and have a hip replacement. I am too tired and in too much pain from bone/joint/muscle damage to excercise. Sooo, I feel for you. Been there.
some of you are killing your metabolisms on top of it all. You cant eat like a bird and lose weight. I am in the same boat with many of you. but the last way to lose weight is a smoothie the am and a bird like meal at night. You have to eat 5 small meals to stimulate your metabolism. You also have those meals well balanced. I cant lose weight, but Im not gaining a ton of weight either. I exercise 1/2 hour per day and eat 3 well rounded meals. I know it should be five...usually the other two are grapes and an apple. Trust me when I say you make it all worse by eating barely anything. an if some of you are exercising as much as you do and are eating little, that dying metabolism is only getting worse by the over deprivation of calorie loss...you have pushed your bodies into starvation mode and your body will hold onto every morsel you eat and turn it into fat. Starvation and extreme exercise are not the answers.
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I am in the same boat. I have been through hell the past 3 months with my heart beating irregularly, breathing problems, chest pain, a huge unfulfillable hunger, and weight gain. They could not figure out my problem and would not let me work, then a few weeks ago a random doctor decided to check my thyroid and my TPS was well below normal. I am on beta blockers now and starting to live a normal life, and cant wait to start treatment. I hope the doctors were able to help you and if you have any advice please share.