Hypothyroid Symptoms

If you’ve had concerns that you may be suffering from hypothyroid symptoms, but your physician hasn’t been able to give you an accurate diagnosis, you may want to familiarize yourself with the common signs and symptoms that indicate the disorder so you can determine if you are, in fact, suffering from hypothyroidism.

First of all, keep in mind that the TSH level testing that is currently available is not really a foolproof method for determining if one has hypothyroidism.

Although most of the medical community continues to use these tests, the reality is that the best way to determine if you have hypothyroidism is to take a close look at the various hypothyroid symptoms and see if any match the symptoms you are experiencing. Then you can start a hypothyroid treatment program and note any improvement in your hypothyroidism symptoms which will verify your diagnosis.

Early Signs of Hypothyroid Symptoms

Another good indication of hypothyroidism is to take a look to see if you had any of the hypothyroid symptoms when you were a child.  Often, symptoms begin in childhood and can be the first clue to getting an accurate diagnosis.

When this disorder presents itself in childhood, chances are fairly certain that the amount of symptoms and the degree of their intensity will increase with age.  If you remember having any of the following symptoms when you were younger, it may have been an early indicator that you were unknowingly suffering from hypothyroid symptoms.

If, as you read through the list you discover that as a child you had any of these hypothyroid symptoms, even if you’ve had a TSH test and it came back negative, it may be a good idea to take another look at your health to determine if you have hypothyroidism.

Psychological Hypothyroid Symptoms

Some of the most frustrating symptoms of hypothyroidism have to do with the ability to concentrate.  This is especially debilitating in children. The following is a list of symptoms which are often the first indication that a child has hypothyroidism. As you go through them, keep track of any that you remember suffering from when you were a child.

  • ADD/ADHDpsychological hypothyroid symptoms
  • Difficulty in remembering things
  • Difficulty learning new concepts
  • Trouble wrapping your head around new ideas
  • A feeling that your thought process has slowed down
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Feelings of restlessness
  • Often feeling sad or depressed
  • Mood swings
  • Feeling nervous
  • Colors seem flat rather than vivid
  • A tendency to avoid social situations whenever possible
  • Having thoughts that don’t seem normal
  • Feeling shy, even around people you know
  • Loss of interest in doing your daily routine
  • No desire to try new things
  • Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder
  • Diagnosed with any form of psychosis

As you can see from the hypothyroid symptoms listed above, many have to do with the concept of learning which is crucial for children who are attending school. Unfortunately, many medical professionals fail to consider hypothyroidism when seeking a diagnosis for children who have learning disabilities.

The result is that many of these young people are misdiagnosed and being treated for other conditions, when in reality they are suffering from hypothyroid symptoms.

Along with learning and concentrating difficulties, hypothyroidism can also be responsible when a child just doesn’t feel well much of the time, or misses a lot of school with a variety of complaints. If, when you think back to your childhood, and you remember that you were often visiting the doctor’s office, then perhaps the problems you’re suffering with now, are really hypothyroid symptoms.

Psysiological Hypothyroid Symptoms

The following list indicates many of the physiological hypothyroid symptoms found in children:

  • Allergieshypothyroid symptoms
  • Gum infections
  • A tendency for tooth decay
  • Having a hoarse or gravelly voice
  • Frequent nightmares
  • Sore feet
  • Muscle spasms or cramps during physical exercise
  • Difficulty annunciating words
  • Slow speech
  • Not a good eater
  • Being underweight or overweight even when eating a healthy diet
  • Constipation
  • A sensitivity to odors, esp. perfumes, candles, smoke, etc.
  • Complains of ringing in the ears
  • Yellowing of skin
  • Delayed development of permanent teeth
  • An increased sensitivity to cold
  • A large protruding tongue
  • Early or late sexual development
  • Frequent choking
  • Poor muscle tone
  • Excessive sleepiness

Again, if you recall having any of these hypothyroid symptoms as a child, there is a strong possibility that you may still be feeling the effects of thyroid problems. Adult symptoms include all those above, but also many others that range from being mildly annoying to serious, and on rare occasion, life threatening.

Commonly Missed Hypothyroid Symptoms in Adults

Statistics indicate that at least 60 million Americans suffer from hypothyroid symptoms, but have no idea what is causing their discomfort.

Keep in mind that while there are many signs and symptoms of the disorder, you don’t have to have all of them in order to have a significantly dysfunctional thyroid.  Also note that symptoms are often related because of the damage suffered by the various systems in the body.

For example:

Cholesterol Problems 

When high cholesterol doesn’t respond to ordinary treatments such as a change in diet or an increase in exercise, it can be one of the signs of hypothyroidism.

Weight Problems

People with hypothyroid symptoms often find that even if they stick to a strict weight-loss diet, they just can’t seem to lose any amount of weight.  For example, you may have joined a gym program or belong to a weight loss support group, and have become discouraged because everyone else in the group seems to be losing reasonable amounts of weight, but you haven’t shed one pound. This could be an indicator that your difficulty losing weight is actually one of the classic signs of hypothyroidism and that the right hypothyroidism diet may be the answer to your frustration. And weight loss becomes much easier when you starting eating the right hypothyroid diet.

Depression

If you experience depression over a considerable period of time or you just can’t seem to shake off a case of the blues, it may be an indication of hypothyroid symptoms.  This is especially true for people who do not respond to antidepressant medications.  Also, women who have post-partum depression are sometimes actually experiencing the onset of hypothyroidism which is very common postpartum.

Exhaustion

hypothyroid symptomsEveryone finds themselves feeling fatigued now and then, but if you never seem to feel energetic no matter how much sleep you get, hypothyroidism might be the problem.  This is really a double edged sword because hypothyroid symptoms include insomnia, which leaves you feeling even more exhausted during the day.

If you’re getting 8 to 10 solid hours of sleep at night, and you find you just can’t function without a daily nap, you may actually be suffering from a thyroid disorder.

This list of signs and symptoms is not all inclusive. Because hypothyroidism can affect so many different hormones and organs, most all of the body’s systems are at risk when the thyroid gland is not functioning properly.

Despite this fact, hypothyroid symptoms are often overlooked or misdiagnosed.  Since testing is not always a true indicator of the condition it is important you have a good understanding of these symptoms that could be creating health problems.

2 replies
  1. Irma
    Irma says:

    So, what do you do when you have about 85% of these symptoms, go from doctor to doctor who take blood tests that all come back normal! They all presume you are a hypochondriac and judge you, telling you that you are FAT, give the speech about what obesity does to a person’s health, and point the finger at you telling you that you are in denial and if you just stop eating and lose weight, stop leading a sedintary lifestyle, and tell you that you will feel better when you take the excess weight off! TThen when you get angry, they look at you like you need a psychiatrist instead of an M.D.!!! I’ve been getting sicker and sicker over the years, and I’m so bad right now, I can’t work a full time job!

    Reply
    • Tom
      Tom says:

      That’s why you can’t rely entirely on the medical and the very reason why I created the Hypothyroidism Revolution… to open peoples eyes to the fact that there’s a lot that you can and need to do for yourself. You have to be willing to take control of your own health.

      Reply

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