Need help with thyroid problem?
My friend has just come down with what her doctor calls a low thyroid gland. Her blood tests say it's 46.36. She wants to know why she gained 30 pounds just out of the blue. She has a "fat belly" which makes her look nine months pregnant. She has severe lower back pain. She believes this was all caused due a hepatitis C shot (Peg-inferon(sp?)) that she had been taking. Does anyone know what can help with this?
User Comments
- she needs to take thyroid medication to bring her levels up to normal.
hypothyroidism will make you gain weight very quickly along with feeling very tired.. it will make your hair fall out.. your nails will becomes brittle and many women stop menstruating..
she should really follow up with the doctor
- An under active thyroid will cause weight gain. It is usually treated by taking daily thyroid medication (hormones).
I looked up side effects of hepatitus C shot and it can cause thyroid disease. Sometime an underactive thyroid, sometimes overactive, and sometimes it can swing back and forth between both.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepat...
What are the side effects of interferon therapy?
Most persons have flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint aches, fast heart rate) early in treatment, but these lessen with continued treatment. Later side effects may include tiredness, hair loss, low blood count, trouble with thinking, moodiness, and depression. Severe side effects are rare (seen in less than 2 out of 100 persons). These include thyroid disease, depression with suicidal thoughts, seizures, acute heart or kidney failure, eye and lung problems, hearing loss, and blood infection.
Interferon dosage must be reduced in up to 40 out of 100 persons because of severity of side effects, and treatment must be stopped in up to 15 out of 100 persons.
- There are many symptoms caused by hypothyroidism, some of them are
Breathing difficulties (shortness of breath, chest tightness)
Cold body temperature (feeling cold too)
Constipation (not usually relieved with the usual aids)
Depression
Dizziness (often accompanied with vertigo)
Eye problems (bulging eyes; gritty, dry, achy, blurry, irritated, red eyes; light sensitivity; double vision; jumpy eyes)
Facial puffiness (eyes, lids too)
Fatigue (despite sleep sufficiency)
Fertility problems (miscarriage too)
Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hair problems (coarse, dry texture) (hypothyroid hair loss: head and outer edge of eyebrow )
Hearing disabilities (tinnitus, ear ringing)
High cholesterol levels
Infections (less resistance to them)
Low blood pressure
Menstrual changes (flow, duration)
Mental Challenges (brain fog, lack of focus, concentration)
Mood changes
Muscle and joint aches (severe, especially hands and feet)
Nail problems (dry, brittle)
PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
Sexual dysfunction (low drive in both sexes, impotence in men)
Skin changes (dry, itchy, patchy)
Sleep apnea (lapses of breath while sleeping) and snoring
Slow pulse
Throat problems (swallowing difficulty)
Voice changes (hoarse, husky)
Weakness (overall, all the time)
Weight fluctuation (gain or loss).
Some medical treatments may damage the thyroid gland, including lithium carbonate and interferon alfa. So, yes, it may have been caused by that.
She has to go to an endocrinologist to have a proper treatment prescribed, since if left untreated it can also damage the heart.
- She needs a referral to an endocronologist to determine why her thyroid is underactive. There are many conditions which can cause it to be underactive.
Once they determine the cause they can start treating her and bringing her levels back to normal.
Give her support and find a thyroid support group in your area.
Good luck
- she gained the weight as the thyroid gland wasn't working right=she should get thyroid tablets from the Dr and the weight will come off too