Does having low thyroid readings cause you to loose weight?
My son is 30 yrs old and use to weight 150 #. now he is 120 #. the doctor said his thyroid level is low. what is the way to get it back up?
User Comments
- thyrtoid function, and tsh, the hormone that stimulates the thyroid are complex and you should see a doctor to discuss, not ask us on answers. thyroid function can affect weight, but the doc saying his thyroid is low isn't really giving you enough information here. ask to be referred to an endocrinologist at your local main hospital if needed.
- Low thyroid is more likely to cause weight GAIN, so the two conditions may be unrelated. Your son may need to take a thyroid supplement (such as synthroid) for the rest of his life.
The usual cause of low thyroid is an auto-immune disease called Hashimoto's disease (I'm not sure of the spelling but that's how it sounds). People who have one auto-immune disease often develop others, so it's possible he has some other condition that is causing the weight loss.
One more possibility is the confusing way test results are given - if he has HIGH levels of thyroid hormone in his body, then his TSH test numbers will be LOW. (And vice versa.) If he has a low TSH, then the weight loss is very understandable, and he needs to be treated for that. TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, and the lower your thyroid function is, the more TSH is produced. If your thyroid is normal, then the TSH levels are fairly low, and if the thyroid is over-producing, TSH levels will drop even lower. So the question is, are his TSH numbers or his thyroid function low? Low TSH numbers usually are related to weight loss, while low thyroid function is usually accompanied by weight gain.
- The doctor who saw your son should have given him something if he felt it was necessary. Is low thyroid the only problem? Losing 30 lbs doesn't come from a low metabolism - just the opposite. Generally people with a slow (hypo) thyroid can't burn calories and gain weight. Of course, your son is an adult and perhaps isn't telling you everything...
- Pat M,
First of all you should be asking your doctor this question. I have a very low thyroid condition (inactive), my doctor put me on a thyroid med (synthyroid). I have been taking this for about twenty years. Once you start taking this med it's a life time perscription required for the rest of you life. There is no cure for this thyroid condition, only treatment. There could be all kinds of reasons why he is loosing weight, again I say go to your doctor and find out what he has to say about treatment.
TDCWH
- Hi, im 28 and just recently found out tha my thyroid levels are low, called an underactive thyroid, this means that everything is starting to slow down including my metabolism. In time everyone's thyroid level drops but in some cases like your sons and mine it has dropped earlier in life than others. the doctor can only try to maintain the level of thyroid to ensure that it doesnt drop any lower, sometimes after taking the thyroxin tablets the levels can increase. this results in weight gaining. my dad has an under active thyroid and the doctor said its more or less hereditory. all he gave me was Thyroxin tablets to speed up my metabolism so that everything I eat can be burnt more quickly so that I am not gaining too much weight. Hope this is helpful as this is good subject for me as I have just found out the sdame thing.
- No, having an over-active thyroid will make you lose weight.
- yes it can
- My husband had this. Whatever you do, do not let the doctors kill thyroid with radioactive iodine. My husband had this done and ended up gaining lots of weight. He is now overweight and no matter what the doctors do, it won't go back down. He is now on meds the rest of his life to take the place of his thyroid.