Hyperthyroidism & Weight Loss
The most common form of hyperthyroidism is Graves' disease, caused when the body's immune system attacks the thyroid and causes an overproduction of hormones. This directly affects your metabolism, the process in which your body turns food into energy, which can affect your cholesterol level, your heart, bones and muscles.
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Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism
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In mild forms of hyperthyroidism, you might not experience any symptoms and only be diagnosed through extensive medical tests. As hyperthyroidism progresses, you may begin to experience an intolerance to heat, sweating, nervousness or anxiety, irritability, weakness or lack of energy, tiredness or increased heart rate.
Weight Loss and Other Gastrointestinal Effects
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Most patients diagnosed with hyperthyroidism complain of weight, loss even though they feel the need to consume more food and beverages than normal. Many patients also complain of indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea or an increase in the number of daily bowel movements. These side effects are attributed to the disease-induced elevated anxiety levels and nervousness.
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More Serious Problems
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More severe side effects, if not diagnosed and treated properly, include impaired fertility, sudden paralysis, tremors, mental disturbances, sleep problems, thickening or thinning of the skin in locations. Graves' disease is easily recognized, as it can cause the eyes to bulge, often quite noticeably. Other signs are inflammation of the eyes, hair loss, thickening of the skin, a rash on shin and ankle area, or changes in vision such as seeing bright light.
Treatment for Hyperthyroidism
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In the early stages of treatment, your physician may start you on a beta-blocking medication to eliminate the effects from hyperthyroidism until you and your physician can make a decision on your permanent treatment. While antithyroid medication is usually only given to patients with mild forms of this condition, radioactive iodine is the most common and safe form of treatment. Radioactive iodine is administered in one dose under the supervision of your doctor; this form of treatment safely destroys the thyroid gland without having any other effect on your body. Surgery is reserved for severe cases or in cases where the listed treatments could not be used due to the patient's health history. In either case, the body is no longer capable of producing the hormones that it needs.
After Treatment
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After proper treatment for hyperthyroidism, your physician should continue to conduct routine blood tests to monitor your thyroid hormone levels. While many patients are fine, others eventually begin experiencing symptoms and showing signs of hypothyroidism, such as weight gain. These patients will probably take supplemental thyroid hormones for the remainder of their lives.
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