What is Hypothyroidism?
Your thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland which sits in front
of your windpipe, just below your Adam's apple (voice box
or larynx). The thyroid uses iodine from your diet to
make two main chemicals called thyroid
hormones which are carried in the blood stream to other
tissues in the body to regulate your metabolic rate.
Hypthyroidism is under activity of the thyroid which occurs when
the gland does not make enough thyroid hormones to meet the body's
needs. This results in a slowing of many metabolic processes
in the body which may have any or all of the following
symptoms
- Feeling cold
- Feeling tired and lethargic
- Weight gain
- Puffiness of the face
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Constipation
- In women periods may become heavier than usual.
What does this involve?
The aim of treatment is to restore your thyroid hormone levels
to normal by taking the correct dose of hormone tablets called
levothyroxine (or thyroxine for short). We usually advise
starting a small dose and gradually increasing this until blood
tests confirm the dose is correct. In this way the dose can
be tailored to individual needs.
Most people need between 50 and 150 micrograms per day although
very occasionally someone might need a higher dose. The
symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland usually take several weeks
to improve once treatment is started.
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When will I recover?
You will need to continue taking tablets for life to ensure
you maintain normal levels of this important hormone in the
blood stream.
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What risks should I know about?
Thyroxine is a regularly prescribed and very safe drug,
Should you miss a tablet you will probably not notice
significant ill effects unless you have missed your tablets
for one or perhaps two days. After that however you would
quickly begin to feel tired and run down.
If you become pregnant you should continue with your thyroxine
tablets. They will not harm the baby in any way. In
fact, the dose of thyroxine may need to be increased during the
pregnancy to ensure your thyroid hormone levels remain
normal. You should seek advice from your GP as soon as you
know you are pregnant.
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Circle Care
Diagnosis and treatment of Hypothyroidism is carried out by our
specialist consultants who have the expertise to get the best
possible results. You can be sure of state of the art
facilities and the best possible care to get you well as soon as
possible.
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