I need some help understanding hyperthyroid

Hormones
1

My girlfriend has it real bad and i been reading into diet that could help BUT every thing i find contradict it self so i need some real clarifications here and please avoid anything that is not related to hyperthyroidism because for all i been reading is a huge problem, so my first question is very simple.

Iodine?, good or bad?

Second, those anybody has a good list of food that are good to valance hiperthyroidism or reduce it?.

Third, i know sugars are bad but what about honey?.

Fourth, anything that might help her sleep will be great.

Last one, are cheese good?

Thanks for any help...

2

Hi '

sorry to hear your girlfriend is suffering with this, and isn't she lucky to have such a caring boyfriend.

Firstly a few questions is she being treated for this ie Medication.And has she been given a diagnosis for the hyperthyroidism ie Graves disease, Hashimoto's, thyroididtis. The diagnosis will determin the treatment.

She will need to have Blood tests for antibodies to determine what is causing the over activiity.....

I myself suffer with Graves disease , the most common cause of hyperthyroidsm, it is an autoimmune problem, my own immune system is attacking my thyroid.

I will answer your questions as best i can,but diet can vary greatly from individual to individual, but there are some basic rules.

If overactive hyperthyroid,avoid any excess iodine which is in many goitrogenous foods, Just type it in and you should get a list including things like green leafy veg such as cabbage,seaweed(v high in iodine),salt, avoid soya milk.

Honey should be ok, as it's natural, but i should avoid, artifcial sweeteners and complex sugars.I have heard a lot of people get on ok with steevia.

alcohol i am afraid and caffeine should be avoided or at least cut down on, carbonated drinks also not good.

I also avoid some over the counter medications, like aspirin, and anything with aspartic acid in.NSAIDs ie nurofen , ibuprofen, and cold remedies.Generally only using paracetamol with a general cold.

Sleeping was a big problem for me when unmedicated,my mind raced all night i could literally hear my heart thumping in my ears.

Your girlfriend should improve once the medication kicks in ,she may .be prescribed a beta blocker to calm her heart down. If that is a problem for her the beta blocker will help, and once her anti thyroid meds have kicked in she can come off the beta blocker.

Personally cheese for me produces way to much mucous and this does not help me sleep, dairy on the whole for me is not good. So if she is suffering with insomnia maybe best to avoid for a while at least.

 Please tell your girlfriend to join a thyroid disease forum, she will gain so much insight and on these forums are lists of foods to avoid etc.

Hope she is feeling better soon, best wishes

3

Hi there i to have just been told off the doctor today that i have a overactive thyrod.Is this common does anybody no.

4

Hi Julie,

It is more common in women than in men and i believe about 7% of the population have overactive thyroid and about 10% have an underactive thyroid.

But it depend which part of the worls you live in it is more prevelant in certain parts of the world.

I found "Mark Vanderpump thyroid disease" book very useful.

5

Aw thanks my love my mum got it when she went into menopause.Do you have it Kath xx

6

It is also more common in families that have another close family member that has it,it's a hereditary disease also. Quite often we ladies confuse the symptoms of overactive thyroid with the menopause.

I was diagnosed with Graves disease in August 2011, Graves is the most common cause of overactive thyroid, it's an autoimmune disease.

In July of this year i tried for remission,(stopped taking my very small dose of carbimazole)and so far my blood work is still normal and i have no symptoms of graves.

So i am keeping my fingers crossed that this lasts, but in the mean time enjoying the freedom of not being tied to blood tests, medications and endo appointments.

All the best Kathy.

7

Hi how does things work when u remove the thyroid..??hence graves disease

8

Hi Jaye,

once the thyroid is removed, you will go hypothyroid,  almost instantly, so levothyroxine(thyroxine replacement), is started pretty much straight away, i believe.

If the thyroid is destroyed by ablation(radioactive iodine), it takes longer for you to completely stop making thyroxine, but usually between 6 weeks- 3 months.You will then be put on a starting dose of levothyroxine.

Once you have graves disease even though, after a total thyroidectomy or ablation, the thyroid is in effectivly dead or gone you will still have the antibodies for Graves disease, there will just be nothing for the antibodies to attack, although thyroid eye disease is still a possibility as the tissue in the muscles around the eyes have a similar make up to thyroid tissue.

Any signs of thyroid eye disease, and your endo should not recomend radioactive iodine (ablation) as it can make things worse.