Hyperthyroidism can come on quite suddenly and knowing the signs and symptoms can help you get the medical treatment you need. I recently went hyperthyroid and it happened in just a few months. I had a complete panel of thyroid tests done at the end of December 2009 with all of my thyroid hormones coming back normal. The only test that came back abnormal was a thyroid antibody test that was high. These antibodies had already been high for over three years though and they are not Graves disease antibodies, which are known for causing hyperthyroidism, they are Hashimoto’s antibodies. By mid March of 2010 I was so hyperthyroid that I ended up in the emergency room. The majority of the hyperthyroid symptoms came upon me in only a week, which can also be known as a thyroid storm, so I want to share them with you so you can be aware of what to watch out for.
To start out with, you should know that I am on a high dose of Metoprolol Succinate to keep my heart rate and blood pressure down. One of the first things I noticed was that my heart rate was higher than normal, which would make me feel tired and weak. I was having palpitations here and there and chest pain on and off. I started to think maybe I got a bad batch of heart medicine and that it wasn’t working. I was also getting terrible pressure headaches that wouldn’t go away with medication, which was a sign that my blood pressure wasn’t staying down either. I also noticed that my appetite was increasing and that I often needed a late night meal, which was not normal for me. I was literally eating four meals a day plus snacks. My stomach was upset often and I was having looser, more frequent bowel movements.
I started to notice that I wasn’t sleeping well. I would wake up hot with my heart rate fast and would have difficulty falling back to sleep. I realized that I also felt like I was shaking inside. At first I thought maybe the fan was touching the bed making it vibrate, but it was me, not the bed. Then I started feeling hot all of the time and I noticed the shaking during the day, especially in my hands. My hands also felt hot and moist and my face felt like it was on fire. My face was red almost all of the time with the redness eventually spreading to most of my body. I also felt prickly sensations in my skin.
It only got worse from there. I felt like I had no strength or energy. I was so fatigued, but couldn’t rest well. I couldn’t accomplish very much throughout my day. Finally, I was so weak that I literally couldn’t go about my morning routine. I had to lie down or I was going to drop. My heart rate was 106 lying down and I felt absolutely horrible. That’s when I knew something was really wrong and had someone take me to the emergency room.
When I got there, my heart rate and blood pressure were coming down, but I still felt terrible. I knew I had Hashimoto’s antibodies, so I let the medical staff know that. They did a bunch of tests to make sure my heart was okay, but they also tested my thyroid levels. The tests came back that I was very hyperthyroid. They almost kept me in the hospital, but since my heart rate and blood pressure were looking good again, they put me on anti-thyroid medication and let me go home.
I had to have my anti-thyroid medication upped three times over a couple of weeks before the hyperthyroidism was brought under a decent amount of control. I still have some problems with feeling hot, tired and weak, but not to the point of being debilitating like before. I will be seeing an endocrinologist soon and looking for a permanent solution to the hyperthyroidism because you can’t take anti-thyroid medication indefinitely and my hyperthyroidism is not easily controlled. I can tell when the medicine starts to wear off because I start to get hot and shaky and my heart rate and blood pressure go up. I feel like I’m on a “thyroid roller coaster” throughout the day, which is unpleasant to say the least. I also have to take the anti-thyroid medication three times a day which is inconvenient and I’m afraid I’ll forget it at home when I go somewhere.
I do not wish what I’ve been through on anyone, but hope that my experience with becoming hyperthyroid can help someone else headed down the path of hyperthyroidism to recognize what is happening to them and get the medical help they need.
Here’s a list of the symptoms I have experienced with hyperthyroidism:
Fast heart rate
High blood pressure
Headaches
Palpitations
Chest pain
Increased appetite Upset stomach
Loose and more frequent bowel movements
Not sleeping well (waking up hot with a fast heart rate)
Difficulty falling back to sleep
Shaking inside
Hands trembling
Hot, moist hands
Face felt on fire
Hot all of the time
Red face
Redness of body
Prickling feeling in my skin
No strength or energy
Fatigue
Extreme weakness
You can also check out common hyperthyroid signs and symptoms and learn more about the condition by clicking on the highlighted hyperthyroidism at the beginning of this article.
