Hyperthyroidism
An overactive thyroid, also called hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis, means the gland makes more thyroid hormone than the body needs. The excess speeds up metabolism and can affect many organs. It is usually treatable.
Medicine used to treat Hyperthyroidism
Key points
- It is about ten times more common in women than in men and typically appears between the ages of 20 and 40.
- Symptoms vary between people and may include weight loss despite a good appetite, a fast or irregular heartbeat, heat intolerance and an enlarged neck.
- Diagnosis cannot rest on symptoms alone, because they overlap with other diseases; blood tests and imaging confirm it and identify the cause.
Symptoms
Signs often build slowly and are easy to dismiss. People may notice trembling hands, loose stools and disturbed sleep. In Graves’ disease, which is the most common cause, the eyes can look wider or begin to protrude.
Treatment
The aim is to lower hormone production. Options are medicines, radioiodine therapy, or surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid. Thiamazole blocks the gland’s ability to make new hormone and is supplied as Tapazole tablets in 5 mg and 10 mg strengths. Courses often run twelve to eighteen months, with the dose adjusted as levels settle. Pharmacy partners in India ship to Malaysia in discreet packaging.
When to see a doctor
An untreated or poorly controlled overactive thyroid can flare into a thyroid storm, a sudden and life-threatening worsening of symptoms. A very fast heartbeat, or a fever with a sore throat while taking antithyroid medicine, needs prompt assessment.
What the sources say
- An overactive thyroid means the gland produces too much thyroid hormone (NHS).
- Treatment is usually with medicines, radioiodine therapy or thyroid surgery (NIDDK).
- Severe hyperthyroidism in pregnancy, if untreated, can affect both mother and baby (NIDDK).
- Untreated hyperthyroidism can cause an irregular heartbeat that may lead to blood clots, stroke or heart failure (NIDDK).
Further reading
Last updated