Thyroid Problems leading to weight loss

Hi, @suzy37, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I moved your message to the Diabetes & Endocrine System group as I thought you'd meet more members who have gone through similar situations as you here. That sounds very hard going through several years experiencing a lot of weight loss, anxiety and panic attacks, and bad stomach without knowing the cause.

I'd like to introduce you to other members who have talked about thyroid issues who may have some input on your situation, like @shoregal45 @oldkarl @sepdvm @crummens @jcolby @loli.

@suzy37, what was the exact diagnosis your doctor gave, and what thyroid medication did he or she prescribe?

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I tried to do this last night but evidently did not do it right because it isnt posted so will try again. I am an 81 yr old woman who has been sick for several yrs without knowing the cause. I lost 50 lbs ( weigh 69 lbs now)I have a very bad stomach which acts up and makes me very sick quite often. I get excessive gas built up in my chest to the point I can barely breathe, this gets me up at night and I often walk the floor for hours uunable to sleep. I also have anxiety attacks and panic attacks.
I was diagnosed as hypothroid in Augusr (2018) and began treatment with a thyroid pill and it was found to be too high and dose cut in half this week. i had developed an irregular heartbeat and used potassium to try and help that, it did seem to help and since the thyroid pill takes potassium out of your body that overdose was not helping that any!
I would like to hear from anyone that has a similar problem and see how others cope with this

Thank You !

Jump to this post

I tried to do this last night but evidently did not do it right because it isnt posted so will try again. I am an 81 yr old woman who has been sick for several yrs without knowing the cause. I lost 50 lbs ( weigh 69 lbs now)I have a very bad stomach which acts up and makes me very sick quite often. I get excessive gas built up in my chest to the point I can barely breathe, this gets me up at night and I often walk the floor for hours uunable to sleep. I also have anxiety attacks and panic attacks.
I was diagnosed as hypothroid in Augusr (2018) and began treatment with a thyroid pill and it was found to be too high and dose cut in half this week. i had developed an irregular heartbeat and used potassium to try and help that, it did seem to help and since the thyroid pill takes potassium out of your body that overdose was not helping that any!
I would like to hear from anyone that has a similar problem and see how others cope with this

Thank You !

Jump to this post

I tried to do this last night but evidently did not do it right because it isnt posted so will try again. I am an 81 yr old woman who has been sick for several yrs without knowing the cause. I lost 50 lbs ( weigh 69 lbs now)I have a very bad stomach which acts up and makes me very sick quite often. I get excessive gas built up in my chest to the point I can barely breathe, this gets me up at night and I often walk the floor for hours uunable to sleep. I also have anxiety attacks and panic attacks.
I was diagnosed as hypothroid in Augusr (2018) and began treatment with a thyroid pill and it was found to be too high and dose cut in half this week. i had developed an irregular heartbeat and used potassium to try and help that, it did seem to help and since the thyroid pill takes potassium out of your body that overdose was not helping that any!
I would like to hear from anyone that has a similar problem and see how others cope with this

Thank You !

Jump to this post

@suzy37 Hi Suzy. Your doctor hopefully is testing your thyroid function on your current dose; if not ask them to test you. Taking too much thyroid hormone does cause the symptoms you describe, the anxiety, weight loss, and a racing heart and it puts you into an overactive or Hyper thyroid condition. If you still feel that way on the lowered dose, call your doctor. Your body will tell you if your dose is right. My doctor had me figure out my correct thyroid dose by taking multiple low dose pills to figure out how many pills I felt best on. With the stomach issues you describe, it can also be something like H pylori bacteria overgrowth or gluten intolerance as that causes gas and bloating. You could try eliminating things in your diet to see if you can narrow down a cause, but please do eat healthy and see if you can regain some weight. If you do have gluten issues and if you have had that long term, it does cause damage to the lining of the small intestine that affects absorption of nutrients, so it also could cause malnourishment and weight loss. The problem with gluten and wheat derivatives is it's in almost everything, but simple meals of veggies and meats without grain, pasta, or breads would work. Working with a nutritionist would help you figure out foods that would help you. Think of food as medicine. If you eat the right things, your body gets well. have you seen a doctor about your stomach issues? It also could be acid reflux contributing to some of that as it can irritate your airway. That would be something else to ask about as it is very common. I'm glad you reached out here, and I would encourage you to try to figure out all the reasons for your symptoms and do what you can to correct the issues within your control. Don't just try to cope, but instead advocate for yourself and keep asking questions of your doctors as to why this happens to you. I have gluten problems myself and lots of food allergies. Sleep can certainly be affected by doses of thyroid hormone that are too high, and by too much light exposure (like computer screen time late at night) and caffeine, so it might help to limit light exposure by turning down computer monitors a few ours before your bed time and avoid caffeine after noon. Doctors miss things, but you can help them help you by asking intelligent questions and ask about what might be the causes of your symptoms. Sometimes older people need digestive enzymes to help break down their food for absorption and these are over the counter supplements. You might want to see a GI specialist just to make sure you are doing everything you can for gut health. My elderly mom has a hiatal hernia that limits food passing down her esophagus on the way to the stomach. At her age, surgery is not recommended, but just to eat more often and smaller meals.

Here are some links for information-

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperthyroidism/symptoms-causes/syc-20373659
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20352220
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gastritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20355807
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/symptoms-causes/syc-20361940
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiatal-hernia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373379

Jump to this post

I tried to do this last night but evidently did not do it right because it isnt posted so will try again. I am an 81 yr old woman who has been sick for several yrs without knowing the cause. I lost 50 lbs ( weigh 69 lbs now)I have a very bad stomach which acts up and makes me very sick quite often. I get excessive gas built up in my chest to the point I can barely breathe, this gets me up at night and I often walk the floor for hours uunable to sleep. I also have anxiety attacks and panic attacks.
I was diagnosed as hypothroid in Augusr (2018) and began treatment with a thyroid pill and it was found to be too high and dose cut in half this week. i had developed an irregular heartbeat and used potassium to try and help that, it did seem to help and since the thyroid pill takes potassium out of your body that overdose was not helping that any!
I would like to hear from anyone that has a similar problem and see how others cope with this

Thank You !

Jump to this post

@suzy37 Just had bloodwork done and have gone hyperthyroid again. I know without a doubt I am taking it without fail. I get the feeling they think I am not. Frustrating for sure.

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Thanks Parus, nice to know I am not alone in this

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