22 years old. To take medication or not?

[LeeMarie]

I just found out I have an under active thyroid. Are there any long term negative affects of taking thyroid medication? Are there equally effective natural ways to cure this?

I am so sick of being tired and not being able to eat much because of weight gain. My muscles are sore all the time, my brain is totally gone.

I don't want to make things worse by taking medication and possibly messing it up further.
Thank you so much!
I am going to take a nap now!
darn thyroid

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

There is not a natural way to treat a truly underactive thyroid -- work with your doctor on finding the right dose of levothyroxine (an exact copy of the thyroid hormone your thyroid is not making enough of) -- if the dose is on target there are no long-term side effects of the medication.

[Super_sally888]

Dear Lea marie,

If you have an underactive thyroid, then you do need to take replacement hormone.  

There are no side effects from taking the proper medication if it is needed.  In fact, not taking the medication is what will cause the problems.

Of course, healthy diet, exercise and not taking any meds other than those properly prescribed by a doctor is also recommended.

It may help if you can post your test results that show you are hypothyroid, so Dr. Lupo can more accurately advise you.

If you have thyroid problem you should be monitored regularly by a doctor to make sure it is well managed.

Best regards

[Tori19697777]

I have been experiencing high levels of TSH.  I believe that I am taking some medications that could be causing this side effect.  Check any medications you are taking to see if it could be a cause of your trouble. I have been able to take get off of a few medications that could be causing mine.  Don't get off of any medications without your doctor's approval.  But, you could research to see if there may be a cause.

Good luck!

[RachelVaughn]

Thanks anyways, I guess your right, better get it taken care of now, before it gets worse! I guess i have been denying it for some time now...

[Jules77733]

I'm 22 and am still trying to figure out what my thyroid problem really is, but I can really empathize with you--I've been tired for as long as I can remember, and now I'm suffering through a bunch of other symptoms thanks to my thyroid. There isn't a simple answer to your question, unfortunately...genetics, lifestyle, prior or current illnesses...these all influence your health. In simple terms, our bodies are machines, and they can break. Fortunately, we're able to repair them, but in the case of thyroid problems, things usually don't go back to "normal" on their own, necessitating, in a lot of cases, a lifetime of taking medication and monitoring the levels of certain things via bloodwork. If there's anything I've learned, though, it's that we all have something...some people have thyroid problems, some people have diabetes, some people have terrible allergies, some people have anxiety or depression, etc. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. :)

It's not going to be fun, but you might luck out and not develop long-term thyroid problems. With the right treatment, I'm sure you'll feel rejuvenated in no time--at least you're getting this taken care of early; a lot of people are suffering from thyroid problems in the USA at the moment but only a fraction of them realize they have the problem to begin with!

(I realize your question might've been a rhetorical one, but I figured it couldn't hurt giving some semblance of a response, anyway...)

[RachelVaughn]

Im 23 and i have been diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism...Im ridiculous tierd all the time, but have avoided taking meds for it. Im only 23, how does this happen?