Hyperthyroidism

Symptoms of an overactive thyroid

An overactive thyroid can cause a wide range of symptoms, including:

• Swelling in your neck from an enlarged thyroid gland (goitre)
• Tremors (twitching or trembling of hands and feet)
• Nervousness, anxiety and irritability
• Mood swings
• Sleeping difficulty
• Persistent tiredness and weakness
• Sensitivity to heat
• Palpitations and/or irregular heartbeat
• Weight loss
• Loose stools
• Occasionally, protrusion of the eye or skin changes may be seen in some but not all patients

Treatments for an overactive thyroid

An overactive thyroid is usually treatable.

The main treatments are:

• Medicine that stops your thyroid producing too much of the thyroid hormones
• Radioiodine treatment – where a type of radiotherapy is used to destroy cells in the thyroid, reducing its ability to produce thyroid hormones
• Surgery to remove some or all of your thyroid, so that it no longer produces thyroid hormones

Each of these treatments has benefits and drawbacks. You’ll usually see a specialist to discuss which treatment is best for you.