Low Thyroid - Hunger Pains?

I have hoshimoto's thyroiditis. I am also taking synthroid. For me my hunger varies. Sometimes I am extremely hungry and other time I have not appetite. When I go through my "hungry" phases I feel as though I am burning though my food much faster. I could eat a normal meal and feel full and about 20-30minutes later and sometimes much less, feel completely hungry again. I would talk to your doctor about this. Thyroid medication is something that constatly needs to be tweeked. What works one month may not be right the next. You doctor will do blood work to monitor what changes in your medication level need to be made. On the weight issue just be careful. A steady balanced diet and regular exercise are very important. I have gained 23lbs in the last year. The weight gain started right before my diagnosis, (it was one factor that lead to me seeing a doctor), which was last summer. I would make sure you let your doctor know about the concern you have with your weight gain. My initial weight gain was only 10lbs. I thought that would be the peak of it and once on medication I would start to lose again but I didn't. I have continued to gain weight but since my blood work says that my thyroid is at a normal level my doctor is not changing anything. I am currently looking for a new doctor who does not just treat lab results but the entire patient.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I had blood work done last week and learned that the level is still too low. The synthroid has been upped and hopefully I will feel better. I have not lost any of the weight that I have gained. I have to go in again in 6 weeks and hopefully by then maybe I will be able to see a difference. Time will tell. One thing I learned when researching the thyroid condition is that it can cause headaches and I suffer from migraines. During the last 6 months, the migraines have been totally out of control. I hoping that once the thyroid has leveled out that my ha will become much less frequent.
Again thank you for your information. I would be interested to hear how your new doctor views the weight gain. Take care and good luck!

When your thyroid function is low your matabolism is low. So it is very hard to lose any weight that you gain. I have been taking levoxyl since 2000. I started at 25, am now up to 175mcg 4 days a week and 200 mcg 3 days a week. It will take time to adjust the medication to the right amount. When you get the hunger pains, try to settle it with something health. It is hard and it will take time. Good luck.

I found by eating something every two hours helps keep the hunger monster at bay. The key is, as san54 mentioned, you have to change your diet and eat healthier. Eat all the fruits and veggies you want, low fat meats and watch your carbs, lots of fish, nuts (good fat) whole grain foods. It takes a couple of weeks to wean your body from your regular diet - but the pay off is very rewarding. I also found having dairy 3 times a day helps too. Milk products naturally boost your metabolism and burn more fat.

I hope this info helps :d

reallady

I had a goiter. My thyroid bulged out the right side of my neck. I had a thyroidectomy to remove 2/3 of it. I have an inactive or low thyroid. I take levoxyl which is the generic of synthryoid. For me I had no appetite at all and I still gained weight. I guess it varies in people. Try having crackers or something by your bed if you get that feeling.

Oh my god! I get those hunger pains too. At 4am every night I get the most painful hunger pains. I have been to doctors etc and know one can tell whats wrong with me. It started just after the birth of my 15mth old boy. It feels like I still have morning sickness (but not pregnant) and I have to run to the kitchen to get something to eat or else I feel like I am going to be sick. However these days I keep biscuits near my bed for when I wake up and now even though I have huge pain for food I dont really feel like eating. I feel sick as im chewing. I cant win. I tried to drink a protein shake last night so it would fill me up until the morning. I woke up at 4am but could stomach the cracker this time, I did feel much better in the morning. I still did wake up though. Im getting really sick of this, I wish it would stop. Please, please, please can anyone help me?????

I have similar symptons to those of you with low thyroid levels (intense hunger pains), but I have been tested and the blood work shows no thyroid problem. They have been treating me for depression for 2 years, and I still have the pain. I've had many tests. My weight has increase 10 -15 pounds, but some of that has to do with my age etc., (i think). Anyone have any suggestions?

I always associated those hunger pangs with actual pain. I don't know why I did this, but i'd always like panic-eat when my stomach growled. It was weird. Anyways, as soon as I started the levothyroxin (25mcg) I would eat what I called a "normal amount" which means, like one small plateful of food, rather than one or two mountains of food. Also right away, I lost like 6 or 7 pounds in the first like 2 or 3 weeks. Recently I was away, but forgot my meds and so I gained back like 5 pounds in like a week. It was weird!! Now I know to take my meds everyday. But I do get like extra-hungry in the morning, but I mostly try to fight myself, take my pill (because you can't eat for like an hour after that) and go back to sleep.

I have had hashimoto's since I was eight years old, I was the youngest case back then that the doctors had ever seen. I'm 24 now. I have suffered with hunger pains my entire life. I have to eat every two hours. I have put on significant weight because of this. I also feel as if I will be physically sick if I do not eat. The pain travels from my stomach, up my throat, and into my ears to create a headache. It's really strange. And no matter how many times I have my tsh levels checked, it always come back ok. I have been on 75mcg the entire time! As a teen, I hardly ate a thing, and was constantly sick with vomiting and headaches because of it. I didn't make the connection. Now that I know, I have gone from 130 lbs to 178 lbs in the last few years. I don't know what to do. I eat healthy and excercise....But I just don't know what else to do. Help!

Hello- im new to the board and hypoglycemic actually- more adrenally caused- I have hunger pains as a hypoglycemic-whatever the cause at times and im 27 and had it progress most my life-

the cause of the hunger depsite you gland disorder for all on here is related to cortisol output throughout the day at hours 6am, 10am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm..At 3am your body secreates insulin which makes you hungry-most people are fine and will have enough sugar to not wake from this-however if you lived a stressed life-work alot-irregular hours of sleep-bad diet-stress of any sort and ever wasn't a "breakfast" eater- you will have hunger pains like this- if you don't eat something by those time periods of good nutrition you will get these cycles of "starving feelings"

like said above eating every 3 hours roughly is key to this and a high protein snack before bed-not sugary carb snack like cake or ice cream/cookies etc...Peanut butter on toast-nuts- chesses and crackers are good bedtime snacks-if you cannot loose weight I would seriously try cutting wheat out of your diet and see if anything improves.

Following a proper diet/exercise plan will alleviate the hunger pains mostly when done right. You should follow a hypoglycemic diet- lots of fresh veggies, grains and protein, being more fish then animals always and eggs are wonderful for you as well. If you need examples I can send them to you if you dont find one online. Above all if you have caffeine and other stimulants in your diet I would cut them out as they cause this as well, along with smoking.


They will improve-i know I have had them for years like you all here I have to had literally sat there myself and made myself eat cause I was so nauseated-but its just your gastrin (acid) in your stomach making you feel like that- crackers and some cheese are excellent as well as nuts,, bran muffins, apple slices with peanut butter on them is really good too-just remember if you eat just bread or muffin you will still wake up and keep this happening over and over. You need to match proteins and carbs together in meals-just becuase your metabolism is different then everyone elses.


I hope any of this helps. I wish you well :]
kristina

I am so glad I just found this thread. I have been searching google for sometime now on this subject.


I was put on a very low dose of synthroid 0.025, my levels are normal, I get them checked every months and they have been the same but I was starving all the time. My endo but me on meridia at 1st to help kick start my new diet change but it helped for a month then that was it. I currently take paxil and paxil has helped with the head hunger but didn't work at all when taking synthroid. 2 weeks ago when I gave up sugar for good, after being totally disgusted with my eating habits while on synthroid, I gave the med up also.


2 days later the vicious starving has eneded, I could eat all day on synthroid and never get full, no matter what or how much I ate. I worked out at the gym an hour more to try to make up for this.


So, I don't now what to do since I got on the scale I have gained 7 pounds in 2 weeks after ended synthroid and I have been eating better than ever in my life.


Seems like one vicous cycle. Since my dose is sooooooooooooo low it seemed ridiculous to take it. I am giving it 2 more weeks. If I start to gain more I guess I have to go back on it but I hate having to eat constantly to kill the hunger, and even that doesn't help usually. Comes right back.

I can't find an endo in fort lauderdale , the last one I went to here I had problems with and can't go back there so I am getting my synthroid and levels testes with my pcp but he told me synthroid could make me gain weight but shouldn't make me hungry. I lost 18 pounds the 1st month I got on it and that was it.

And trust me, I did the eat 8 small meals a day, tons of veggies, etc. Nothing worked.

I am so glad I found this. I was thinking I had lost my mind. I eat and eat and eat! Those 4am wake up calls are the worst! I noticed if I eat a peanut butter sandwich before bed, I don't wake up to eat.

I am glad I found this site.

I was diagnosed with low thyroid about 5 years back.. I have been taking syntyroid after that. Initially I had ballooned to about 60 pounds over my required weight, then after taking the medications and incorporating a heavy exercise regimen I dropped by 20 pounds in the first month. Then over a period of a year I dropped all my extra weight. In the process I learnt how much I loved working out. But noways I see that I feel intense hunger pangs especially in the mornings. so I try to eat healthy...a fruit..crackers..milk etc..Its almost like the food is getting eroded by acid inside my stomach..

Ive been seeing a nutritionist about this problem as I have had nausea and extreme hunger since giving birth. My thyroid tested low. She said that it can take a couple of years to get the body's balance back in order after having kids and to eat frequently and up my protein intake to 20 grams per meal.... Just thought I would share what I've learned. I have been feeling better when I pay attention to my diet and follow what she said, but the symptoms come right back when I go back to old habits...

I am so glad to have found this site! My thyroid has been very difficutl to control. I will be alright for a couple of months and then need to have more medication added. I have been told lots of different things by different doctors but no one seems to be able to control my thyroid for any more than a few months at a time.

At one point I gained 40 pounds. I lost it and now have gained 20 back again. Any suggestions??

I was recently diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and anemia. the TSH level came back as 7.0, I was prescribed .50 synthroid and have experienced severe hunger pangs since I started the meds. I've lost weight more than usual but can't imagine it staying this way since I've basically doubled my intake. Today while at the grocery store I felt very faint and checked my blood pressure it is 102/58.

Will all of this go away once my meds are adjusted appropriately? I feel like a wreck waiting to happen.

I've had low thyroid for like 2 1/2 years. When my thyroid was first tested it was in the 100's. It came on fast and hit like a ton of bricks. I'm still having major problems even though my last TSH came back at a 2 something. At first I lost 25 lbs because I was so sick I couldn't eat, before I actually started taking the Levothyroxine. Of course I have gained most of it back, because now I too have the horrible hunger pains. I thought maybe I had developed diabetes, I wasn't sure if it was related to my thyroid or not. I am so glad to know that it is and I'm not crazy after all.

I am going through the same things you are - right now I'm trying my best not do buy a giant cookie!

Most of you sound like you have adrenal fatigue also (inter-related with thyroid hormones).

If you wake up at 4 am hungry, its your ADRENAL GLANDS! that's a key sign that they are fatigued. Low cortisol (the hormone it secretes) causes hypoglycemia, which gives you hunger pains. It is so important for your health and your thyroid to get this checked out as well.

Also, TSH is not the right test! It is useless (as your body is telling you). You need to take your Free T3 & T4 levels and listen to your body. Also, taking Synthroid or any T4 or T3-only medicine will not give you the help you need!!! You should really try taking ARMOUR - it is the full thryroid, so you get everything you are missing.

Unfortunately, so many doctors (including endocrinologists) have no idea what they are doing. It's very sad. You need to find a doctor (MD or Naturopath-ND) that is familiar with adrenal fatigue AND thyroid issues.

good luck!!!

am going through the same things you are - right now I'm trying my best not do buy a giant cookie!

Most of you sound like you have adrenal fatigue also (inter-related with thyroid hormones).

If you wake up at 4 am hungry, its your ADRENAL GLANDS! that's a key sign that they are fatigued. Low cortisol (the hormone it secretes) causes hypoglycemia, which gives you hunger pains. It is so important for your health and your thyroid to get this checked out as well.

Also, TSH is not the right test! It is useless (as your body is telling you). You need to take your Free T3 & T4 levels and listen to your body. Also, taking Synthroid or any T4 or T3-only medicine will not give you the help you need!!! You should really try taking ARMOUR - it is the full thryroid, so you get everything you are missing.

Unfortunately, so many doctors (including endocrinologists) have no idea what they are doing. It's very sad. You need to find a doctor (MD or Naturopath-ND) that is familiar with adrenal fatigue AND thyroid issues.


good luck!!!