Download Do you have high metabolism?

Høyt stoffskifte
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Do you have high metabolism?
Do you feel restless and irritable for no particular reason? Do you have heart palpitations and a
high pulse even when at rest? Are you always hungry but lose weight even though eating more
than before? Are you sleeping poorly? Are you sweating more? Do you have trembling hands?
Many people have high metabolism without knowing it. If you have several of these symptoms you
should consult with your doctor and ask to be tested for high metabolism (hyperthyroidism).
What is high metabolism?
High metabolism (hyperthyroidism) occurs
when the thyroid produces too much of the
thyroid hormones that control activity in all
the cells of the body. The condition makes the
entire body work more quickly than normally.
The most common cause of high metabolism is
Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder where
the body’s immune system attacks the gland,
leading to increased hormone production. It is
not known why this happens. Other causes of
high metabolism are toxic oedema, when a
benign node produces excessive hormone, or
toxic goitre, when one or more nodes do the
same.
Many people with high metabolism have
a genetic predisposition for it. That means
that if someone in your family has a metabolic
disorder, you have a somewhat elevated risk
of having one.
Symptoms of high metabolism:
Symptoms of high metabolism include
restlessness and irritability, heart
palpitations and a high pulse, weight
loss despite increased eating, trembling
hands, increased sweating, diarrhoea,
menstruation disturbances, fatigue and
sleeping problems.
Metabolism can be too high for a long time
before being detected. This period is often
difficult, with high frustration and perhaps
also a conflict-filled relationship to one’s
environment. If you have symptoms of high
metabolism, you should consult your doctor.
The diagnosis is made with the help of a
simple blood test.
How is high metabolism treated?
Treatment for Graves’ disease usually starts with
tablets that inhibit production of hormones in
the thyroid until metabolism is normalised.
In long-term illness or recurrence of Graves’
disease, treatment with radioactive iodine or
removal of the thyroid may be alternatives.
In many cases of toxic oedema or toxic goitre
radioiodine therapy is the first-line treatment.
Thyroid surgery or radioiodine therapy means
that the patient will have low metabolism and
will have to be permanently treated with
thyroid hormone.
What is low metabolism?
Low metabolism (hypothyroidism) makes the
entire body work more slowly than normally.
If low metabolism is untreated, you may feel
very tired and sleepy, and have problems with
memory and the ability to concentrate, feel
cold, feel discouraged and depressed, lose
weight, have dry skin, dry hair, constipation
and swelling around the eyes. Treatment
consists of a supplement of thyroid hormone
(thyroxine) in tablet form.
Norsk Thyreoideaforbund  Fr. Nansens plass 9, 0160 OSLO
Tel: 22 94 10 10  Email: [email protected]  Bus. reg. no: 981 054 121
Low metabolism occurring after radioiodine
therapy or thyroid surgery is chronic, and one
will have to take metabolic medication and go
to the doctor for monitoring for the rest of
one’s life. If the medicine is not taken, the
symptoms of low metabolism will recur.
After radioiodine therapy, women should wait
six months before becoming pregnant. This sixmonth rule also applies to men who want to
become fathers. This is because radioactive
iodine can affect the quality of sperm and egg
cells, thereby increasing the risk of birth defects.
Many people with metabolic disorder take
their medication every day and take little
notice of the illness. Some struggle to find the
right dosage, or have symptoms of the disease
even though the blood tests show that their
metabolism is well-adjusted. Along with the
blood tests, the way you feel must be the
basis of your treatment. That is how you will
find the appropriate tablet dosage. Consult
your doctor if you think your dosage should
be adjusted.
Women with low metabolism should also
exercise caution with respect to pregnancy.
It is important that metabolism be wellregulated and carefully monitored before,
during and after pregnancy.
Why is it important to undertake treatment?
Untreated high metabolism will over time
cause other complaints, including severe
heart problems, especially in elderly people.
The earlier one starts treatment, the better
adapted it is and the better you monitor it
yourself, the greater the chance you will have
of living a completely normal life.
Metabolic disorder and pregnancy
Women with high metabolism should not
become pregnant before completing their
treatment. Should pregnancy occur anyway, it is
important to contact your doctor immediately.
Pregnancy may make it necessary to alter the
treatment programme, and mother and foetus
should be carefully monitored by a specialist
throughout the pregnancy.
An untreated or badly regulated metabolism
can cause problems in the pregnancy and a
slightly increased risk of a miscarriage. It is
important for the foetus’s development
that the mother’s metabolism be normal,
especially in the first months of pregnancy.
Would you like more information?
If you have other questions about metabolic
disorders, you are welcome to contact Norsk
Thyreoideaforbund (Norwegian Thyroid
Association) on 22 94 10 10 or
[email protected].
We provide contact with others who have
metabolic disorders, arrange courses and
conferences and publish the membership
magazine Thyra four times a year. Norsk
Thyreoideaforbund has local chapters
across the country.
You can read more about metabolic disorders
and Norsk Thyreoideaforbund on our website:
www.stoffskifte.org.
Based on the brochure of Den Norske Spesialistgruppen i Thyreoideasykdommer and input from the Internasjonal helse- og sosialgruppe (IHSG).
The project is supported by ExtraStiftelsen Helse og Rehabilitering with Extra funds.
Norsk Thyreoideaforbund  Fr. Nansens plass 9, 0160 OSLO
Tel: 22 94 10 10  Email: [email protected]  Bus. reg. no: 981 054 121