Symptoms of Overactive Thyroid

The symptoms of overactive thyroid are hard to ignore. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in your neck. It produces hormones vital for the function of organs and metabolism. When the thyroid gland becomes too active, it produces an abundance of these hormones. This condition is known as hyperthyroidism.

Causes of Overactive Thyroid
The most common cause of an overactive thyroid is Grave's disease, an autoimmune disease. Having high levels of iodine in your body or taking excessive amounts of synthetic thyroid medication can also result in an overactive thyroid.

Thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid that causes leakage, can create excessive levels of thyroid hormones. Thyroid nodules, or tiny and non-cancerous lumps of the thyroid gland, can become overactive and cause an excess of thyroid hormones as well. 

Symptoms of Overactive Thyroid

• A rapid heartbeat can be a symptom of an overactive thyroid. The heartbeat may also become irregular, regardless if it's beating fast or slow. An irregular heartbeat is more common in senior patients.
• Trembling, especially in the hands, can be a symptom of an overactive thyroid. The trembling may also be accompanied by nervous, anxious or irritable feelings.
• Eye problems can be symptoms of an overactive thyroid. These problems can include a change is vision or double-vision. The eyeballs may also start protruding from the sockets slightly.
• Weight loss can be a symptom of an overactive thyroid, especially if the loss becomes dramatic without a logical explanation. The overproduction of thyroid hormones speeds up the metabolism, so you can eat more than you normally would and still lose weight.
• Fatigue can often be a symptom of an overactive thyroid. This fatigue can be caused by your body's exhaustion from constantly working at full steam or can be due to trouble sleeping from the excess hormones.
• Excess sweating can often be a symptom of an overactive thyroid. The abundance of hormones speeds up your metabolism and heats your body. This creates a very low tolerance for heat that produces heavy sweating.
• Frequent bowel movements can be a symptom of an overactive thyroid. These frequent movements may also be accompanied by diarrhea. Both problems can contribute to the unhealthy weight loss experienced with an overactive thyroid.

Overactive Thyroid Treatment
An overactive thyroid can be treated in a few different ways. Most cases can be treated using antithyroid drugs to help slow down the thyroid hormone production. Radioactive iodine treatment pills are used for more aggressive thyroid problems. The pills slowly destroy the hormone-producing thyroid cells. This treatment often results in an underactive thyroid that can be easily controlled with a daily thyroid supplement.

In some rare cases, surgery is required to remove some or all of an overactive thyroid. If only a small part of the thyroid gland is removed, your hormone levels may return to normal without medication. If a large part of your thyroid gland is removed, you will need to take synthetic thyroid supplements for the rest of your life.