Weight gain after hyperthyroidism treatment

Does hyperthyroidism treatment make you gain weight?
on Tue 25 Aug

 

When you have hyperthyroidism it’s likely that you will lose weight, in fact it’s possible that this very weight loss is what prompts you to visit your doctor in the first place. The unusual feature is that this weight loss occurs despite an increase in appetite.

 

Patients understand that, once treated for hyperthyroidism, the (sometimes welcome) weight loss they experienced before treatment will be reversed. However, many are not prepared for the potential of weight gain which leads to them exceeding a usual healthy weight.

 

Stopping treatment is NOT the answer. Hyperthyroidism is not a benign disease and left untreated it can lead to other serious health problems that involve

 

 

How common is weight gain after treatment for hyperthyroidism?

There has been some fairly recent research on this and one major study on over 1,000 hyperthyroid patients  - who were treated with antithyroid drugs, radioiodine or both - has revealed some interesting data

 

Lead by Dr Kristien Boelart of the University of Birmingham it was discovered that:

 

  • 44% of patients with a normal BMI at the beginning of the research became overweight or obese
  • Men gained 17.6 lbs during treatment and were 1.7 times more likely than those without an overactive thyroid to get into the obese range
  • Women gained 12 lbs and were 1.3 times more likely than those without an overactive thryroid to get into the obese range
  • A steady level of weight gain appears to happen in the first six months of treatment before tapering off, but some patients experienced this for more than three years.
  • Those with Graves’ disease seemed to gain more weight than those with toxic nodular hyperthyroidism.

 

Why does hyperthyroidism treatment apparently cause weight gain?

Currently we’re not sure whether weight gain post treatment is tied into the progress of the disease or the treatment itself and more research is needed in this area.

 

However, we do know that having hyperthyroidism stimulates the appetite centre within the hypothalamus within the brain which may then stimulate over eating.

 

We also know that people who have had hyperthyroidism do become used to eating what they like and it’s possible that they continue to eat at their pre-treatment levels which results in weight gain due to them now having a normal rather than fast metabolic rate.

 

It could also be that having hyperthyroidism in effect masked lifestyles which predispose patients towards an increase in weight gain… until it was treated.

 

The main thing is to be aware of the likelihood of weight gain and to be prepared to manage this with a better diet and increased exercise.

 

I hope this has been helpful.

 

There is further information about the above mentioned research here and here 

 

 

Although every effort is made to ensure that all health advice on this website is accurate and up to date it is for information purposes and should not replace a visit to your doctor or health care professional.

 

As the advice is general in nature rather than specific to individuals, Dr Vanderpump cannot accept any liability for actions arising from its use nor can he be held responsible for the content of any pages referenced by an external link

 

Tags: Hyperthyroidism weight gain

Tags

acanthosis nigricans Acromegaly Addison's disease adolescent diabetes problems adolescent thyroid problems Adrenal crisis adrenal fatigue Adrenal glands Anovulation artificial pancreas Autoimmune Thyroiditis Bariatric Surgery blood glucose levels blood pressure breastfeeding CAH Charcot foot cholesterol CHT coffee cold and flu medications Conception Congenital adrenal hyperplasia congenital hypothyroidism Consultant Endocrinologist London coronavirus cortisol covid-19 Cushing's disease Cushing's syndrome Depression Diabetes diabetes and bone health diabetes and heart health diabetes and oral health diabetes and parkinsons diabetes and sexual dysfunction diabetes and skin conditions diabetes and thrush diabetes in China diabetes insipidus diabetes latest diabetic ketoacidosis diabetic neuropathy Diabetic prevalence diabetic retinopathy diet for diabetes diet for obesity Disability Act Down's Syndrome Dr Mark Vanderpump e-consulting endocrine system fertility folic acid Freestyle Libre frozen shoulder and thyroid Fruit sugars gestational diabetes Gigantism Glucose Monitoring Glucose Tolerance Test gluten free Goitre Graves Disease Graves Orbitopathy guthrie test hair loss Hashimoto's Disease healthcare services hearing loss Heart Disease heel prick test Hepatitis C Hormones - most important how to lose weight hyperparathyroidism Hypersecretion Hyperthyroidism hyperthyroidism and respiratory problems Hypocalcaemia Hypogonadism hypoparathyroidism hypophysitis Hyposecretion Hypothyroidism hypothyroidism and respiratory problems IFG IGT immunotherapy side effects Impaired Fasting Glucose Impaired Glucose Tolerance Insulin Resistance Iodine IR iron Labour and birth late onset hypogonadism Levothyroxine Long Covid losing weight Low testosterone Mark Vanderpump MEN1 MEN2 menopause metabolic syndrome mood changes morning sickness Multiple endocrine neoplasia neuroendocrine tumour neuropathy Obesity obstructive sleep apnoea older patients online doctor OSA Osteoporosis overactive thyroid ozempic Pancreas Pancreatic Cancer Pancreatic Diabetes parathyroid glands Patient Resources Patient Support Groups PCOS PCOS and acne PCOS and fertility PCOS and Insulin PCOS diet Phaeochromocytomas Pituitary Gland POF Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Post menopause thyroid problem Post pregnancy thyroid problem postnatal diabetes medication postnatal thyroid medication Prader-Willi Syndrome pre-eclampsia prediabetes pregnancy Pregnancy and Diabetes Pregnancy and Thyroid Disease Premature Ovarian Failure prolactinomas PTH puberty Radioactive Iodine RAI resistant hypertension semaglutide Sheehan's Syndrome Skin tags sleep and diabetes sleep and obesity soy Soya steroid dependent subacute thyroiditis T4 Tara Palmer Tomkinson testosterone Tetany The endocrine system Thyroid thyroid and menstruation thyroid cancer Thyroid disease in children thyroid nodules Thyroid Storm thyroid tests Thyroiditis Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis Thyroxine TSH levels TSH Testing tumours Type 1 diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Type 3 diabetes underactive thyroid Vitamin B complex Vitamin D Waist circumference weight gain weightloss

Please get in touch

Phone: 07565 978310