Originally published on 12th January 2016 Last updated on 5th April 2024
Do you suspect you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) or Hashimoto’s?
Or do you have one that you’ve been told is ‘optimally treated’, yet still have symptoms?
- The following symptoms have been reported by patients on a large scale.
- If you are on thyroid medication and still having symptoms such as these, then you may not be optimally treated, or have other things that need addressing.
- Optimally treated hypothyroidism should have no or very few symptoms.
- Of course, other illness, conditions and deficiencies can cause the below too. So explore them all where possible.
- As well as optimising my thyroid medication, I also had to work on other things to resolve all my symptoms.
See also: Signs Your Thyroid Medication May Need Adjusting
What is the Difference Between Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s?
Why It’s Important to Know if You Have Hashimoto’s
(Please Note: Not all thyroid patients will have all of these, but please let me know if I have missed any. Some of the symptoms listed below can be reflective of other conditions.)
Click on a symptom to learn more about it’s cause and how to resolve it.
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Poor stamina
- Feeling weak
- The need to nap more than others
- Long recovery period after activity
- Arms feeling like dead weights after activity, limb numbness
- Inability to exercise, or withstand certain exercises
- Diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Sensitivity to cold or heat
- Weight gain and inability to lose weight
- Unintentional weight loss (less common)
- Constipation
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Feeling more emotional than usual / mental health struggles
- Slow movements, speech and thoughts
- Brain fog, confusion and memory problems
- Itchy and sore scalp. Dry, tight skin. Eczema.
- Muscle aches, pains, cramps and weakness
- Poor appetite
- Brittle hair and nails
- Hair loss
- Hair not retaining hair dye
- Loss of libido (no sex drive)
- Numbness in limbs
- Irregular periods or heavy periods, any period complaints
- Fertility issues
- Migraines and headaches
- Hoarse voice
- A puffy-looking face, “Moon Face”
- Thinned or partly missing eyebrows
- A slow heart rate or one that increases more so than a healthy person’s after physical activity (e.g. after walking up the stairs or emptying the washing machine)
- Hearing loss, tinnitus
- Anaemia
- Poor circulation
- High or rising cholesterol
- Acid reflux
- Poor levels of iron, B12, Vitamin D etc.
- IBS / gut issues
- Easy bruising
- Swollen legs that impede walking
- Frequent shin splints
- Difficulty standing on feet for long
Many people find that they have their own combination of this long list of symptoms or even experience something not shown here. In fact, this list is by no means exhaustive; I’m always hearing about new symptoms.
As thyroid hormone is required for every cell and every function in the body, when we don’t have enough of them, the effects are far reaching.
Read about my 14 Missed Signs of a Thyroid Condition Before I Was Diagnosed.
You can click on the hyperlinks in the above post to learn more and see references to information given.
Do you have any symptoms to add to the list? Let me know in the comments section.
More information on this topic can be found in the bestselling book Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate.
21 Comments
Inge Rabe
March 22, 2024 at 5:52 pmAround 35 years ago, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease and was prescribed radioactive iodine for treatment. I subsequently developed hypothyroidism as expected and have been on medication since.
Recently, I started experiencing a very sore throat on the left side of my neck, difficulity in swallowing, a cough and swollen, scalloped edge tougne along with the other more common symptoms. I have just received my blood test results and my TSH is sky high and my T4 is boarder line low normal.
Rachel Hill
March 25, 2024 at 11:05 amHi Inge, have you raised this symptom with the doctor? Checks for goitre, nodules, cancer etc. should all be carried out to be safe.
JT
March 5, 2024 at 6:03 amI’ve had hypothyroidism for 12 years, discovered when I was 23 due to fatigue and menstruation absence. I was able to balance my hormones without hormone therapy. I haven’t experienced those symptoms since. Truly, I don’t feel like I experience symptoms at all. The last round of testing my TSH was very high, but I remain pretty symptomless. I don’t understand.
Rachel Hill
March 8, 2024 at 10:11 amHi, not sure what you mean by balance your hormones? Especially since your TSH is very high – that isn’t balanced. Not treating hypothyroidism (presuming that’s what you have) can be risky business. Explained here: https://www.theinvisiblehypothyroidism.com/what-happens-if-you-stop-taking-your-thyroid-medication/
Tricia
November 28, 2023 at 9:34 pmHi, I have dry skin in my ears which are also itchy. Dry skin all over my body; kept in check by a soft water system and thick shower creme especially for dry skin. If I shower with ordinary water my skin sheds.
Recently I have a real problem with my feet. The peroneal tendonitis has returned in my left foot and the fat has migrated from the balls of both feet causing peripheral neuropathy, a feeling of standing on lumps, loss of balance and pain/discomfort.
I wonder if this is also due to the Hashs hypothyroidism?
Rachel Hill
December 1, 2023 at 11:34 amHi foot pain can be linked to thyroid issues: https://www.theinvisiblehypothyroidism.com/foot-pain-and-hypothyroidism/
Michael Jon
October 21, 2023 at 7:31 pmHello and thank you for your web site! Has anyone ever had a metallic taste, runny nose, and horse voice? Initially, I went to doctors for a tender neck. It took 3 different doctors to find out it was my thyroid.. Thanks to your suggestion, I ordered the full panel thyroid test and hormone test from LetsGetChecked.com. Only my TSH was high by 25%, which is s big improvement from prior tests. I’m hoping this will cycle out so I can avoid going on medication.
Tricia
November 28, 2023 at 9:36 pmYes I’ve had all three. I have Hashimotos hypothyroidism
Katie
September 19, 2023 at 10:19 amThe one thing I haven’t located on your site is anything about the Broda Barnes temperature test. I’m sure you know about it already and I’m not looking in the right place so apologies for any repetition. But my case study might be interesting for your other readers because it is how I eventually got a diagnosis: I had been to a number of GPs in the UK, most of whom were dismissive (“you’re tall and thin, not the right body shape for hypothyroidism” / ‘your TSH and T4 are normal. so no problem” etc etc.). But I’m a qualified nutritionist and, with great luck, one of the tutors on my course told us about Broda Otto Barnes, the American physician who studied endocrine dysfunction and thyroid in particular (so ahead of his time!) which is listed in the American Physician’ Desk Reference and is an approved test in the U.S. (Sadly UK medics usually don’t know about Dr Barnes or dismiss the test as a waste of time – NO IT ISN’T!). I took recommended basal temperature test (10 days, first thing in the morning before getting up. Write them down and after 10 days divide by 10 to get the average. Details are on the Internet, just search Broda Barnes basal temperature test). Mine was 35 which, according to my doctor here in Spain is pretty conclusive of hypothyroidism even without any other symptoms showing. My detailed blood tests had all come back as normal so the doctor asked for a 24 hour urine test which showed a BIG problem with T3. Instead of thyroxine, she found me a glandular supplement (1/4 grain) manufactured in Germany. This has helped enormously. I used it before but had to give up because of the cost but now find I have no choice. It works, so I buy that instead of new clothes, holidays, etc. Health is more important than anything. Hope this info is useful to other sufferers.
Lorraine
July 24, 2023 at 7:46 pmI can’t stand up for long just seen it’s one of the symptoms, what is the reason for it?
Breege
July 17, 2023 at 8:03 pmSkin lesions on face and hands
Muscle spasms in legs
Zero Blood sugar control
Starving but thought of food makes me nauseous
Very strong and fast heartbeat after eating
Weakness after eating
Annemarie Loy
May 21, 2023 at 2:23 pmHi Rachel, I have ticked 95/97% of symptoms on this list, most I have accumulated over many years (now 46 years young) these symptoms up until now have been attributed to other conditions I have, asthma, Crohns, sinus issues. Interesting recently experiencing hearing loss but again attributed to sinus issues. Bruising easily, my son just joked the other day that he could fart on me and it would leave a bruise 🤭 But it is the fatigue that took me to the GP and she felt it was thyroid related. That cannot lift your head off the pillow no matter how many naps you have…horrendous! Glad to have found you, already have picked up on the tip to book early blood draw and take my medication straight after, so thank you .
V
May 7, 2023 at 4:22 pmAs an African American woman who is caramel colored, I noticed the back of my hands , inside of my hands, and bottom of my feet began to turn darker , months before my diagnosis of hypothyroidism. It was very unsightly and once I began taking the Levothyroxine, I noticed it cleared up in about a month or so.
Lynne
September 20, 2022 at 8:43 pmSue, what kind of vision problems do you have. I cant stand bright light, or reflective light. I cant go out on a sunny day because it makes my dizziness worse.
Lynne
September 20, 2022 at 8:40 pmI get something that I call brain zaps. They were really bad back in 2019 but are better now. They usually occur during the night and can range from barely noticeable to really intense and it changes from day to day. I did start to get these just after I quit citalopram but that was back in 2019 and I had been on citalopram before and not experienced them when I quit that first time. Not really sure if its actually inside my brain or if it’s just very fleeting muscle spasms, because sometimes i get a body jerk along with them, and at the same time I get a wooshing noise in my right ear, which is not tinnitus, because I also have that ( since I was 30 and I am now 60). When they were really bad my eyes would be involved and feel like they moved very tiny bit. Also the worse they are I would then have a really bad headache when I woke up in the morning. I also have problems with my vision. I cant stand bright reflective light and going outside on a sunny day is really bad. I have dizziness also and the light sensitivity makes it worse. My dizziness is hard to describe I sort of feel like I just got off a boat. the room is not spinning, but I feel like I am wobbling back and forth. I am much better now than I was back in 2019. I did just get diagnosed back in March of this year, so still getting used to medication. Also for several years until about 6 months ago, I think I had tensor tympani syndrome or something like it. I would have tapping in my right ear sort of like someone typing. It usually happened when I was lying down trying to fall asleep or if I was talking to someone on the phone. that has gone away.
Sue
August 31, 2022 at 10:59 pmBad tremors, unfounded abject fear, vision issues, Restless Leg Syndrome, excessive sweating, worsening of high BP, headache, change in taste buds.
barbara crawford
May 7, 2022 at 1:26 pmdry inner ear canal . also dry scalp , skin behind ears dry .and crack.
Karen Taylor-Brown
July 24, 2020 at 3:01 pmI tick around 97% off that little list you’ve come up with & have done since I was finally diagnosed back in circa 2003/04. All I have the energy for is, just to say, it’s just ridiculous beyond words & yet they call themselves educated!
Where else in the world does it take just 1 singular blood test to find a serious health problem…?
Where else in the world does it take just 1 singular medication to solve/manage that health problem…?
Catheryn Ching
February 13, 2018 at 3:52 pmNice blog here!
Rachel Hill
February 21, 2018 at 9:29 pmThanks!
David Pippingham
March 18, 2016 at 6:25 pmDidn’t know there was so many!