Hi there! Thank you for your question. As for your question, thyroid problems more specifically hypothyroid can cause weight gain. Hypothyroid is when the thyroid gland (an organ located at the neck) is producing too little hormones. These hormones are the T3 and T4 hormone which are known as thyroid hormones.

The symptoms of hypothyroidism includes weight gain, poor appetite, tiredness, cold intolerance, poor memory, change in appearance, depression, low libido, neck swelling, puffy eyes, dry, brittle skin and hair, joint pain, muscle pain/weakness, constipation, changes in periods in terms of volume or frequency, deafness, hallucination, slow reflexes, low heart rate and voice changes.

Thyroid hormones are responsible for all the metabolism in the body. All the symptoms mentioned above is cause due to the reduced metabolism rate that occurs due to the reduced thyroid hormone. Since there is reduction in thyroid hormones, metabolism rate also decreases. Metabolism is the process that convert food into energy. Since less food is converted into energy, it will be absorbed and stored in the cells. This in turn will cause weight gain and poor appetite.

These symptoms can be managed using thyroid replacement drugs. The aim of the drug is to restore thyroid hormone levels within the normal range. The most common drug used is levothyroxine which is usually given for life. It is also important to have constant monitoring of thyroid hormone when on this drug (once a year).

This is because it is common for dose to be too much that it causes hyperthyroidism. Adequacy of the dose is usually achieve through monitoring for at least 6 weeks. Clinical in improvements may not begin until 2 weeks and complete recovery of symptoms may take 6 months.

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