Synthroid, Weight Gain, Hot, Thirsty, Hypothyroidism, Thyroxine

I am a 52 year old woman in menapause. I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Over the past year, I have gained weight while being on Synthroid. But what really concerns me is that I am hot most of the time, and this is a different kind of ‘hot’. I have had ‘hot flashes’ since my late 30s and they didn’t feel like this. The thing I’m wondering about is that I no longer sweat. I live in Washington state and was in Ohio on a visit this past winter during a snowy period and I was hot and didn’t feel I needed a coat. I am extremely thirsty and do drink a lot of water during the day. I don’t have medical insurance (I lost it this past year) so going to a doctor is something I really have to plan for. I am hoping you can shed some light on what this might be and if there is a real need for me to seek out a doctor. I am also taking medication for high blood pressure.
Thank you for offering me this opportunity for help. I appreciate it so much.

Dr. Joshua’s Answer:

Feeling hot and resistant to cold could be a sign of too high a dosage of thyroxine (Synthroid), as could high blood pressure. On the other hand, weight gain suggests just the opposite. Chronic overdose of thyroxine should make you lose weight. So based on these symptoms I can’t say whether there is anything wrong with your thyroxin dosage. These should be checked periodically anyway as you are on thyroxin.

Of course, hot flashes and feeling hot could be related to menopause.

Feeling thirsty could be just due to being hot and sweating a lot, but on the other hand weight gain and thirst could be a sign of diabetes.

Based on what you wrote, if these symptoms persist I recommend that you have your fasting blood sugar levels and HbA1c checked to exclude type II diabetes and also your TSH levels checked to evaluate the thyroxin treatment.