Chronic condition care
Thyroid & hormone conditions
We test for and manage thyroid and other hormone conditions. Thyroid problems are common, easy to test for with a single blood test, and highly treatable — and their symptoms are vague enough that they are frequently put down to stress, ageing or low mood for years first.
Come in if you have
- Persistent tiredness, feeling cold, or unexplained weight gain
- Feeling wired, losing weight, palpitations, or heat intolerance
- Hair thinning, dry skin, or changes to your periods
- A lump or swelling in your neck
- You take thyroid medication and have not had levels checked in a year
What happens at your visit
- A blood test — usually TSH first, with more detailed testing if it is abnormal.
- We examine your neck and thyroid gland.
- We check the conditions that overlap, since anemia, diabetes, B12 deficiency and depression cause similar symptoms.
- If you need treatment we start it and recheck levels after about six weeks, then settle into annual monitoring.
Vague symptoms, simple test
Thyroid problems are frustrating because the symptoms are so unspecific. Tired, cold, gaining weight, low mood, dry skin, thinning hair — every one of those gets attributed to stress, work, ageing or having young children, and often for years.
The test is a single blood draw. Given how treatable thyroid disease is, that is a low bar for ruling it in or out.
Underactive versus overactive
Underactive (hypothyroidism) is the common one: tiredness, cold intolerance, weight gain, constipation, dry skin, low mood. Treated with a daily tablet that replaces what the gland is not making.
Overactive (hyperthyroidism) is less common and often mistaken for anxiety: palpitations, weight loss despite eating well, feeling hot, tremor, difficulty sleeping, irritability. Needs a different approach and usually specialist input.
Getting levothyroxine to work
If you take thyroid replacement and still feel unwell, absorption is worth checking before assuming the dose is wrong:
- Take it on an empty stomach, ideally 30–60 minutes before food
- Keep calcium and iron supplements several hours apart from it
- Some antacids and reflux medications interfere
- Take it at a consistent time — consistency matters more than which time
We check the overlap
Tiredness is the most common reason people come in, and thyroid is only one cause. We would normally check thyroid alongside blood count, iron, B12, blood sugar and kidney function — because finding a normal thyroid and stopping there leaves you exactly where you started.
About nodules
Thyroid nodules are extremely common and the overwhelming majority are harmless. We scan when there is a reason — a lump we can feel, or abnormal blood work — not routinely, because scanning normal thyroids mostly generates anxiety and follow-up tests without improving anything.
Common questions
- Could my tiredness be my thyroid?
- It could, and it is worth one blood test to know. But tiredness has many causes — anemia, diabetes, B12 deficiency, sleep apnea, depression — so we usually check several things together rather than testing thyroid alone and stopping there.
- I am on levothyroxine and still feel tired. Why?
- Sometimes the dose needs adjusting. Sometimes it is absorption — levothyroxine needs an empty stomach, and calcium, iron and some antacids block it. And sometimes the thyroid is properly treated and something else is causing the tiredness. All three are worth checking.
- How often should thyroid levels be checked?
- Annually once stable, and about six weeks after any dose change. More often in pregnancy or if you are unwell.
- Do I need a scan of my thyroid?
- Only if we feel a lump or nodule, or if blood tests suggest it. Scanning a normal-feeling thyroid tends to find harmless nodules that then cause worry and further tests without benefit.
This page explains how we care for this condition at our office. It is general information, not medical advice for your specific situation — please talk to us about your own care.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call us or send a request and we will get you in — often the same or next day.