Thyroid
Thyroid Disorders
Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are among the most treatable conditions in medicine — and among the most frequently over-treated. Careful interpretation matters as much as the prescription.
Symptoms that bring people in
- Tiredness, feeling cold, dry skin, constipation
- Weight gain despite no change in eating
- Heavy or irregular periods
- Racing heartbeat, tremor, sweating, heat intolerance
- Weight loss with a good appetite
- Anxiety, irritability or poor sleep
- Hair thinning
- Swelling at the front of the neck
Having one of these does not mean you have this condition — several overlap with far more common problems. It means the question is worth asking properly.
The thyroid sets the body's metabolic pace. Too little hormone slows everything down; too much speeds it up. Both are common, both are readily diagnosed on a blood test, and both are eminently treatable.
Hypothyroidism
Usually caused by Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis, and treated with levothyroxine — a replacement for a hormone the body is no longer making in sufficient quantity. It is taken on an empty stomach, at least half an hour before food or tea, and separated from calcium and iron tablets, which block its absorption. The dose is titrated against TSH, not against symptoms alone, and is reviewed roughly six weeks after any change. It usually needs adjusting in pregnancy, often early and substantially.
Hyperthyroidism
Most often Graves' disease, sometimes a toxic nodule, and sometimes thyroiditis — which looks similar but resolves on its own and must not be treated with anti-thyroid drugs. Distinguishing between them, with antibodies and a scan where needed, determines everything that follows. Options include anti-thyroid medication, radioiodine and surgery, each with a different profile of benefit and consequence.
Where over-treatment creeps in
A mildly raised TSH with normal T4 — subclinical hypothyroidism — does not automatically require treatment. The decision depends on how high the TSH is, on antibodies, on age, on symptoms, and on whether a pregnancy is planned. Equally, a single abnormal report during an acute illness is often best repeated rather than acted upon. Being started on thyroid hormone unnecessarily, and staying on it for years, is a common and avoidable outcome.
In pregnancy
Thyroid function should be checked before or as early as possible in pregnancy. Requirements rise, targets are tighter than outside pregnancy, and untreated hypothyroidism carries real risk — so this is one setting where prompt action is clearly right.
This page is general information. Doses and treatment choices in endocrinology are individual, and are decided at a consultation with your reports in front of us. Please do not start, stop or change a medicine based on this page.
Common questions
Before your first visit
How do I book an appointment?
Use the appointment form on this website and the clinic will telephone you to confirm a time, usually within one working day. For a same-day or urgent request, please ring the number in the page header instead — a phone call is always faster than a form.
Hospital OPDs at CMRI and Narayana Memorial are booked through the hospital's own reception. For district chambers, it is worth calling the chamber number listed on its page before travelling.
Which chamber should I choose?
Whichever is easiest for you to reach and return to. Endocrine conditions need review over months and years rather than a single visit, so the chamber you can get to comfortably every few months is nearly always the better choice than the one that seems most impressive.
That said: if your problem needs same-day tests, an ultrasound, or admission, a hospital OPD is the better setting. The Chambers page lists every location with its days and timings, and the weekly timetable shows them all side by side.
Do chamber timings ever change?
Yes — and this is worth taking seriously if you are travelling any distance. Several district visits run on a monthly rotation, such as the 1st and 3rd Saturday, and a hospital OPD can be rescheduled at short notice. Timings shown on this website are kept up to date and any known cancellation appears on the chamber's page, but please telephone ahead before a long journey.
What should I bring to the first consultation?
Bring everything you have, even if it seems old or irrelevant:
- all previous prescriptions, including from other doctors
- every blood report and scan you hold, in date order if possible
- the actual strips or boxes of the medicines you take, or a written list with doses
- your home blood sugar or blood pressure diary, if you keep one
- for a child, the growth chart and immunisation record
Old reports are genuinely useful. A five-year-old thyroid result or an earlier scan often changes the plan, because what matters in endocrinology is frequently the trend rather than today's number.
Consultation
Request an appointment
Tell us which chamber suits you and when. We will confirm your slot by phone.