Dr Sarah Jarvis is the Clinical Director of the Patient Platform, an active medical writer, broadcaster, and the resident doctor for BBC Radio 2.
An overactive thyroid, also known as thyrotoxicosis, similar to an underactive thyroid, affects about 1 in 50 women throughout their lives. While it can also affect men, it's about 10 times less common. Furthermore, although it can occur in younger individuals, an overactive thyroid is far more prevalent as we get older.
Your thyroid gland, located at the base of your neck (approximately the same position, shape, and size as a bow tie), produces essential hormones known as thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). In addition to producing these hormones, the gland also stores them, releasing them into the bloodstream when the body needs them to regulate metabolism and energy levels.
When you have an overactive thyroid, you may experience a variety of symptoms. These can include feeling unusually restless or on edge, losing weight despite an increased appetite, experiencing diarrhoea or shortness of breath, having palpitations, or noticing that your hands are trembling.
Paradoxically, even though your body's metabolism is running faster than normal, you may also feel tired and experience muscle weakness. While it is unlikely that you will develop all these symptoms simultaneously, most individuals experience a combination of them, with symptoms often emerging and evolving over several weeks.
In addition to these common symptoms, an overactive thyroid can also lead to other complications if left untreated. For instance, it can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis due to the accelerated turnover of bone tissue. It may also lead to heart problems such as atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that can increase the risk of stroke and other heart-related issues. Regular monitoring and appropriate treatment are essential to manage the condition effectively and to mitigate these risks.
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Possible Treatments
Once you've been diagnosed, you may be offered one of several treatments. These include:
- A medication called carbimazole helps to manage hyperthyroidism by reducing the amount of thyroxine your thyroid gland produces. This drug works by interfering with the production of thyroid hormones, ultimately leading to a decrease in symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, anxiety, and weight loss.
- Radio-iodine, which involves taking a single drink (or capsule) that contains radioactive iodine. As the iodine builds up in your thyroid gland, it destroys some of your thyroid gland, reducing the over-production of thyroxine. The dose of radiation is very low and not dangerous to you, but it's not suitable if you're pregnant or breastfeeding (or planning to have children) and you should limit close contact with babies, children or pregnant women for a few weeks after you take it.
- Surgery to remove part of your thyroid gland may be recommended if your thyroid gland is enlarged.
- Sometimes these treatments – or the underlying condition that caused an overactive thyroid – can lead you to develop an underactive thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism. This condition occurs when your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough thyroid hormones. In this case, you'll be offered replacement treatment with thyroxine tablets for life to help maintain normal thyroid function and overall health. Regular monitoring and dosage adjustments may be necessary to ensure optimal treatment outcomes.
My Top Travel Tips for an Overactive Thyroid
Having an overactive thyroid shouldn't stop you from enjoying your holiday away, but there are several factors you need to take into account:
Monitor Your Symptoms: Once you've been diagnosed and are on treatment, it's important to keep an eye out for the recurrence of any of the symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland. This could indicate that your treatment is not keeping your symptoms under control. A 'thyroid storm' or thyrotoxic crisis is a rare complication of an overactive thyroid. If you start to develop severe symptoms such as those above, or start feeling acutely unwell, seek medical help.
Order Medication: If you're taking regular tablets, make sure you order your prescription well in advance. Take enough with you to last the whole trip, with some extra tablets in case your return is delayed or you mislay part of your supply.
Repeat Prescriptions: Take a copy of your repeat prescription with you, and ideally a doctor's letter explaining the medication you're taking. This can be useful at airport security or if you need to get more medication while you're away in case of an emergency.
Packing Your Medication: Carry your medicine with you in your hand luggage, and ideally split it between you and a travelling companion just in case one bag goes astray.
READ MORE: Travelling with Medication
Doctors Letter: Many airports have radiation detectors. If you've had radioactive iodine treatment, this can trigger a detector for weeks or even months after you've taken it. Take a letter from your doctor explaining the treatment you've had.
READ MORE: Fit to Fly Certificates
Avoid Travel: If you've had radioactive iodine treatment, avoid travelling for at least 4 weeks afterwards (and until your doctor tells you it's safe). You mustn't risk being in close contact with babies, children or pregnant women – and remember, in the early stages of pregnancy you may not know if someone is pregnant.
Watch Out For Travel Sickness: An overactive thyroid can make you prone to travel sickness. Factor this into your plans and ask your doctor or pharmacist about travel sickness medication to take with you in case.
Medication Reactions: In rare cases, carbimazole tablets can cause serious blood disorders which affect your body's ability to fight off infection. If you develop any infection like sore throat or mouth ulcers; have a fever; feel unusually tired or generally unwell; or notice abnormal bruising or bleeding, seek urgent medical help.
Blood Tests: In the early stages, after an overactive thyroid gland is diagnosed, you'll need regular blood tests. Check with your doctor before booking any trips, in case you need monitoring during the time you're planning to be away.
Travel Insurance: Even if you're travelling to Europe and have a valid EHIC or GHIC, it's essential to have specialist travel insurance in place. Always declare your condition to your travel insurance providers and look for a specialist provider who will cover your condition.
READ MORE: GHIC, EHIC & Travel Insurance
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Managing an overactive thyroid while travelling may require extra precautions, but with careful planning and attention, you can still enjoy your holiday. Always monitor your symptoms and ensure you have enough medication to last the entire trip, including extra supplies. Keep essential documents like a repeat prescription and a doctor's letter handy, and consider potential issues such as travel sickness and blood test requirements.
Above all, securing specialised travel insurance is crucial. This ensures that you are prepared for any eventuality and can travel with peace of mind, even with a pre-existing medical condition.
Get a quoteA pre-existing is any medical condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received before applying for a travel insurance policy. For some conditions, we'll need to know if they have ever been present, whilst for others if they occurred within a certain period.
A pre-existing condition is a diagnosed medical condition that existed before taking out a policy. We'll ask a series of questions about the medical history for you and any travellers on your quote. If you answer yes to any of these, you will need to tell us about the traveller's conditions. This could be a condition that a traveller has now or has had in the past. If you are not sure what conditions you need to declare, we have online support available to help you 24/7!
It is simple and quick to do! After you've told us about your trip details and answered some medical history questions you can add your pre-existing conditions, one by one, for each traveller. You'll only need to enter your details once, it's all online and there's no need to call, or provide details of your conditions in writing.
Single Trip insurance is for one-off, individual trips and will cover your specified travel dates. This is usually up to 45 days; however, some insurance providers can cover up to 94 days. If you’re not a frequent traveller, single trip cover is a great option and will likely be cheaper than an annual multi-trip cover.
If you travel 2 or more times a year, annual trip cover may very well save you money. The maximum duration of any trip will always be specified and will vary by provider. But don't worry, when you get a quote, we'll ask you what your maximum trip length is and only show you quotes that match!