We’ve put together a detailed checklist of thyroid symptoms, grouped by category.
You can download and print this full thyroid symptom checklist as a PDF file, to fill out and take to your doctor, or to use to monitor your symptoms and results.
If you feel there are additional symptoms you’d like to see added, please share them in the comments.
Thyroid / Throat / Neck / Mouth
___ I have a goiter
___ My thyroid/neck is enlarged
___ I can feel a lump — or what appears to be some sort of fullness or growth — in my neck or thyroid area
___ I have enlarged and/or tender lymph nodes
___ I find neckties, turtlenecks, necklaces and or scarves around my neck uncomfortable
___ I have a “buzzy” feeling in my neck/thyroid area
___ I sometimes feel like I am choking or have something stuck in my throat
___ Sometimes it’s hard to swallow
___ My tongue feels thick and/or trembles
___ I have pain and tenderness in my neck and/or thyroid
___ My voice has become hoarse, husky, or gravelly.
Weight Changes / Appetite Changes
___ I feel thirsty much of the time
___ I am unusually hungry
___ I have no appetite
___ I am losing weight, even though I haven’t changed my diet and exercise
___ I have experienced rapid and/or dramatic weight loss without particularly dieting
___ I am losing weight during pregnancy
___ I am craving and/or eating more carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta, sweets, fruits, sugary foods, etc.)
___ I’m a diabetic, and having symptoms of poor blood sugar control (hunger, shakiness when hungry)
___ I am able to eat more and not gain weight
___ I am able to eat more and am still losing weight
___ I can’t gain weight, even if I eat more
___ I am gaining weight without a change in diet or exercise
___ I am unable to lose weight, despite proper diet and exercise
___ I am having excessive vomiting and nausea — accompanied by weight loss — in pregnancy
___ I have had a baby in the last year and experienced a rapid and/or dramatic weight loss without dieting
___ I have recently been diagnosed as anorexic
Bloating/Fluid in the Abdomen
___ I have rapidly gained weight in the abdominal area
___ My ankles are swollen
___ I am experiencing abdominal discomfort and distention
___ I’m experiencing shortness of breath (a.k.a. “air hunger”)
Temperature
___ I am very intolerant of any temperature extremes — hot or cold
___ I am very sensitive to cold
___ I have a low-grade fever
___ I have been diagnosed as having hypothermia (low body temperature).
___ I feel cold, especially in the hands and/or feet.
___ I’m frequently thirsty
___ My “normal” basal body temperature is lower than 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
___ I feel warm or hot when others are cold, or cold when others are warm
___ I’m experiencing hot flashes
___ I’m sweating excessively, or much less than normal
Slowness
___ My movements are slower than normal
___ My speech is slower than normal
Heart
___ My pulse rate is particularly low or high (insert beats per minute here
___ ( _____ bpm)
___ I have unusually low or high blood pressure
___ I feel like my heart is racing or pounding
___ I feel like I can “hear” my heartbeat in my head
___ I have occasional chest pain
___ I feel heart palpitations, flutters, skipped beats, strange patterns or rhythms
___ I have frequent headaches
___ I often feel breathless
___ I frequently feel dizzy
Gastrointestinal System
___ I have more frequent bowel movements
___ My bowel movements are looser than normal
___ I have diarrhea
___ I have pain in the upper right abdominal area
___ I have constipation
___ I have to urinate more frequently
___ I am experiencing nausea and/or vomiting
Breathing
___ I experience periods of shortness of breath
___ I have tightness in the chest
___ Occasionally, I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
Dizziness
___ Vertigo and dizziness
___ Lightheaded feeling, dizziness
Hearing/Tinnitus
___ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears).
___ I have sudden hearing loss or onset of deafness
Energy / Muscles / Joints
___ I feel fatigued more than normal.
___ I feel weak, run down, sluggish, lethargic.
___ I feel like I can’t get enough sleep
___ My muscles feel weak
___ My arms, shoulders and/or legs feel week
___ I am more fatigued and sore than normal after exercise
___ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or my existing carpal tunnel syndrome is getting worse.
___ I need very little sleep
___ I have experienced one or more episodes of extreme weakness, i.e., difficulty walking
___ I have had an unusual increase in energy
___ I’m feeling a need to exercise far more than usual
___ I have pains, aches, and stiffness in various joints, hands, and feet
___ I have developed tarsal-tunnel syndrome (legs), or my existing condition is getting worse.
___ I have developed plantar’s fasciitis (balls of feet) or my existing condition is getting worse.
Skin/Face
___ My skin is smooth, young looking, and/or velvety
___ I have worsening acne, breakouts
___ My mucous membranes (i.e. mouth, eyes) are especially dry
___ I have a dull facial expression
___ I have puffiness around my eyes
___ My face, throat, palms and/or elbows are flushed
___ My coloring and/or lips are pale
___ I have patches of unpigmented skin (vitiligo)
___ I have waxy, reddish-brown lesions on my lower legs, feet, toes, arms, face, shoulders and/or trunk.
___ My skin is rough, coarse, dry, scaly, itchy, and thick.
___ I get painful, inflamed boils in my armpits or groin
___ I’m bruising easily
___ I have prominent spider veins on my face or neck
___ I have blister-like bumps on my forehead and/or face
___ My skin is yellowish
___ I’m getting hives frequently
___ I’m experiencing itching
___ I have puffy/swollen eyes and/or face.
___ I have swollen eyelids.
Nails / Hands
___ My nails are more shiny than usual
___ My nails are dry, more brittle, break more easily
___ My nails are softer
___ My hands and palms are warm and moist.
___ My nail bed is separating from my finger
___ I have swollen hands, pain in finger joints
Hair Changes
___ My hair is falling out more than usual
___ I’m losing body hair
___ I’m losing hair from the outer edge of my eyebrows
___ My hair has become thinner
___ My hair has become finer
___ My hair has become softer
___ My hair can no longer hold a perm or a curl
___ My hair has become rough and coarse
___ My hair has become dry
___ My hair has been breaking and has become brittle
Legs/Feet/Toes
___ My toes are swelling and becoming wider
___ I have pain in the joints of my toes
___ I have swollen feet
___ I have tarsal tunnel syndrome (pain in leg)
___ I have plantar’s fasciitis (pain in the ball of the feet)
___ I have waxy, reddish-brown lesions on my lower legs, feet, toes
___ I have significantly calloused heels
Eyes
___ My eyes feel uncomfortable
___ My eyes feel dry, and/or gritty
___ It feels as if there is something in my eye
___ My eyes are tearing and watering frequently
___ There are visible blood vessels in my eyes
___ My upper and lower eyelids look irritated and puffy
___ I feel an achiness or pain behind my eyes
___ I frequently have a headache in the eye area
___ My eyeballs are bulging or protruding
___ I can’t completely close my eye during sleep
___ My upper eyelids are retracting, giving me a wide-eyed, startled look
___ I have tics, twitches and/or tremor in my eyes and/or eyelids
___ I have a noticeable “stare”
___ I don’t blink frequently
___ My eyes get jumpy (tics in eyes)
___ When I shift my gaze quickly, I feel dizzy or disoriented
___ My vision is blurred and/or worsening
___ My vision is blurry, but eyedrops help
___ I have double vision
___ I find colors are less vivid and/or brightness is diminishing
___ I have poor night vision
___ I’m light sensitive
___ I see “flashing lights” or “floaters”
___ My eyelids are puffy
Depression
___ I feel sad, empty, worthless and/or hopeless
___ I feel hopeless or pessimistic
___ I feel guilty and/or helpless
___ I am withdrawing emotionally
___ I’ve lost interest or pleasure in activities and hobbies
___ I’ve lost interest or pleasure in sex
___ I have thoughts of death or suicide
___ I have mood swings
___ I’m feeling unusually elated
___ I’m feeling unusually self-confident
___ I’m having hallucinations
___ I’m taking an antidepressant, but it doesn’t seem to be working.
Mood/Thinking/Cognition
___ My moods change easily.
___ My mind feels like I’m in a “fog,” I have “brain fog”
___ I find it difficult to focus or concentrate
___ I find it difficult to make decisions
___ I’m feeling confused and my thinking is disorganized
___ I have dyslexia
___ I’m having difficulty with reading and/or calculating
___ I have memory problems, and am forgetting things
___ I feel like my mind is going blank regularly
___ My mind is racing, I can’t shut my thoughts off
Anxiety/Panic
___ Sometimes I am acting erratically, overemotionally
___ I feel uncontrollable and/or irrational anger or aggressiveness at times when it’s not appropriate
___ I feel anxious, nervous, restless, irritable, on edge
___ I feel inexplicably frightened at times
___ I’m frequently worrying, and I find it hard to stop
___ I’m jumpy, easily startled
___ My reflexes are particularly fast
___ I have tremors, my hands are shaky
___ I’m having panic attacks
___ I’m always moving, jiggling, tapping a foot, drumming my fingers — can’t sit still
Sleep Problems
___ I find it hard to fall asleep
___ After I’ve fallen asleep, I frequently wake up
___ When I wake up in the middle of the night, I find it hard to fall back asleep
___ I have insomnia and can’t sleep
___ I wake feeling tired and unrefreshed
___ I frequently oversleep
___ I am frequently exhausted
___ I snore
___ I have sleep apnea
Menstruation
___ I have developed premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or my PMS seems to have gotten worse
___ My menstrual periods have stopped
___ My menstrual periods have become unusually light
___ My menstrual periods have become unusually short
___ My menstrual periods are coming less frequently
___ My menstrual periods have become unusually heavy
___ My menstrual periods have become unusually long
___ My menstrual periods are coming more frequently
Sex Drive
___ My sex drive is low or nonexistent
___ I have difficulty reaching orgasm
___ I have a suddenly “raging libido”/very high sex drive
___ I’m behaving in a sexually obsessive way
___ I have chronic yeast infections
___ I have constant excessive vaginal lubrication
Fertility
___ I’m unable to get pregnant
___ I’ve had a miscarriage or multiple miscarriages
___ I’m showing signs that I’m not ovulating
___ I have an in vitro fertilization failure
___ I’ve had donor egg failure
Symptoms in Pregnancy
___ I am vomiting excessively
___ I am losing weight or not gaining appropriately
___ I have an extreme case of morning sickness
___ I am gaining excessive weight during pregnancy
___ I am extremely fatigued
___ My hair is falling out
___ I’m feeling unusually depressed
Post-Partum Symptoms
___ I have had or am having difficulty breastfeeding
___ I am having difficulty losing weight
___ I’m experiencing depression and mood swings
___ I am losing large amounts of hair
___ I’m having brain fog, memory lapses, and difficulty concentrating
___ I am abnormally fatigued
Breast Changes
___ My breasts are leaking milk, but I’m not lactating or breastfeeding
Menopause/Perimenopause
___ My perimenopause symptoms have gotten worse
___ My menopause symptoms have gotten worse
Note: Download the PDF version of the Thyroid Symptoms Checklist.
Leave a Reply