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Unfortunately, many doctors are quick to diagnose patients who have feelings of sadness, fatigue, insomnia, and weight gain with depression. This is understandable, since depression brings out many of these symptoms. The problem is that doctors rely so heavily on a depression diagnosis that they fail to consider hypothyroidism as an alternative cause, leading to a potentially harmful misdiagnosed thyroid disorder.
Here are a few reasons you should consider taking action for a thyroid misdiagnosis:
- An underactive thyroid fails to produce necessary hormones, which can affect many vital functions of the body. Misdiagnosed patients will often have included dry skin, constipation, brittle hair, memory problems, and irregular menstrual periods—things your prescribed depression medication will not treat.
- Patients who suffer a hypothyroid misdiagnosis will not only have no relief from their symptoms, they will also be taking medication that their body doesn’t need, forcing them to experience unnecessary side effects.
- Your doctor could have failed to notice that you were in a high-risk group for thyroid problems. Women are likelier to develop the condition than men, and their risk only increases as they get older.
- Untreated hypothyroidism can cause potentially harmful complications in the future, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
- Hypothyroidism may be easily diagnosed with a blood test, and a lack of adherence to simple procedure could make your doctor liable for malpractice.
The best reasons to take action for a misdiagnosed thyroid disorder is to get compensation for your losses and to prevent someone else from suffering the same fate. Call the Kentucky medical malpractice attorneys at Gray and White today at 800.634.8767 or fill out the contact form on the top of this page to find out your legal options in your FREE, one-on-one consultation.