Graves' Disease Support Group
Graves-Basedow disease is a medical disorder that may manifest several different conditions including hyperthyroidism (over activity of thyroid hormone production), infiltrative exophthalmos (protruberance of one or both eyes and associated problems) and infiltrative dermopathy (a skin condition usually of the lower extremities). This disorder is the most common cause of...
Hello everyone, hope all is well with my fellow graves survivors.
I have a question, does Methimazole come in a 1.25 dosage or is it 2.50 cut in half?
I currently have symptoms for really the last 3 months. My endo is not open minded at all, so I'm on a quest to have my ducks in a row before I going head to head with her.
I don't get it that these docs will not open their minds to possiblities of maintenance for this disease. Say you have a stressful event. Why , wouldn't they be open to dosing for a month or two and see if that makes
the patient life for the better. I see how you could become an advocate for this disease just on dealing with a physician.
My endo only goes by the tsh being in the normal zone. She does not acknowlege my graves and symptoms. She denies any other part of the body that has symptoms flat out. I will be searching for a new endo, there really isn't a lot to choice from locally. What other kind of doctor would help me with my graves, any suggestions? Almost all of the blogs I'm reading, the patients are on some type of maintenance medications.
I believe no patient should ever walk out of a physicians office feeling worse then when they walked in..its unacceptable.. Thanks for your help and listening! Stay strong.
Janelle
I have a question, does Methimazole come in a 1.25 dosage or is it 2.50 cut in half?
I currently have symptoms for really the last 3 months. My endo is not open minded at all, so I'm on a quest to have my ducks in a row before I going head to head with her.
I don't get it that these docs will not open their minds to possiblities of maintenance for this disease. Say you have a stressful event. Why , wouldn't they be open to dosing for a month or two and see if that makes
the patient life for the better. I see how you could become an advocate for this disease just on dealing with a physician.
My endo only goes by the tsh being in the normal zone. She does not acknowlege my graves and symptoms. She denies any other part of the body that has symptoms flat out. I will be searching for a new endo, there really isn't a lot to choice from locally. What other kind of doctor would help me with my graves, any suggestions? Almost all of the blogs I'm reading, the patients are on some type of maintenance medications.
I believe no patient should ever walk out of a physicians office feeling worse then when they walked in..its unacceptable.. Thanks for your help and listening! Stay strong.
Janelle
Thanks again, hope your feeling better and have a good day!
Janelle15
You can find another doctor. So many of us are on our fourth, fifth, or more doctors until we find the 'right' one to work with us.
Unfortunately too many doctors out there just do not know how to treat those of us with GD.
{{{hugs}}}
Sustained Control of Graves Hyperthyroidism During Long-Term Low-Dose Antithyroid Drug Therap of Patients with Severe Graves Orbitopathy
Peter Laurberg, et al
THYROID, Volume 21, Number 9, 2011, DOI: 10.1089/thy.2011.0039
Outcome of very long-term treatment with antithyroid drugs (Block-Replace) in Graves' hyperthyroidism associated with Graves' orbitopathy. Elbers L, Mourits M, Wiersinga W.
Thyroid. 2011 Mar;21(3):279-83.
Long-Term Antithyroid Drug Therapy with Thiocarbamides
http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter11/11-contents.htm
De Groot et al
Esp ref 126.1 Azizi F, Ataie L, Hedayati M, Mehrabi Y, Sheikholeslami F. Effect of long-term continuous methimazole treatment of hyperthyroidism: comparison with radioiodine.
Eur J Endocrinol. 2005 May;152(5):695-701 Conclusion: Long-term continuous treatment of hyperthyroidism with MMI (methimazole) is safe. The complications and the expense of the treatment do not exceed those of radioactive iodine t
That's my concern is if janelle15 is Graves, Graves the dr normally keep on a maintenance doze, but can go into remission and many no longer need a maintenance dose.
That's why I asked her to post the antibodies blood test result on Elaine's site. This board is strange when trying to post results.
My Dr told me mine was graves, so I followed the advice on comment boards for Graves....come to find out many Dr's think just because a T.S.H. is very low, that a person has Graves....far from the truth.
janelle15 mentions above that her endo only goes by the T.S.H....which makes me wonder if her Dr didn't come up with the Graves diagnoses like my Dr did, only by the T.S.H.
I ended up getting the antibodies finally when I requested from my dr, and at that point all my labs came back, HypO / hell...and then I posted my antibodies results to a expert, I was negative for Graves antibodies.
So it is very important to get the correct antibodies test, then it helps a person to know which treatment / advice to look at on the internet.
Elaine Moore is a expert and the labs and ranges and results, and just a short detail, she can explain what is truly going on for the person.
My new labs are in so if I could run them by you all pls..
03/19/15
TSH 1.30 (0.36-3.74)
Free T4 0.99 (0.60-1.50)
Free T3 2.50 (1.8-4.2)
05/06/15
TSH 1.67 (0.34-4.82)
Free T4 0.86 (0.60-1.50)
Free T3 2.6 (1.8-4.2)
Please let me know your thoughts. I contacted Elaine Moore also.
My endo is suppose to call me today. Still having alot of stomach/gut issues. I do have ibs also and all these symptoms are exactly what happened when I was dx with graves..but I do understand ibs can really mimic the disease that's why I'm having a difficult time grasping between the two. Hope your all well and thanks for the help. Have a good day! Janelle
------------
03/19/15
TSH 1.30 (0.36-3.74)
Free T4 0.99 (0.60-1.50)
Free T3 2.50 (1.8-4.2)
05/06/15
TSH 1.67 (0.34-4.82)
Free T4 0.86 (0.60-1.50)
Free T3 2.6 (1.8-4.2)
------------------------
Your T4 is important, so now on 5/6/15 0.86 and last one 3/19/2015 0.99.....that for sure means your T4 is going lower, it would be better if it went up....their is something going on with your thyroid and this is why you are not feeling good.
When the level goes down like that even though it still is in range, it is HypO.....Can you post to Elaine your antibodies blood test?
My guess is you do have Graves, but now from the Dr, not dosing correctly, your in HypO territory.
Their is nothing wrong with Lexapo it is one of the better Anti-depressants. It can help in many ways...but your T4 level needs to go up to feel better.
Just remember on Lexapro, if you start on it, it has to be taken ever day and start at the lowest dose. Then if you ever get off of it, you don't just stop, you have to tapper back to the lowest dose slowly.
5-htp is more of a natural way for a anti-depressant, but many Dr don't believe in it.
5-htp is over-the-counter, the brand " NOW " is highly recommend, but now as in even Vitamins, the raw material in so many things is coming straight from China....even the high price ones, the raw material is from china. Most naturally food place's will carry 5-htp.
Your Endo is only looking at your T.S.H., ...T.S.H. worshiper Dr's / Endo's have a lot to learn.
Your metabolism, might have change now, as mine has, but hard to say.
The antibodies blood test is the best way to confirm Graves, I have not yet figured out what those results mean, that's why I suggest Elaine for that.
-----------
Are you the same janelle15,that has a post on Living with Graves?
If so it reads " First my gp had placed me on levothyroxine for 8 months because I was so sluggish, and was not monitored, hence the graves diagnosis. ....."
If the Dr said you have Graves why was you placed on Levothyroxine? That normal would be for some one who is HypO.
Do you have your very begin labs when they diagnosed you, even just the T.S.H., FreeT4 and FreeT3? Then maybe Elaine can explain the antibodies blood test in the beginning then maybe more of the puzzle will be solved. Then we can tell and see what is recommended.
Then we can tell if you have a T.S.H. worshiper Endo / Dr....they are not one's that help us get better...they more or less mess us up more.
Forgot to add make sure to get on drug checker, the web site and put in 5-Htp along with any prescription and supplements that you might be taking. Just to make sure their are no major reactions with any of them.
I appreciate all your help, have a great weekend and take care of yourself. Janelle15
Ok, now more of the puzzle is fitting together. Sounds like they medicated you incorrectly and possibility maybe they even just used a guess to even medicate you!
The antibodies test, that Elaine can explain, will help to tell what now is truly going on.
From Elaine's site to get the Free T4 to come up, Selenium 200 - 400 mg daily.
You too have a great weekend.
The Selenium is more for the Free T3 conversion.
{{{hugs}}}
But Elaine's site also suggest : Selenium is needed for proper thyroid hormone production and metabolism and low levels can contribute to autoimmunity. Thus, it's needed for the optimal conversion of T4 into T3........Selenium, though, could help in restoring normal thyroid function.
Link: http://www.elaine-moore.com/Forums/ArchivedForum2/tabid/57/forumid/6/postid/9495/scope/posts/Default.aspx
----------------------------------
So if it can help in resorting normal thyroid function...would not that also mean helping the T4 too?
It was the only thing I could find on her site, that basically is saying it can help in resorting to normal thyroid function.....yeah, I guess I could have written that with better words in my other post.