It sounds as if it may be symptoms of too much synthroid, but from what I have read it would take longer to work. It would probably be best to put in a call to your Doctor to be safe. You don't want to fool around where your heart is concerned. Sorry not to be more help.

I have hashimoto's, but I also have a racing heart rate, with palpatations. I have been to several doctors which none of them have been able to figure out why so I have learned to just live with it. When I tried to go on Amour it was really, really bad so I went back to synthryoid.

I hope that you can find out.

I was just wondering why you might be low in calcium or potassium. Is that something particular with Graves'?

My calcium was within range but I just had a total thyroidectomy on Monday so it's very possible that my parathyroids could go into shock temporarily so to prevent it, I have been taking Calcium daily. As for my potassium, I learned from another supporter that if you supplement one mineral, another may deplete so it's best to try to supplement them together prevent that.

Thanks. I don't know much about Graves' or thyroidectomy. I hope you have a quick recovery.

Scorpio - at this point I wouldnt take any supplements without having blood work done to check out your potassium levels. It can do more harm than good. When I was a kid I had to take thyroid meds and also had a racing heart so I stopped. I was only 11 so dont remember what the dr did, If you cant take Synthroid (or Levothyroxie - generic) maybe he can figure something else out. You are on a very low dosage.

Just a note: I read thru many threads on Elaine Moore's site and came across bits and pieces about synthroid. I guess it is possible to have transient hyper symptoms when first taking synthroid for about a week as well as when increasing synthroid. I'll continue at 50 mcg til Tuesday and see if they subside although my surgeon did say she'll increase me on Tuesday according to my weight as she fears me plummeting too hypo.

Barbell: The decision to remove my thyroid was a personal choice. And I believe it was the right decision for me. Is it for everyone? Of course not. I had a nodule on my left lobe that sat in front of my trachea and caused a choking sensation every time I laid back (so I have slept in a sitting position for a over a year), I also had a smaller nodule discovered on my right lobe. The plan was to definitely remove the left lobe and possibly the right. Once my surgeon opened me up, she realized my thyroid was larger than expected and my right lobe was extremely enlarged so I had a total thyroidectomy. I was on ATD's for over a year with the possibility that i had achieved remission but was absolutely miserable after my year of frustrations. I refused RAI so surgery was my next step.

Hi Barbell,
I was just reading through the posts and I think maybe you misunderstand why Graves patients have TT's. There are no other choices for us besides PTU, methimazole, RAI, or TT. We are not hypo, but hyper. We do not have many choices and for some of us it comes down to life or death, from thyroid storms, or a very poor quality of life. I guess I'm a bit confused as to why armour comes up as it is not a treatment choice for Graves Disease. Even with a thyroidectomy, many endos choose not to give the dessicated thyroid hormones due to the potential of the T3 being too much for Graves patients, as we convert T4 to T3 rapidly and in high amounts. I think it is great armour did so much for you and if Synthroid does not work for me I will be happy to tell my endo about your experience with armour. I just wanted to clarify why some of us choose surgery, we certainly do not advocate it, just a personal choice for those in hopes of a great recovery.

I second that Melanie :). My journey with Graves started by surviving a thyroid storm and I was absolutely determined to achieve remission thru ATD's... I endured a year of hell, ups and downs, frustrations, let downs, and depression off and on... I knew the moment I woke up from the storm a year ago that I wanted surgery before I even knew what was wrong... sometimes our gut just knows. I may have achieved remission within the year and now, I'll never know for sure if it was a true remission but I do know that I wasn't willing to chance a relapse or another thyroid storm or the hell I'd already gone thru. Choosing a thyroidectomy is a personal choice... for people with Graves, a total thyroidectomy is sometimes the better choice as a partial or subtotal thyroidectomy may help short term but a second surgery to remove the remainder may be needed at another time. Everyone's experience with ATD's, thyroid meds, iodine, triggers, and such is different. I reacted very well to PTU and was very diligent in changing my entire lifestyle to accomodate my Graves journey. However, I wanted some normalcy. I knew before surgery the ups and downs and the frustrations wouldn't end and that it would be a whole new ball game but it was a sacrifice I was willing to trade the last year for. Sure, finding the right level of synthroid may be a journey... it may even be my worst nightmare... but it's one I chose and no one else forced to make the decision. In the end, I'll never have to worry if I am having a thyroid storm again... I won't have to panic every time my heart rate increases... Sure, being hypo is hell and has it's tribulations as well... but after the year I endured, I'll take my chances. I joined this forum figuring that there would be more people I could relate to that may take synthroid or some form of synthroid and could possibly guide me along the way. It doesn't matter if they had a thyroidectomy or not... synthroid or a thyroid replacement medication is just that... I joined this forum for support... My graves journey was easier to get thru the last year due to the Graves support forum and the guidance I received there. I will continue to be a part of that support forum but at the same time thought I could reach out to the hypo forum as well since without a thyroid, one usually becomes hypo.

I completely agree that removing the thyroid by surgery or RAI is a drastic decision. However, with Graves, it can affect the heart and create issues later on down the road if left untreated. The hyper symptoms are usually treated with a beta blocker while waiting for ATD's to kick in and do their work. Remission is definitely possible with Graves but the possibility of relapse is definitely real. I think it just really depends on the person's own personal journey. I wouldn't recommend getting surgery or RAI without thoroughly researching and also getting more than one opinion.