[kristen11]

#1018001

Hi – I’m brand new here. I just got diagnosed with Graves last week and am still trying to figure it all out. I had no symptoms except for rapid heart rate and occasional heart palpitations. My primary discovered it during my routine bloodwork for my physical. I have been taking methimazole 2.5mgs per day for five nights now. Even such a small dose is making me very drowsy.

I am wondering if anyone else out there has multiple autoimmune diseases? This is my third diagnosis in the last two years. I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2009, a mild from of ITP a few weeks ago and now Graves last week. I can’t help but wonder what the heck is going on with my autoimmune system. I follow a well-balanced gluten free diet and exercise regularly.

The only other complaint I have to speak of is that I have chronic sinus problems and chronic post nasal drip.

Thanks for your replies. I am eager to learn more about why this is happening to me and what I can do to improve my health.

[Ski]

#1062118

We’ve heard at our conferences that autoimmune diseases have at their heart a genetic defect that every patient with autoimmune diseases shares ~ not everyone with the defect has an autoimmune disease, but every patient with an autoimmune disease has the defect, so we could say that those with the defect who don’t have an autoimmune disease, don’t have one … yet.

The theory right now is that we carry this defect, and then something triggers the autoimmune condition, whichever our body "chooses" to get. For that reason, it is rather common for people to have more than one autoimmune condition or, put more fairly, we are slightly more likely to get a second autoimmune disease once we’ve been diagnosed with one autoimmune disease.

Just to provide a bit more clarity ~ it’s not your immune system that is sick. Your body is creating antibodies to healthy tissue, which is a bit more like an overactive immune system, if you take my meaning. We don’t have "compromised" immune systems in the way that an AIDS patient would have. As a matter of fact, if we pursue things that "boost" the immune system, we’re more likely to increase our damaging symptoms, since the antibodies reside in the immune system, and boosting the good antibodies also boosts the bad.

[kristen11]

#1062119

Hi. I am taking 2.5 mgs of Methimazole before bedtime and have been on the medication for about three weeks now. The medication is knocking me out at night. Within 15 minutes of me taking it I am out like a light. My doctor said she has never heard of this as a side effect. Has anyone else had this side effect? Thanks for your response.

[Bobbi]

#1062120

First off, being hyperthyroid makes us very tired over time. When the methimazole interferes with the ability of the thyroid to make hormone, it should bring your levels back to normal, or even(hopefully not) into hypothyroid territory. We cannot sleep well while hyperthyroid. So, it’s possible that this "side effect" you have noticed is simply the ability of your body to sleep again because the drug has lowered you thyroid hormone levels.

[kristen11]

#1062121

Bobbi – Thank you for your reply. Before taking the medicatation, I would lay awake and watch tv in bed for about an hour. Since the very first day of me taking it, I have been unable to stay awake. I can feel the medication making my body drowsy.

[ZachB]

#1062122

I took tapazole off and on for a long time. I never really had any side effect. I have experienced catching up on sleep when tapazole was increased to take me from Hyper to Normal. I believe your body needs to rest after being hyper to repair damage to muscles and bones.

[mamabear]

#1062123

For your post nasal drip I would speak to your dr. tell them what you are on and see if they feel that a nasal spray wuold be good to stop the drip.
Drip is NOT good, when you continue to drip and "sniffle" you take that stuff you sniffle into your lungs and that causes bad things to happen in your chest.

Post nasal drip isn’t something to ignore, i know it sounds silly and some say it’s "just" post nasal drip…but it can cause lots of bad things that you do not need right now.

Zyrtec is the strongest allergy medicine , the generic is just fine too.
There are also sprays that are prescription that will work as well, nasonex is the strongest of them all to help with the drip.

I know this because I have 4 kids and myself and I finally got it out of the dr’s what works the best so that I didn’t have to fuss with trying one thing then going to another.

it takes a few days to get this into your system so you have to be on it for a few days before you feel some relief. AND you have to continue it so symptoms do not come back.

This season is very very bad for allergy people and people with no allergies too. Speak with the pharmacist about these drugs and the interactions with what you are on then talk to your endo.

The pharmacist will know the most up to date information on the drugs and interactions.

Good luck!

[kristen11]

#1062124

Thank you for all your replies to my post. I had my repeat blood work last week and my thyroid levels are back to normal after just 3 1/2 weeks on methimazole. My doctor advised me that I need to remain on the medication. I have extreme fatigue and am wondering if it is common to still be fatigued even after the thyroid levels return to normal ranges. I don’t know how long I have been hyper but at most it has been a year since they were normal at my annual physical in 2010.

Thanks again for your comments.

[Bobbi]

#1062125

We don’t necessarily "feel normal" when we first regain normal levels of thyroid hormone. It takes the body months AT normal levels to heal. You weren’t sick for three weeks, most likely, so it will take more than three weeks for you to feel your old self.

You do need to check your thyroid levels from time to time while on the ATDs like methimazole. Your doctor will indicate the time between checks, but if you start feeling markedly different you might want to call and get blood work sooner, rather than later. The ATDs can make us hypothyroid.

I do wish you good luck, and hope you are feeling more normal soon.

[kristen11]

#1062126

Hi. I was wondering if anyone else suffers from diarrhea despite normal blood levels. I was diagnosed with Graves this past spring and took methimazole for six months. After all my bloodwork came back normal, I was instructed to stop taking meds. My follow up blood work has come back normal since I stopped taking them. But, I have chronic diarrhea which started just prior to my diagnosis, got a little better while on meds, then has gotten worse since coming off them. It is driving me crazy! I appreciate your comments. Thanks, Kristen

[Kimberly]

#1062127

Hello – Frequent bowel movements are more commonly associated with hypER, so I would definitely talk to your doctor about this if you are experiencing this despite normal levels. Hopefully, he/she can help you get to the root cause of the problem — and get you some relief!

[DarcRaven]

#1062128

I’ve just been recently diagnosed with Graves….about a month and a half ago. MAN has it messed my body up entirely. I’ve had symptoms of it ranging back to about a year and a half, and it’s still a battle. I just had my RAI done. Not sure how long it will take for it to send me swinging the other direction. I’ve had digestive problems, Heart palpitations, Hair falling out, skin changes, period has been messed up for about 6-8 months now, emotions are just all over the place. I’ve never been an angry person but since all this I seem more irritable and angry and things. I was angry at dirt the other day….yes you read it…dirt. That should explain a few things. lol. I haven’t been put on any thyroid meds yet since the RAI. Won’t get blood work til the first of next month. I was put on a beta blocker for my heart rate cuz it was 120 when I went to see my endocrinologist. Luckily I already see one because of my Type 1 Diabetes, it seems my body is doing the same type of thing to my thyroid as it was to my pancreas. (similar but not exactly the same)

Any advice on the mood swings and emotional changes this has? Because its bad. I usually can handle some and just calm down but its to the point of personality changes?

[Kimberly]

#1062129

Hello – I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but am glad that you found us! Here is an article that goes through some of the mental and emotional aspects of Graves’ disease. (You will need to use your browser’s "back" button to return to the boards after viewing).

http://www.ngdf.org/cms/modules/files/u … 784485.pdf

The good news is that you will see some relief once your levels are stabilized, although some patients do have some lingering effects. (For me, my memory is NOT what it used to be…if I don’t write something down as soon as it pops in my head, it’s probably gone forever. ” title=”Wink” /> )

In the meantime, it’s helpful if you can remove as many stressors as possible (is there anything in your life that you can "dump" or "delgate"?) and also commit to taking time to participate in activities that you truly enjoy.

The healing process takes time, but you *will* get there!

[DarcRaven]

#1062130

I have my art and photography. That has always helped me with "emotional stress" and easing those feelings. I have to juggle so much when it comes to my health its unbelievable…and I’m only 28. Type 1 diabetes (16 years), PTSD, Panic attacks, IBS, depression, short term memory problems, and Degenerative Disk Disease (bad bad bad pain from that)…now Graves.

Thank you for the article. It makes me feel better that its explained. I had the RAI treatment done almost two weeks ago so it hasn’t had time to do much. What is a big dose on that? I had to take 18 Mcl.? is that big?

[Bobbi]

#1062131

The dose of RAI that we take is typically designed based on the size of our thyroid and the percentage level of uptake, so it varies — widely sometimes — from one patient to another. If you and another person had exactly the same size thyroid, but very different uptake percentages, the person with the greater uptake would be given a smaller dose, to get the same amount of RAI into the thyroid cells. So, DarcRaven, that’s the long way of saying we cannot tell you whether 18 mcuries is a big dose or not. ; )

[Author]

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