[SueAndHerZoo]

#1059957

I’ve tried so hard to stay positive and remind myself that this too shall pass and that soon I will start to get my life back and feel better, but today I am really defeated and depressed.

Yesterday I went to work and did not need to pop a tranquilizer nor did I need a beta blocker! I was so happy about that – thinking that finally all my meds were in sync and the worst was behind me. I had a great day all day and into the night. How wonderful it is to feel “normal”…… so many people take it for granted.

This morning I woke up kinda down but kept reminding myself that I am not a morning person and that within an hour or two I would feel fine. Nope. Within 30 minutes of being at the office I was antsy (and starving) and took my pulse….. high, as usual. I took a beta blocker so that I could ward this off and that didn’t help – my mind and body were racing and I was in high gear. I took a tranq.

I’m still feeling lousy (don’t know if it’s the meds, the thyroid, etc.) but mostly I am depressed. How can it be OK one day and bad the next? I started my dosage increase of Methimazole 16 days ago….. should I still be fluctuating?

Just venting…. I’m sure you’ve heard it all before. So tired of feeling lousy.
Sue

[flora]

#1179048

Hi Sue,
I’m sorry you’re having a bad day today. When my dose was increased recently, I went through the same good day/bad day ride (mostly bad days in the early going), too. If you haven’t seen it already, please take a look at my topic, “Dosage increased yesterday/feeling worse today”, not too far back in the forum listings – our forum friends (Carrie, Kimberly, Karen, Laurel, and Beach) really helped me a lot. I hope you will soon feel better, too.
Flora

[Raspberry]

#1179049

Hi Sue, you know I hear ya! I’m glad you got to have the one good day at least though sorry it didn’t last. Also beta-blockers are not meant to be stopped cold turkey, you’ll see a lot about that if you Google it, a rebound of anxiety and blood-pressure will happen for most people stopping them without tapering, same could be true of your tranquilizer too. If that what was going on maybe you’ll get to keep your good days!

[flora]

#1179050

(post deleted at author’s request)

[Kimberly]

#1179051

Hello – Sorry for the bad day. If the beta blockers and tranquilizer are meds that you have been taking regularly, agree with Raspberry that it’s worth checking with your doc to see if these need to be “weaned” before discontinuing.

But as Flora noted, the good days and bad days just seem to be part of the process.

I think that you were spot on with your comment that “this too shall pass”. Interestingly, that’s exactly what my primary care doc said when I first got diagnosed. That’s definitely hard to get your head around during difficult times, but please know that things *will* get better!

[Robboford]

#1179052

Hi Sue,
Just typed a long post and lost it all – Aaaaargh. I am going through one of those down, feeling blue patches at the moment. I think it is coinciding with an antibody attack at the moment. My Eyes are giving me grief, the pretibial myxdoema (spelling?) has flared up and I am over it all. I am usually so positive, but at the moment I have had a gutfull of this Disease and I am sick and tired of being sick and tired and had enough of all the pill popping (I was so peed off last night that I have worked out I have had 19,364 pills in the last 21 months up till today – I have had heart complications, have got TED and have been on a block and replace regime as part of my journey). Over the last 21 months of every now and then I get into one of these funks and it just seems to make me want to give up the fight. I try and reinforce my fighting spirit and my rage against this horrible, horrible Disease. Usually when people ask me how I am, I reply that I have got 2 arms, 2 legs and breathing on my own, so am doing a lot better than other poor souls out there, after all there is nothing anyone can do for me – no magic pill or cure or even a definite time frame when I will be back to normal. (I actually can’t remember what it feels like to wake up and feel “NORMAL”). I know it will pass though, and I will have my fighting spirit back and hopefully this will be the case for you. Graves’ Disease sucks and until people (including the medical professionals) have walked a mile in our shoes, no one can truly understand the Journey or impact it has on our lives. Hang in there and sending you cyber hugs from down under.
Cheers
Debbie
(A.K.A. Robboford)
PS Thanks for reading all, and for being here – really truly appreciated!

[Robboford]

#1179053

Hi Sue,
Just typed a long post and lost it all – Aaaaargh. I am going through one of those down, feeling blue patches at the moment. I think it is coinciding with an antibody attack at the moment. My Eyes are giving me grief, the pretibial myxdoema (spelling?) has flared up and I am over it all. I am usually so positive, but at the moment I have had a gutfull of this Disease and I am sick and tired of being sick and tired and had enough of all the pill popping (I was so peed off last night that I have worked out I have had 19,364 pills in the last 21 months up till today – I have had heart complications, have got TED and have been on a block and replace regime as part of my journey). Over the last 21 months of every now and then I get into one of these funks and it just seems to make me want to give up the fight. I try and reinforce my fighting spirit and my rage against this horrible, horrible Disease. Usually when people ask me how I am, I reply that I have got 2 arms, 2 legs and breathing on my own, so am doing a lot better than other poor souls out there, after all there is nothing anyone can do for me – no magic pill or cure or even a definite time frame when I will be back to normal. (I actually can’t remember what it feels like to wake up and feel “NORMAL”). I know it will pass though, and I will have my fighting spirit back and hopefully this will be the case for you. Graves’ Disease sucks and until people (including the medical professionals) have walked a mile in our shoes, no one can truly understand the Journey or impact it has on our lives. Hang in there and sending you cyber hugs from down under.
Cheers
Debbie
(A.K.A. Robboford)
PS Thanks for reading all, and for being here – really truly appreciated!

[Gabe]

#1179054

Hi Sue. So sorry you’re blue (hey that rhymes!). You are describing the thing about GD that I hate the most…the roller coaster. I experienced the same thing after each dosage change. Any change in meds or sometimes for no apparent reason, we’re riding the ‘down’. Then up and down again. It’s hard to plan, live a productive life, and stay positive when days are so unpredictable. I hope you have more ups than downs in your future.

I’ve heard the same about cold turkey with stopping beta blockers yet just did the same thing myself. Stopped taking them 5 days ago and am hoping to stay off them until my TT on 5/31/13. I really believe the known side effects of BBs added to my distress. I certainly understand their value and necessity to protect the heart from damage, but unless my heart rate or BP goes haywire I plan to steer clear of these.

I hope tomorrow is the start of many calm days for you…
Karen

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1179055

Geez, guys…. I’m so sorry – I typed a long response to all of you yesterday and now I see that it’s not there! I really appreciate all the comments and the commaradery (is that how you spell that?) and it’s nice to know that others experience the things that the doctors tell us aren’t happening.

I will take note of the cold-turkey affect of both the BB’s and the tranq but I don’t really think I have taken either of them regularly enough to be having rebound or withdrawal symptoms. I take the BB “as needed” and it’s never more than once a day anymore (only 10 mg.) and the tranq is an old, long half-life one, Tranxene. But still, with every system in our bodies being on high alert during hyper phases, who knows? I’ve also been weaning myself off coffee slowly so my body is getting hit with surprises from all sides.

Thanks for being here….. this disease may be miserable, but it’s never lonely.
Sue

[donnabgraves]

#1179056

Sue,

I’m new to all of this, just diagnosed today with this lovely disease. I went to my cardiologist due to severe tachycardia, heart palpitations, heart stopping, etc. and he put me on a beta blocker. The beta blocker caused me to be severely depressed and to feel so hopeless. I was only on the beta blocker for 5 days and now I’m am off. I’m happy again and my heart feels like it is going to pound out of my chest.

All I can say is I’m no expert and I’m extremely new to all of this, but I think I could have possibly ended this wonderful precious life if I would have continued the beta blocker and I was so extremely exhausted also. Hopefully, the RAI when ever my doctor schedules me will help with the heart issues.

Cheer up and just a suggestion maybe see if you have to take the beta blocker. I am very happy again, other than feeling yucky…the exhaustion.

Do you know if this disease can make your liver enzymes to be very high? Both ALT and AST are high. I’m not sure if this has any impact on the liver. I have never taken any thyroid meds.

Cheer Up!
Donna

[Stymie]

#1179057

Hi sue!!

I too get the ups and downs. I feel like I’m two weeks good, one week ok and 1 week bad. It’s like a roller coaster of emotions. I tell myself this too shall pass but when I’m feeling down its hard to pound into my head!!

Try to keep positive and see the brighter side of things. And we are all here for you!!

Big hugs!!

Diane

[Kimberly]

#1179058

@Sue – Smart to wean slowly off caffeine…I went cold turkey, and the fatigue and headaches were truly miserable!

@Donna – Hello and welcome! Elevated liver enzymes *can* be a side effect of the medication, but it can *also* be a result of the hyperthyroidism itself. Hopefully, your doctor ran a baseline test before you started the meds, as this can help sort out what is going on.

[Author]

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