[MissLes]

#1018172

Hi Everyone:

This is my first post– I was dx Graves Disease in Aug of 2010 after years of trying to figure out what was wrong with me. For 5 or more years prior to my diagnosis, I experienced severe anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks (among a host of other symptoms that all make sense now…). I was treated during that time with a variety of anti-depressants, which while they were never the cure, helped me to manage my anxiety so that I could feel "normal" occasionally. Since my diagnosis I have been taken off of my antidepressants and treated with Methimazole. My doctor also gave me some beta blockers (propranolol) to help control my symptoms, and told me I could take up to 6 a day. At first, the beta blockers really made a difference for me, but for the last few months, when I’m nearing my time of the month, AND mid-cycle (about the time I’m ovulating)– my anxiety is SO bad I’m barely functional, and the beta blockers don’t do a thing.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas for lessening the symptoms? I cannot spend the rest of my life feeling like this twice a month for days on end. I’m absolutely desperate.

[Bobbi]

#1063085

Prednisone can cause us to feel twitchy and jumpy. I’m not sure about the methylprednisolone. You might want to check with the pharmacist about side effect issues. With the monthly ebb and flow of hormones in the menstrual cycle, even normal, non-medicated individuals can experience symptoms of irritability, moodiness, etc., but taking some meds, and also having wonky thyroid levels, can aggravate those symptoms.

If you haven’t had your thyroid levels checked recently, you might want to ask your doctor about that. It sounds from your post like you are being treated for the eye disease. Sometimes that precedes wonky thyroid levels. Sometimes the thyroid never goes out-of-whack, too. But it isn’t a bad idea to check from time to time, because the two issues often go hand in hand.

[MissLes]

#1063086

That was an error, bobby– got my medicines mixed up (I work in the medical field, so have a lot of them in my brain and I guess I wasn’t paying attn when I was typing.) It was supposed to say Methimazole. Whoops. ” title=”Smile” />

[Bobbi]

#1063087

OK, then, you might want to search the archives when this topic came up the first time. It was probably in 1997, or 1998 (but I think most likely 97). There was a patient online with us then who was having a similar problem. What she ended up doing, if I remember correctly, was keeping a log — a symptoms log. She tried to keep it as OBjective as possible, because doctors don’t "do" SUBjective very well. ; ) After a while, she showed the log to her doctor. I do not remember what the outcome was, but I do remember that she was, somehow, helped.

I’ve been at this thyroid stuff a long time, but I am not necessarily fully current with all the research. But one of the things I remember from when the topic was occurring on the board was that there can be fluctuations in the amount of FREE thyroid hormone (Free T4 and Free T3) based on the existance of other proteins in the blood that are capable of binding to the thyroid hormone molecule. Estrogen was one of the potentially binding molecules, if I remember correctly. The Free T3 and Free T4 are the hormone forms (the UNbound forms) that can be used by the cells. If there are fluctuations in the amount of free thyroid hormone available , you might be experiencing periods of time around your menstrual cycle when you are slightly more hyper, or more towards the hyper end of normal, than the rest of the time. If this is indeed happening, your anxiety symptoms could be more pronounced around those times. It’s a theory. And I’m an amateur. But a symptoms log could help to convince your doctor that "something" is going on that could be helped. "Anxiety" is subjective — it cannot be demonstrated easily. But heart rate is objective. Number of bowel movements a day is objective. The presence of tremors is objective. Heat intolerance is perhaps in the middle of things, but worth noting. In other words, look at the spectrum of hyper symptoms.

[snelsen]

#1063088

Hi, MisLes!!
I am glad you found this board. How said that you have been hyper with Graves’ for such a long time! THere needs to be so much education for primary care physicians, re Graves’. With the symptoms you had, the first doc you saw five years ago should have ordered a thyroid panel that day. I am so sorry that you have had this too common experience to go undiagnosed for so long.

By the way, you did not type methylpredisone by mistake. You wrote the right drug, Methimazole.
I have some questions for you, some of which Bobbi has already mentioned.
1. Are you being seen regularly now. with thyroid labs drawn? Assuming you have been taking the beta blocker and antithyroid drug since August, have the labs improved any?

I’m just writing out loud here, trying to think through how to help you with feeling so crappy related to your menstrual cycle.
Here’s one idea, It would be wise to check with the pharmacist and doc about it, but it sure has made a difference in the women i know. Try taking primrose oil. My daughter and her two daughters get their period at the same time, and during ovulation, and especially when they have their period, the household is an emotional battlefield! Amazing to me, they all starting taking primrose oil, and they say it has made a VAST difference for the better, and John, the only male in the household, agrees whole heartedly!

The treatment phase you are doing now, is to get you out of your hype phase into a euthyroid state, you should definitely be having good communication with your doc about how you feel and the labs. The doc may need to change the dose of the meds. Maybe you needs your meds adjusted.
Propanolol is given to control the physiological anxiety associated with hyper, ie., fast heart rate, excessive sweating , and the more typical feelings of anxiety people feel before take a big test or have to speak in front of a large group of people.

As you may have learned from reading a few posts, it can take a while to get back to the normal you. But it can, and will happen! Really. It is essential have a doc who really is familiar with Graves’, and who is supportive. Remember, there is an end to this where you feel like you again. the first step is to get out of your h
yper phase.
shirley

[rjconway04]

#1063089

I agree with the evening primrose oil. It works great. The bottle says take 1-3 per day, but I have found that only 1 is what I need. I tried doing more and it ended up making things worse instead of better. You can get it at any place that sells suppliments. I get mine at Walmart. Glad you finally was diagnosed. It took me years to be diagnosed also. Keep up with the bloodwork and be open and honest with your doctor about how you feel. If he/she won’t listen, then find another doctor that will. Good luck and keep us posted on how things are going.

[MissLes]

#1063090

Thank you all for your responses. I am going to buy some Evening Primrose Oil tomorrow. I have the first appointment with my Endo since she started my treatment, and I had my labs drawn last week, so hopefully I’ll have some answers that I can update you with tomorrow!! I am absolutly thrilled at the support of this board. Thank you all again.

[MissLes]

#1063091

Hi Everyone–

My doctor said my numbers were getting much better– so that’s a good thing! She dropped my Methimazole from 25mg to 20, and added 10mg of Lexapro and Xanax as needed. Here’s hoping once the Lexapro kicks in I start to feel like a human again ! Thank you all for your support. Loving this board!

Les ” title=”Smile” />

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