[prknight]

#1018783

I had blood work done yesterday. I am currently taking 10 mg. of methimazole. In six weeks my TSH has gone from 0.11 to 3.19 and my Ft4 has gone from 1.14 to .74. I am happy that my TSH is moving, but this is too much. When diagnosed 5 months ago, my TSH was 0.001. I think that I am taking too high of a dosage. Have any of you ever experienced this? I just wonder if I should start rotating my dosage every other day with .5 and.10. Have any of you ever done this? I will be going to see my endo. on Monday. I am going to suggest this to him. He seems clueless at times on what to try with me.
I am so thankful for this forum. I have learned so much from all of you. It is nice to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Thanks!
Pam

[Ski]

#1067098

When you first take ATDs, it can be a very delicate dance, figuring out what dose gets you to the right level. At first, you usually need to take a little more to bring down the hyperthyroidism, then less as it accumulates in your body and things adjust. It’s a very individual process, and something you should work out directly with your doctor. Above all, please don’t take steps to change the way you take the medication without your doctor’s knowledge. It can really end up making things more complicated than you’d like. Things happen slowly IN GENERAL with thyroid hormone, but the beginning of ATD use can go against that general rule. It’ll take frequent monitoring and an active role on your part AND your doctor’s part, so if you feel that your doctor is not participating as a team member in this process, you may need to either be a little pushy with them, or you may want to find a new physician.

The other thing you should know is that once your levels read "normal," that is just the BEGINNING of your healing. The "normal" reading is a signal that your body has now reached a good balance and is healthy, which is when it can begin to work on the damage that the hyperthyroidism has caused. So you will probably feel a little better when your levels read normal, but it will continue to improve as they remain stable, a little at a time. Closer every minute. ” title=”Very Happy” />

[ely2009]

#1067099

Pam,

I’ve been on methimazole since March of this year. My TSH was just a little below "normal," so I started on a really small dose (2.5 mg daily). But after 8 weeks my endo wasn’t happy with the progress, so I began 5 mg/daily. I guess he didn’t want to over-medicate me since I wasn’t way, way low. Anyway, at that dose I did notice a change in how I felt after a few weeks. I’m still on the same dose and will be (unless something changes) until next spring. By mid-summer (about 4 months after beginning methimazole) I felt almost normal most of the time. Now I still have some days when I don’t feel perfect, but many days I don’t even think about how I feel – such a relief from spending months being consumed by symptoms and planning my life around how badly I might feel. I feel like I have a normal life again. It’s so hard to be patient, but keep noticing the improvements and it’ll keep your spirits up.

Good luck at your appointment.

Emily

[Kimberly]

#1067100

Hi Pam – I would point out the FT4 number to your endo, especially if it is on the low end of the range. Sometimes our endos get so fixated on the TSH results that they neglect the FT3 and FT4 — which is the measure of the *actual* thyroid hormone that is available for our system to use.

While we shouldn’t be making dosage adjustments on our own, I have "negotiated" dosage with my endo before — and I usually end up being right. ” title=”Very Happy” />

Best of luck!

[prknight]

#1067101

Thanks to all of you for your posts! I went to see my endo today. He took me off my medication since my TSH is so high. He wants to see if my Ft4 will go up. He is afraid even if I change to a low dosage 5 mg. that my number will go even lower. I already have gained 10 pounds and feel so tired all the time! I teach first graders and I need some energy!! He will check my levels again in a month. I am going to pray that the symptoms don’t come back! Scary!!!
Have a Merry Christmas!!!
Pam

[ely2009]

#1067102

Pam,
I taught first graders before my children were born and LOVED it! You are right about needing energy – and LOTS of it.
Emily

[Madame_X]

#1067103

He wants to give it a month to see how I do; get levels checked then and then again in February.

He also said I was overmedicated — this was in mid-summer. During that time frame, the fatigue was pretty bad.

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