[mamabear]

#1071822

Bill,
Welcome and sorry that you are going through this.There will be others that are more knowledgable about this and will provide you with answers that you need. I can tell you that when my TSH was low and T3 and T4 high that it was TSH that was fixed last, although it was very fast that this had happened.(i consider myself to be one of the lucky ones as I was on PTU (like Methimazole for you) for a short period before going off of it and going into remission.)

I would like to ask if you need support with your family not understanding about this disease? I know it can be hard not only on us but on our husbands/wives/children/grandkids…. the list goes on and on. It is never easy with our mood swings and although we try, we can sometimes say things we dont usually say or wouldn’t say if we were feeling a bit better.

Again welcome and hope you find the answers you are looking for and hope we will be able to help and support you on your way!

[Mr_Bill]

#1071823

Thank you for the kind words mamabear. I have a wonderful and supportive wife and friends. And while no one can truly know what you’re going through, my wife is a true gem among gems in her faith and understanding.

Once again, thank you

[mamabear]

#1071824

That is wonderful Bill. It is always good to have someone that is supportive even if they don’t fully understand exactly what is going on.
I am not sure if you have children but please make sure they know what you have so they can give that very important information to their dr’s for future reference if they happen to get it as well or if their children do.

Kudos to your wife! If she has questions as well feel free to tell her to hop on the board and ask as well.

[Mr_Bill]

#1019465

I’m a 52 yr old male who was diagnosed with GD in Jan 09 when TSH after bloodwork was done due to a Atrial fibrillation I had. The blood work showed T3 and T4 were way high, TSH was way low

Had Uptake test done and photos taken to verify graves condition. My thyroid is of nomral size, at worse possibly just slightly over sized.

I have an Endo & he put me on a dose of Metoprolol (now 12.5mg X 2 daily) and Methimazole 10MG X 3 daily

In March had blood work done & was told my T3 and T4 are pretty much within range (not sure if it’s total or free), but my TSH is still very low – .02 (I believe I was told .3 of whatever unit it’s measured in is condsidered the low end limit)

Had a complete physical in the beginning of April at my PCP & he just had my TSH level checked – really hasn’t budged from the .02 level

I am scheduled to see my Endo again in a few week to have blood work drawn again

I have no Graves Ophthalmology issues, but I have had a terrible time keeping weight off, even though I am exercising & eating much less than I was

I am cold all the time and it’s a biting cold I feel going all the way thru me, especially in my legs unless I really bundle up well. I’m having issues of being light headed off and mood swings, but the swings are NOTHING compared to what I was having prior to diagnosis

This background lead to the meat of what I want to ask. Is the TSH level the driver for how long to be on the Methimazole? I know if things are working the way they are suppose to, the TSH level reflects the stimulus for the thyroid to produce the proper amounts of T3 and T4. Is this the generally accepted treatment approach using Methimazole?

Thanks in Advance

Bill

[Kimberly]

#1071825

Mr Bill wrote: This background lead to the meat of what I want to ask. Is the TSH level the driver for how long to be on the Methimazole? I know if things are working the way they are suppose to, the TSH level reflects the stimulus for the thyroid to produce the proper amounts of T3 and T4. Is this the generally accepted treatment approach using Methimazole?

Thanks in Advance

Bill

Hi Bill – The gold standard for determining remission is to ensure that our autoantibodies have been significantly reduced or eliminated. My endo’s office checks TSI every few months, although I believe there are more sensitive tests that can be used as well.

Some endos will pull a patient off of Anti-Thyroid Drugs when their thyroid levels normalize. However, if the autoantibodies are still raging, the patient will very likely return to a hyper state. I’ve heard speculation that remission rates with ATDs could be significantly improved if endos were more careful to check autoantibody levels before discontinuing the medication.

Hope this helps!

[Mr_Bill]

#1071826

Thanks Kimberly. While the thought of remission is a wonderful thought, I’m just hoping that once my TSH levels come up somewhat, that my Endo may at least take me off the Beta Blocker and possibly have my Methimazole reduced to see if that helps me with some of my symptoms. I will definitely talk to him about the TSI/Autoantibodies when I see him next. He did mention something about doing some additional test the next time I come in.

[Kimberly]

#1071827

Mr Bill wrote:Thanks Kimberly. While the thought of remission is a wonderful thought, I’m just hoping that once my TSH levels come up somewhat, that my Endo may at least take me off the Beta Blocker and possibly have my Methimazole reduced to see if that helps me with some of my symptoms.

Hi Bill – Sorry, I thought you were asking about *eliminating* your methimazole. In terms of *reducing* your dose, you will want to watch for your Free T3 and Free T4 levels to come down into the "normal" range. TSH can actually take months to recover, so dosing solely off of TSH, without looking at Free T3/T4 can send patients into hypo territory. Unfortunately, a lot of doctors do this, so we have to be extremely assertive in making sure the correct labs are ordered.

I was only given Beta Blockers on an "as needed" basis, so I’m not sure when that can be reduced or elimintated — but I would guess that getting your Free T3/T4 in the normal range would be a good sign.

Good luck!

[Author]

Posts