[LaurelM]

#1065049

I took Methizole for about a year. Initally a larger sized dose but decreased fairly quickly to a smaller dose. I tolerated it very well and felt better (not well) after about 6-8 weeks. I felt increasingly better over the next year.

I was switched to PTU when we became pregnant with our 2nd. I didn’t end up taking very much both because I wasn’t keeping anything down and my levels were good. I was on PTU for only about 6 weeks.

The pregnancy may have actually helped me acheive remission (I really don’t recommend trying it as a treatment though) or I may have just been heading there with the medication. We’ll never know. I had expected to come out of remission post-partum as that was what triggered my GD we think but I’ve been lucky. In hindsight, there may have been episodes in the past 20 years that resolved on their own but since I have no way of knowing, I don’t worry about it.

I feel great. I just mowed 1/2 an acre with a push mower. I get my levels checked by my GP once or twice a year. My endo (who was fantastic) ‘fired’ me as a patient ” title=”Very Happy” /> If I need an endo again, of course he will be the one I go back to.

The ATDs did allow me plenty of time to learn about all my treatment options. It was amazing how much calmer I was and how much clearer I could think a few weeks into being on the Methimazole. I would be comfortable with any of them depending on my medical and non-medical life circumstances at the time.

Hope that was helpful.

Laurel

[Julie3588]

#1065050

After my diagnosis I was quickly placed ATDs. I started out on PTU but had an allergic reaction to it and switched to methimazole. I liked that I only had to take the methimazole twice a day rather than every 8 hours like the PTU. The PTU also left an awful taste in my mouth. After a year on the ATDs, I was weened off and went into remission for exactly one year before I became hyperthyroid once again. I chose to go the RAI route for a few reasons. First, I hated the way the ATDs made me feel, very vacant, slightly depressed, bloated, and just generally unlike myself. Second, I decided I did not want to spend the rest of my life going in and out of remission. I went back on methimazole for 2 months following the RAI in order to keep me from going even more hyper. The side effects from the methimazole I experienced the first time around returned. I am now a year out from RAI and still trying to get my levels normal and at a point where I feel well.

As someone who has done both treatments, I can say that there are definitely pros and cons to both. It’s a very personal choice and there is really no way to know which treatment you will tolerate best. I do know that my endo told me that the new consensus in the medical field is to choose methimazole instead of PTU because it is a bit safer. I’m not really sure what the reasoning is behind it or if it is just a matter of opinion but it may be worth asking about.

Hopefully your road to recovery starts soon ” title=”Smile” />

-Julie

[thompson91]

#1018467

So if any of you achieved remission on meds which meds were you taking? I know this can happen and just wondered if one was better than the other? Thanks.

[Ski]

#1065051

PTU is the preferred med for pregnant women, but methimazole has surfaced as the preferred med for children due to cases of liver failure in children who have taken PTU. This can also occur with methimazole, but is less common. In an abundance of caution, some doctors are going with methimazole most of the time for everyone.

[cynthia]

#1065052

Meth is making me sooo sick to my stomach expect to be put on PTU???? what experances have you all ( from the south ha ha ) had with this drug…. soo over this sickness …..wht have you used for nausea???? thanks cb

[mifis]

#1065053

I took 30mg of Methimazole for about a month, 20mg for about a month, went off it completely, then went on 5g/day for about 2 or 3 months. Didn’t feel great but wasn’t hyper and went off it again completely and quickly went into remission (once I went off the meds). Have been in remission now for 4 or 5 months.

[jlw]

#1065054

I went off my Methimazole of 5mg/day at the end of March. My body is not liking phase 2 of my thyroid experiment. I have had my levels checked three times and am quickly creeping back down to the hyper area. I was actually at 0.434 last month. Depending on your Dr.’s popular belief that could be considered low already. I know it is low for me. My dr likes the 0.32 level and I will get blood work done again at the end of this month. The first thing I notice is the change in my vision. This has been a constant struggle for me over the last two years. My eyes have also begun to bulge slightly. My heart races and pounds periodically. I am not sleeping and am exhausted. The best sleep I get is afternoon nap. I am cranky and I am on happy pills. I guess my mood is a helpful guide because I know I should be content. I have experienced contentment over the past year. I am increasingly hot and sweaty, which is just gross.
I am thinking about RAI but am wondering about how I will "schedule" it in – work, school, children, family… I may have to do the meds until next summer. I am tried of being an experiment, but am worried about the effects of RAI. I know that I will have other things to deal with after that as well – balancing the levels on the opposite side of things, weight, vision changes as my eyes settle down (maybe).
I truly do not know what it feels like to be well and I would like to so that I can get on with life.

[Bobbi]

#1065055

I am sorry to hear that you are feeling those awful hyper symptoms again. My advice, for what it is worth: Listen to your body. You are undoubtedly more intimately acquainted with what hyperthyroid feels like than your doctor. If you think you are hyper, you need to relay that information forcefully to your doctor and seek relief.

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