[Ski]

#1075098

Hi Joy,

Typically ATDs are used for at least a year before you can say you have reached a "remission," but at the same time, antibody levels can rise and fall for no well-understood reason, so perhaps your antibody levels have fallen (a lot) for now. If you are sure it’s Graves’, there’s no getting out of it, sorry. ” title=”Very Happy” />

5mg is an awfully small dose, so if that threw you into hypo levels, WOW. ” title=”Wink” /> You might be a "wait and see" patient for now. For some people, the hyperthyroidism comes and goes early on in the process. If that’s true for you, you need to be aware that this is going on in your body and be vigilant for the symptoms of hyperthyroidism in order to head off any other episodes.

If going off the medication causes you to go hyper again, you would need to figure out another dose (perhaps consider PTU, it may be easier to use at small doses), or use one of the other treatments.

Typically the early stages of ATDs involve a lot of adjustment in doses, but when you’re starting that low, there’s not much room to use smaller doses, so this is a really good discussion topic for your doctor when you see them next.

[JoyC]

#1019933

Imagine that- new to Grave’s and I have questions! ” title=”Smile” /> I was so glad to stumble on this site because it seems like it is very hard to get any straight answers about this disease from the doctors. I was diagnosed with Graves several months ago (after months of doctors blowing off my symptoms- but you all seem to know how that goes!) Anyway, I was moderately hyperthyroid, many bothersome symptoms, and tested positive for the Graves antibodies. I was started on Methimazole 5mg per day. I started feeling better within the first few weeks, and thought- hey this won’t be too bad. But, then in several days time, I started with a constant headache, irritable, bloated, and gained back 6lbs in just a few days. Tired and unable to concentrate too, and my eyes, which have mild Graves symptoms, were really worse. My thyroid levels had dropped into the hypo range. (I felt almost as bad being hypo as hyper.) We cut back my Methimazole to half of a 5mg once daily last month. Just tested again. I feel a little better but I am still in hypo range and certainly not feeling great. The doctor said to stop meds completely and test again in a month.
My questions- is this a "remission" so soon, or can I expect it to jump back up again? Can this happen and it still be Graves? Do some people maintain for periods without any meds? Do most people find a level they can maintain on if on meds, or is constant adjustment the norm?
Thanks in advance for any advice, and for having a site where people can find some answers.

[James]

#1075099

JoyC wrote:My questions- is this a "remission" so soon, or can I expect it to jump back up again? Can this happen and it still be Graves? Do some people maintain for periods without any meds? Do most people find a level they can maintain on if on meds, or is constant adjustment the norm?
Thanks in advance for any advice, and for having a site where people can find some answers.

I am not a Doctor, but I would venture to say that remission that soon IS unusual, but not impossible. YES people can go through prolong periods of time without any meds, sometimes months and sometimes many years (like I have experienced). Constant Adjustment of ATD dosage is typically required initially. Many endo’s will prescribed a larger dosage initially, to arrest the production of thyroid hormone, thereafter amounts are reduced until a minimal maintenance dosage is found to maintain that euthyroid state (normal level for you). For me, once regulated, I stayed on that same dosage for about 18-24 months (5mg/day). Eventually 15mg/WEEK (almost at placebo levels). This of course will vary from person to person, and there may of course be some bumps along the way. With your Doctor, you will determine the most appropriate dosage for you going forward. If by chance it is determined that you ARE in remission, I would concentrate on looking closely at the events that led up to your diagnosis. Sometimes a stressful event (hard to avoid sometimes), in other cases a supplement that you may have been using MAY have been a potential trigger. We obviously all of a genetic propensity to this disease, but it doesn’t hurt to look at all potential environmental triggers, just as a safeguard to rule everything out and to avoid potential relapse. No guarantees, but it is definitely well worth the try.

Keep us posted as to how you are doing.

James

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