[stamark]

#1018078

Hi everyone. I’m so glad I found this site, it has been immensely helpful already. I didn’t realize how serious my condition was until I started reading these posts and saw that so many of my symptoms are thyroid-related.

I just started taking 10mg of Methimazole on Wednesday and Thursday and woke up the next day feeling extremely nauseous and HORRIBLE! I immediately thought it was the medication because I had been feeling halfway normal for a few days. The endo told me to stop taking it for a couple days then start again at 5mg.

Has anyone else had problems with side effects of the medication? After reading all the info here, I’m really wondering if it’s just the hyperthyroid and not the meds. Do the symptoms of GD come and go for days at a time? I’m so confused about all of this, any input or advice is very appreciated!

[Bobbi]

#1062569

The symptoms of GD can remit spontaneously, but typically that type of event lasts months, or years, not days.

What happens every single time we take a medication of any kind, is that the body breaks the medication down into it’s usable chemicals, and eliminates the unuseable chemicals that result from the process. Sometimes the unuseable ones are toxic to the body, and if we do not eliminate them soon enough, we get what are called "side effects." So, it is possible that the methimazole gives you side effects. And, the way to figure out if what you experienced is related to taking the methimazole or not is to stop the drug for a few days (as your doctor recommended), allow the body to eliminate whatever is left of the original doses, and then start it up again and see if you start feeling horrid again. But you might not. What you experienced could have just been a nasty coincidence.

I never took methimazole, but PTU disagreed with me completely. I felt horrible the whole time I was on PTU. So, it is possible for some of us not to tolerate the antithyroid meds. Most of us tolerate them reasonably well.

I hope you are feeling much better, and soon.

[stamark]

#1062570

Thanks for your response! I’ve had such a rough few months, I can’t tell if I’m coming or going most of the time. I started the meds again today at 1/2 dose and so far it hasn’t been too terrible. My stomach just feels kind of off and I got extremely drowsy for a couple hours after taking it. I have to go back to work to work tomorrow, I’ve been off for 5 weeks with no pay, and I’m extremely nervous about getting through the next few days. I teach high school, so there’s no way to sit behind a desk and hide how I’m feeling…

[Bobbi]

#1062571

I used to be a high school teacher, as well, so I know precisely what you mean. Do try to pace yourself. Just because you get to normal levels of thyroid hormone on the medication, it doesn’t mean that you are instantly "well" again. The body needs time to heal AT normal levels. So, figure out what is necessary and what isn’t, and prioritize.

Wishing you luck,

[marta1234]

#1062572

I was diagnosed 8 months ago, my first and very long lasting symptom of GD was nausea. I had all kind of test done for my stomach, that didnt show anything. I had lots of stomach pills presribed that didnt help at all at that time. Now I am assuming that nausea was side effect of feeling nervous, anxious. Now, when my levels are under control nausea is completely gone . My doctor prescibed me domperidone for nausea and that was the only one pill that helped me. Talk to your doctor.
I was off from work for 3 months, i had horrble symptoms, but it is getting better and better. I am on 2.5 MMI , I think my levels are a bit on hypo side, my endo is saying that they are great . The most important thing is that I am back to work and my life. Finally I have days/ weeks when I feel perfectly fine! good luck to you , it will get better!!

[stamark]

#1062573

Marta, I just came across your post from last July and started getting teary-eyed because it sounds so much like what I’m going through. Then, ironically, I saw that you had posted on my thread. I can’t tell you how much it helps to know that other people have this problem with nausea because I feel like there are so many other things out there that can cause nausea, I’m always second-guessing myself. It doesn’t help that in the past 3 months I’ve had H. Pylori, a bacterial infection in the stomach, and gallstones with surgery to remove the gallbladder, with the icing on the cake being the diagnosis of GD. I am definitely having major anxiety about not feeling well! Plus, all the doctors I’ve seen, as kind as some have been, all seem mystified with the fact that I feel the worst in the morning.

I’ve been on the Atenolol for 2 weeks now and the tremors in my hands are better, as is the racing heart. I’ve been on 5mg of the Methimazole for 7 days straight now, and even had a few days early in the week where I was feeling pretty good (after waking up nauseous and having tightness in my chest, that is.) Then Thursday night, I ate some fish sticks with my kids and later ate a chocolate bar. Now I have been nauseous for two days straight, and have a pounding headache to top it off.

I’ve been back to work for 2 weeks, and unfortunately the stress is sinking back in. So I find myself always trying to put the "puzzle" together about what’s making me sick now. Is it the food I ate? Is it the stress? Is it because I started weaning myself off Prilosec and now the acid in my stomach is causing problems again? Could it be that the H. Pylori didn’t get eradicated? I go back the week of April 11 for the follow-up with that, so I’ll find out then if the antibiotics got rid of it.

Sorry for the rambling. I’m really hoping the symptoms are from the GD because at least it’s something that I’m trying to fix. Did you have this type of situation where the nausea, while always there, gets better and worse? My poor family is on this roller-coaster ride right along with me, never knowing from day to day how I’m going to be feeling and acting. I’m so tired of crying in front of my poor kids:(

Thanks for letting me know there is hope out there.

[Kimberly]

#1062574

Stamark – Hopefully, marta will check back in with some additional info. In the meantime, I wanted to suggest keeping a food journal along with a symptom log for a few days to see if you can spot any particular connections with certain foods, such as dairy, eggs, or gluten.

You certainly want to pursue every avenue to see if your nausea is caused by a particular medical condition that can be treated — but in the meantime, keeping a food/symptom log might be helpful.

Take care!

[marta1234]

#1062575

I hear you and I really relate to you. I had HP bacteria treated 3 months prior diagnose. I was suspicious that this was causing my nausea. But after going through all GD symptoms I understand that nausea was one of them. For me each symptom lasted long , however week by week was improving, and then was coming back occasionally before it was completely gone. I also had headaches, they started after 2 months on Methimazole, Later on also feel dizzy, sleepy and I had weird pain neck. I used to fall asleep easly but I used to wake up too early with high pulse. I also felt constant nervousness, muscle twitches, weakness in my legs . I had fast pulse and I really felt in inside of me , my whole body was shaking from it. I started with 30 mg of MMI and my levels dropped to normal range a month after . My endo was lowering my dose very quickly and since November I am on 2.5 mg . My blood test stays about the same since august but my symptoms were changing a lot and improving . It is a proof that even blood test shows normal it will take a while for body to heal.
I went through rollercoaster like you . I was scared , worry, afraid that my life will never be the same. Simple grocery shopping was challenge for me. Somehow with my symptoms , I felt like I they were unusual and they were not “by the book”. My endo used to make me unsecured and scared me as well, he kept saying that my symptoms are not GD related. Just trust yourself, be patient and don’t loose hope.
You have no idea how nauseous I felt, and it really hard to say what was the reason. It could be Methimazole, beta blocker, GD itself, anxiety, stomach acid ?? I was not able to figure it out, but for sure for many months I have not felt nauseous at all!!
Like I mentioned I felt better and better, after 3 months I went back to work, It was still difficult time for me but I didn’t have much choice. After 4 months I booked beach vacation, I was still nervous how I will handle it and how it will be away from my comfort zone…. And it was great with just a few hiccups . Now I really have my confidence back and it is great.
Take a lot of rest, don’t worry about your family , they need to understand you and give you a lot of support. Laugh and play with your kids whenever you can and stay positive. This forum is great , you will get a lot of support here!

[marta1234]

#1062576

one more think I forgot to mentioned . I started with 30 mg MMI which I think it was too high dose for me . I dropped my level quickly , too quickly. I think it also put me in a bit too low side, therefore I started to experience headache, dizziness. difficulties with sleeping. Overall , it made my recovery process longer. I hope you will feel better sooner then me !!

[Ski]

#1062577

Just a note ~ since hyperthyroidism can be so dangerous, the typical course of action with ATDs is to start with a high dose to ensure that levels drop into the normal range as soon as possible. Once that happens, the dose is adjusted in order to attempt to maintain a level that feels right and is within the normal range. It can take a little while to hone in on it, but nothing thyroid moves quickly, I promise you…

[stamark]

#1062578

Wow. This site is helping my mental health so much! Thanks for all of your helpful responses. Bobbi, did you find any ways to lessen your stress as a teacher? I’m trying to stop checking my email from home so much, and I’m trying to put more of the responsibility back on the kids, but I still have to deal with the fact that in order to just do my job I really need to put in about 60 hours a week I can’t quit, so I have to figure out some ways to deal with it.

Thank you also for the idea about keeping a food journal (I can’t remember who suggested it). Because of all of my stomach issues since Thanksgiving, I have been keeping a journal off and on. Unfortunately I find that as soon as I start to feel at all better, I forget to write things down. Are the things you mentioned, dairy, eggs, gluten, usually problems for people with GD?

Marta, wow, I think we are almost two peas in a pod with our experiences! It gives me so much hope and relief to know that you have been successful with getting through the nausea and set backs. I started taking my Prilosec again and am now back to just a bit of nausea first thing in the morning, but it was a horrible weekend I had that nausea where it feels like if I turn too fast, I’m going to throw up. Spent most of my time in bed and sitting on the couch. Hopefully the Prilosec continues to help, but I don’t really know how safe it is to keep taking that long-term.

Again, thank you so much for being there and for responding!

[Kimberly]

#1062579

Hello – We heard at our last conference that there does appear to be a connection between gluten intolerance and Graves’. This doesn’t mean that *every* Graves’ patient has gluten intolerance, but if you are having digestive issues, it’s at least worth checking out. The other foods I mentioned are not connected to Graves’ — just foods that are occasionally linked to allergies/sensitivities in the general population.

[Author]

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