[mamabear]

#1070913

Hi.
Graves’ disease can make us loose weight, we eat and eat and eat and still can’t gain weight. So when we start taking meds we are eating just the same but now the meds are helping and we are gaining weight from all the eating. The eating was something we got use to while being hyperT, so we have to retrain our brain to not eat so much. Eating sensibly and knowing that you have to are two different issues.

IF you have lost muscle mass you will hopefully gain it back once your levels get better.
If you are looking to keep the figure you have and feel that you are at a good weight…think long and hard about it.

I am a large frame and I don’t mean I’m "big boned" and saying I’m overweight and trying to use a nice word for it. I truly mean I’m a large frame. You look at me and I scream out German woman(although I am a mutt). I’m 150 lbs at 5’8" and am thin. I use to be 130lbs and looked like i was dieing. I felt better at 140 lbs but heck 4 kids and i’m healthy, i wont complain.

I understand about not wanting to gain weight. But I also know the importance of gaining back what was lost in a sensible way and making sure you dont gain more then that.

I was on PTU and didn’t gain but a few pounds back that I had lost. I have had 4 kids 3 of which were back to back , the weight I gained was due to that but when I started i was 145 lbs so gaining all that weight and keeping on 5 extra pounds is a prize for most women who can’t get most of it off after birth to begin with. Again I wont complain lol.

I knew that PTU or Tapazole would help my levels and knew that eating would have to change. So I made sure I ate properly and ate several meals a day instead of 3 basic ones. Snacks were always a veggie, not so much fruit as that would change my sugar levels while I was pregnant. I stayed away from all junk food. That was a huge factor for me. Just staying away from junk food will help keep weight off. Drinking water that is sufficient for my body weight was helpful as well. But I mean your ideal body weight not body weight if you are overweight. People tend to forget that.

I was also on a low dose and I was lucky, within a few months my TSH was back within range and I was feeling better. I didn’t gain any weight at all during that time. Once I started feeling better I gained a few lbs back but I was also really watching what I was eating and not eating junk food at all. It was several months later I was able to get pregnant and surely gained plenty of weight from that lol.

I think if you know NOW that you are HyperT and eating a certain way and you start PTU, that watching what you eat is a smart thing to do.
Exercising should be spoken to with your dr., I am not sure how your pulse rate/blood pressure is so heavy exercise would effect that and that wouldn’t be good. Stretching is great but talk to dr. about anything like that first. If you are seeing an Endo and he is giving you the PTU please tlak to your general dr. about exercise as well since they would tend to know you better and more about you and your medical history.

I will tell you this right now…PTU tastes GROSS!!! It is just nasty, i hated it and complained to the company who made it lol. They haven’t changed it and I’m just glad that I dont have to use but if i needed to I would take it again gross or not. PTU was good for me.

I would be aware of the symptoms and make sure you tell your dr. about something that is bothering you. All in all I was fine on it and hope you are too. Talk to your dr. before stopping this medicine, don’t just go off of it if you feel ill.

I would like to say one last thing… Don’t get obsessed with gaining weight or not gaining weight. Watch what you eat, talk to your dr. about exercise and get healthy again first.

[randolphj]

#1019330

Will PTU definitely make someone gain weight? I was told to take 50mg 2 times a day and my doctor said that was a very very low dosage. I have not started the treatment and will be starting it today. I know a lot of people gain weight on these meds so I ask:
1. Can it be controlled with diet and exercise?
2. When you start taking it, how fast does it come on?
3. Does everyone gain weight and experience swelling?
4. Would you experience these symptoms on a low dose?
5. Does tapazole have fewer symptoms? I know it has similar symptoms.

Thanks for your help and advice.

[hyperm]

#1070914

Hi,

I have problems with weight gain/ fluid retention on PTU. I was on a very strict diet and was still gaining weight. It can fluctuate on a weekly basis for me.

The main issue though is that you get your thyroid levels into balance.

m x

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