[Anonymous]

#1040130

The dosages of PTU and Tapazole are markedly different, with Tapazole being given in much smaller mg. amounts in comparison to PTU.

I get uneasy when people try to run comparisons between the levels at which one person is medicated versus another or try to compare dosage of one medication with another. There are so many factors that doctors have to take into consideration when deciding on a dosage, which include, I would imagine, size, weight, degree of hyperthyroid activity, severity of symptoms, individual medical history, other diseases, etc.

The key is trying a medication at whatever dose and rate the doctors recommends, and keeping in close communication with him/her so that adjustments can easily be made depending on side effects, speed of effectiveness, how you are feeling, and bloodwork or other factors.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

#1129189

Yes, there are medical/scientific reasons why a doctor would choose one of the antithyroid drugs over the other. While they do approximately the same thing, they are different chemicals, and therefore have slightly different action.

PTU, for example, only comes in one dose pills: all of the pills of PTU are something like 50mg. That is why people on PTU take so many pills. But it allows for greater flexibility of dose. The doctor can drop the patient from nine pills a day to eight, for example, if need be, whereas he/she is not able to drop a patient on tapazole to a marginally smaller dose, if needed. On the other hand, only having to take one pill a day, as opposed to many (and we have to take the PTU every 8 hours or so because it’s action time is more limited) is seen as an advantage: it limits the likelihood that the patient will forget doses, or not take them properly spaced out, thus making for more consistency of use in patients. When I was on PTU, I hated having to watch the clock and break away from something to get to a glass of water so that I could take my handful of pills at the proper time. And some days, it was impossible to maintain the eight hour spacing that is optimal.

Also, PTU apparently works better to stop the peripheral transformation of our T4 into T3. The thyroid produces approximately 80% T4 and 20%T3. But T3 is THE active thyroid hormone. What then happens is that when T3 is needed, in other cells of throughout the body (the periphery, if you will) the T4 gets changed to T3. So PTU works not only on the thyroid, but in other areas of the body as well to limit the production of T3. This can be important in some patients, not as important in others.

For pregnant women, or women who insist on breast-feeding, PTU is the drug that is preferred by doctors because less of it crosses the placenta or gets into the milk. SOME of it does, but not as big a percentage, apparently, as with the tapazole.

Bobbi — NGDF Asst. Online Facilitator
Bobbi@ngdf.org

[Anonymous]

#1129190

Bobbi – Thank you for the detailed info on the diff between methimazole and PTU. I never really understood exactly what the chemical difference was. It’s good info to have.

All I could offer in my post was my own personal experience with both. I had just wanted to point out that if one drug is prescribed, and it makes you sicker than a dog, then there IS one other that’s available, which will produce essentially the same results.

Thanks again

[Anonymous]

#1129191

I was initially prescribed Tapazole, but when I found out that it could cause fetal anomalies, I asked if there was another med that I could be switched to. That is when they put me on PTU. I feel the same as when I was on the Tapazole and I have had the same results.
Hope this helps,
Carla

[Anonymous]

#1129192

Has anyone experienced a very, very bitter taste in their mouth about 20 mins after taking PTU, The taste is so awful I have to suck on mints or chew gum after taking it. It last for about an hour after I take the med.

Lisa

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