[Buttamama28]

#1072776

Hi, I don’t really know what the difference is between what you were taking and PTU, but I was on a very high dose of PTU and the doctor wants to see if I will go from hypo back to hyper. Within the last three days I have been experiencing severe itching all over. It is rather frustrating; let me know what you find out.
Buttamama

[DianneW]

#1072777

Buttamama, what can happen next for you? Indeed this is perplexing!!

Imr1023, your options may be to try the other ATD (PTU) or you can ask your doctor about going back on methimazole with Benadryl, an antihistamine, which sometimes helps with allergic reactions. If those don’t work, you’re left with RAI or surgery.

[lmr1023]

#1019597

I just started methimazole last Thursday and for the past few days I have had very itchy skin so I called the doctor and he told me to stop the methimazole for at least a week and follow up with him then. has anyone ever experienced this side effect? what are the next options? I am really nervous about my symptoms becoming worse without taking a medicine. this is all so frustrating!

[lmr1023]

#1072778

I may try it with the antihistimine – I take Allegra for other allergies and yesterday after the itching was so bad I took one and it helped the symptom quickly. I can already feel the difference today having not taken the methimazole last night and this morning. I work in a very fast paced environment and having this disease has been difficult. My boss has already pulled me aside that my performance is down. So I am buying time at the moment and having side effects etc is just a thorn in the side!

[Ski]

#1072779

You may need to document your disease and request accommodations from your employer, if you are already being "talked to" at this early phase of your treatment. You can qualify for ADA accommodations, and use them only when you need (when things get difficult ~ not as a standard practice), and it can protect your job. You can remove the accommodations when you are sure that you’re feeling completely well.

This can be a slow process, healing ~ it may go quickly for you, it may not, but you should be prepared in case you need a little bit of downtime for yourself.

[lmr1023]

#1072780

Thanks Ski! I didn’t think about disability options. My boss does know I have Graves disease and is aware of the overall effect it can have -she is actually hypothyroid so I know she can understand everything it is just that I run the program at our institution which is nationally known and when she is aware I am not functioning up to par it has an effect on ‘her’. Thankfully I am set up so I can work from home when needed though not often, I do want to be careful since having a secure job in the NYC area is priceless right now and I don’t want to give administration or anyone else a reason to eliminate my position. Different world we live in nowadays. I am trying to take it all one day at a time. I do have vacation scheduled for the end of the month so I am hoping some R&R will also do me good.

[PixieJo]

#1072781

lmr,

I went through a 2 week period where i was crazy itchy! After reading some posts, I started taking benydryl in the morning and evening. It doesn’t really make me sleepy, so that wasn’t a problem, but it really helped with the itching! I don’t need to take it anymore, seems to have resolved without adjusting the methimazole dosage. I will mention it to my dr when i see him on the 31st, but like i said, the itching has gone away.

[lmr1023]

#1072782

thanks Pixie for confirming that the antihistimine helps – I am going to call my doctor as well to let him know – I can’t imagine going another week without taking the methimazole and given the options I will deal with the itchiness!

[PixieJo]

#1072783

No problem! It was pretty intolerable, i would wake up in the middle of the night and couldnt stop itching! Hands and feet were the worst! I was so thankful the anti-histamine worked, i didnt want to be taken off the methimazole!

[lmr1023]

#1072784

Hi Pixie: I spoke with my doctor and he does not want me to take the methimazole with the antihistimine – he said to stop it all together and follow up with him next week. He said it was a good try but he doesn’t want me to do it. So we shall see what happens.

[CMoore416]

#1072785

I took that first and was allergic too it. I had severe hives for 10 days. I had to come off it and switch to PTU. Never had a problem with PTU. Good luck

[daleesai72]

#1072786

Hi everyone. Id been diagnosed with GD since Oct 08. I started on Methimazole 10mg/3x a day. After taking this med for 3wks religiously, I started itching, rashes/hives allover Benadryl 50mg 2x a day didnt help. So my Endo prescribed me Prednisone 20mg/2x a day for 2 wks, then 10mg, then 5mg. My itchiness was gone ” title=”Very Happy” /> on the 2nd day Im taking the steroid. I think my 1st Endo overdose me, b/c my labs are fine and level of thyroid are back to normal except for TSH w/c is still very low. My 2nd Endo tried me on PTU (after 2 months of no med except for the steroid, my level becomes abnormal once again). So Im taking PTU for a month, my dose is 100mg/2x a day. So far I hv no adverse rxn fr. this. I will hv bld works taken next month. I hope my level will be okay. ” title=”Wink” />

[DianneW]

#1072787

Imr1023,

Did your doctor have a reason, or was it "because I’m the doctor and I said so"?

What does he mean by "nice try"? Does he think that you are a child trying to pull one over on him? Unless this situation is entirely different than it sounds so far, this doctor raises some major red flags for me. I wonder what his agenda is.

Remember that this is your body, and that your doctor can make recommendations but ultimately the choices are yours. I hope you’ll go to that appointment armed with questions and ready to stand up for your best interests, even if they don’t match any agenda he might have.

[lmr1023]

#1072788

Hi Dianne: When I told him I was taking the antihistimine and the itchiness stopped, he really did say ‘nice try but stop taking it.’ I just took his word for it – he is supposed to be one of the best Endocrinologists at Columbia so I didn’t question it. I stopped the methamizole for a week and started PTU at 100mg 2x/day about 10 days ago and I will follow up with him in a couple of weeks for blood work. so far I don’t seem to have any side effects but don’t seem to be improving either. I am really having a problem with leg and feet swelling though. I was on vacation last week and just being away from home and work really brought my stress level down, though I still have symptoms it was a pleasure to not worry about getting to work etc. I am fairly new too all this and trying to keep it all together especially at work since my boss is micromanaging me now that she knows I am not feeling well.

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