[Dinah19]

#1060733

Hi – I was diagnosed with Grave’s in 2011; it was very clearly Grave’s at the time and I was on Methimazole until late last year when I felt more hypoT than hyperT and started reducing my meds, until I stopped taking it altogether -gasp! – without consulting my doctor. I finally got around to getting my blood tested and it showed:

TSH – 0.07 (.27-4.2)
FT4 – 1.1 (.93-1.7)
T3 – 73 (80-200)

I told the doc I have been gaining weight regardless of my efforts, am freezing cold all the time (I wear my coat in the office all day and run a portable heater) and am beyond fatigued.

She said I am subclinical hyperT and need to go back on Methimazole to the point of reducing my T4 and T3 to force the TSH up.

I did a RAI Uptake test and it showed 31% after 24 hours; she said it should be below 30%, “so I definitely have Grave’s.” To me, that extra 1% could be a rounding error! When I was diagnosed in 2011, the uptake was 57%, which seems rather solidly in the abnormal range.

I am loath to go back on methimazole and reduce my T4 and T3 further – I can barely function as it is.

Can anyone chime in here? has anyone else seen labs like this? How have you treated subclinical hyperT? One option is to do nothing, but it won’t bring my T3 and T4 around, I’m afraid. I am wondering if I should just have the thyroid removed (RAI is out because I have the eye disease) and be done with it, but I really am not keen on surgery.

I’m grateful for any thoughts or shared experiences. I don’t know anyone who has Grave’s, so I have no one to commiserate with.

Thanks!

[Kimberly]

#1184383

Hello and welcome – For subclinical hyperthyroidism, doctors will often “watch and wait” to see if T4/T3 start getting out of range (too high) before they start treating. However, for patients who are having symptoms or are at risk for heart issues or osteoporosis, treatment is recommended.

Also, as someone with a past history of Graves’, it’s important to be aware that this could be precursor to a full-blown recurrence. So definitely stay in close contact with your doctor and stay on top of his/her testing recommendations.

[marilu]

#1184384

I shuddered when you said you decreased the dose on your own. I have been so tempted to do that in the past, but believe me, you need to have the trust of your treating MD and follow their exact orders. It is so frustrating to wait this out between testing but you really have to exercise patience as even a tiny decrease or increase can really affect how you feel, and it can take a few months for the correct dose to ‘sink in’ with your thyroid and normalize its function, so hang in there and follow your doctor’s advice. If you can’t stand to wait, look into getting another opinion, please, but don’t change your meds on your own.

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