[Ellen_B]

in reply to: Tapazole #1070312

Hi, Lisa

I have never been on antithyroid drugs so I cannot give you any first hand information on the subject. I have read in medical literature that one of the most common minor reactions to antithyroid drugs is gastrointestinal distress. I must say, your symptoms I myself would not classify for you as exactly minor since they were bad enough that you had to stop taking the medicine. Gastrointestinal side effects occur between 1% and 5%. The rate of side effects is greater at high doses of methimazole. For methimazole the drug related reactions are said to be dose related. In contrast for PTU they appear not to be. What this means is in some cases when on a high (or possibly a given dose ) of methimazole lowering the dose could lessen the side effects. What I do not know is whether the methimazole would still be effective in lowering thyroid hormone levels when lowering your (5mg/day) dose. Would a body even recognize as less (as far as side effects are concerned), a dose less than 5 mg?

I realize that a considerable amount of time has passed since you have posted this question. Certainly by now you probably have picked and taken a course of action. I hope whatever course of action you have taken, it has made you feel better.

If you wish to speak directly to someone, leave a message on the toll free number. If you send an email, that will get to me too.

Ellen Brightly
Administrative Assistant
Graves’ Disease Foundation
400 International Drive
Williamsville, NY 14221
Toll-free – (877) 643-3123
Email: Gravesdiseasefd@gmail.com
Website: NGDF.org

[Ellen_B]

in reply to: endoscopic or video assisted thyroidectomy? #1072431

I have no first hand experience with thyroidectomy as I have not had to have my thyroid remove. Also I do not have any information on endoscopic or video assisted TT (total thyroidectomy) to pass on to you. I do know that if you are going to have a thyroidectomy it is important to find an endocrine surgeon who specializes in thyroid surgery. First of all, you should ask your thyroid specialist whom he would recommend to do your surgery. Secondly, when you speak to your surgeon you should be able ask some questions. Two questions you might ask: How many thyroidecomies do you do in a week or year and what is your rate of vocal cord injury and parathyroid injury? You probably know that there are 4 parathyroid glands located on the backside of the thyroid gland and that there are a pair of nerves that pass by the thyroid to the vocal cords. Removal of the parathyroids means loss of calcium metabolism and disturbance of the nerves causes hoarseness.
If you wish to speak to me directly, leave a message on our toll free number and I will return your call. If you send an email to the Graves’ Disease Foundation that will reach me too.
Ellen Brightly
Administrative Assistant
Graves’ Disease Foundation
400 International Drive
Williamsville, NY 14221
Toll-free – (877) 643-3123
Email: Gravesdiseasefd@gmail.com
Website: NGDF.org

[Ellen_B]

in reply to: Hi! New to the site and would like advice #1069045

Since I have never been treated with RAI for Graves’ disease I cannot give you my first hand experience with RAI treatment. The responses I have heard from Graves’ patients who have had RAI were of two types. One group wished that the RAI would work faster so they could get rid of their hyperthyroid symptoms. Individuals, however, in the second group had already become and felt hypothyroid.They had gone to their doctor and had their thyroid hormone levels checked with a TSH test. The TSH test showed that they were still hyper and so were sent home and asked to come back a month or so later.

It is important to understand that it takes a while sometimes for the pituitary to start functioning again. Because the high thyroid hormone levels have suppressed the activity for so long of the pituitary, it may take a month or two for the pituitary to get going again and register low thyroid hormone levels. For that reason if you are being checked in the first couple of months and you feel hypothyroid ask your doctor if he should do other tests other than the TSH—do tests which do not involve the pituitary but check the thyroid hormone level directly –such as the freeT4 . In this way you could be put on thyroid homone replacement medicine as you soon as you become hypothyroid and would try to avoid going through a maybe unnecessary period hypothyroidism.

If you wish to speak to me directly leave a message on our toll free number. Emailing the Graves’ disease gmail will reach me too.

Ellen Brightly Administrative Assistant Graves’ Disease Foundation 400 International Drive Williamsville NY 14221 Toll Free -(877) – 643-3123
Email: Gravesdiseasefd@gmail.com
Website: http://www.NGDF.org

[Ellen_B]

in reply to: HOLY CRAP… #1069366

I’m not sure where you got the information about the content of Synthroid. If you go to the manufacturer’ s (Abbott) of Synthroid website to — http://rxabbott.com/pdf/synthroid.pdf —you will be able to find out from the company the ingredients.

Sincerely,

Ellen Brightly
Administrative Assistant
Graves’ Disease Foundation
400 International Drive
Williamsville, NY 14221
Toll-free – (877) 643-3123
Email: Gravesdiseasefd@gmail.com
Website: http://www.NGDF.org

[Ellen_B]

in reply to: T4 and TSH question #1070194

I can see why you have a lot of questions about the activity of your thyroid. Your doctor should provide the answers. I hope your doctor will give you a chance to ask and give you answers.

I do know that many people are put on antithyroid drugs prior to being given a RAI treatment. The purpose is get the thyroid hormone levels down towards normal so that if a considerable amount of thyroid hormone is released from the thyroid with RAI treatment, the effects will be minimized. If you had taken antithyroid drugs, then a more normal TSH would be expected just prior to RAI treatments.

You spoke of a range of normal for antibody tests at the Mayo Clinic. Is that where you had the antibody tests done? Did you travel all the way from Casper Wyoming to MN to have the tests done? Of course you know each lab has its own range of normal so you must look at the range of normal at the lab where the antibody test was done. The interpretation of the antibody tests you would have to get from your doctor.

You might be interested in some facts about antibody tests for Graves’ disease. The TSI (the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin) or the TBII (the thyrotropin binding inhibitory immunoglobulin) are positive only in Graves’ disease –but positive in only 85-90% of patients and may be negative if the hyperthyroidism is mild.

How do you know if the RAI has worked? How long has it been since you had the treatment? Has it been a month or 6 months? Ask your doctor if a TSH or free T4 would tell. I believe it takes sometimes a month or two for the pituitary to get going again so other thyroid hormone tests other than the TSH test are helpful. Ask your doctor if a radioactive iodine uptake test (RAIU) would indicate whether your thyroid has slowed down or not. The RAIU test measures how efficiently your thyroid gland absorbs iodine.

[Ellen_B]

in reply to: TED #1071302

If you want additonal information,call the Graves’ Disease
Foundation at 877-643-3123

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