[jpheather]

in reply to: Slightly hypo but still hot with palpitations #1172463

I’m currently experiencing a mix of hypo and hyper symptoms. Was diagnosed about 2 years ago with Graves, T3 and T4 slowly going down into normal range, but not steady, labs bouncing around. TSH finally starting going up with Dec 2011 labs, and was 2.9 in March (very old labs suggest that my normal might be around 0.80). I’ve been oscillating between hypo symptoms (migraines, constipation, freezing cold) and hyper (waking up sweating, dry eyes) every few days.

So we changed from dosing twice per day (7.5 mg methimazole split into 2 doses) to 5 mg in the evening only.

Now I’m sleeping great, but waking up with a migraine, or the feeling that one is going to arrive soon. But I still have some hot flashes and the dry eyes.

It sure seems to me like there is a hypo/hyper war going on inside of me! If it continues much longer I may talk to my endo about taking 3/4 tablet at night and 1/4 in the morning.

[jpheather]

in reply to: Headaches?? #1063245

I was put on propranolol, 20 mg per day, for my fast heart rate. The wonderful side effect is that my migraines are just about totally gone. I would have anywhere from 1-5 in a week, now I might have one per month, if that. I’ve had them since my early 20s (now 50s) and have been recently taking Maxalt ($$$$) for them. I’ll be taking propranolol from now on, it’s like a miracle drug to me, and since my migraines are controlled on such a low dose there aren’t any problems continuing to take it if I need to after my thyroid is controlled. I just make sure to take my morning pill AFTER my swimming workout, rather than before.

[jpheather]

in reply to: Hyperthyroidism and the Boston marathon #1063753

Sorry for the late reply, but I just found this treasure trove of information.

I am also a athlete, having been a competitive swimmer for the past 42 years. I did some of my best times in many years this past spring, and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in July.

About 6 years ago I was put on hydrochlorothiazide for blood pressure. My potassium dropped but it was several years of complaining of tiredness before I was diagnosed, and my K was at 2.6 at diagnosis. It took several years to recover and lose the 30 lbs I gained. From this we learned my normal K is about 4.1.

Fast forward to hyperthyroidism, both my endo and one of the team physicians for the USA Swimming national team told me that I need to be careful wrt my K, since Hyperthyroidism can cause it to go down. So every time I have labs, K is also measured. It has been low, 3-7 to 3.8, which is a significant drop in an athlete with a normal K=4.1.

I am careful to have K-rich foods (orange juice, dried fruit, potatoes, milk, etc) and I also take supplements. It’s a struggle to keep the K up and I’m concerned about gaining weight again. I don’t know if it’s the low K or what, but the lower my K, the worse my moods.

So you might want to ask your endo to keep an eye on your potassium.

Julie

[Author]

Posts