[rfmjbs]

in reply to: Back to the drawing board… #1062075

Jenni,
There’s a neat study here on combining steroid injections with ATDs reducing relapse rates to single digits.
If the link doesn’t work, go to clinicaltrials.gov and seach for thyroid dexamethasone

Prevention of relapse of Graves’ disease by treatment with an intrathyroid injection of dexamethasone.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/bye/zQoPWw4lZX-i-iSxuBcyeXNxvdDxuQ7Ju6c9cXcHuioyzTp9ai7HSTDxNBciescgm64LD61PSQ7Hc6D65B0LVi7yg67VN6h9Ei4L3BUgWwNG0iY6vQ1gW1-He6oR9RC5OgCtcKCj.

The article is free to download and it gives a precise run down of the dosages used at each step and the timing and the details of how the study was conducted.

Evidently before ATDs, steroids were all doctors had besides herbal options, but they didn’t know what we do now about how to taper steroid dosages so as to prevent adrenal failure and other nasty side effects.

If you have time there are just over 400 thyroid studies you can comb through if you really want to see ALL kinds of different trials around hyperthyroidism and there are many linked to the published results to get the details.

In my ‘alternative’ case, I’ve been on ATDs off and on for over a decade. In my most recent relapse, after a few months of protesting that GD + TED = RAI is STILL not a choice for me for the 3rd time in 10 years, she couldn’t take it anymore. I was fired by my endo. who out of nowhere had stopped hiring PAs who were willing to try Armour for hypothyroid patients, and she started making you sign ‘OMG IF I TAKE ATDS I COULD DIE" waivers. Also, she has decided you don’t get two tries with ATDs, if you relapse you have to do RAI or you’re fired.

Perhaps the endocrinology profession needs a healthy reminder of that whole ‘it is the patient’s decision’ thing that the medical studies are starting to take note of (sorry venting) Or is there some sort of Endo malpractice insurance guideline we should lobby about instead I wonder?

Worse, all the Endo’s by my house have done residencies with her, so I had to go looking farther away for someone with a more open mind.

I now have a wonderful ENT practice that is a 45 minute drive, but he actually noticed my Vit D levels didn’t even register in the double digits, that I had recently relapsed with mono, my mono antibody count was sky high, not, I had it once when I was 18, but why are you able to get through your day high #s along with a high Grave’s antibody count.
I received one steroid shot (not in the throat), and I am using a B12/Vitamin D lotion twice a day and two different antivirals along with my Tapazole. Life is pretty good. I’ll be done with my six months of antivirals shortly, then 6 more months of tapering the tapazole, until my TSI antibodies come down.

I would love for someone to do a study with some other steroid delivery method besides throat injections ” title=”Smile” /> but if just a few Endo practices would even try replicate the study as is, we’d at least have a solid alternative treatment with a success record that could drive rapid adoption.

Good luck Jenni! ” title=”Very Happy” />

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