Hyperthyroid and Frustrated

[Christy1981]

Hi There:

I am a 28 year old female who has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I have had lab work, nuclear medicine tests and a thyroid ultrasound. My labwork is as follows: TSH 0.03, FT4 20.7, FT3 8.5. Nuclear medicine exam did not determine very much as my uptake was only 3.5% and my thyroid ultrasound indicated a multinodular goiter. I am an RN and having been seeing both my GP and an endocrinolgist for this problem and have been given Metoprolol 25 mg bid and Ativan 0.5 mg prn. I am currently taking approx 5 tablets of Ativan daily to help with the anxiety. I had a baby boy 18 months ago and therefore both my GP and the specialist think that my hyperthyroidism may be related to that, however as time goes on I am getting increasingly frustrated with the symptoms related to this disorder. I feel very anxious most of the time and have difficulty sleeping despite being exhausted. I am very irritable and short-tempered. I experience PVC's all day long and experience occassional chest pain and shortness of breath. My hands shake and I feel as though I am shaking from the inside out. At this point in time my physicians would like to wait and see if my thyroid condition will resolve on it's own however I am finding it increasingly difficult to cope with an 18 month old baby a job as an RN and the symptoms of this disorder. My question is: are the symptoms I'm experiencing normal and how much longer should I wait until I request that we do something to stop my thyroid from overproducing? If I can have something done to stop my thyroid from spewing out thyroid hormones, what could my options be?

[tinabina8]

Hi,

I think I may have a problem with my thyroid? I have muscle twitching and shaky legs, It seems to happen at the same time every month (during ovulation) and last about three weeks, I think i probably have a week each month with no symptoms, I also get a weard twitch in y neck. Some days my whole body aches. All these symptoms started around october 2008. I have been to the doctors on numerous occassions and have had numerous tests done to include;
antiboby test
full blood count
MRI
Thyroid levels
All the tests came back normal. I know all these symptoms are hormone related as there seem to be a pattern to the symptoms. also when the symtoms flare up really bad, i get really fatigued and chesty?? My doctor says this is anxiety. All these symptoms scare me a little as I have no control over them. I would just like to know what I am dealing with so I can put my mind at rest and get the right medication. This seems to be so hard to achieve. My doctor is very nice, but I just get the feeling he thinks i  am a bit of a baby and come to the doctors for anything. Does this sound like a thyroid problem?? I just dont want the symptoms to get anyworse. would appreciate any advice. Thanks. Oh I am 25 years old

[alfredjr18]

There is a drug that reduces the thyroid hormone secretion and once balance is achieve the symptoms will slowly diminish.

[DallasCPA]

My suggestion would be to also ask to be tested for autoimmune Hashimoto's...  I had to really push for this when I developed post-partum thyroiditis (after an initial dx of post-partum depression, and having a TSH of 44...).  If it is Hashimoto's, you can fluctuate between hyper & hypo for awhile until your thyroid burns out ~ my sympathies...it's very hard with a baby and a disease that impacts every part of your body!  If necessary, schedule a consult with an endo that specializes in thyroid disorders (NOT diabetes) at a teaching hospital -- that is where I finally got real help.

[pick_me]

I wanted to jump on and say I am going through the very same thing. I just had a baby four months ago. Two months ago
I started to feel dizzy all the time and now I have everything you destined. I too am being told to wait it out. Not liking it. I have 4 kids four and under. I love them and want to be back to normal so I can enjoy life. Instead I spend most days convinced I am dieing of every condition I can manifest in my head. I hate it. All I can say is hope you feel better soon. Hugs

[GravesGirl]

Seeing that your thyroid hormones are pretty high what you are experiencing is perfectly normal for hyper thyroid, these are ALL symptoms of it. Just make sure you keep having bloodwork done to see how you are doing. I take it they don't treat thyroiditis with an anti thyroid med. I hope you feel better soon, you must feel awful!

p.s. pharmacystudent, you have to post your own question to the doctor, start a different topic from this one asking your question.

[pharmacystudent]

I am a 24 year old Pharmacy Student, and getting a little concerned about my symptoms... am I just over reacting?
I have a hard, non-tender lump on the right side of the back of my head down towards my neck.  I noticed it in undergrad (4 years ago) and they took blood work.  The NP said that my white count (i think) was slightly elevated, and that i probably had a virus lingering around, which would explain the swollen lymph node on the back of my head.  It has never gone away.  It has been there at least 4 years now.  I have lately been SUPER fatigued.  I very frequently experience orthostatic hypotension (my eyes go black, i get dizzy, almost faint) if I stand up too fast--or even if I stand up perfectly slowly.  This happens AT LEAST twice a day.  This has become more frequent the last year or so.  My right lymph node on my neck is swollen. Definitely a positive lymph node on the neck.  I used to be able to recall peoples names very well, and now I am getting really bad about it.  A few weeks ago, I must have had a virus because I had a low grade fever for a good 2 to 3 weeks. I admit that I don't drink enough water, but I used to be soo active (gym, study without problem, functioned on minimal sleep, etc.) Now I am really struggling. No fever now though. Am I just freaking out? Cancer? Thyroid problem? Anemia??

[Christy1981]

Hi Dr. Lupo:

Thanks for your quick response. I am not taking any thyroid hormones and nor have I ever.

Are the symptoms I'm experiencing normal?

Thanks

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

The uptake of 3.5% means most likely transient thyroiditis; less likely iodine exposure (high iodine in diet, iodine supplements, or iodine contrast) and even more less likely that you are taking thyroid hormone (which you did not mention).

Betablocker is the usual treatment and repeating levels in 4 weeks to recheck trend.  It is frustrating to wait, but time is the only specific treatment....may take 3-8 weeks to see improvement.