Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
5820022 tn?1378512355

Hyperthyroid Treatment and Weight

Hello all,

I'm going to attempt to describe my situation in full and I would greatly appreciate any advice or encouragement from fellow hyperthyroidic patients or doctors who treat them.

Three months ago I went to my general practitioner in hopes of finding a treatment for my severe migraines. The nurse noticed that my pulse was extremely high at resting (155). This led to blood tests an more visits, resulting in a diagnosis of Graves' disease induced hyperthyroidism. Bloodworm revealed that my T3 and T4 hormone levels were three times the norm. My doctor believes that the disease presented during puberty and has gone in diagnosed until this year because the changes that came with the thyroid issues were dismissed as hormonal changes from puberty. I rarely get ill so I have not been to the doctor for a very long time until now.

Besides the thyroidtoxicosis causing damage to my heart I had none of the traditional symptoms of Graves' disease, possibly because my body acclimated to increased hormone levels. I am 5 foot 4 inches and have always has a rock steady body weight at 135. Not scrawny, but normal and healthy, and never fluctuating.

After being on propanolol (120 mg/day) and methimazole (10mg/day) for two months my heart rate has come down to 70 bpm and my blood pressure has come up into the healthy range. However, my doctor is pushing RAI treatment next month because of some relatively severe side effects I am experiencing from one of the drugs (extreme insomnia, edema, and nausea).

Since being on the beta blocker and hormone pill my formerly steady weight shot up 25 pounds in the first month. My exercise regimen has been sporadic at best in the past ( I did not feel the need to exercise regularly because I thought I was healthy and loved the way I looked) at once to twice a week. When I hit 150 I realized that wasn't cutting it and started working out for a half an hour three times a week. My weight continued to climb to 160, so I upped my workouts to an hour five times a week. The gain has ground to a halt, but I am not losing. My diet is was very consistent prediagnosis and remained so until a month ago. I am a vegetarian and very health conscious. I tried a diet change when I upped my workouts too so now I am at 1400 calories a day.

Yesterday my endocrinologist said that RAI was the way to go, and after the research I've done I trust him. However when I told him that my pulse hops back up to 150 when I do my cardio he almost choked and said I had to cut down my intensity. I have a full time job and there simply isn't enough time in my day to work off the same amount of calories at Low intensity.

Doc suggested that i not look at the scale for a year. He said getting my hormones level was the first priority and i can lose the weight later. Of course I'm going to have the treatment. I need it for my heart and my health. Not having a heart attack or stroke is much more important to me than my figure. But it is still important.

Can anyone recommend a thyroid specific diet or exercise program that will help me to keep m weight down after the treatment and lose it when I'm balanced out? After reading all these forums I could really use a success story. I already am very uncomfortable with the weight I have gained and I realize there might be more. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my long, dry post. I would greatly appreciate any advice you have to offer.

Thank you
12 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Usually, when "Free" is not specified, the test is for total, which is why I questioned the T4. Do you know what the reference range is that your lab uses?

Was there a Free T3 test done?  Free T3 is the actual, active hormone that is used by the individual cells.  High levels of FT3 can cause osteoporosis, as well as heart issues and other damage, if not treated.

Has your doctor considered anti-thyroid meds, at all?
Helpful - 0
5820022 tn?1378512355
Yes, it's the "free" T4, and I did mean CBC, sorry for the typo. My doctor seems to think that I should get the RAI treatment as soon as possible because of how long he thinks my hormone levels have been high. I wasn't really feeling the hyper symptoms so I never got checked out when it might have started.

Thank you so much for your advice! I'll be sure to inquire about ferritin and B12 when I go next month. I know when I used to give blood that sometimes I would be anemic and they couldn't take my blood so maybe that is something to look into.
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
What's the reference range for the T4 and is that "free" T4 or total?  Total T4 is considered obsolete and of little value.  Your level is much higher than we normally see for Free T4.

Do you mean CBC, instead of CDC? Again, we, typically, don't place a lot of importance on "normal", because we're all different and just being within the lab's reference range, might not be enough for you. CBC is not thyroid related.

MCH is, also not, directly, thyroid related; it measures the weight of the hemoglobin in your red blood cells.  Low MCH indicates that you may be iron deficient. Iron is necessary for the metabolism of thyroid hormones.

Are there any thyroid antibody tests on the report?  Those might include Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab), sometimes also referred to as microsomal, Thyroglobulun Antibodies (TgAB) and Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI), which is the definitive test for Graves Disease. Have you had a thyroid ultrasound?

To answer your original question about a thyroid specific diet or exercise, there really isn't any.  Once your levels are optimized, a regular healthy diet and moderate exercise should keep your weight in check.

Because your MCH is low and indicates iron deficiency, I'd recommend that you get tested for ferritin (iron storage hormone) and a complete iron panel.  

Because you are vegetarian, I'd strongly recommend that you get vitamin B12 tested, since the main sources of B12 are animal products, such as meat, dairy and eggs.  

If you can get those tests, be sure to get a copy of the results - make this a habit, so you have them for your own records.  I have all my blood test reports, all the way back to 2003.  Looking them over, recently, I actually made some interesting discoveries.

All of that said, if you have heart damage caused from being hyper, you might not be able to avoid the RAI, because you certainly don't want that to get worse.
Helpful - 0
5820022 tn?1378512355
T4: 4.02
CDC: normal
MCH: 25.4 (low)
TSH: 0.005 (low)

Do those help more?
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Try to get the exact results of all tests that were run. We can't really give you much more information without them.  Be sure to include reference ranges for any labs you post.

Best to get printed copies, if possible; if not possible to get printed copies, be sure to ask for both results and ranges.
Helpful - 0
5820022 tn?1378512355
The nurse called me about my test results and she said my T4 levels were still three times normal. She didn't say anything about t3 or tsh, and I was at work so I didn't have time to look this up and make sure I was asking for the right information.
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
"Extensive Thyroid tests" don't really tell us anything. Can you get copies of the lab reports to post here?  Without actual lab results, our hands are somewhat tied in what we can suggest, recommend.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I did not have issues with weight once my thyroid level was reached.

It has been close to 20yrs since I had both RAI-Surgery for graves/hyper. I hit two thyroid storms so I had to have the surgery.

I am a tiny bit underweight (102 @ 5'3')but I do eat healthy. I eat a lot of tuna & grilled chicken. I don't eat breads or milk due to having issues digesting them, so I just stay away from them altogether. I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

You will gain some weight, but I was 88 lbs before surgery so I needed it. I gained maybe about 20 lbs. I know I could probably gain weight if I ate bad..

My twin sister is going on a yr. on her RAI and she is still having her dosage adjusted due to her thyroid levels.

She like you was scared of weight gain, but like your doctor said, stay away from the scale until everything is corrected with you levels...

Helpful - 0
5820022 tn?1378512355
For Graves' disease they took extra bloodwork for "extensive thyroid tests." I don't know more specifically than that right now.
Helpful - 0
5820022 tn?1378512355
He just took more blood woe yesterday so I should have the results soon, but it'll be the first time checking them since I went on the methimazole.
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Methimazole blocks thyroid hormones and if the dosage is too high, it could have caused you to go a bit hypo, which could very well be the cause for your weight gain.  If you've gone hypo, all the exercise and dieting in the world will do little good.

What are your current thyroid hormone levels? You should be getting tested regularly for TSH, Free T3 and Free T4.

What tests were done to diagnose Graves Disease?
Helpful - 0
5820022 tn?1378512355
Blood work*
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community

Top Thyroid Answerers
649848 tn?1534633700
FL
Avatar universal
MI
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.