Aa
PLEASE HELP!!
I have Graves disease and was put on beta blockers and methimazole. It was working , but doc said my liver levels are too high and I have to stop the methimazole. If I do I feel like I am going crazy, very irritable, and she said RAI is my only treatment. Please Help, I dont know what to do?!?!?! I will not do the RAI. I dont know where to turn.
Thank you everyone, I am so scared. My mother has graves disease and went through the RAI. It caused her to have the Graves Eye Disease, and left her open to other autoimmune diseases. She has lupus now and really bad arthritis. I know we are two different people, but she is only 50 and just had a hip replacement. I dont want to end up like my mother. I have been trying everything to get as healthy as I can. I started running 6 months ago, but they made me stop because of my heart rate. I quit smoking, I gave up aspartame, I heard it was really bad for graves, I have been eating alot of sugar, my craving for it was insane, but I am stopping that too. I feel like I have given up so many things only to get worse. I went a bought a bunch of nutrional supplements. I had to order the bugleweed. I have not taken them yet because I dont want to make anything worse. I am really worried about my liver now though, this mornign my urine was really dark. Any other comments would be really help, and thank you so much for answering. I feel like I have no where to turn.
Thank you everyone, I am so scared. My mother has graves disease and went through the RAI. It caused her to have the Graves Eye Disease, and left her open to other autoimmune diseases. She has lupus now and really bad arthritis. I know we are two different people, but she is only 50 and just had a hip replacement. I dont want to end up like my mother. I have been trying everything to get as healthy as I can. I started running 6 months ago, but they made me stop because of my heart rate. I quit smoking, I gave up aspartame, I heard it was really bad for graves, I have been eating alot of sugar, my craving for it was insane, but I am stopping that too. I feel like I have given up so many things only to get worse. I went a bought a bunch of nutrional supplements. I had to order the bugleweed. I have not taken them yet because I dont want to make anything worse. I am really worried about my liver now though, this mornign my urine was really dark. Any other comments would be really help, and thank you so much for answering. I feel like I have no where to turn.
There is a herb called bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus) you may want to try. The German Commission E Herbal Regulatory Authority monograph recommends 1 to 2 grams of bugleweed per day for an overactive thyroid gland. Tincture should be limited to 1 to 2 ml 3 times a day.
In a clinical trial of 905 patients with mild hyperthyroidism, symptoms such as restlessness, palpitations, and headaches improved 87% in those treated with bugleweed. No side effects were reported or changes in liver enzymes. Bugleweed is available at health food stores.
In a clinical trial of 905 patients with mild hyperthyroidism, symptoms such as restlessness, palpitations, and headaches improved 87% in those treated with bugleweed. No side effects were reported or changes in liver enzymes. Bugleweed is available at health food stores.
Yep, there are really only 2 options for graves/hyper.
I had the RAI due to thyroid storm, but hit another one after RAI, so had to have the TT.
My twin sister just went throught the whole RAI treatment for graves/hyper as well. I felt so bad for her, but she is just now getting put on thyroid medication. She wished she could have had the surgery, but most Endo's won't do surgery unless the absolute last resort for graves/hyper.
I had the RAI due to thyroid storm, but hit another one after RAI, so had to have the TT.
My twin sister just went throught the whole RAI treatment for graves/hyper as well. I felt so bad for her, but she is just now getting put on thyroid medication. She wished she could have had the surgery, but most Endo's won't do surgery unless the absolute last resort for graves/hyper.
Here are some resources I suggest you research and maybe even talk to others with the same problem to share experiences it may help you feel better about your treatment decision.
Hormone Health Network information on thyroid disorders:
www.hormone.org/Resources/thyroid-disorders.cfm
• American Thyroid Association: www.thyroid.org
• Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com/health/graves-disease/
DS00181
• National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information
Service (NIH): www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/graves
• National Graves’ Disease Foundation: www.ngdf.org
Why will you not take the radioactive iodine? Did they talk about thyroidectomy to remove the thyroid this may also be an option.
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism – how the body breaks down food into energy, and whether that energy is immediately used or stored for future use. Thyroid hormones tell organs how quickly to work, and regulate oxygen consumption and heat production. They affect virtually all the organs and systems in the body; as such, when the thyroid ceases to properly function, the consequences can be severe.
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland is underactive and produces too little thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism can lead to a slowing down of bodily functions. The symptoms of this thyroid disease include fatigue, depression, weight gain, sluggishness or a lack of energy, and feeling cold. Hypothyroidism can be caused by Hashimoto’s disease, in which the immune system mistakenly produces antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, or by drugs or other conditions that affect the thyroid gland's function. Treatment for hypothyroidism includes hormone therapy to replace the thyroid hormone the body lacks.
Graves' disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It occurs when the immune system produces antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, making it produce too much thyroid hormone and creating a hormone imbalance. This condition happens often in people with a family history of thyroid disease. In some patients with Graves' disease, one of the noticeable symptoms may be swelling behind the eyes, causing discomfort or increased tearing or causing the eyes to push forward or bulge.
Other causes of hyperthyroidism include the following:
Thyroid nodules. (Read more on THYROID NODULES.)
Taking too much thyroid hormone medication to treat other conditions.
Subacute thyroiditis. This painful inflammation of the thyroid is usually caused by a virus. When the infection leaves, the condition improves.
Lymphocytic thyroiditis and postpartum thyroiditis. These related autoimmune disorders cause a temporary painless inflammation of the gland. Thyroiditis is marked by lymphocytes (white blood cells) inside the thyroid and leads to leakage of thyroid hormone from the infmlamed gland, raising hormone levels in the bloodstream.
Treatments
Antithyroid Drugs: These drugs work to decrease the amount of hormone the thyroid gland makes. For most patients, the preferred drug is methimazole because of its safety record. Another drug, propylthiouracil (PTU) may be preferred for patients who are allergic to or intolerant of methimazole and for pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy.
Antithyroid drugs may have to be taken for an extended period - even one to two years or longer. The thyroid condition may go away, but there could be a relapse, even years later. Therapy with antithyroid drugs is typically thought of as either short term or long term. Short-term therapy is used to make the thyroid blood tests normal before a decision is reached about definitive therapy. Long-term therapy is used in some patients to try to make the disease go into remission even after the antithyroid drug is stopped.
Beta-blockers: Beta-blocker drugs, such as atenolol, do not block the production of thyroid hormone. Instead, they control many troubling symptoms of this hormone imbalance, especially rapid heart rate, trembling, anxiety, and the high amount of heat the body produces with this condition.
Radioactive iodine: The thyroid gland normally collects iodine out of the bloodstream to make thyroid hormone. Radioactive iodine treatment involves taking a radioactive form of iodine that causes the permanent destruction of the thyroid. The response to treatment can take from 6 to 18 weeks. Because the radioiodine often destroys some of the normal function of the thyroid gland, people who have this therapy will likely need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives to replace their hormone levels. Most physicians agree that the desirable goal of radioactive therapy is to completely remove thyroid gland function since then there is a very low chance of hyperthyroidism coming back.
Surgery: Removal of the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) is another permanent solution, but is often the least preferred option. This procedure must be performed by a highly skilled and experienced thyroid surgeon because of the risk of damage to nerves around the larynx (voice box) and to the nearby parathyroid glands, which control calcium metabolism in the body. Surgery is recommended when there is a large goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) that makes breathing difficult or when antithyroid drugs are not working, or when there are reasons not to take radioactive iodine. It may also be used in patients who also have thyroid nodules, especially when the nodules may be cancerous. In the latter instance, additional thyroid cancer treatment is often required.
After both radioactive iodine and surgery treatments, the patient will need to be monitored regularly for adequate thyroid hormone levels in the blood. After such treatment, most patients become hypothyroid and no longer produce enough thyroid hormone. For this reason, they must take a daily supplement of synthetic thyroid hormone to correct the hormone imbalance.
If left untreated, hyperthyroidism can lead to other health problems including congestive heart failure as well as osteoporosis, which causes brittle bones.
Hormone Health Network information on thyroid disorders:
www.hormone.org/Resources/thyroid-disorders.cfm
• American Thyroid Association: www.thyroid.org
• Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com/health/graves-disease/
DS00181
• National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information
Service (NIH): www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/graves
• National Graves’ Disease Foundation: www.ngdf.org
Why will you not take the radioactive iodine? Did they talk about thyroidectomy to remove the thyroid this may also be an option.
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism – how the body breaks down food into energy, and whether that energy is immediately used or stored for future use. Thyroid hormones tell organs how quickly to work, and regulate oxygen consumption and heat production. They affect virtually all the organs and systems in the body; as such, when the thyroid ceases to properly function, the consequences can be severe.
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland is underactive and produces too little thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism can lead to a slowing down of bodily functions. The symptoms of this thyroid disease include fatigue, depression, weight gain, sluggishness or a lack of energy, and feeling cold. Hypothyroidism can be caused by Hashimoto’s disease, in which the immune system mistakenly produces antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, or by drugs or other conditions that affect the thyroid gland's function. Treatment for hypothyroidism includes hormone therapy to replace the thyroid hormone the body lacks.
Graves' disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It occurs when the immune system produces antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, making it produce too much thyroid hormone and creating a hormone imbalance. This condition happens often in people with a family history of thyroid disease. In some patients with Graves' disease, one of the noticeable symptoms may be swelling behind the eyes, causing discomfort or increased tearing or causing the eyes to push forward or bulge.
Other causes of hyperthyroidism include the following:
Thyroid nodules. (Read more on THYROID NODULES.)
Taking too much thyroid hormone medication to treat other conditions.
Subacute thyroiditis. This painful inflammation of the thyroid is usually caused by a virus. When the infection leaves, the condition improves.
Lymphocytic thyroiditis and postpartum thyroiditis. These related autoimmune disorders cause a temporary painless inflammation of the gland. Thyroiditis is marked by lymphocytes (white blood cells) inside the thyroid and leads to leakage of thyroid hormone from the infmlamed gland, raising hormone levels in the bloodstream.
Treatments
Antithyroid Drugs: These drugs work to decrease the amount of hormone the thyroid gland makes. For most patients, the preferred drug is methimazole because of its safety record. Another drug, propylthiouracil (PTU) may be preferred for patients who are allergic to or intolerant of methimazole and for pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy.
Antithyroid drugs may have to be taken for an extended period - even one to two years or longer. The thyroid condition may go away, but there could be a relapse, even years later. Therapy with antithyroid drugs is typically thought of as either short term or long term. Short-term therapy is used to make the thyroid blood tests normal before a decision is reached about definitive therapy. Long-term therapy is used in some patients to try to make the disease go into remission even after the antithyroid drug is stopped.
Beta-blockers: Beta-blocker drugs, such as atenolol, do not block the production of thyroid hormone. Instead, they control many troubling symptoms of this hormone imbalance, especially rapid heart rate, trembling, anxiety, and the high amount of heat the body produces with this condition.
Radioactive iodine: The thyroid gland normally collects iodine out of the bloodstream to make thyroid hormone. Radioactive iodine treatment involves taking a radioactive form of iodine that causes the permanent destruction of the thyroid. The response to treatment can take from 6 to 18 weeks. Because the radioiodine often destroys some of the normal function of the thyroid gland, people who have this therapy will likely need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives to replace their hormone levels. Most physicians agree that the desirable goal of radioactive therapy is to completely remove thyroid gland function since then there is a very low chance of hyperthyroidism coming back.
Surgery: Removal of the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) is another permanent solution, but is often the least preferred option. This procedure must be performed by a highly skilled and experienced thyroid surgeon because of the risk of damage to nerves around the larynx (voice box) and to the nearby parathyroid glands, which control calcium metabolism in the body. Surgery is recommended when there is a large goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) that makes breathing difficult or when antithyroid drugs are not working, or when there are reasons not to take radioactive iodine. It may also be used in patients who also have thyroid nodules, especially when the nodules may be cancerous. In the latter instance, additional thyroid cancer treatment is often required.
After both radioactive iodine and surgery treatments, the patient will need to be monitored regularly for adequate thyroid hormone levels in the blood. After such treatment, most patients become hypothyroid and no longer produce enough thyroid hormone. For this reason, they must take a daily supplement of synthetic thyroid hormone to correct the hormone imbalance.
If left untreated, hyperthyroidism can lead to other health problems including congestive heart failure as well as osteoporosis, which causes brittle bones.
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