Hyperthyroidism

[yankeeRN]

ONSET ? early August: hands shaky with fine motor  stuff in the morning (thought it was my morning coffee), resting heart rate 90-108 (had been exercising intensely should have been lower), heat intolerance and sweating worse, nervous energy (fidgety),had to decrease weights at the gym, had to decrease intensity levels on  aerobic equipment,  otherwise felt fine

Early September   h/a, dizziness, pounding heart--went to ER hr 120-160, bp 180/97, shaky to arms, hands , legs, and abd  ( felt awful )   ER result: dx hyperthyroidism per labs tsh not detectable, free t4 2&1/2 what the high should be

Since the day in the ER: shakiness intermittently all over (comes and goes suddenly), increased heart rate and pounding heart with walking slowly from one room to another (my heart rate jumped to 120-130 with just that little activity), felt panicky (stopped with betablocker), shaky legs going down stairs, chest pressure at times with walking but resolved with stopping activity (have had 2 EKGs and 2 chest xrays), muscle weakness (arm and legs), weight loss 18 pounds (? 10 lbs from exercise then the rest just came off and appetite increased), loss of muscle tone in arms and legs, swallowing different but ok (occ slight hoarseness after eating), hungry more often, shortness of breath at times with talking , increased frequency of stools but not loose




TREATMENT thus far:started  metoprolol ER 12.5mg increased gradually to 75mg daily (dose increase only good for 1-2 days then symptoms  intensifying)
After thyroid scan started PTU 50mg q8h  felt great for 2 days then shakiness and s/s returned (had also been decreasing the metoprolol by 12.5 mg per day per md order)  9/26 per md increased PTU to 100 mg  q8h with dose started   at 1330h and felt good by 1600h with no shakes and hr in 90's

When is this going to get better?.....have been out of work for 2+ weeks  I see the endocrinologist  in a little more than 2 weeks..not soon enough in my opinion.  Am I ever going to be normal again? From everything I have read this hyperthyroid is not an easy fix. I was healthy as a horse before all of this.

[yankeeRN]

Longterm stress is not good for the body.  I know before my diagnosis of Graves I had experienced my fair share of stress.  Things happen in life--some uncontrollable.  I am sorry you are going through all this.  Hyperthyroidism  is not a picnic but can be controlled  and you can feel normal again.  I know because believe me at my worst I felt so awful with the anxiety attacks, the rapid heart rate, shakiness, the weakness, the fatigue, and many more symptoms.  The only plus was the weight loss but it was certainly not worth the severe symptoms.  I was put on PTU then switched to methimazole because of its lesser side effects--then switched back to PTU because I developed hives with the methimazole.  I have been doing well on the PTU--as much as I hate to take a pill this is a necessity.  You will feel better.  It does sound like some of your symptoms are hypo also but I do know that not everyone has the classic symptoms of hyperthyroid and apparently some symptoms can happen with hypo and hyper.    Try to learn all that you can about the thyroid and hypo/hyper symptoms.   Try to start a new tread because this is an old post. You will get the attention of many experienced people who have walked in yours and my shoes. Many on this site are very knowledgeable and have helped me too.  You can copy and paste to a new tread.  I will watch for your posts.  What are your labs and reference ranges?

[odie54]

I have been tested hyperthyroid recently with possible graves disease. They say my body is producing too much Thyroid hormone. She felt my neck and says that she feels it is enlarged and can feel a couple small lumps on it. I have been suffering dry hair...long hair strands come out from root when i brush and shower. My muscles feel weak, I get really bad anxiety to where my eyes fill up with water when I am nervous. Then when I get nervous it feels like my head has pressure like it has turned into a big balloon. Then sometimes I feel dizzy when too much is going on like i could be in car and passenger talking radio on and kid in back trying to ask something and I will feel dizzy and have to turn radio off and have only 1 person talk. I do not like too much noise oppositions...like different noises at the same time. I did go through divorce and my dad passed all in the same year. I noticed that a week before and after my period I would be so overly emotional and confused and lost. I thought I was depressed so I went to dr that put me on anti depressants. At first I felt ok on the medicine because I was happy thinking I found a way to deal. But then around my period I was still always a mess. I thought it was the divorce that was making me feel like this so I tried to work it out with him even though I was the one that filed after he stole from a family member but I have a 3yr old girl who missed her dad and so I was willing to see if things could change because afterall he did make his mistake right with the person he did this to. but then he wound up cheating on me within 2 weeks and I kicked him out. Before all of this we were married 7 years and I was devastated when i had to file divorce. But anyhow can this type of stress bring on Thyroid problems. I had been tested before for Thyroid problems before all this because I was always fatigued and a bit overweight and because I had a molar pregnancy I had lots of followup bloodwork in the past and at least 3 thyroid tests and all negative until now. I have dry eyes when i wake up but my eyes do not bulge. I am not sleeping all the time but I do feel fatigued/no energy/no motivation. Around the time I file for divorce I had lost 15-20 pounds BUT I was running on a treadmill daily. NOW I do not feel I have the energy to exercise and I have GAINED 15-20 pounds! i am not on any thyroid meds yet either. I have recently tried getting back on the treadmill but it seems to take my energy for the day. I will feel like a nap afterwards. My muscles deep down maybe my bones even just feel weak or tired. I feel a lil better if I go tanning sometimes but i dunno if that matters. My hair ***** right now and I work doing hair. I do feel shaky at times but only when I am really nervous will I feel a flutter in my neck and the balloon head and slurrred speach and shaky hands, watery eyes. As soon as I am out of the nervous situation...done with a client or finished talking to boss I get back to normal. Once I was so nervous talking to my boss in her office with bright florescent lighting that I got an optimalic mygrain and I was seeing fan blades spinning in the corners of my eyes. A couple years ago I had my gallbladder removed too if that could have anything to do with the new onset of thyroid issues. The dr says i am hyperthyroid although I have gained weight and feel tired and fatigued which normally are hypo symptoms not hyper. Can one bounce from hypo to hyper? Could I be being misdiagnosed and it really be pituitary problems? She is going to try and start me on the meth-whatever it is called thyroid medicine and i feel unsure if this is what I really have.

[yankeeRN]

I haven't been on Med Help for a bit...I have been feeling so much better.  I saw the Endo on Oct 14 ...I was feeling great that day but I filled him in on all of my miserable symptoms of the previous weeks. I had also filled out a long questionaire that I had mailed back to him so he kinda knew what had been up.  The Endo told me that my doctor had managed me well and I had further lab work that day and they called me to say that my total t4 was within the normal range and to decrease my methimazole from 30 mg to 20 mg (when I had seen the endo I had been on PTU 100 mg three times a day but after discussing the rare but potential  serious liver issues I was switched to the methimazole).  He also decreased my metoprolol ER 25 mg to 12.5 mg.  I was kinda nervous about all the changes to my meds and how my body would react and in addition he had said I could return to work for a 6 hour day not 12 hours yet.  One day I felt really shaky in the hands and tired but otherwise was ok.  This week he had me stop the metoprolol and keep the methimazole 20 mg and recheck labs in 3 weeks.  Tomorrow I start my first 12 hour day.  Prior to starting back to work once I could actually walk further than one room distance I walked outside with my husband...it was slow but I did it and no chest pressure and my rate only went up to 120---I did the same walk  every hour and a half...the neighbors must have thought I was stalking the neighborhood.  I am happy to say that I am up to walking 1.9 miles twice a day and I am back to the gym and per the md not raising my heart rate any higher than 120--so far my body is responding well .  I may never get back to the intensity I was doing at the gym but that's ok...I just want to have endurance and be healthy.  
I found out that I not only have multinodular goiter but now they think that I also have Graves.  The Endo wants to see me in January and we can decide further treatment.  I may opt to just stay on the methimazole--it seems to be working.  My heart rate is any where from 78-80's at rest...yes!!!  my bp is good......it is nice to feel good:)   Thank you all for all the help and support and thanks for sharing your stories...it is nice to know that someone really understands:)

[Anniegoose]

well, today is day 3 on the nature-thyroid --- the piggy and i seem to be bonding.


all the 'boom boom boom' that i've been hearing for weeks turned out to be ear infections in both ears.  so now i'm on medication for that.


blesssings to all.  keep up the good work.

[yankeeRN]

I think I am on my way to normalcy.  I have been trying to increase my activity and so far so good..no chest pressure and heart rate increase  not bad.  I was hoping to be able to get rid of the metoprolol but I am not sure.  I feel so good right now I don't want to rock the boat..I will have to talk with my md.  One concern..I have gained weight.  I had lost 18 lbs but have gained 7 back in the course of  2 weeks..I sure hope this weight gain doesn't continue. I had been ravenous but now I am not so hungry..I will monitor things closer with the weight and do a food log.  I am so hoping to get back to my job soon so I need to continue to increase my activity and endurance..I won't be a speed demon when I get back to work but I will probably be at least the speed of everyone else:)

[yankeeRN]

one day at a time ...

[Anniegoose]

keep up the good work.

i'm just taking one day at a time.  went to get my blood re-tested today.  hopefully my levels will be better.


one day at a time .......

[yankeeRN]

Being hyperthyroid with the shakes all over and high heart rate with little to no activity is a scarey thought...for the past few days  I have been so much better..the PTU must have kicked in--I am still on the metoprolol ER 25 mg  daily too.  I still get the shakes but they are so much better then they had been.I also get a rare palpatation up to 120 when laying on the couch in the evening and sometimes in the morning..I see my primary md tomorrow and I will tell him then.  I do feel stronger than I had a few weeks ago..my legs don't seem to shake going down the stairs.  After I talk to my md I will see if he thinks I need to increase the PTU or wait till I see the Endocrinologist...we shall see.  I am just feeling so much better and for that I am so very happy  .  Thank you all :)

[juice279]

i lifted wieghts 5 days a week, ate healthy, 200 grams of protein a day. wieghed 225, i lost 35 pounds and most of my muscle mass. after  7 months on tapazole i was able to gain it all back, however im extremley hyperthyroid now and have lost 21 pounds in last 35 days and again unable to lift or run. but i know in a few months ill be ok, i bet u will too

[yankeeRN]

Thanks for the info.  So there is hope soon :)

[cachawaca]

It will take six to eight weeks for regulation. That surplus thyroxine in your bloodstream needs to be utilised first, then meds will work on the gland itself. Unfortunately meds do-nothing for excess levels that are initially in the blood stream.  

[cachawaca]

It will take six to eight weeks for regulation. That surplus thyroxine in your bloodstream needs to be utilised first, then meds will work on the gland itself. Unfortunately meds do-nothing for excess levels that are initially in the blood stream.  

[yankeeRN]

In the shower I would get very shaky and weak in the legs--especially when I was trying to wash my hair....believe me my showers lately are probably all of 10 minutes if that..get in then out so I have enough energy to dry my hair.  Thanks Danie

[danie17075rm]

Geez I remember that feeling.  I used to have a huge problem with showers or a bath.  My heart rate would shoot up uncontrollably.  I don't know what it was about the situation lol. I guess the heat makes your heart rate naturally go up and my body couldn't handle it.  I was exhausted too.  Lets hope this keeps getting better and better.

[yankeeRN]

Thanks Danie..feeling ok today too..not perfect but heart rate has been good so far today..I can deal with a little shaking but even that is so much better than it had been..I got through my shower without being exhausted another plus. Haping up to be a good day :)

[danie17075rm]

I'm so glad you had some relief!  The vagal maneuver does help it go down.  I still do it when my heart races actually.  Maybe the PTU is starting to kick in and make you feel better.  I pray it all goes away.

[yankeeRN]

I had wanted to comment on the vagal maneuver...glad you reminded me of that  (I have used it on patients on my unit..I guess when it is me with the rapid heart rate my brain is not in gear)...I guess I didn't think it would work because of the cause being hyperthyroid---if you say it worked for you the I will try it if my rate goes up beyond 120...so far today has been good for rate.  My doctor also has said I can increase my metoprolol another 12.5mg  if I need to..he just wants me to be careful once the PTU kicks in. I still have to check with the doctor about the lemon balm tea.  Today has been much better than yesterday morning.  

[yankeeRN]

First of all thank you all for all the info..coming from people who have been there I know you understand and I can relate..it helps me be hopeful to hear that things will get better.  I am not sure if I clarified this but I have a multinodular thyroid..per my doctor he said it was not cancerous...thank God . I agree that the beta blocker is the only thing that helps the shaking and though when all this mess started and before the beta blocker I had felt almost panic which I had no clue where it came from.  The intermittent panic feeling stopped with the initial low dose beta blocker.  @Ericamegan:  I will check out those articles.  I am not sure if mine in from autoimmune.I  think it might be a different class..I am still sketchy on this though.   @Danie ...  thanks for the word of caution.  I am going to get started on those article that Ericamegan suggested.  Thanks again:)

[danie17075rm]

I went gluten free when I became hyperthyroid and it didn't do a thing for me (in fact I got worse throughout the year and developed a second autoimmune disease in the mean time).  I am still gluten free (and very strict about following it), but now it is just because I am afraid to add it back in.  It didn't help me at all.  I think everyone is different.  If you are not intolerant or have celiac disease, I'm not so sure it is necessary or even beneficial to take out gluten.  I think sometimes we can end up causing ourselves more problem.  I'm sure it has worked for some people, but speaking from experience, it just made my situation worse.

[Ericamegan]

Here are a few articles about the thyroid-gluten connection and other possible triggers of auto immune diseases.   I'd never heard anything about this connection until after RAI.  Before RAI I ate mostly gluten.  I couldn't imagine being able to be gluten free until my brother said he wasn't tolerating gluten.  When he was researching he saw a lot of info on the possible thyroid connection.  At that point most of my hyper symptom were gone, but my eyes were still being attacked.  I decided to give it a try.  My eyes have improved greatly and I when I cheat my eyes flare up & my body swells up.  I really think for some people there is connection and it's worth getting tested or just trying eliminating it from you diet.  I also try to avoid aspartame and any other possible triggers.  Other research shows many people with graves' disease have low Selenium levels.  I now take 200 mg of Selenium a day.  I really think more research should be done on the triggers of auto immune diseases.

The RAI process was not too bad.  I had to avoid people and pets for 2 weeks. They said to keep at arms distance, use different toilets, and not to sleep in the same bed.  I became even more hyper after RAI for a few weeks as my thyroid leaked out hormone.  I did lose about 5 lbs during these 2 weeks.   I'm a hairstylist and had to take that time off work which was a financial strain but worth it.  When I was hyper I thought I was going to have to quit doing hair because I would shake so badly, had extreme muscle fatigue, had anxiety attacks and was so exhausted at the end of the day.  I did receive a large dose of RAI (32 mCi) because my dr said I had prob had Graves' for years and was very bad. He didn't want to take a chance at it coming back and said if you completely destroy your thyroid there is less chance of thyroid cancer.  I'm not sure if that's true or not.  Graves' does run in my family...my mom has it too.  I hope some of this info helps you.  I remember how overwhelmed I felt when I was hyper.  I wish you luck!


http://thyroid.about.com/cs/latestresearch/a/celiac.htm

http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection

http://www.elaine-moore.com/Articles/GravesDisease/ThyroidDiseaseTriggers/tabid/183/Default.aspx

http://paleozonenutrition.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/hashimotos-auto-immune-thyroid-disease-avoid-gluten-like-the-plague/

http://www.elaine-moore.com/Articles/GravesDisease/AllergicTriggersinGravesDisease/tabid/135/Default.aspx

http://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2010/05/celia-disease-autoimmune-disease-and-a-little-piece-of-my-journey/

[danie17075rm]

I didn't take the xanax either.  They gave me some in the hospital and it didn't help at all (maybe because it wasn't in my head).  The beta blockers were the only thing that worked with the hyperthyroid anxiety.  I could actually feel it blocking the adrenaline.  It was a weird feeling.  It was like it was suppressed, yet I knew it was still there.  Hopefully the ptu will kick in for you.  I bounced back and forth between hyper and hypo so I couldn't take anything without my numbers shooting drastically in the opposite direction. When my heart rate was really high I would do the vagal maneuver.  You can google it, but basically you just bare down and it slows things down.  They had me do it in the hospital.

After I had my thyroid removed and my heart rate was stuck at 150, they just kept injecting beta blocker after beta blocker into me.  Nothing would work at that point.  I was so drugged up from surgery that I couldn't be nervous about it luckily.  It's just a horrible feeling when your heart rate is rapid. I literally had no life during the last year.  I'll pray for your speedy recovery.

[yankeeRN]

Yeah I hear ya about the beta blocker it seems to be the only way to decrease the shakes and keep the heart rate below 100 most of the time at rest...I was so hoping to wean myself off and I was one pill away from being off from it..but now I am going in the other direction.  I guess I gotta do what I gotta do to keep my heart rate reasonable.  The next 2 weeks till I see the endo could be long.  I am not on any antianxiety specific drug...I don't seem to feel anxious with the beta blocker so no sense in adding another pill and side effects to the picture..my only pills are the PTU and the beta blocker. Yes all this stuff an stop anytime and I am ready to get back to normal wishful thinking. Thanks Danie.

[danie17075rm]

You don't have to give up chocolate and sugar, I just did because my body was such a mess that I didn't want anything stimulating in it.  I was always looking to relax.  I really feel for you.  I hope this goes away soon!

[danie17075rm]

I got to a point where to my my beta blocker was like a crack addict looking for a fix lol.  I depended on it THAT much.  Usually right before it was time for my next dose I could feel it losing effect, so I would wait for the next one.  It was TERRIBLE!  I finally broke it up and took 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night so I was always covered.  I'm glad your doc is so helpful. Ask him about the lemonbalm.  I only drank it when my heart rate shot up to 150 or something while I was at rest.  It's a safe herb that people drink all of the time (they even give it to kids).  There are no interactions other than if you were severely sedated with beta blockers and drugs such as xanax, it might increase those effects.  I don't think you'll have to worry about that in your "hyper" times though.  It's mild.  You won't even notice much, but it takes that adrenaline rush away a bit.  Good luck.