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Synthroid...
Where can I purchase online good quality Synthroid?
I'm beginning to be a bit fearful of this Methimazole I've been taking since Christmas Eve. My blood pressure is up and my pulse rate is definitely up at 80-84 from the usual 60-68.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Well, if your former wife was silly enough not to even have the script filled and take the first pill, I guess she wasn't very smart, was she? You're better off out of the situation and there's nothing we can do for her now. You're our concern.
Yes, if you have the I-131, you will go hypo for the rest of your days, but that does not have to include a lot of other problems, if you have doctor who is willing to work with you and make sure your thyroid levels are adjusted properly. Thyroid medication does NOT cause liver damage or bone marrow loss; whoever told you that didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about, so talking about dying from it, is jumping the gun. Many of us are on thyroid medication and have been for years. The idea is get on a therapeutic dose so symptoms are alleviated and you don't have those other problems.
I understand your issue with cold intolerance, but if thyroid meds are adjusted properly, that doesn't have to be compounded. Once thyroid meds are adjusted properly, hypo symptoms would be alleviated and you would only deal with symptoms from your other medical conditions.
Having been through the hypo-he!! and come out on top, I'd opt for I-131 and get it over with, if I were you, so I could get on med and get back on the road to recovery. But that's just me; you have to make your own decision.
Yes, if you have the I-131, you will go hypo for the rest of your days, but that does not have to include a lot of other problems, if you have doctor who is willing to work with you and make sure your thyroid levels are adjusted properly. Thyroid medication does NOT cause liver damage or bone marrow loss; whoever told you that didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about, so talking about dying from it, is jumping the gun. Many of us are on thyroid medication and have been for years. The idea is get on a therapeutic dose so symptoms are alleviated and you don't have those other problems.
I understand your issue with cold intolerance, but if thyroid meds are adjusted properly, that doesn't have to be compounded. Once thyroid meds are adjusted properly, hypo symptoms would be alleviated and you would only deal with symptoms from your other medical conditions.
Having been through the hypo-he!! and come out on top, I'd opt for I-131 and get it over with, if I were you, so I could get on med and get back on the road to recovery. But that's just me; you have to make your own decision.
That was about 21 years ago that she had that done. She never had the prescription filled and consequently never took the first pill.
My problem, being somewhat hyper, is if I allow them to give me I-131 then I'm going to be hypo for the rest of my days and that includes the possibility of having other problems that heretofore I never had. Moreover, there's the possibility of the medication causing liver damage and bone marrow loss, calcium deficiency among other things I don't know yet. It's like which way would you like to die? By guillotine or hanging?
Being on three blood thinners for Peripheral Artery Disease(PAD) and being nearly 69 next month, I already have a cold intolerance to a degree. Forty degrees to me seems like 30. There doesn't seem like a good prognosis for this.
My problem, being somewhat hyper, is if I allow them to give me I-131 then I'm going to be hypo for the rest of my days and that includes the possibility of having other problems that heretofore I never had. Moreover, there's the possibility of the medication causing liver damage and bone marrow loss, calcium deficiency among other things I don't know yet. It's like which way would you like to die? By guillotine or hanging?
Being on three blood thinners for Peripheral Artery Disease(PAD) and being nearly 69 next month, I already have a cold intolerance to a degree. Forty degrees to me seems like 30. There doesn't seem like a good prognosis for this.
COMMUNITY LEADER
I don't know what your former wife was supposed to take after her partial thyroidectomy that would have started with an X... having that much of her thyroid removed would have made her hypo and the standard treatment for hypo is levothyroxine. If she did not take it as prescribed, it's understandable that she could easily have gained considerable weight, since the thyroid controls metabolism. Many of us have trouble controlling weight, even when we do take the med correctly.
Ramifications if you don't do anything with this are very poor health, at best. Untreated hyperthyroidism causes the weight loss, diarrhea, irritability and hand tremors, rapid heart rate and palpitations. Left untreated, it can cause thyroid storm, which can be life threatening, as well as irreversible heart damage. Hypothyroidism causes the weight gain, constipation, cold intolerance, slow heart rate, depression and left untreated, can cause myxedema coma which is a life threatening condition and requires emergency treatment.
When the treatments require taking a simple dosage or two of medication, daily, it's not worth ignoring the problem. These things simply don't "settle down and return to normal", so while getting dosages adjusted properly can be somewhat of a pain in the patooty, even that beats the alternatives.
Ramifications if you don't do anything with this are very poor health, at best. Untreated hyperthyroidism causes the weight loss, diarrhea, irritability and hand tremors, rapid heart rate and palpitations. Left untreated, it can cause thyroid storm, which can be life threatening, as well as irreversible heart damage. Hypothyroidism causes the weight gain, constipation, cold intolerance, slow heart rate, depression and left untreated, can cause myxedema coma which is a life threatening condition and requires emergency treatment.
When the treatments require taking a simple dosage or two of medication, daily, it's not worth ignoring the problem. These things simply don't "settle down and return to normal", so while getting dosages adjusted properly can be somewhat of a pain in the patooty, even that beats the alternatives.
My former wife had her thyroid removed, well, at least 2/3rd from what I recall. She was 5'-4" and weighed right at 130 pounds. She had a horrendous scar going nearly from one side of her neck to the other and they closed it with butterfly clamps. She was suppose to take a pill...something that started with an "X" after the operation but she never did.
Not long, maybe a few years at best she gained weight little by little to the point of reaching around 200 pounds. I tried to get her to tell me what she weighed but she refused. So, one day I went to her closet and looked at her current dresses. Most all of them were either a size 18 or 20. That's a lot bigger than what she once wore.
I don't want to get in that shape. I am underweight for my height at 125-130 po9unds and 5'-9" but don't want to get up to 180-200 pounds either. I'd rather be hyper than hypo in that case. What are the ramifications if I just don't do anything with this? Maybe I'll settle down and have things normal soon.
Not long, maybe a few years at best she gained weight little by little to the point of reaching around 200 pounds. I tried to get her to tell me what she weighed but she refused. So, one day I went to her closet and looked at her current dresses. Most all of them were either a size 18 or 20. That's a lot bigger than what she once wore.
I don't want to get in that shape. I am underweight for my height at 125-130 po9unds and 5'-9" but don't want to get up to 180-200 pounds either. I'd rather be hyper than hypo in that case. What are the ramifications if I just don't do anything with this? Maybe I'll settle down and have things normal soon.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Weight GAIN is a symptom of hypothyroidism, as well as constipation, etc. You lost weight because you were hyper. If the methimazole causes you to swing to hypo, you'll most likely start gaining.
One area I'm concerned about is which radioactive iodine they'll use for the ultrasound...I-123 or I-131. If the latter, I'm not going to have it done as that will destroy the thyroid and I'm not ready for that.
I wouldn't know if I'm having any repercussions with the Methimazole or not as I'm on three blood thinners(aspirin, Plavix and Warfarin) and get cold easier than when I was younger and before starting them some 8-10 years ago. Moreover, since the first of the year I've lost a lot of weight. I was about 155 in January and now I'm 125 pounds. No depression or aches and pains and no swelling so far.
I wouldn't know if I'm having any repercussions with the Methimazole or not as I'm on three blood thinners(aspirin, Plavix and Warfarin) and get cold easier than when I was younger and before starting them some 8-10 years ago. Moreover, since the first of the year I've lost a lot of weight. I was about 155 in January and now I'm 125 pounds. No depression or aches and pains and no swelling so far.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Yes, I got that it's Free T3 (not Free T2 - no edit feature) and Free T4. Both your levels indicate hyper, as you know.
It's probably safe to assume that the "more blood work" the endo wants to do will include the antibody tests I mentioned above. Along with the thyroid scan, then endo may order an RAI uptake scan, which tests to see how quickly your thyroid absorbs iodine.
It sounds like your doctors are doing the right things. Just watch your symptoms and be sure to tell your endo if you start having symptoms of hypothyroidism, due to the Methimazole. Symptoms of hypothyroidism are sudden weight gain, constipation, cold intolerance, hair loss, fatigue, depression, muscle/joint aches/pains, swelling of the face/hands/feet, etc.
It's probably safe to assume that the "more blood work" the endo wants to do will include the antibody tests I mentioned above. Along with the thyroid scan, then endo may order an RAI uptake scan, which tests to see how quickly your thyroid absorbs iodine.
It sounds like your doctors are doing the right things. Just watch your symptoms and be sure to tell your endo if you start having symptoms of hypothyroidism, due to the Methimazole. Symptoms of hypothyroidism are sudden weight gain, constipation, cold intolerance, hair loss, fatigue, depression, muscle/joint aches/pains, swelling of the face/hands/feet, etc.
There's not edit function so, I couldn't correct my typo. As you know, it should have been T3 and not T2.
The reference ranges that show on the tests are as such...
T3: 2.5-3.90 (mine was 5.49)
T4: 0.58-1.70 ( mine was 1.87)
TSH: .340-5.600 (mine was .037
I've had no tests as yet just the blood work from my family doctor who gave me the results above. She sent me to an Endo just a few days back who told me he "thought" I had graves disease upon seeing these results I brought him and wants to do more blood work and an ultrasound in a couple weeks. Meanwhile he has me on three Methimazoles a day-10mg.
T3: 2.5-3.90 (mine was 5.49)
T4: 0.58-1.70 ( mine was 1.87)
TSH: .340-5.600 (mine was .037
I've had no tests as yet just the blood work from my family doctor who gave me the results above. She sent me to an Endo just a few days back who told me he "thought" I had graves disease upon seeing these results I brought him and wants to do more blood work and an ultrasound in a couple weeks. Meanwhile he has me on three Methimazoles a day-10mg.
COMMUNITY LEADER
What are the reference ranges for the T3 and T4 and are they Free T3 and Free T4 or are the Total T3 and Total T4? Tests for Total T3 and Total T4 are considered obsolete and of little value.
We need more information before we can tell you very much. Have you been tested for any thyroid antibodies? You should be tested for Hashimoto's and Graves Disease. Both are autoimmune thyroid diseases. Neither can be cured, but both can be managed.
For Hashimoto's you need to be tested for Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). While Hashimoto's is most often associated with hypothyroidism, periods of hyperthyroidism are common in the early stages.
Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) is the definitive test for Graves Disease.
What dosage are the Methimazole pills you're taking 3 times/day - they come in different strengths. Methimazole is an anti-thyroid med and blocks thyroid hormone production; it's possible to take too much and become hypo instead of hyper.
We need more information before we can tell you very much. Have you been tested for any thyroid antibodies? You should be tested for Hashimoto's and Graves Disease. Both are autoimmune thyroid diseases. Neither can be cured, but both can be managed.
For Hashimoto's you need to be tested for Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). While Hashimoto's is most often associated with hypothyroidism, periods of hyperthyroidism are common in the early stages.
Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) is the definitive test for Graves Disease.
What dosage are the Methimazole pills you're taking 3 times/day - they come in different strengths. Methimazole is an anti-thyroid med and blocks thyroid hormone production; it's possible to take too much and become hypo instead of hyper.
This past JuneI had some blood work done and one of them was TSH with the results being .049. I noticed the reference was .340-5.600. Concerned about how low mine was, I asked my doctor for another test some months later...six months in fact this month. This time the TSH was even lower at .037 and T3 was 5.49 and T4 was 1.87.
I had to admit total ignorance to all this as prior to the July test these tests were always normal. Being concerned about the last test, my doctor set me up to see and Endo. I saw him this past week and he wants to do a thyroid scan and blood work in a few weeks but meantime he has me on Methimazole three pills a day.
I don't know what to think as to the repercussions of all this and after doing some research ran across this forum. I don't think I have any symptoms, it just sort of popped up out of the blue.
Can someone shed some light on what I may be faced with in the near future? I'm very adamant about having my thyroid destroyed with radiation and that's not an option for me-I won't do it.
I had to admit total ignorance to all this as prior to the July test these tests were always normal. Being concerned about the last test, my doctor set me up to see and Endo. I saw him this past week and he wants to do a thyroid scan and blood work in a few weeks but meantime he has me on Methimazole three pills a day.
I don't know what to think as to the repercussions of all this and after doing some research ran across this forum. I don't think I have any symptoms, it just sort of popped up out of the blue.
Can someone shed some light on what I may be faced with in the near future? I'm very adamant about having my thyroid destroyed with radiation and that's not an option for me-I won't do it.
COMMUNITY LEADER
You can't; Synthroid is a brand name drug and is prescription only. Levothyroxine is the generic, and it, as well as other brands names, also require a prescription from your doctor, in order to be sold, legally, in the United States.
I understand that there are some sites that sell thyroid medication made in, either Mexico or Taiwan, that you can buy online, but you have no idea what you're really getting.
I understand that there are some sites that sell thyroid medication made in, either Mexico or Taiwan, that you can buy online, but you have no idea what you're really getting.
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