The problem can be changing your diet, as you don't know how the thyroid will react to this. I don't get it. Hodak S, Huang C, Clarke D, Burman K, Jonklaas J, Janicic-Kharic N. Intravenous methimazole in the treatment of refractory hyperthyroidism. Treatment and prognosis of Graves disease in children and adolescents. To become an empowered patient, you need to obtain a copy of any medical documentation done on you, either lab tests or reports from other physicians and keep your own file so you can see your progresss. 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. as being in breach of those terms. Some of the effects of skipping or stopping your thyroid medication are obvious, while others are so subtle they can go undiagnosed for years. Some thyroid medications can also cause hair loss, which most people find frustrating and undesirable. While many people understandably want to stop taking their thyroid medication immediately, the best approach is to begin the protocol and then begin to gradually wean off the thyroid medication under the supervision of a medical doctor. Drug class: Antithyroid agents. even my hair started falling out and to me to be a woman and have your hair fall out is the worst thing in the world. Now down to 5 mg a day, 6 days a week (so 30 mg a week). Bartle W, Walker S, Silverberg J. Rectal absorption of propylthiouracil. The anxiety and the eye problem could be symptoms of Hyperthyroid, or it might be unrelated. If you don't feel better after taking your medication for several months, you may need a dose adjustment or a different medicationnot a complete stop of your regimen. My tsh leve as of yesterday dropped down to 3.65 so I'm in range again ref range is 0.34-4.82. no one will listen. Your blood may need to be tested often. We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. What dose were you on to start with? I feel fine. My gut feeling is that this method seems to make greater ense than the shock and confusion of going 'cold-turkey'. Try our Symptom Checker Got any other symptoms? In addition to the labs you have already ordered for our patient, you quickly decide to add a thyroid function panel, just in case. My body symptoms were freezing weak cold tired muscles and bones hurt. It got to the point where I could barely eat. difficulty swallowing overactive thyroid gland. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. My free T4 two weeks ago was 1.1 last week on the 19 th it went up to 1.2 ref range is 0.8-1.8. The screen reading the results was behind me, and I was in a bed. This is perfect for me. Went back to 10mg, after 2 consecutive blood tests were good (12 weeks) and then went to 7.5, just did a another 12 week stint, all is good so went to 5 mg this week (very happy). You will learn what these results mean very quickly and you can always learn more about them online. Home Treatment For Low Thyroid: What Essential Oils Are Good For Hypothyroidism? Data sources include IBM Watson Micromedex (updated 5 Feb 2023), Cerner Multum (updated 22 Feb 2023), ASHP (updated 12 Feb 2023) and others. I started off with relatively normal levels but my doc found nodules. I am currently in a hospital bed recovering from a bilateral thyroidectomy. Swollen hands, feet, and face. Additional benefit of PTU in thyroid storm: Inhibition of the peripheral conversion of T4 to T3 (3rdB), PTU and MMI can both be administered through the rectal route as a suppository and retention enema, Shown to have good response in several trials, Intravenous (IV) thionamides are currently not commercially available in the United States, IV formulation of MMI is available in Europe, Success reported in case reports and case series of treating thyroid storm with IV MMI compounded formulations, PTU: black box warning for severe and/or life-threatening hepatotoxicity issued by FDA in 2010, Tends to be dose-related with MMI, unlike PTU, Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) can be used in the management of thionamide-induced agranulocytosis, Used to prevent the release of pre-formed thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland, Administration of inorganic iodine should be delayed for at least one hour after initiation of thionamide therapy, Iodine load can serve as a substrate for thyroid hormone synthesis and exacerbate thyroid storm, Iodine content of formations (NOTE: Solutions, Dissolve the dose in solution of 3 to 4 ounces of milk, fruit juice, or water to ensure that the full dose is given and to mask the bitter taste. But it can also cause weight loss and a reduced need for sleep, which some people actually welcome. Is it possible that it is my thyroid or should I see my PCP for the attacks. Methimazole may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide. Slowly weaning off or tapering to the right dose is the best method. They are still really active so she changed her mind and I am staying on the medication. She also tells you that she has had recent blood work ordered by her primary care physician that was highly suspicious for some sort of thyroid disorder, but the results have not been made known to her yet. As far as symptoms go, I have been gassy (for no reason), fatigued more than usual, depressed, short tempered,and I'm either too cold or too hot. You should not shock your body that way. It seems to me that I still am feeling more hyper, with some new symptoms, the worst being the high blood pressure, and the "gassiness". Increased pain. yellow eyes or skin. (unknowingly had covid at the time of last bloodwork). I don't believe our bodies respond well to abrupt changes. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. However, there are a lot of side effects from taking it and stop taking it (especially, without tapering). All of this has been a real struggle for me since I have a huge phobia of taking meds. ALiEM is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the University of California San Francisco or any institution. A dosage change can start to be felt for me in 3 days and reaches fullness in about a week, but if it is too big a dosage change the symptoms can last for week (s) afterward till my body adjusts. It is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as medical advice or a diagnosis of any health or fitness problem, condition or disease; or a recommendation for a specific test, doctor, care provider, procedure, treatment plan, product, or course of action. A strategy of high MMI doses plus T4 was not used in these patients. There are a number of strategies you can use toremember to take your thyroid medication. unusual weight gain. If there is a contraindication for the use of methimazole, alternative methods to treat hyperthyroidism should be considered after discharge, such as radioactive iodine or surgery. Her vital signs are blood pressure of 184/106 mmHg, heart rate of 130 beats per minute, respiratory rate of 22 breaths per minute, and temperature of 102.7F. Diabetes Tests And Diagnosis: What To Expect During Your Medical And Physical Examinations? We want the forums to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the forums are I do have Hashitoxicosis so I remember you saying that I won't respond as well to methimazole. Methods: We retrospectively studied patients with Graves' disease who were initially on MMI, in whom this drug was stopped because they had undetectable thyroid-stimulating antibodies (TSAbs) or were euthyroid after at least 24 months on MMI treatment. Common side effects of methimazole may include: This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Our clinical information meets the standards set by the NHS in their Standard for Creating Health Content guidance. I have been taking the same dosages for all those years, except my dosage for Methimazole was brought down to 1 and 1/2 pills (5 mg pills) about a year ago. Read our editorial policy. ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl: Is the Silver Bullet for Refractory Vasoplegia Really Blue? Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. I have had this for 2 years and I just got off the tapazole for at lease 6 weeks until the check my blood again. Am Fam Physician. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. 2. However, since starting to wean off, my numbers have gotten closer to the Hyper T side again. But the symptoms and side effects associated with thyroid disease can make it difficult to know whether you feel better overall with or without your thyroid medication. Please get back to me.. Registered in England and Wales. My T3 and T4 are at mid to lower end of the range. It works by making it harder for the body to make thyroid hormone. If you are feeling unsure about your thyroid medication, it is a good idea to think about the reasons why and to talk about them with your doctor. My methimazole was 5 mg once a day. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. i have been taking 2.5 mg of methimazole every other day for the past 3 years which is 4x a week and now she told me to just take 2.5mg once a week for 6 weeks and then just stop. From what I've read, it can take a couple of weeks for those symptoms to go away. Thanks, THANKS FOR YOUR HELP LET ME KNOW IF YOU THINK OF ANYTHING. Your healthcare provider will check your thyroid levels and adjust your dose as needed. The maintenance dose is 5 to 15 mg per day. Your hair loss or hair thinning may also be a symptom of hyperthyroidism, when your thyroid gland is overactive and makes too much thyroid hormone. If true allergy to iodine or contraindication to iodine therapy (e.g. fatigue and hyperthyroidism and Graves' Disease. If you have Graves' disease, toxic nodules, thyroiditis, or another cause of hyperthyroidism, you may need to take antithyroid medication such as methimazole or propylthiouracil (PTU). Being short tempered can go along with being fatigued and/or depressed or not feeling well in general. Im going to ask to go back to my old dose because my numbers were exactly in the middle at 2.13 but now theyre probably a mess. Have been able to come off of the beta blocker as my blood pressure and heart rate have dropped back to a low/low normal range. Dizziness. If someone else had been through this I'd certainly like to know their opinion. I now what bugs me, I try to avoid situations, when I can't, I do deep belly breathing (sound weird but I only ever did shallow from mouth to lung breathing, and that is NOT good -check it out, really worth it)I have tried a diet change (gluten free, dairy free) but I do not think it was necessary for me BUT it did make me focus on me and my health ( I am exercising regularly now) which WAS beneficial. If the hyperthyroidism returns, the antithyroid drugs are re-started. Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Never disregard the medical advice of your physician or health professional, or delay in seeking such advice, because of something you read on this Site. It should always be tapered incredibly gradually, there's always a small rebound period for me no matter how small I chop it with my pill cutter. Methimazole is used to treat hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Is there side effects from stopping or withdrawal symptoms? HELP. Severe hyperthyroidism: 60 mg orally per day. I did this (decided to lessen the dose) all by myself with a naturopath's advice (my "specialist" seems to have forgotten about me and never did the follow up in mid-March, and I am not disappointed =;) The biggest help has been to deal with my stress. I have hyper numbers - very low TSH and high/normal T4 and I have the same kind of symptoms you have: freezing cold and sometimes achy legs. MedHelp is not a medical or healthcare provider and your use of this Site does not create a doctor / patient relationship. 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. I'm very upset because I figure he's the doctor and shouldn't have left that choice up to me. Answer. Each time I reduce, my TSH elevates- but my T3 stays within range which is what my endo focuses onand it does take about six weeks for my body to adjust to the lower dosebut it does adjust. Unusual weakness or fatigue, fever, headache, skin rash, muscle or joint pain, loss of appetite, pain, tingling, or numbness in the hands or feet. I dont think theres any harm in that as long as they are testing your blood frequently like every month. Growth of thyroid nodules, increasing goiter size. Make sure you get tested monthly while getting weaned off. Having irrational thoughts worries. Worsening memory function. Hi Rachel, are you finally off the methimazole? I'm on 2.5mg sun, we'd, Friday I was stressed about some things before. If you have thyroid disease and don't take your prescribed medications to manage it, you can have a number of serious long-term effects. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Maintenance dose: 5 to 15 mg orally per day. Said it was controversial. ChildrenDose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor.