Hyperthyroidism

GGBUNNY · 02-05-2005, 04:46 AM

Has anyone else been hyperthyroid? This past summer I started sweating and staying hot all the time, and my face got really oily. My endo said I was hyperthyroid and put me on Tapazol, then PTU, to lower my thyroid. The tapazol made me gain weight and the ptu made me sick. Now he wants to talk about radioactive iodine to kill my thyroid completely, but I talked him into letting me try the glucophage to maybe lose some weight.(he also treats pcos) He says I have graves disease where i make antibodies against my thyroid. How can you be 80 lbs overweight and hyperthyroid?

frazzledtoo · 02-13-2005, 11:49 PM

Hi-

I can't be of much help, except to say that I have the same problem. I was dx with Grave's about three years ago. My former endo wanted to do RAI also, but I refused. I felt like I should give the Tapazole another chance. I also just turned 24, and I didn't want to take such drastic measures just yet. I also have PCOS, but I am not overweight.-I guess thyroid issues and PCOS just cause different symptoms for everyone.

It's nice to hear from someone with the same problems!

Good luck!

prunepie · 02-14-2005, 09:01 PM

you can definately be overweight and be hyper.

there are no hard and fast rules... just generalizations.

for example, i am hypo. but i am HOT all the time... vs cold like most hypers.

whether or not you lose weight , if you have graves, you will always have graves and you must treat it.

please take care of your thryoid.

you may want to go to www.thyroid.about.com and ask more hyper questions there ..good luck xo jenn

GGBUNNY · 02-15-2005, 02:16 AM

one of my sisters is hypothyroid, the other was hyper, and she turned into a tiny eating machine, she was eating everything all the time and turning into a skeleton. But her heart was beating so fast all the time, she had to wear a heart monitor, and she couldn't take the antithyroid meds, so she had to do RAI, but she has never been the same. Seeing all she went through is one reason I don't want RAI, i don't even think it would solve the problem, so I have started back taking the tapazole, just one pill a day instead of two until I lose some weight and go back to the endo on March 22.

leahdione · 03-03-2005, 11:53 AM

I am hyperthyroid, but am about 100 pounds overweight. To make matters worse, my pituitary gland is not recognizing the hyperthyroid levels. I can't seem to lose weight, but can gain. My endo did a thyroid scan but it showed normal uptake levels so he did not want to do anything yet, just has been monitoring it. I had been diagnosed in the past as hypo, but then the doctor said that just went a way. So I have decided I just have a stupid thyroid. My body seems to be my enemy most of the time. Hard to feel good about yourself when you are overweight, have acne like a teenager again, and mood swings. I am so frustrated at this point with everything. I am only 23 and it seems like I have had so much go wrong with my body in the past 5 years. I am so happy I found this site, but at the same time feel as if I do not get that many replies. I read all the other postings and they help. I am sure once I have been here longer the replies will pick up. I just don't have anyone here at home that I can talk to much. My poor husband-I have been having mood swings and attacking him for no reason-and then I feel like s***.

It is encouraging to know that there are many others that know exactly what I am going through.

snowbunny · 03-03-2005, 12:42 PM

I have Graves' Disease and I was on Tapazole, doing really well on it too, until I got pregnant and then they switched me to PTU.

YOU CAN GAIN WEIGHT WITH HYPERTHYROIDISM! I DID! It's unusual, but not impossible ... I know lots of HyperT ladies who gained weight. My endo explained that it has to do with losing muscle from the HyperT, being exhausted and being hungry all the time. Fortunately, when I was treated effectively I started to lose some of what I gained.

Since you have both Graves' and PCOS, you need to be treated for both. HyperT is a SERIOUS illness, and should not be taken lightly--it can destroy your heart if it's not treated.

Just taking met is not a healthy option. You need to be treated for HyperT. Are you aware that untreated Graves' has an 80% mortality rate over the long term!?!? Not to mention, by going untreated your also increasing your risks of developing TED. Also, by not being treated your are increasing the risks of Thyroid Storm ... and that is deadly!

I also did not want to undertake RAIA either. But if antithyroid meds are not an option for you, that leaves RAIA or thyroidectomy ... and thyroidectomy is only reserved for preggos and those unable to undertake RAIA.

You might be able to see a naturopath. Naturopaths often prescribe a series of herbs and plant sterols to treat the autoimmune disfunction associated with Graves' Disease.

Best of luck, but remember you must be treated for BOTH conditions. Accepting just met is not going to be effective for your body right now.

GGBUNNY · 03-08-2005, 07:58 PM

I finally found other people that are overweight and HyperT, on about.com that somebody recommended. My liver enzymes are up really high, so I can't get the met. But about a 4 weeks ago I started back on Tapazole but just 2.5 dose, the 10 mg was too much, it was making me hypo and gain weight. So I dropped from 10 to 5 to 2.5 now. It is enough to control the syptoms w/o making me hungry or gain weight. Now I am just struggling with losing weight. I have been exercising and walking 5 days a week, 20 to 35 mins a day, and eating a low carb, low sodium and sugar free( almost!) diet, trying to avoid iodine when I can. I am watching calories, fat, carbs and sodium as much as I can, but that doesn't leave much left to eat! But despite exercising and dieting I have lost no weight. Just 8 lbs a month ago when I got sick. My endo didn't really explain much to me , so I had to go learn everything on my own! I have learned that I can go into remissions from Graves, so I am just going to keep up the diet/exercise and low dose of tapazole to see if anything changes.