# Question about hyper flare-ups under stress



## turkelton1234 (Aug 17, 2011)

Hi folks -

I am a 30 year old male with graves. I had RAI just over a year ago. The RAI put me right near the normal range for TSH, T3, and T4 so under normal circumstances I only need small doses of synthroid or methimazole to control my levels. I have a very demanding job with deadlines, 60+ hours per week at times, and an overall challenging work environment. The problem that I am noticing is that when my hours and stress levels are normal, my thyroid hormone levels seem to fall very close, if not within range. However, during the periods of time that require long hours or high stress, my levels shoot up and I go hyper again. This results in a higher dose of methimazole to control it. Then after the stress passes, it seems like my levels crash because of the continued dose of methimazole and decreased stress.

Since many of you have probably had similar experiences, my question is: will this always be the case? I knew it would likely be a balancing act for a period of time, but will these flare-ups ever  stop unless my thyroid is completely killed off?

I really enjoy my job (believe it or not) but continuing these monthly ups and downs is not good for my health or my work product. Any input that you folks can provide would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

turkelton1234 said:


> Hi folks -
> 
> I am a 30 year old male with graves. I had RAI just over a year ago. The RAI put me right near the normal range for TSH, T3, and T4 so under normal circumstances I only need small doses of synthroid or methimazole to control my levels. I have a very demanding job with deadlines, 60+ hours per week at times, and an overall challenging work environment. The problem that I am noticing is that when my hours and stress levels are normal, my thyroid hormone levels seem to fall very close, if not within range. However, during the periods of time that require long hours or high stress, my levels shoot up and I go hyper again. This results in a higher dose of methimazole to control it. Then after the stress passes, it seems like my levels crash because of the continued dose of methimazole and decreased stress.
> 
> ...


Hi there and welcome. I just got done telling another poster that keeping stress at bay goes a long way in keeping antibodies very quiet.

So, maybe learning how to re-frame the stressors but still get the job done would help? That is if you think that is the true trigger?

When was the last time you had labs run and did you ever have this lab test?

TSI
Normally, there is no TSI in the blood. If TSI is found in the blood, this indicates that the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is the cause of the of a person's hyperthyroidism. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html

The only way to get rid of the TSI is to completely get rid of it's target. So, it would interesting if you had this test.


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