# Is there anything I can do to help relieve hyperthyroid symptoms?



## rjg555 (Mar 14, 2015)

I have hyperthyroid and have been suffering with the symptoms for 4 months (since November). I never had any health problems or thyroid issues prior to last summer. In the summer my naturopath saw my TSH at 3.5 and said I was hypothyroid so he put me on natural desiccated thyroid supplement. I took it for 4 months. After 3 months I had increasing anxiety but I didn't realize it was due to the desiccated thyroid supplement so I kept taking it. My naturopath checked my blood Oct. 30th and my TSH was 1.0. My naturopath said to stay on the desiccated thyroid. Then, in November, I was under high stress with my job and I think combined with the desiccated thyroid caused me to have hyperthyroid -thyroiditis or thyrotoxicosis.

So, now it's been 4 months since I stopped the desiccated thyroid supplement in November and although my symptoms have improved a little I still feel terrible and not well enough to work. I have trouble making it through each day. My symptoms are fast heart rate, constant nervousness, sweaty hands, feet and underarms, terrible anxiety/panic attacks, dizziness, weight loss ( I lost 20 pounds, now only weigh 98lbs), and feel really tired and weak.

I have an appointment with an endocrinologist but I couldn't get in until the end of April. I've been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (just by my family doctor), but I'm thinking it may be the thyroiditis or thyrotoxicosis but my family doctor won't look into; she says to wait to see the endocrinologist. *Is there anything that may help give me a little relief from the symptoms in the mean time? Like any herbs, foods, or supplements that may help?*

Also, how long do you think the hyperthyroid will last? I stopped the desiccated thyroid 4 months ago. It seems like mine was pretty much doctor induced hyperthyroidism due to taking too much of the desiccated thyroid and I never had a problem before taking it.

Any tips are greatly appreciated. Thank you!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Trab
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17684583
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Blocking TRAbs (also known as Thyrotropin Binding Inhibitory Immunoglobulins (TBII)) competitively block the activity of TSH on the receptor. This can cause hypothyroidism by reducing the thyrotropic effects of TSH. They are found in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease and may be cause of fluctuation of thyroid function in the latter. During treatment of Graves' disease they may also become the predominant antibody, which can cause hypothyroidism.

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://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroid-antibodies/tab/test
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Thyroid Storm Symptoms
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001437
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Advanced hyper.
http://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/hyperthyroidism/signs_and_symptoms.html
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Welcome to the board.

Can you get on a cancellation list? Because; untreated hyperthyroid can be life threatening. And it can permanently damage your heart as well as other bodily organs.

Since you are going to have testing soon, even if there were something that would help in the meantime, taking it would really skew your tests.

I am listing some important tests above and do call the office and see if you can get on a cancellation list.

Hyper is serious and very scary..................................take it from one who knows.

And this is very important; you need to insist on RAIU (radioactive uptake scan) as this will give the rate of uptake as well help to spot any suspicion of cancer.

You sound really ill so I am praying you get the medical intervention you need and soon. If In doubt; get to the ER.

You will also read what the Trab does and will understand now why your TSH looked hypo. This is why TSH alone should not be diagnostic criteria.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

What lab testing have you had done other than TSH?

Please post the name of the lab, result and the range please.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

So sorry that you are going through this. There isn't anything you can really do until your appointment, except rest and be aware if you think you are getting worse. I would call and ask to get on a cancellation list. Please read the link Andros provided on thyroid storms and let your folks that are around you know too. Hang in there.


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## Prolixity2013 (Nov 8, 2013)

Consider going to the emergency department at your local hospital. That will do two things. Alert your doctor(s) about how serious your symptoms are and possibly get you a sooner appointment with an endocrinologist.

It was one mistake I regretted when I got overdosed by one endo who refused to listen to me. I just needed to go to the ER and allow my primary doctor to see the seriousness of my symptoms. It's one way to bypass the wait and to get someone to listen.

And possibly to save your life, my symptoms were that serious. I ended cutting my own dose in half. Not recommended, but in my situation no one would listen to me and my horrible symptoms.


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## rjg555 (Mar 14, 2015)

Thank you for the suggestions and information. I ended up going to the ER on Sunday March 15th.

I got my blood tested on March 13th, here are the results of what they tested:

TSH: 1.66 (normal range is .27-4.20)

T4 Free: 1.05 (normal range is .80-1.90)

Pre-albumin: 16 (normal range is 20-40) I read that this can be low due to hyperthyroid

Then, 2 days later I went to the ER because I was still feeling bad. Here are my blood test results from the ER on March 15th.

TSH: 3.82

T4 total: 7.5

Thyroxine Binding capacity: 25.3

Free Thyroxine, estimated: 1.4

Is it possible I have hyperthyroid even though my TSH and other thyroid tests are in the normal range? Or could I have the thyrotoxicosis and my numbers still be in the normal range?

All my symptoms seem to fit perfectly with hyperthyroid and that's what my doctor suspected too, but now they say it's not possible because my numbers are in the normal range.

Is it strange that my TSH jumped from 1.66 to 3.82 in just 48hours? Even though the TSH changed a lot, my symptoms haven't really changed.


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