# Meth making me crazy??



## CareBear3030 (Jun 9, 2010)

I am curious how you all have anything to report on the way you feel on methimazole? I am still very early in my diagnosis, so I have no clue if I will need to continue on it, or if there will be another course of action. I was found to be hyper by my primary care doc a couple months ago. It appears that I'm VERY hyper and from what I read I agree with his assesment of it's "probably graves". I dont see the endo until July 17. But my primary care doc has retested to make sure no error, had ultrasound found one solid mass on one side, several nodules on other, heading for uptake scan tomorrow - and here are my labs from several weeks ago...

T3 231 (71-180)
TSI 545% (0-139)
TSH <0.006 (he said "practically untraceable") (0.45-4.5)
t4 free direct 2.82 (0.82-1.77)

So about 5 weeks ago he put me on meth. Honestly, prior to my initial physical that found this, I didnt realize I was sick. I honestly thought I was starting change of life... even though I'm only 37! The hot sweats, inability to sleep, mensus all but stopped, I thought the weight loss was because I was TRYING to loose weight. Hindsight is so 20/20!! I'm thinking I wasnt trying all that hard or I'd be at my goal weight, or at least closer!

Once I started taking meth, within probably 10 days, i got these horribly dry nasty looking patches on my hands, elbows... discusting! My hair was falling out in shower. Not, in clumps but definately enough for me to gather and stop from going in drain. I was also less likely to break out into a sweat over nothing, and I was starting to sleep a bit better. So, I went back to doc to make sure these side effects werent too bad. I saw a different doc in office and she told me "its part of the disease" and I figured I'd trade not sweating for the dry skin.

I was on it about 3 weeks, then, 2 weeks ago they took me off the meth since I'm getting my uptake scan tomorrow. I'm now realizing that the meth made me freaking CRAZY!!! I swear I was a total basketcase!!! I would snap off at the littest thing, and scream at the drop of a hat. Now, dont get me wrong, I'm certainly NOT mentally 100%, but I am not to the extreme I was even just 2 weeks ago. Go read my posts from pasts weeks and you can see my mania.

So, is it the meth that caused that craziness in my head, or did being on the meth help shock my thyroid a bit and now is not as hyper (I also have not been sweating yet again either, but I am back to my insomnia.) I certainly cant wait until this is all figured out. I think the lack of knowing is whats killing me the most!

Have any of you had any bad reactions to meth, physical or mental?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

CareBear3030 said:


> I am curious how you all have anything to report on the way you feel on methimazole? I am still very early in my diagnosis, so I have no clue if I will need to continue on it, or if there will be another course of action. I was found to be hyper by my primary care doc a couple months ago. It appears that I'm VERY hyper and from what I read I agree with his assesment of it's "probably graves". I dont see the endo until July 17. But my primary care doc has retested to make sure no error, had ultrasound found one solid mass on one side, several nodules on other, heading for uptake scan tomorrow - and here are my labs from several weeks ago...
> 
> T3 231 (71-180)
> TSI 545% (0-139)
> ...


Methimazole was not for me; I had all that you describe plus intense intching, hives and was worse on the Methimazole than I was w/o it....................."I thought."

Therefore, I dediced to get rid of my thyroid and I did. And I am glad; very very glad. If I could do it over again, I would not waste time on anti-thyroid.

I must comment though that if the disease is caught early enough, sometimes anti-thyroid will work for a fortnight or more but there always is a relapse when going off the med. That has been my years and years worth of observations, anyway.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Your levels are EXTREMELY HIGH - I think it's the hyper thyroid making you crazy - even on the methimazole you are very hyper.

Your TSI is the highest I have ever seen posted.


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## Debbie from Milwaukee (Apr 18, 2010)

Here's something you can ask for: some kind of beta blocker. It can help with some of the side effects of hyperthyroidism, but it is not a medicine to help your thyroid at all.

Your situation sounds pretty complex, especially with the mass on one side and nodules on the other side of your thyroid. I HAVE heard that methimazole is sometimes given just to try to "quiet" the thyroid down prior to a decision whether it is best to go with methimizole only, RAI (radioiodine to your thyroid), or surgery. I believe your high TSI confirms Grave's disease, which is an autoimmune condition in which your own antibodies work to overproduce thryoid hormone in your body. Kind of like putting a Ferrari engine in a Yugo...

My daughter was diagnosed with Grave's disease 3 years ago, but it now looks like the docs missed an additional autoimmune condition of Hashimoto's thyroditis. Even back then, she said she felt "like she was crawling out of her skin" and was crying herself to sleep at night!

My thoughts and prayers are with you, and I believe you will find a lot of compassion from the people in these forums. Try to read all of the research you can absorb right now. You might want to take someone to the appt. with you to take notes and help remind you about all the questions you want to ask.


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## CareBear3030 (Jun 9, 2010)

Diagnosis has not been confirmed yet. We're still running tests. I'm leaning toward Hashimoto. That one is of hypo with bouts of hyper right?? I can look back on my life and see so many things that make me think I've been through waves of hyper and hypo.

Please keep me in your prayers while I go through this. I dont think I can handle this for several years. They are just going to have to yank the darned thing out!!!!!!


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## desrtbloom (May 23, 2010)

I would say get it out!!!! My TSI was over 1000. I have Graves and Hashis and everything you are describing, less the hair loss, I have been going through. I have been on Meth since April to get my levels out of the dangerous zone so that I can have surgery. It took a good six weeks before I noticed it was even working. There were days when I was a crazed loon. I am now stable enough and meeting with my surgeon on Tuesday. Everyone I have talked to that has been similar to my levels and all my symptoms have said "Get her out!" That is exactly what I am doing.

Patti


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