# Graves Disease and Alcohol



## MrGraves

Hi friends, 
I have a question and I know it is only to be taken with a grain of salt and not medical advice. Im still, fighting this thing totally unconventionally and doing ok. I have possibly a bomb shell of a question here.

What are the negative effects of alcohol on a person with graves disease? 
I have not been able to drinnk alcohol in almost 11 years. to make a long story short, I had a week last week that would drive a bus of nuns to a tavern. 2 friends and my Mother cat passed away last week. ughhh..

So, I found myself, out of curiosity and because the description sounded delicious, Sipping on a lil 7up and Crown Royal. VERRRRRRY slow , it was a airplane bottle that took me 4 hours to drink.

I have to admit, I felt great and Ive drank every night since then, not a lot, just a few sips. I am not getting "drunk" , just a little buzz to take the edge off with dinner. Is this bad?
Thanks for the advice.


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## Andros

MrGraves said:


> Hi friends,
> I have a question and I know it is only to be taken with a grain of salt and not medical advice. Im still, fighting this thing totally unconventionally and doing ok. I have possibly a bomb shell of a question here.
> 
> What are the negative effects of alcohol on a person with graves disease?
> I have not been able to drinnk alcohol in almost 11 years. to make a long story short, I had a week last week that would drive a bus of nuns to a tavern. 2 friends and my Mother cat passed away last week. ughhh..
> 
> So, I found myself, out of curiosity and because the description sounded delicious, Sipping on a lil 7up and Crown Royal. VERRRRRRY slow , it was a airplane bottle that took me 4 hours to drink.
> 
> I have to admit, I felt great and Ive drank every night since then, not a lot, just a few sips. I am not getting "drunk" , just a little buzz to take the edge off with dinner. Is this bad?
> Thanks for the advice.


I am so sorry for the loss of your friends and your mother cat as well. Geez!! Things do happen in multiples.

There is nothing wrong w/ having a little snort to take the edge off but do be aware that we w/ thyroid disease do not metabolize alcohol like ordinary persons.

I do hope things have gotten better for you this week. The pendulum always swings the other way so it has to improve.


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## CANDON

I noticed not too many people want to take a shot (so to speak) at this question.

You can - as I suggest to anyone on this board - "google" the effects of alcohol on the central nervous system (CNS) and its either enhancing or detrimental effect in conjunction with various prescriptions.

There is a common thread (on the internet) that says that one of the replacement thyroid treatments ( I will not mention the name - legal) puts the person more "sensitive" to the effects of alcohol on the CNS.

You did not mention what treatment you are under for Graves (RAI ??) or did I miss that?

It would stand to reason that if you are even slightly hypo - which means the CNS is already depressed and you consume alcohol which further depresses reactions within the CNS then that is a bad thing.

If you are hyper with an over stimulated CNS then you would think alcohol would settle you down - so to speak. But hard grain alcohol, (like full spirits - not wine) has odd effects on the CNS. In people in an over excited state, the alcohol does not depress the CNS but actually can "over stimulate" it by chemical reactions. Again please search this out yourself for your own research. But if you want a real world situation - think bar fights...not the ones with totally hammered individuals, but the vicious exchanges that happen after a couple of drinks.

Now, I am not talking wine - specifically dark red wines - which because of the other ingredients - not the alcohol specifically - have been proven in moderation to be very beneficial.

The bottom line is drinking with any medical condition is *IN MY OPINION *a crap shoot. Mixing hard alcohol and prescription drugs can be a real problem.

My best advice is to talk to a qualified endo or a physician that is familiar with Graves and be point blank/up front and tell them&#8230;

Also, - again my opinion, I would not accept a prescription for a SSRI (serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor) to make you feel better either. There has been much controversy as to their effectiveness for mild to moderate depression (again do you own research). Bad or severe depression - yes&#8230;SSRI's and Graves is not a well documented dance partner&#8230;they may Tango, but they don't Jive&#8230;

So what would I suggest since I seem to think I know it all - well, I am glad you asked, fresh air , sunshine and exercise&#8230;no Iam not a natural health "freak" as some put it, but I do believe that with Graves we have enough problems without adding a few more side effects&#8230;JMHO&#8230;


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## MrGraves

Im not under any treatment right now, I quit taking the PTU and the beta blocker and I feel better without them. I was Diagnosed hyper with a enlarged thyroid, I have spent al my $ trying to get to Docs and Endo's and where I live they have only been able to diagnose me, experiment on me, I cant make up my decision about RAI or surgery, I had surgery on my kidneys and it was a horrible experience. I highly dis trust the medical industry, they lie, they refuse to admit a mistake or offer a apology, I cant stand them, they are rude, have no bedside manner and frankly when I get down to it with them, they just really dont know what to do with me. One endo says he wouldnt operate on me, one says get it done asap... none of the 3 Ive seen know thier * from a hole in the ground. Folks on this great forum know way more and have tought me way more and informed me of way more things than spending 10,000$ got me.

So I went holistic, using lemon balm and gypsy wort , they work, no side effects and they work pretty quick, only thing is, my thyroid likes to fight, Im far from the flight system, Im a fighter when it comes to where I am with my reactions to things. Im not very easy to be around, Im heightened all day and wrather snappy. I am a kind patient person, I just cant stand BS that wastes my time, literaly in seconds , Im irretated. So this "thyroid storm " syndrome comes and goes in waves with me, Ill feel great, not sweaty, no testicular pain, no back pain, gettin great sleep and then wham, my left arm pit starts to sweat profusely, my right ear starts to ring and I know its about to hit the fan.

Now in the last 10 days, with all this death around me, I got sooooooo down, I lost my fight, my flight, my life force, a little faith and really needed the edge off. I took a LOT of pride in 12 years of sobriety but I broke it and am glad I did. You are right, the alcohol seems to stimulate my CNS but in a real positive way. Im actualy calm, happy, settled, I can eat, it isnt illegal, I got a script right here for medicinal M and I wont go pick it up. I play a instrument, when on the standard graves energy, I cannot play very well anymore and when I was in school the word vurtuoso was used to describe my ability, now I sound like a 5th grader because im so hyper my mind puts my left hand fingers on the instrument before my right hand can process, well, with 2 shots of C-royal that all slows down and i can play again. Playing is somthing that brings me great joy.

To those thinking, this guy dont have graves,, he has quit his meds, hates his docs, dont believ in endo;s and drinks!!! what a fool.. 
I would agree to your train of thought but I promise you I have been diagnosed with graves from several different sources, Ive done the ultra sound the tsh screens (many many times) and here is where I am at and PLEASE dont let this discourage anyone reading this. 
I have given up on fighting this crap. yea I got it, ok, no one knows what to do for sure so there leaving it up to me, a lamen, a wood worker, to make a life decision that Ive paid thousands for PHD Endo's to steal my $$ and give me omega fatty fish oils that had me burping up rotten carp taste for 36 hours. So, Im dealing with it as best I can on my own, when my heart rate is extremely high, I take aspirin and do a breathing technique the military snipers use to lower thier heart rate before they shoot some one. I take herbal suppliments that will knock a thyroid storm on its butt in about 5-6 hours (the lemon balm and gypsy wort)

Ive taken the vail of "graves disease" off, Im not bound to it any more, I dont believ in it. My name is Tim, not Mr.Graves anymore. 
quick facts: no alcohol, im not as happy, im not motivated in a positive manner, a little bit of crown R with some 7 up and it turns this horrid nasty energy in my chest (like butterflys you would get if you got pulled over with a pound of cocane in your lap) into a nice warm, organized, comfortable energy. Here is what Im worried about, BECOMING A ALCOHOLIC. Im not on any Thy treatment or meds. I make a decision to quit taking them because they werent making me better and the side effects really sucked the wind out of me. I obviously , in my right mind, cannot drink alcohol on a daily. But I want to. I am also a member of a community that knows me as a sober , non drinker. I refuse to drive if Ive had ANY alcohol at all , so it really rules out being able to drink much as I am a active person.


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## MrGraves

FOR ANYONE READING THIS, PLEASE DO NOT DRINK ANY ALCOHOL WITHOUT ASKING YOUR DOCTOR 1ST AND FOREMOST. JUST BECAUSE IT IS MAKING ME FEEL BETTER AFTER 3 FRIENDS PASSING AWAY IN A 10 DAY TIME PERIOD DOESNT MEAN ITS GOING TO HELP YOU, OR CONTINUE HELPING ME. 
I have come to terms that I will die from this disease , wrather than be a experiment and broke.... lied to like a fool and miserable... 
And thats not a negatory , "wha wha feel sorry for me" statement. Im honestly more at peace now, than when I was trying to fight and figure it all out. Its just too much and Im gonna live my life. Ive put it all at Gods feet and it is his plan for me to have this. 
Any response is greatly welcome and appreciated!
Tim


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## GD Women

If you don't get treated you just might die of Graves' period. And it won't be by Gods will for he gave *YOU* the choice to choose your own direction. Before there was a treatment 50% of Graves' died. So if you don't really want to die I suggest you to shape up and get treatment! Most of us have had losses, many losses and under the age of 3. We cry, we grieve, we drink and we'll never forget them. But we pick ourselves up and go on with life...it does go on! It's alright to have a pity party but some time you'll have to get off the pot. I have found it is more the patient that's the problem rather than the doctor. Life is short and you are making it shorter! and that's your call.


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## MrGraves

woa, a stern talking to.. 
I appreciate it but, no thanks. 
Im fine and have grieved my loss's. Like I was stating, the docs up here
cant make up thier mind, but want to bill me and stick me constantly. it was literaly torture for me mentally. Ive read where stress can make graves flare up, the doctors crap kept me in a CONSTANT state of mental and financial stress. I was always going to the doc, going to the pharmacy for some stuff that made me feel horrible... Ive cut myself free of all that stress, worry and frankly what Im beginning to think is a lot of stuff for nothing. They dont want and do not suggest I do RAI because of my kidneys, one endo says he would operate, one says he would not. Thats God telling me, "these fools dont know your body like you do, run as fast as you can! " I fought with this and the Docs and my family etc etc. It is my decision and I am so much happier, joyus and free from thier crap, I feel it has lessened the fx my graves has on me.

Im not super stressed about some jerk who has no clue what he is talking about other than taking my credit card number. I pray every day, several times a day and I know my lord is not mad at me and has really blessed me with the courage to fight this disease and this horrible medical system. I read the threads, how people get RAI's done and 10 years later they have graves again, or they get the surgery and have all kinds of problems from that. No thanks, Ive learned to live with this and it is far more comfortable WITHOUT these medical monkeys. I leave it between me , My lord and savior Jesus, and I get a resounding "screw it" in my head.

If you want to look at it like the way you are GD, God gave me graves disease also... but I am not mad at him at all, not at all. Today is a nice day, the sun is out, its almost 70, its beautiful, I have my Dog at work with me.. I DONT have to goto the pharmacy, the Doctor, the lab, I dont have to call anyone about Labs, I DONT CARE ANYMORE. If I die of a heart attack today, then I get to go home today. Im healthy, skinny, try to eat well and HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE  Yes I can get snappy, yes ill be sweaty, but im free from thier "billing systems" and RX that never did anything for me. Get this, one endo said metabolicaly, im aging my organs 60% faster than the average person. now how can he give me a number like that when they cant advise me on a procedure. ???? its BS. I went and had blood work done and my organs are fine, my BP is a little high, my pulse is a little high, but, during a serious stressfull work day, who's isnt. (my white blood cell count was high also) 
GD, to say that its the gravers fault we die from graves is insideous, we didnt ask for this, we didnt do anything to get it, were not doctors or scientist, were people suffering from a pretty crappy disease. 
I think its very very much a mental battle, if your mentally locked into suffering from graves, BOY your gonna suffer! The power of suggestion is just that, POWER. When they had me under thier spell I felt so sick, now that Ive told them to cram it, I feel better mentally,which free's up space on my hard drive to feel good physically. I still have back and leg ratcheting 3-4 days a week, but ya know what, Ive learned , in a hard way to live with it. Testicular pain that would drop me to the floor, I am now able to walk and breath off. SOMTHING is changing for the better and it started the day I cut the loser moron doctors off and decided to keep my sanity away from liars and crooks (Doctors) I got one good doc and he aint a indo, he will write me blood work and go over it with me and I keep him and thats it. Dont need no endo's, they practice a false trade. I talked to a man at the mayo clinic and he said, frankly,, we know a lot about what happens, we know nothing about how to control it or stop it as every person is different. THAT was the most honest answer I ever got about graves and it was free. 
God Bless


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## chopper

Mr. Graves....we spoke before....I think you need to make the right choices too. WHY would you want to live with something that can kill you when a simple operation might make you feel perfectly well, physically and mentally? It just doesn't make any sense. Graves is NOT a death sentence. It's something that happens to quite a few select individuals - individuals who are strong enough to handle the disease.

If you were so religious you would realize that God doesn't hand to you more than you are capable of handling and if you want to talk purpose and "why me?" then figure out your purpose AFTER going through the ordeal, not before it. You will be stronger and have a story to tell. A story of survival and overcoming fears and illness - that's the purpose in my opinion. Im sure God didn't "bless" you with Graves for you to lay down and die. Graves came to you to make you stronger in the end and to give you purpose. After the fact, when you are cured and looking back, you will have a new way of looking at things - all things. I am not very religious but its my opinion that you, me, us all....we got this disease because we were lacking something in our lives or abusing ourselves or something that was not on the right track and so we needed this test to get our lives back on the right path. Everything happens for a reason. God didn't "bless" you with Graves' so you could quit and die...he did it because you needed to be set back on course in some way and overcoming the disease is the way he chose to show you the light.

That's my thoughts anyway. I wish you well and hope you do what needs to get done to get fixed.


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## MrGraves

Because the stress of it all was killing me, NOTHING in my life is simple, which is ok, no ones life is totaly simple, I know, in my heart and soul, no matter what procedure I pick, it will not go well. I feel great mentally, Ive gone from whining and crying about this to being totally joyfull because I have left this to fate. I do not think it is graves that will kill me. Im not extremely religous, I have a very close personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I read the bible, I dont goto church and I cant recite scripture to people. Im not crying why me, Im done with that. I think you guys are taking this the wrong way, you shouldnt be confused you should be happy for me that Im feeling better and not bound by the chains of graves disease. I wish the same for all of you. My God doesnt test me, he prepares me. 
I am blessed to know people all over the world, several months ago, I simply asked everyone I know to pray for me. I then got lab work back that stated my thyroid panels were all in the "normal range" which we all know really doesnt mean anything. However, I took it as a blessing and really put my faith in the fact that the prayer's worked. Ive been absolutely miserable for several years up until april 14th of this year when I had a awakening about my attitude, stress level, "fight" level and the sheer incompitence of the medical help I was seeking. I just quit taking it all so seriously, I decided to take a break from all the "concern" and stress and tests and monitoring & standing in the line at the pharmacy and all the miserable things that came with this disease for me. I decided I was really sick of everything being about me all day, because it isnt. I decided , instead of taking all this time driving all over the region to pay incompitent people for nothing, Ill start doing selfless acts of kindness for all the people who have put up with my crap for years. This one action, "thinking of others 1st" has changed my life for the better and brings me great joy. I have stopped and am smelling the roses. Worry is a sin, when you worry all day , your sinning all day.. not good for me. I was told that god has all this planned out, he knows what and who is going to take care of this, how and when, if I, as a simple minded man try to figure out a divine plan, Ill miss it as it passes right by my face. I had to stop trying to figure it out on my own, I had to stop giving all my money to Docs with NO answers ( I have zero insurance) I had to take my life away from graves and Doctor visits and give it to God and Ive felt more free from the disease ever since.

I appreciate this conversation as, Ive been there, done that, ALL BUT a RAI or physical removal, I hope , if anything, everyone that reads this can take from me... lighten up, DO NOT STRESS STRESS STRESS about graves disease, the stress will make the graves snowball on itself. Love yourself and have faith & hope. Take the positive things this disease brings you and think about those instead of all the negative things. 
For every action, there is a equal and opposite reaction, positivity breeds positivity, negativity (and for me STRESS) breeds more negativity and stress. Try to be free of stress


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