# Continue atenolol while off Methimazole prepping for RAI



## blady329 (Mar 12, 2011)

I have decided to get RAI and my doctor told me to quit taking my antithyroid meds and go in for bloodwork to see if my levels are high again in 2 weeks.
She said I do not need to take my atenolol unless I need it. I don't want to take a chance with my heart and I was wondering if anyone else was told to do this?
Also didn't get too much information from her today about how I would feel after the radiation, what is a "normal" feeling so I don't rush out to the ER while "glowing" lol. I'm also curious as to what the process is... I have read I would do a uptake scan and then be given the pill but I was wondering if that is 2 or 3 days after the scan. I was told I would be going to the same place I went for my initial diagnosis scan to get these tests again and be administered the RAI.
Also wondering if anyone else my age ( Almost 20, bday is in 2 weeks, female) has had this and what issues they have faced, if any, from RAI.
Any other recommendations on anything I should know is also helpful!
Thanks!


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## Kendak (Jan 25, 2011)

Hi:
I have Graves disease and was put on atenolol on Jan 30th,2010 and I am still on it 6 weeks post RAI. I think that you are supposed to wean off of atenolol, not just stop taking it. When I had the uptake scan, I was to be there at 7:00 am and took a drink of solution and had to leave and come back at 11:00. They did 5 different scans that took approximately 5 minutes each. That was it, I was done. My uptake was 64% in 4 hours. I went back for the RAI a week later (I could have done it sooner but wanted a Friday). They took me into a separate room with the nuclear med doctor (and 3 interns) and went over the precautions, etc. and then I was taken into another room and given my drink. My drink was about 2 teaspoons full that I drank through a straw. They told me not to eat for an hour, but could drink right away. Drink, drink, drink water for the next 72 hours to flush the radiation that is not absorbed by your thyroid out of your body. I felt better pretty quickly, but I am still hyper at 6 weeks and still taking my atenolol.... but I feel SO much better and patiently waiting for the hypo to set in. I was very nervous over the unknown (RAI) and now will try to ease others fears that it is nothing to get to worked up about, mine was fairly uneventful. Hope this helps


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## mum2bradley (Sep 27, 2010)

I am doing it right now.
I saw the Nuc Dr on March 8 and went off my Tapazole.
Mon Mar 14 I went back for my small drink of radioactive stuff.
Today Mar 15 I went back and they did a reading and I did see that it said I had a high reading. Then they injected me with radioactive iodine tracer called technetium. I then had to wait 15 minutes. They they did 4 different scans. My uptake was 75% so that is high.
I go back Thursday at 11:00 for my RAI. He said I would get 10-12 mci. He had to take a better look at my scans.
I started taking my beta-blocker on Sunday 40 mg 1x a day. He told me I should split that up and take half in the morning and half at night. My heart rate is between 75-80bpm right now but my blood pressure is a bit low so he didn't want me taking an more or it. He told me that he will instruct me to start taking my Tapazole 1 week after the RAI. I was taking 7.5 mg then.
Hope that helps.
Leanne


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