# Just started methimazole



## DesertC (Jul 25, 2011)

I was diagnosed with Graves' a week ago, and started 10mg of methimazole daily. A low dose, from what I understand, but I'm still learning. My endo said it is very mild at this point, but with a strong family history she wants to start treatment. Before I was diagnosed, I was experiencing some fatigue, but its been manageable. I was just starting to notice that my heart rate seemed high all the time, but I thought it was just because I was tired and everything just seemed harder.

The first day I took the methimazole, I didn't notice anything different, which I expected because I was told it takes 6-8 weeks to fully take effect in your system. The second day I took it, I was fine at first, but at the end of a pretty hectic day at work I felt like I was going to pass out. I wanted nothing more than to lay down and not move. Standing still, I felt like I was standing on a rocking boat. And I was this strange combination of starving and nauseous. I went home, ate dinner and went to bed.

In the days since, nothing like that has happened. I'm experiencing a lot of fatigue, but it seems like sometimes its no big deal, and other times I put on a movie for my poor kids because the thought of getting off the couch seems insane.

Has anyone had a similar experience? I swear the fatigue has gotten worse this week- is it because I'm on the meds now? Or are stronger symptoms kicking in? My husband is very supportive, but he doesn't understand how sometimes I can feel fine and other times I don't want to move off the couch- and honestly, neither do I!

I will talk to my endo today to try to understand things a little better, but if anyone with more experience with this has anything to say, I'd love to hear it.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

DesertC said:


> I was diagnosed with Graves' a week ago, and started 10mg of methimazole daily. A low dose, from what I understand, but I'm still learning. My endo said it is very mild at this point, but with a strong family history she wants to start treatment. Before I was diagnosed, I was experiencing some fatigue, but its been manageable. I was just starting to notice that my heart rate seemed high all the time, but I thought it was just because I was tired and everything just seemed harder.
> 
> The first day I took the methimazole, I didn't notice anything different, which I expected because I was told it takes 6-8 weeks to fully take effect in your system. The second day I took it, I was fine at first, but at the end of a pretty hectic day at work I felt like I was going to pass out. I wanted nothing more than to lay down and not move. Standing still, I felt like I was standing on a rocking boat. And I was this strange combination of starving and nauseous. I went home, ate dinner and went to bed.
> 
> ...


What criteria was used to diagnose you with Graves' Disease?

Can you post your most recent thyroid lab results with the ranges prior to starting on Methimazole? Make sure you have the ranges, please.

Actually, anti-thyroid meds have very short half-lives of literally 3 to 4 hours so the pretty much go to work immediately. She must have meant that it would take you 8 weeks to stabilize and see a difference in your numbers. Maybe. Just sort of speculating here.


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## DesertC (Jul 25, 2011)

I don't have my lab results from last week, that's one of the things I want to ask my dr about. I won't know what I'm looking at yet, but I can learn, right? I do have the lab results from the tests my PCP ordered, but he didn't order everything the endo wanted, and she added more to them when she ran the labs.

The thyroid uptake scan showed a 4 hour uptake of 16% (normal 4-10%) and a 24 hour uptake of 26% (10-22%). There's a not saying results are consistent with diffuse toxic goiter with no hyper or hypofunctioning nodules.

TSH .05 (.45-4.5)
T4 1.8 (.8-1.7)
These numbers are from the beginning of June, not last week.

My endo ordered more tests than that before prescribing the Methimazole, I just don't have a copy of those yet. She also did an ultrasound and showed me what a normal thyroid looks like compared to mine.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

DesertC said:


> I don't have my lab results from last week, that's one of the things I want to ask my dr about. I won't know what I'm looking at yet, but I can learn, right? I do have the lab results from the tests my PCP ordered, but he didn't order everything the endo wanted, and she added more to them when she ran the labs.
> 
> The thyroid uptake scan showed a 4 hour uptake of 16% (normal 4-10%) and a 24 hour uptake of 26% (10-22%). There's a not saying results are consistent with diffuse toxic goiter with no hyper or hypofunctioning nodules.
> 
> ...


Based on the uptake, you are hyperthyroid.

Now, if you were to have Graves', you would have the following..............

Exophthalmos, goiter, pretibial myxedema and thyrotoxicosis. Do you? I hope NOT! This is the criteria as per Dr. Robert Graves' which you can Google if you like.

It might be that 10 mgs. of Methimazole is a bit much right now since you seem so exhausted. Maybe you should get a call in to your doc about this? You think? 10 mg. is a low dose but you can go lower. Maybe; depends on your labs and what the doc has to say. You have to be able to function.


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## DesertC (Jul 25, 2011)

My endo has said thyrotoxicosis, but I don't know those other words... time to start Googling! Thank you for the quick responses, I'm still waiting on her call back and this gives me more to talk to her about.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

DesertC said:


> My endo has said thyrotoxicosis, but I don't know those other words... time to start Googling! Thank you for the quick responses, I'm still waiting on her call back and this gives me more to talk to her about.


Have fun!

http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter10/10-frame.htm

If you go to the Home Page, you will find more chapters on Graves'


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## AZgirl (Nov 11, 2010)

ID like to refer to that as graves coma... maybe 10 mgs is to high. Your numbers show hyper, but not rediculously bad.... wonder if you could ask to cut back to 7.5 or 5mg. just a thought... but without your FT3 and FT4s we cant exactly see where your at. Although, before i started meds last summer, i was hyper, obviously with Graves, but instead of me having all this energy, and not being able to sleep like the symtoms say, i was actually DEAD TIRED i think my heart was overworking, making me CRASH... BUT id still talk to doc about maybe lowering it. im supprized your doc only gave y ou 10 mgs. usuaslly many of them like to give more (and of course, i sooo disagree with that)


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