Graves disease quality life
Common Questions and Answers about Graves disease quality life
graves-disease
Conventional treatment options for Graves' disease include:
* Anti-thyroid medication:
In the US:
- Methimazole [brand name Tapazole]
- Propylthiouracil [PTU]
Approximately 30% with Graves' disease will have a remission after prolonged treatment with anti-thyroid drugs.
Selenium helps with thyroid inflammation so this may help with your throat symptoms. Also, in 2011 a study demonstrated that selenium supplementation (200 mcg per day) can slow the progression of eye disease and improve quality of life in patients with Graves' disease with mild ocular involvement (Graves' ophthalmopathy).
In supplement form, the most bioavailable form of selenium is L selenomethionine.
I have Graves Disease and had RAI in June 2008 and it was BEFORE RAI that my TSH was suppressed.Prior to RAI, I could never get my TSH past the 0.10 mark.
My antibodies were over 4000.
Since RAI my antibodies have been under the reference range meaning I am in remission at present and have been for some time..
Since RAI I started on a T4 med when my TSH rose to just over 6.0.
I was actually surprised to see my TSH go over 0.10 as it had been that for many years.
It hasnt gone under the 2.
thanks for all the help.iam gonna try to apply for some health insuarance through the state.i dont have an appointment until july,but i can wait that long.so when i make an appointment i ask to do the free t3/t4/Hashimoto's disease and graves disease testing?
Graves Disease is never cured BUT it is managed better without a thyroid or after RAI.
You still have the antibodies but no thyroid for it to attack.
As for meds, you swap one lot for another.
You go from anti-thyroid meds to a T4 medication so basically you are on meds for life.
The thyroid regulates every organ in your body and if no thyroid, meds have to do the job.
Hyperthyroidism is a lot easier to manage without a thyroid.
I was diagnosed with Graves disease 8 months ago, making my thyroid very overactive. I didn't respond well to the medication as it was affecting my White blood cells and a full thyroidectomy was decided upon after taking Lugol's iodine for a week to bring it under control. The huperthyroidism had left me with rapid heart beat, palpitations, severe anxiety, muscle loss, weakness, non-existent periods, the list is endless.
Graves is an autoimmune disease and unfortunately for life. Controlling whether they raise or suppress is key to beating the symptoms of the disease.
If you are on Levo now - your labs must be abnormal and now lean towards hypoT levels. You would feel like cr@p right now with the swinging patterns you have been on.
"Once Graves.... always Graves" is the saying here. But I am positive your endo or ???
Hyperthyroidism lists fatigue as a symptom. This can be due to insomnia and difficulty sleeping, a rapid pulse, and/or higher blood pressure.
Conventional treatment options for Graves' disease include:
* Anti-thyroid medication:
In the US:
- Methimazole [brand name Tapazole]
- Propylthiouracil [PTU]
Approximately 30% with Graves' disease will have a remission after prolonged treatment with anti-thyroid drugs.
Six months of selenium supplements had a beneficial effect on thyroid eye disease and were associated with improvement in the quality of life of participants. These positive effects persisted at 12 months. There were no side-effects.
Selenium acts as an antioxidant and also has effects on thyroid autoimmunity, though the exact mechanism of its action in patients with thyroid eye disease is unknown.
Reference
Marcocci et al. Selenium and the Course of Mild Graves' Orbitopathy.
I am a 43 year old female. I was diagnosed in February (2008) with Graves’ Disease. I was started on methimazole (10mg 3x/day). In March I was switched to PTU (50mg 2x/day) when I developed a rash from the methimazole, and after blood work (Free T3 1.6, Free T4 0.38, TSH 4.05). In April I went back for blood work (Free T3 1.69, Free T4 0.29, TSH 42.3) and my dose was lowered to 25 mg once/day. In May my labs indicated that I am still hypo from too much PTU (Free T3 2.06, Free T4 0.
I also have Graves disease and from my understanding you are never "cured", but, once your thyroid is either dead or you have it removed you should no longer be suffering from the symptoms. Except the protruding eyes, that is the only symptom that they can't reverse. That you are going to have to live with for the rest of your life. That's why it's so important to get treated before that happens. I would say that your tiredness is from being perimenopausal.
I am a 25 y/o female diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at 16 and later with Graves Disease and Goiter. I have been on Tapazol along with Atenelol (for the Tachacardia) off and on for the past 9 years with no results. Every doc I see wants to discuss nothing but RAI or surgery. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for a few years with no success. I finally found out that I was pregnant the beginning of last year and made it to 4 months and suffered a miscarriage for no apparent reason.
Thank you for your response! I'd like to know if, in your experience, surgery would put an end to the autoimune process. I understand I would then become hypo and need T4 replacement for the rest of my life but right now my quality of life is declining rapidly.I've been dealing with a lot of discomfort for 2 years and beind 42 years old with 2 children I need to find a way to feel better again. I have recently developed anemia, not sure whether is related to the thyroid.
hi i'm a 28 yr old woman and have suffered badly with symptoms from graves disease for 3yrs i've been on propylthiouracil for a year now as i had a severe allergic reaction to carbimazole!
my symptoms include insomnia,severe fatigue,anxiety,bouts of depression,poor concentration,memory loss,bruising easily,dizziness,nausea and graves rage and weakened immune system (sick often). the problem is that i've recently had a blood test that read normal at 5.
iam apatient who suffers graves disease. My question is : Although I am almost 4 months on Carbamizole treatment 60 mg + Taking inderal ( propanalol), but the levels of my T4 & T3 are still high and the levels of TSH is less than 0.01.
what do you think , should i sstop the medication and think of the other allternatives like the radioactive iodine or surgical removal?
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