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Consistency of Hyperthyroid symptoms?

Posted , 4 users are following.

hazel70730
hazel70730

According to my doctors, I have had an overactive thryroid due to a viral infection, which will in time get better and should go away all together. I have seen a slow improvement over the last few months but find that for a few days I'll feel a lot better and be able to function fairly normally and then will have a few days when the symptoms seem to intensify. For example yesterday the palpitations were a lot more frequent and today I've had bad anxiety. Is this the norm with being hyperthyroid, or are your symptoms usually fairly consistent? I'm just wondering how much of what I am experiencing is from the overactive thryroid and how much of it is actually from the virus that caused it in the first place (or even if there is something else that could be agravating my body.)

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • linda187
    linda187 hazel70730

    Posted

    How are your doctors treating this?  Did they test for autoimmune antibodies?  If you have hyperthryoidism from any cause, I would think you would need to be on beta blockers like Propranolol to protect the heart.  I was given this and only took it when I felt I needed it and my doctor then stressed she meant for me to take it all the time to protect my heart but my rapid heart rate wasn't there all the time.  I do not know much about how transient hyperthyroidism due to viral illnesses is treated but I would imagine it would be similar to the treatments for other causes of hyperthyoidism and they might use thyroid hormone blocking drugs like propylthiouracil or carbimazole/methimazole.  One of the things that helped me was L-carnitine which is a supplement.   Carnitine is an amino acid that is naturally produced in the body and gets depleted during hyperthyroidism and I was deficient in it as are many hyperthyroidism sufferers.  I was also deficient in Vitamin D and added that.  Diet is important also.  Avoiding aspartame and eating a healthy diet also helps improve the condition.
    • hazel70730
      hazel70730 linda187

      Posted

      Hi Linda

       Because the consensus is that this is a temporary situation the doctors will not prescribe me any thyroid hormone blocking drugs becasue they say it should be resolved in about 3 months (although I am now going on for 5 months with it). I have however been given a low dose beta blocker called Cardicor which has definitely helped reduced palpitations. I never did have a continuously rapid heart rate but just had spikes every now and then, and this has greatly reduced too since taking the beta blocker.

      Although I have asked a number of times for further testing, the doctors are reluctant to do this presumably because of it being a temporary condition. This is very frustrating though because as I mentioned although I am definitely doing much better than I was a couple of months back, I am still experiencing symptoms five months into this which according to the doctors should have cleared up after 3 months. I have decided to go and see another doctor on Monday though for a fresh opinion and hopefully to do some further testing so plan to ask him to test for autoimmune bodies.

      Thanks for the tips and info about diet and L-cartinine and Vit D. Will try and convince the new doc to test for this too! 

    • linda187
      linda187 hazel70730

      Posted

      Leigh's point about Magnesium is important too.  If you are asking for tests, I would ask the doc to check for those.  Just tell him that other hyper patients that you know found out they were deficient in these vitamins/minerals because of their hyperthyroidism and supplementing made a big difference and you want to know if you are deficient also.
  • leigh25499
    leigh25499 hazel70730

    Posted

    Hi hazel. Look into magnesium deficiency symptoms - palpitations and anxiety are two signs of this and your doctor won't pick up on this. Taking medications further depletes this vital mineral. :-)

    • hazel70730
      hazel70730 leigh25499

      Posted

      Hi Leigh

      Appreciate this advice. I have started taking magnesium to help with the palpitations and I also to try and help with the bad muscle cramps I get when I have a flare up. But am thinking that perhaps I need to increase the dosage especially if it can help reduce the anxiety too.

  • sandra94977
    sandra94977 hazel70730

    Posted

    just another point about magnesium - i was told by a pharmicist that we absorb magnesium best through our skin so it's better to add magnesium sulphate (epsom salts) to a bath than to take tablets, very therapeutic too!  
    • leigh25499
      leigh25499 hazel70730

      Posted

      Hi - actually I believe the form the magnesium comes in dictates how absorbable it is in the body. Magnesium in Epsom salts is magnesium chloride. There are other forms such as magnesium taurate and magnesium glycinate - which I have read is highly absorbable and suitable for treating long term deficiency. My daughter had a life threatening asthma attack a few years ago and she was given a great deal of magnesium intravenously. So it is vital stuff. Unfortunately no doctor before or since has even mentioned this in passing to her , so caught up are they in prescribing only pharmaceutical drugs. Hope this helps.
    • hazel70730
      hazel70730 leigh25499

      Posted

      Wow, it really is amazing how many different conditions magnesium can help with! The form I have been taking is magnesium citrate. Also meant to be highly absorbable however upsets my tummy so will try one of the other forms you have suggested for long term use. Thanks again for the useful info.
    • leigh25499
      leigh25499 hazel70730

      Posted

      Hi hazel. You're so welcome. Here's to glowing good health ! X
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