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Im new to this. Some questions about hyperactive thyroid.

Posted , 8 users are following.

Kelso27
Kelso27

I was recently diagnosed with hyperactive thyroid. My Dr. put me on Metoprolol. My symptoms came on very suddenly. I was rocking my 10 month old in our recliner and had started to get a small headache, not long after that I started feeling really light-headed, dizzy, and nauseous. I checked my BP and it was. 151/101. That's when I decided i probably needed to go to the ER. We spent a while there and my BP kept getting higher and my HR was 132. They did a bunch of blood work to figure out what's going on. A few days later we got my results I was told I had hyperactive thyroid. I am scheduled to see an endocrinologist in July.

I know it's hard to tell what treatment I'll be getting since we don't know the underlying cause but I've read about the different causes and symptoms, and I just wanted to know a little more about what worked for other people with the same illness.

If you have Graves disease how treatable is it and how is it treated?

Can hyperactive thyroid be treated without radioactive iodine?

Can your thyroid go back to normal with taking medicine, or will I have to continue taking medicine forever to keep it in line?

If you are comfortable answering, what caused your hyperactive thyroid?

Sorry for the long story and questions, I just want to know more about this illness and what my treatment options may be. Thank you.

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • linda187
    linda187 Kelso27

    Posted

    I have emailed you privately as we are not allowed to post links to the Board.
    • Kelso27
      Kelso27 linda187

      Posted

      I live in Texas. Yes it is a long wait. My Dr. told me that it would be around five to six weeks, but it ended up being more like three months. They have me on a wait list in case something sooner becomes available (fingers-crossed). I just want to find out what caused it. I would get relief just from knowing what's going on. It happened so suddenly. I never would have thought I would have something wrong with my thyroid. I found out later that it does somewhat run in my family.

  • Cecelo
    Cecelo Kelso27

    Posted

    Hi kelso,

    I was diagnosed with hyperthyroid and subsequently Graves weeks later after experiencing unexplained rapid weight loss. I was about 11 months postpartum with my second child. As far as I know,  there is no known family history of thyroid issues.  My endo thinks being postpartum combined with major stress (my dad passed away around the same time) likely triggered my condition. 

    Since my diagnosis 2 years ago, I’ve taken only anti-thyroid meds supplemented with various vitamins. It took about 10 months before my levels (TSH and Tfrees)  returned to normal. I currently take a daily dosage of 1.25mgs for maintenance.

     I’ve heard of many people having successfully reached remission without surgery or RAI. I hope to someday get there myself.

    Good luck! 

    • Kelso27
      Kelso27 Cecelo

      Posted

      I've read that it can happen during postpartum but my Dr said 10 months postpartum far too long to have caused my thyroid to become overactive, so idk.

      I'm so sorry for your loss. That is such a stressful time.

      I hope you can get it into remission. Depending on what the underlying cause of my illness I hope I can get it back to normal without RAI or surgery.

      How long will you have to take your medicine for maintenance?

      I would hate to have to take medicine forever but that's likely going to be my case. I've never been too fond of taking medicines unless I absolutely have to.

  • Cecelo
    Cecelo Kelso27

    Posted

    Although I was diagnosed almost a year postpartum, I started experiencing symptoms as early as 6 months before but they were subtle and mild so I chalked it up to dealing with a newborn ie., lack of sleep, crazy hormones, stress etc. 

    Tbh I don’t really know exactly what caused my hyperthyroid either.  Since it’s an autoimmune disorder I guess it was always somewhere laying dormant in my genes. Stress was definitely a huge trigger. 

    Have you checked for a goiter or nodules as they could be the culprit. 

    As for meds, my doc never mentioned how long I can take it for. Right now I feel good so I just go with what works until otherwise. 

    • Samy3
      Samy3 Cecelo

      Posted

      Hi cecelo did u have a goiter?
    • Kelso27
      Kelso27 Cecelo

      Posted

      I definitely think stress is most likely the culprit. I'm an anxious person but the past year or two it's gotten a lot worse. I think I probably should have been put on some anxiety meds but I always put it off. I never thought my anxiety was serious enough to have it checked out. I don't know if maybe having prolonged my anxiety issues could have triggered something and caused my thyroid to become hyperactive. I don't know if that even is a thing that can happen. As for a goiter or nodules, I have no idea. I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling for and my neck doesn't look any different than before, definitely doesn't look like I have a goiter. When I go in to see my endocrinologist she is supposed to do an ultrasound to see if there is anything abnormal so I guess I'll find out then.

    • Cecelo
      Cecelo Samy3

      Posted

      Hi Samy,

      I don’t have a nodule but apparently I have a calcification in the thyroid area so I get ultrasound done yearly to make sure it’s not growing and no nodules grow around it? whatever that means 🤷🏻???

    • Cecelo
      Cecelo Kelso27

      Posted

      My endo actually suggested that I do yoga. Thought it was an odd suggestion from a medicine doctor but after reading many articles online, stress apparently can be a real trigger. 

      Good luck with your appointment!

    • Kelso27
      Kelso27 Cecelo

      Posted

      I will have to try something like that, anything to try to keep the stress away. I do listen to music or even watch YouTube to try to take my mind off of things. Maybe yoga would do the trick for me. Thank you for your suggestion.
  • Mike61308
    Mike61308 Kelso27

    Posted

    Stress! stress!  I do Tai-Chi to steady my mind and listen to music to loosen my nerve. Taking everything easy is actually a difficult task... how do we achieve it?
    • Kelso27
      Kelso27 Mike61308

      Posted

      Yes, trying to take it easy is better said than done. I'm know that there are lots of people that have more stressful stuff going on that me, but having two little ones and college sure fills up my plate fast. Plus my anxiety doesn't help much. That and stress seem to go hand in hand.

  • SuzeInSD
    SuzeInSD Kelso27

    Posted

    I was told the earliest appointment I could get with an Endocrinologist would be in October.  I was placed on a waiting list, too.  Last Monday I called to see if there was any way  I could get in sooner. Fortunately, someone had called that morning to cancel. They fit me right in.  Try calling once a week to see if you have any luck.
    • Kelso27
      Kelso27 SuzeInSD

      Posted

      Wow that's a long time to wait. I'm glad you were able to get in sooner. I will have to call and see. Thanks for the advice. Hope all is well.

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