Cabmiazole/Graves/Weight Gain

[elvina]

I have been on carbimazole since June when I was diagnosed with Graves. I was also put on propranalol for the shakes but am off that now and my current carbimazole dose is 10mg a day. My last two blood tests, since dose was reduced from 15mg. I have two issues, one is terrible pain in my shoulders and hips which I believe is down to the Graves but worst of all is the weight gain. I lost 1.5 stone before going on the meds as I had been on a careful diet and now its all back on and I cant shift if, even now I am back on the diet. Can anyone recommend anything to help me get the weight off? Thanks

[Fruitandnutcase]

Sorry no, I wish I could. It says in all the books that you will put the weight back on and I didn't believe it but I have done. I loved being a skinny little size ten - it was the only good thing about having Graves - but sadly I'm now a fairly chunky size 14 with clothes that cover all sizes in between 😕

[elvina in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Hi Fruitandnutcase. Thanks for the reply. I had lost my weight over about a year using the Fast Diet, it was only in the week or two before being diagnosed that I think the weight loss was down to the Graves. Have you tried anything to get the weight off?

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to elvina]

I was the same. I'd be at WW for years on and off and sometimes I would lose weight and sometimes no matter what I did I stayed the same, towards the point I was diagnosed I had moved onto something like the Scarsdale diet. Basically I cut out bread and had very little in the way of potatoes, I ate very healthily - no sweets, biscuits, junk food etc loads of vegetables, chicken, fish, the odd bit steak and lean lamb. Towards the end the weight loss must have been Graves and my WW leader went from thinking I was sneaking food and lying about it to thinking I wasn't eating food and lying about it. As it was I was eating loads and getting thinner and thinner.

This time I thought I was becoming hypo which was the reason I not losing weight no matter what I do these days. I was diagnosed with some sort of inflammatory arthritis way back in September and started on steroids and hydroxychloroquine. On the strength of that being one autoimmune conditions too many I have been totally GF since the 18th September.

To my great surprise for some reason or another I have gone completely and utterly off sweet food and I haven't had a single biscuit, bar of chocolate - look at my name - the fruit and nut were pretty much two of my five a day and because of the IA I was always so exhausted I was pretty much ' powered by chocolate'. In that time had the cake a couple of times and been unable to finish it so I don't even bother now because I know I won't like it. That is totally out of character for me.

The weird thing is that in spite of having no snacks, junk food etc I am still not really losing weight - Maybe four pounds at the most that comes and goes for no particular reason. I can't believe that I have cut out so much of the sort of stuff that puts weight on and yet the weight isn't falling off me. It really is strange.

A medical student who was in with my GP recently suggested maybe the fat was turning to muscle and that could be the reason- muscle being heavier than fat but I can honestly say there is no chance of that.

So no I haven't be deliberately dieting but with the healthy changes to my diet and knowing how much chocolate I've stopped eating I can't understand why I am not losing more pounds. I'm not going to go back to WW though, there is no point, I know I'm not eating the wrong stuff - if WW did honorary degrees I'd have a First I've been going so long so I know I'm not doing / eating the wrong stuff and I know I get a reasonable amount of exercise.

My body is just weird at the moment - well probably just weird. In fact I think when I've lost good amounts of weight in the past it's been because I've had hyper phases, I was told about twenty years ago when the doctor and I both thought my thyroid was under active that in fact my results were borderline hyper - should have done something about it at that time but I was totally ignorant about all that sort of stuff back then I've just never become hyper enough to make me as ill as I was this time.

[TallRedPoppy]

This is exactly where I am just now, having gained about 12lbs in under 3 months and also getting pain in shoulder and hip.

I'm waiting on the Graves antibody test coming back, as my last blood tests showed me to be underactive on my Carbimazole dosage of 15mg, so I'm now on 5mg per day, but seem to be gaining weight daily.

Have you made any progress?

[Julieob]

I am new to carbimazole and have had graves for around two years,I thought the weight would drop off me as I was already carrying too much and could of done with the help but alas since  being on carbimazole I have changed from a healthish, energetic go getter who swam enjoyed Zumba and walking, to a pain riddled misery with what feels like bad back and hip pain to the point of not being able to do anything at all except work ,awaiting surgery in two weeks honestly I can't wait to get this drug out of my system and just not be in pain or feel depressed! How toxic is this thing? I lived quite happily on thyroxine for years took some time adjusting the dose but at least I felt human until I started becoming over active and had graves which then led to calcium in my water and being tested for para thyroid calcium secretion and my whole life has changed for the worse, any advice would be welcome as I, m new to this site and sorry for being a misery it's honestly the way I feel julie