Overactive thyroid and taking carbimazole

[Peanutx]

Hi I was diagnosed with overactive thyroid yesterday for the second time, I had a reading of 38.9 was given carbimazole 20g and took my first one a had a real bad case of diarrhoea, and am shaking like mad inside today. Is this a common side effect of carbimazole? 

[Arab]

Hi Peanutx, 

I don't know about Carbimazole, - that made me constipated! But it's definitely a sign of overactive!! 

Arab. 🙂

[Peanutx in reply to Arab]

Thank you just hope they kick in soon 😊

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Peanutx]

They have the effect of reducing production of thyroid hormone quite quickly.. But your stored thyroid hormone can take some time to be reduced.

People often report taking carbimazole for, say, a couple of weeks, then suddenly becoming hypothyroid.

[Peanutx in reply to helvella]

Thank you 😊 when I had it last time I didn't feel half as bad as I do now. 

[Fruitandnutcase]

No I didn't have any problems like you describe but it probably took about a month before I felt even slightly human again.

Do you think it would help if your doctor gave you beta blockers? A lot of hyper people get them - I didn't because I have asthma but that might help the shaking inside feeling.  I've got IBS and my system seems to lurch from one extreme to the other so I wouldn't have associated diarrhoea with the carb.

[Peanutx in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you could be that it's a high dose and my body just not used to it. 

[Fruitandnutcase]

I started on 20mcg every morning but when I had a blood test after four weeks my bloods hadn't really changed, T4 a bit but TSH was exactly where it started and I got a letter from my endo telling me to double the dose. I have to say I felt much better after I doubled the dose. Unfortunately  wasn't tested for two months and by the time I saw my endo I was quite hypo.

When I started taking Levo as well  I stayed at the 40mcg Levo and that was increased regulatory until I was taking 40mcg carbimazole and 100mcg levothyroxine.