Starting Carbimazole 40mg

Hi All

I am about to start 40mg of carbimazole due to my overactive thyroid. I am soooo worried about gaining weight as I eat such a healthy diet and find it easy to lose weight normally.

If i carry on eating low calorie and walk/exercise will i still gain loads?

x

[Argie1]

Hi there, I was on 60 mg Carbimazole for a while and didn’t gain any weight. I think, because being over active increases you appetite, that this maybe one of the reasons some people put the weight on.

[Hennerton in reply to Argie1]

You just need to ask for regular blood tests to ensure you are not becoming under active through carbimazole being too high. I went up and down like a yo-yo but you may be more stable. Be your own doctor because you cannot rely on anyone else to know how you feel.

Also keep a check on your Vit D iron, B12 Folate and ferritin levels, as being overactive uses up more vitamins and minerals.

[Qwerty12345]

I worried about this too when treated for overactive. Happily, I needn’t have. I just put back on the pounds I had lost due to being overactive (around 7). I went underactive for a bit when being treated and maybe put on an extra one or two pounds but that quickly sorted itself too. I’ve always been slim and am still slim now. Best wishes.

[hattersteapar]

I was diagnosed with Graves over 2 years ago, yes I had lost a huge amount of weight and I have put most of it back on.

Once you get a diagnosis you'll need to listen to your body, I still get very tired and find it hard to exercise.

Good luck

[cbraffe]

Hi

I was diagnosed with graves in 2015 and was put on 40mg carbimozole . I had lost weight before diagonsis. Normally I am a size 14. I was put on steroid infusions weekly for 3 months. I went from a size 24 to 18 within 3 months . This was no due to carbimozole though but the steroids. For considering what I have gone through weight is a small price to pay as I was bed ridden before diagnosis and I used to spend most of the day I the bathroom. I had a thyrodecotomy this year and I believe I am on the way to recovery. Good luck.

[Inafunk63]

I’m also usually hyper due to graves. And from experience and based on the information I've gathered I’d say 1. For women excessively low calorie consumption is not recommended, especially for those with autoimmune and or hormonal imbalances. So how low do you mean when you say low calorie? And 2. I became severely hypo for the good part of a year when my Endo didn’t make me aware of the importance of testing after 6 weeks on carbimazole and sent me away with “take 40mg per day until you see us again in 6 months” and if I’m honest, weight was the least of my concerns at that time because I felt at deaths door. Didn’t gain a pound though.

Graves’ disease is believed to be brought on by diet, lifestyle factors and stress so if your calorie consumption is excessively low I’d maybe revise that but the most important thing I want to tell you is to make sure get retested every 6 weeks. My GP does mine every 4 for me because I was that paranoid of going hypo again. Unfortunately now I am slightly hypo again due to antithyroid meds and had to start the block and replace method. I’ve maintained my weight on around 2,000 calories a day while on antithyroid meds. Hopefully this will help settle your concerns. But definitely get your levels checked every 6 weeks!

[Inafunk63]

Same happened to me. I didn’t get a rash but had awful side effects from the carbimazole. Went on for nearly a year with hypo symptoms and side effects and I thought it was stress/run down and was investigated for heart conditions also.

[Dovedale]

I lost 4 stone and have put these back on. Facing steroids and dreading more weight gain.

[Fruitandnutcase]

I lost loads and loads of weight - about 2.5 stones - before I was diagnosed with Graves. I took 40 mcg carb for a year as part of my block and replace treatment - ended up on 40mcg carb and 75/100mcg levothyroxine.

I read in Dr Toft’s book that hyper people always put back the weight they lost when hyper and I though ‘Not me, I’ll watch my weight’ but nope - I did. I lost a lot of weight when I started on a low carb, high fat diet when I developed steroid induced T2 diabetes.

I don’t think it’s the carb that makes you put on weight, it’s when they slow down your metabolism by stopping your thyroid from going berserk that does it.

You don’t want to be taking 40mcg carb for too long though - after three months on it without being tested - I was very hypo which was when my doctors added in the levothyroxine. I didn’t put on weight at that time though.