Overactive thyroid

[Moola17797]

I have overactive thyroid put me on beta blockers and methamozle. 20mg a day and beta blockers . Going tomorrow for ultrasound of my thyroid . Hoping that this medicine will help .

[pennyannie]

Hello Moola and welcome to the forum ;

OK, an overactive thyroid is generally caused by 1 or 2 thyroid autoimmune diseases, unless there is an obvious sign of a goitre that can cause similar symptoms.

Both these AI diseases, Graves and Hashimoto's present in the same way initially, and it is only by a blood test to identify the antibodies prevalent that a diagnosis can be made.

Both initially present with a hyperactive phase, and you maybe experiencing heat intolerance, anxiety, insomnia, dry gritty eyes, exhaustion, increased appetite, loosing weight, wired but tired, and exhaustion.

Graves Disease is permanent hyperthyroid and you are prescribed anti thyroid drugs, like Methamozle to block your own thyroid production until your own levels reduce back down into range.

Hashimoto's Disease is when the hyper phase is transient, and AT drug should not be prescribed.

Both diseases run with different antibodies hence the need to distinguish between the two.

Do you have a blood test showing any antibody tests - for Graves it looks like a TSI ( roughly worded as a stimulating ) or a TR ab ( roughly worded as a blocking ) antibody number?

[PurpleNails Administrator]

The Methimazole will lower production of new hormones and as you use up the existing hormones in your system the high levels will come into range and you will feel better. It can take several weeks and you should be monitored to ensure your levels don’t fall too low. Do you have a repeat blood test planned? usually 6 after starting dose.

The beta blocker, eg propranolol is usually intended to be temporary to help with symptoms until you are stable.

An ultrasound looks at the health & size of the thyroid and will detect any nodules which are very common, even in those without thyroid disfunction. It can indicate if you might have Hashi or Graves but to conclusively determine the cause you need to have a antibody blood test.