Does everyone put on weight with Carbimazole?

[Megalil]

I lost my appetite after starting new medication. I lost 3 stone in 5 months and was then diagnosed with Graves Disease.

I have been taking Carbimazole for 6 weeks and am still loosing weight. Is it inevitable that my weight will go up?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

Do you have any blood test results and ranges you can add

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3

Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have Graves’ disease (hyperthyroid) or autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's)- hypothyroid

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus vitamins including folate (private blood draw required)

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

Medichecks - JUST vitamin testing including folate - DIY finger prick test

medichecks.com/products/nut...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

Graves Disease antibodies test

medichecks.com/products/tsh...

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Link about Graves’ disease

thyroiduk.org/hyperthyroid-...

Link about Hashimoto’s

thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Have you had your diagnosis confirmed by positive antibodies test? Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) and TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb) are associated with Graves.

What was the other medication you were taking? Graves usually causes weight loss but not low appetite. We are all different, when I was hyper I had out of control appetite but no weight loss, probably some gain!

What dose of carbimazole have you been given? Normally re-testing after 6 weeks done, especially important when staring new to see how you respond. Remaining too high or falling below range must be prevented. You should be reviewed by FT4 & 3 not by TSH alone.

As weight loss is common when hyper regaining it once on carbimazole is also very common. At this time you won’t have have much control over metabolism \ appetite so focus on adding nutritious foods, rather than worrying.

Do you have access to any results? Share them on here and include the ranges as they vary between labs. You should have had TSH, fT3 & fT4 tested.

Also important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12. These need to be optimal for thyroid health.

[Fruitandnutcase]

I ate everything in sight and lost masses of weight before I was diagnosed. I read in a book that people with Graves put back the weight they have lost once their thyroid is back to normal. I thought ‘ No I won’t!’ I loved being so slim, it was like a reward for how horrendously ill was feeling.

Alas, when my thyroid was sorted out my weight crept back up, I didn’t put on more weight than I was pre Graves though.

You will need to have a blood test soon, I had my first one after four weeks. I was taking 20mcg carb and it didn’t make any difference. My endo wrote to me to tell me to get more carb and double up to 40mcg. When I finally met her after another eight weeks I was hypo! If you’re being treated by titration rather than by block and replace as I was you probably won’t be taking so much carbimazole - someone who has been treated by titration will be able to tell you if they kept losing weight.

Good advice from the others. I’d say, keep a daily note on how you’re feeling. You will find it useful as your treatment goes on and changes. I found it good to go over my notes before I saw my endo - means when they ask how you are you can tell them accurately rather than say ‘I’m ok’ then realise after the consultation is over that you’ve forgotten that you were feeling awful. I also wrote down any questions I wanted to ask. It was also good to read back and see that I’d made progress even if I didn’t feel that I had.

I kept all my thyroid information in a notebook but you could do it online, I always felt it was good for my endo to see that I was going to be a partner in my treatment rather than just someone they treated.

Keep copies of all your blood test results too - you are entitled to have them if you live in the U.K. I found that useful because I could see how I felt as they increased my dose of levothyroxine - I was being treated by block and replace - I took 40mcg carbimazole daily along with ever increasing amounts of levothyroxine - by keeping records I knew when I was on a dose that suited me and when I needed an increase I was able to use my evidence to get my own doctor to increase my levo (even though the first time she wasn’t keen)