Started carim azole today.

[Willow2010]

Having palpitations tonight on my first day?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

When you start carbimazole, the actual medicine starts to work very quickly. That is, it stops your thyroid making new thyroid hormone. (So long as your dose is high enough, of course!)

The problem is that you have lots and lots of thyroid hormone already in your body. It can take weeks for that thyroid hormone to reduce sufficiently for you to really start to feel better.

Have you been given anything else? Like propranolol - a beta blocker. That helps to reduce the effect of the thyroid hormone on your heart.

Also, have you been told to take your carbimazole in two (or three) doses a day? That is, instead of taking 40 milligrams in one go, take 20 milligrams in the morning and another 20 milligrams in the evening.

Also, can you let us know some more about you? How come you have reached the point of being prescribed carbimazole?

[Willow2010 in reply to helvella]

Hi I have been diagnosed with Thyroid eye diseare & hyperthyroidism. My thyroxine level was 45.3. My latest blood test T4 37.4 Tsh 0.2 T3 13.5.

I have taken carbimazole foe just one day in two dones of 20mg. Morning & evening. Had palpitations & pulse rate of 108. Lasted for a few hours.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Willow2010]

Thanks for posting back.

It sounds like you are doing, and have been advised to do, the right things. A decent starting dose and splitting between morning and evening.

Those levels of T4 and T3 are, indeed, very high. No wonder you feel bad.

Propranolol can both help reduce the effect of thyroid hormone on your heart rate and reduce the rate at which T4 is converted into T3. As you are suffering palpitations, I suggest you contact your doctor straight-away and ask if they are willing to prescribe propranolol.

If you carry on with the carbimazole, you might not notice much for several more days but it should be preventing you creating more thyroid hormone.

Others have replied below and made various points - well worth reading through.

[ Just added callouts to others who have responded. ]

PurpleNails

pennyannie

Fruitandnutcase

Calliope62

janh669

[Willow2010 in reply to helvella]

I have had eye problems & have been diagnosed with thyroid eye disease/ hyperthyroidism. Free thyroxine 45.3 Tsh 20.1.

Palpitations on first day of carbimazole & racing heart. pulse 108.

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Do you know the cause of your hyperthyroidism? GPs and even specialist do not always do a full thyroid function. If you have access to your blood test results either online or a actual print via your surgery reception share them (with ranges) on here for further advice.

TSH, FT4 and FT3 should have been tested and you need to see which antibodies have been included. Also important for thyroid health is to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 but these are often not offered.

Taking carbimazole consistently will lower your levels to a comfortable range. Remaining too high or falling below range needs to be avoided & carbimazole dose is adjusted (usually downwards) to keep you in range. Do you have a repeat blood test arranged? 6 weekly seems to be standard.

[pennyannie]

Hello Willow and welcome to the forum :

I was prescribed Carbimazole when diagnosed with Graves Disease - are you in the same situation ?

To reach a diagnosis a blood test will have been taken, and within that there should be details of TSH, T3 and T4 numbers and ranges.

There should also be an antibody result saying something like TSI ( a stimulating antibody ) and or TR ab ( blocking antibody ) is / are over range and these are the antibodies unique to Graves that are the medical evidence of diagnosis and the medication based on.

Carbimazole is an anti thyroid drug which blocks your own thyroid hormone production so slowly your symptoms should start to reduce so you can ride out this phase of the disease.

Many people feel totally exhausted, nervous, anxious, loosing weight though eating for England, wired but tired, dry gritty eyes, insomnia, and with something like a brain / body disconnect. Your body clock is running very fast, your metabolism in double quick time, and possibly causing loose bowels and feeling as though you've just run a marathon, with your brain suggesting you do it all again, now, whilst your body is exhausted and feeling beaten up.

If you want to read further about hyperthyroidism you can pop onto the Thyroid uk website who are the charity who support this amazing forum as well as reading up on other peoples thyroid journeys through this platform.

There is also the Elaine Moore Graves Disease Foundation website which is all things Graves and related autoimmune thyroid disease conditions.

Be kind to yourself, rest as much as your body will let you, and needless to say, get signed off from work as your symptoms dictate.

P.S. I had RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 and became very unwell some 8 years on when I found this forum. I now manage lingering Graves, thyroid eye disease, caused by the RAI and hypothyroidism and am self medicating with full spectrum thyroid hormone replacement.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Think you need to give people more information if they are to be able to help. Ideally the results of all the blood tests your doctors have done along with their ranges and also those of any vitamins / minerals they have tested.

If you have been prescribed carbimazole I imagine you were having palpitations before you were diagnosed. They are one of the first signs of Graves.

Some people are prescribed beta blockers to deal with the palpitations - I was never given them because I have asthma, in my case the palms stopped when I had had enough carbimazole.

I took 20mcg carb for four weeks and there was no difference in my test results so it was increased to 40 meg and two months later when I finally saw my endo I was hypo. So although the carb works quite quickly as helvella says it can take quite a while to take effect and you might need more.

It might be worth speaking to your doctor about it and see if you can be prescribed beta blockers.

[Calliope62]

Hi Willow,

In regard to your eyes, you don't say how bad the TED is. If you smoke, stop as soon as you can and stay out of smoky environments. Take a good eye supplement with lutein in it. Use a lubricant, Viscotears is good. You should have been referred to an Ophthalmologist if you have TED; they will be able to prescribe the correct lubricant for you. I was given high doses of steroids to stop my eyes protruding . It worked but the steroids brought their own set of problems.

If your eyes feel gritty and sore a hot flannel draped across your eyes until it cools is very soothing.

Having had Graves for over 10 years I know what a roller coaster you are on. Patience and consistency are your best weapons.

Best of luck!

[janh669]

I had, or have Graves and was hyper and was prescribed carbimazole and beta blockers. The drugs just didn't agree with me. It's early days yet for you. I was on them for a month and couldn't bear it, I felt like a pressure cooker. But everyone is different. I wish you luck

[pennyannie in reply to janh669]

Hey there,

Graves is an autoimmune disease, and as such is for life, as it's in your blood and DNA.

Graves is said to be a stress and anxiety driven AI disease, and initially your immune system was triggered to attack your body, and when the thyroid comes under attack the symptoms, in some people, are said to be life threatening, hence the drastic action of thyroid removal or ablation, which simply moves the " outlook " from life threatening to possibly life limiting, depending on the variables of thyroid after care treatment in primary care.

Loosing your thyroid to an AI disease can simply compound the problems especially if you do not receive the appropriate thyroid hormone replacement medication.

The thyroid is a major gland, the engine of your body and responsible for full body synchronisation, your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.