Carbimazol issues

[Roidhyper]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has had any serious side effects of carbimazol? I'm on a low dose 5mg twice a day but the other day I had severe stomach pain and was sick (this has happened before a while ago before thyroid diagnosis) however after 4 days of pain upper gastric my wee is a very dark orange - brown and eyes look tinge of yellow. Stomach issues have resolved for now and I have stopped taking carbimazol after reading up the liver damage it can do. Will call Dr's in the morning, I'm currently still waiting to see endo after 8 weeks 😪

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

We have had a number of members post about issues from carbimazole.

Our advice is always pretty much the same - get to a doctor.

I know our current situation isn't great, but do consider ringing 111. Do not simply leave things and hope you recover.

And do read, and re-read the Patient Information Leaflet to see exactly what it says and how your symptoms fit.

All the best - do let us know how you get on.

[Marz]

Your previous post mentioned your Thriva test results which were only TSH and FT4 - no FT3 or anti-bodies were seemingly tested. Then a phone diagnosis.

As the Carbimazole is causing problems I think you must insist on more testing in case it is Hashimotos rather than Graves or over active. This can happen as we see on this forum.

How are your iron levels ? Low iron can also cause palps. Also important to test B12 - Folate - Ferritin ' VitD

Really hope you soon find the help and treatment you need.

[pennyannie]

Hello Roidhyper :

Presumably you have now seen an endocrinologist or your doctor to have been prescribed the Carbimazole ?

Do you have copies of any blood work run by the NHS as to have prescribed there should have been a diagnosis and that is generally done from the medical evidence of a blood test confirming which antibodies are positive and over range.

For thyroid health issues the antibodies are written as :- TPO : Tg AB : TR ab : TSI : do you see any of these referenced in your paper work ?

Carbimazole is generally prescribed for Graves Disease which is considered life threatening if not medicated - and there is an alternative anti thyroid drug if Carbimazole doesn't suit the patient and that is Propylthiouracil - PTU - for short.

I would suggest you go to A&E with any paperwork your have been given.

[deb25426]

I didn’t have tummy issues, I had a painful throat, felt unwell and nasty painful lumpy rash, ended up in A&E having steroids etc. you have to be careful as it can effect your blood cells too(if I remember what I was told).. please get checked asap. X

[Valarian]

As others have said, you need to to get checked out. Anti-thyroid medication (both Carbimazole and PTU) can affect the liver, but it’s pretty rare. There is an article about it here endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/....

When you are very hyperthyroid, it’s very easy to blame every symptom on the thyroid or the medication….not really surprising when being hyper affects you in so many different ways. This may have just been a stomach upset, especially if you experienced something similar before diagnosis (but best to be sure).

As for the potential side effects of Carbimazole, the problem is, few medications are side-effect free. Although anti-thyroid medication can have major side-effects, they are quite rare, especially when weighed against the likelihood of problems from a constantly racing heart rate alone with untreated Graves’ disease, and the debility which may be caused by some of the symptoms. You need further testing to know what is causing your elevated thyroid levels, but if it is Graves’, it’s unlikely to resolve without treatment. If you are set against the medication, you could opt for radioactive iodine treatment or a thyroidectomy, but neither of these options is risk-free either.

[Hidden]

Don't talk to me about carbimazole.

It did nothing to help.

When I changed doctors, some nurse there said you HAVE to take it every second day.

I tried that.

Still did nothing to help.

If your number ones are that strong in colour regularly don't put up with it.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Hidden]

I realise this member has left since posting but this needs a comment.

Carbimazole has a short half-life - just a few hours.

For that reason, at least when starting, it is usually advised to split doses into two - or even three. Otherwise, the control on thyroid hormone production and release allows the thyroid to escape every day. You could take a large dose once a day for a very long time before seeing blood thyroid hormone levels drop as required. It is expected to take a couple of weeks or so for things to start getting better.

[YSpencer]

Hi. I took carbimazol for approx 18 months before l had radio active iodine treatment. I personally had no problems taking it. Hope you improve.

[Roidhyper]

Hi all thanks for responding I have spoken to Dr's and will be booked in tomorrow I was just wondering if anyone had any similar symptoms. They have made my thyroid symptoms improve but not sure if they are worsening other things I havnt yet been properly diagnosed for. Hopefully Dr's will help tomorrow.

[Roidhyper]

Thought I would update, liver results show damage. Please be careful with any meds you are taking, still unsure if its definitely the carbimazole but hopefully will all be clear soon.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Roidhyper]

Thanks for posting back - it really helps future possible readers.

Hoping you find out and get the issue resolved.