anyone experienced tremors post covid?

[gset]

I had covid in 2022 and it brought on Graves’ disease and AF. This year I had gone into remission following a year on carminazole and everything heart related is normal. However I recently got bad covid and have since then had internal tremors. Is it likely it has reactivated my graves?

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Welcome to the forum gset,

Can you share your most recent thyroid test results with us, ideally TSH, FT3 and FT4. Have you tested key thyroid vitamins recently (ferritin, folate, B12, vit D). Members will be able to offer better advice with this information.

I get tremors and palpitations when thyroid medication is not optimal (either too much or too little).

I was misdiagnosed as having Graves initially, but was encouraged by forum members to test the correct thyroid antibodies and I found that although I had ‘hyper like’ symptoms, plus TED, I was actually underactive with Hashimotos. It’s worth double checking your medical records to see exactly what tests you had.

Graves Disease (hyperthyroidism) needs to be confirmed via positive TRab or TSI:

TRab

TSH receptor antibodies

TSI

Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobulin

TPO & TG antibodies may be Graves or Hashimotos.

 TPOab

Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies

TGab

Thyroglobulin antibodies

[gset in reply to Buddy195]

thank you. I was tested twice for Graves specifically as was hospitalised abroad with AF and they did that test. Then the UK system had to confirm and did same. Unfortunately I have the antibodies. Results on diagnosis in aug 22 when was put on 30mg carbimazole, were

TSH <0.0004 mIU/L

TSH reception antibody TRAB 5.8

Free T3 13.3pmol/L

Free T4 40.2pmol/L

Anti thyroglobulin antibodies 76

Anti TPO Ab 138kIU/L

In October 22 TRAB in UK was 3.7 but had been on meds for two months and after that on reducing scale with 8 weekly reviews

Then went underactive in january 2023 with carbimazole on too high a dose

tSH up to 9.13

Free T3 3.63pmol/L

Free T4 13.2pmol/L

In a April following a meds reduction to Min 5 mg of my carbimozole

TSH was 2.9

Free T3 4.23

Free T4 16.6

Anti TPO Ab 37.9

Anti thyroglobulin antibodies 301!!

In July 23 before covid

Tsh 4.07

Free T3 3.7

Free T4 17.6

I was taken off meds fully

I have just recovered from Covid and feel the tremors I had before I was in hospital with AF which led to my diagnosis.

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to gset]

Could you edit your post to add ranges, as these can vary between laboratories.

I would ask your GP to re test 6 weeks from being fully off thyroid medication.

[gset in reply to Buddy195]

Hi there, they didn’t give me range figures. I have retests booked.

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to gset]

It’s always worth asking for a print out of thyroid blood results (both historic and current)

[pennyannie]

Hello Gset :

As I understand things once Graves has been triggered it tends to wax and wane throughout one's life - whether you have a thyroid or not - it's an auto immune disease and as such, for life.

Obviously having had treatment for Graves, with either a thyroidectomy or RAI thyroid ablation you are then primary hypothyroid so the symptoms not as acute as there is no thyroid to attack and drive up the T3 and T4 thyroid hormones.

The most recent research we have suggests the longer the patient stays on the AT drugs the better the long term outcome for the patient :

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/338...

We also have a further research paper regarding QOL after RAI - which is usually the first line treatment offered when you are told you have ' failed to find remission ' - which personally, I believe, should be levelled at the endocrinologist managing your treatment on the AT drugs.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/306...

Were your Graves antibodies run again - before you were taken off the AT medication?

For all things Grave Disease - elaine-moore.com

[gset in reply to pennyannie]

Thanks for the articles. No they didn’t rerun the Trab before taking me off the meds and I see an endocrine head of department

[pennyannie in reply to gset]

Well - It just seems ridiculous - doesn't it - especially now with this new research suggesting a much longer AT treatment programme offers a better longer term outcome or the patient.

Graves is a poorly understood and badly treated AI disease and everyone's journey with Graves seems to be unique to them but common triggers seem to be stress and anxiety.

Hopefully this is just a blip and your immune system will calm down - there are people on this forum who have not had definitive treatment and not taking AT drug on a regular basis.

Their fall back position is to have some AT medication to hand for if and when they sense themselves getting overwhelmed and their thyroid running faster than normal and they simply sort themselves out with a short course of the AT medication.

I have Graves but it was decided at my very first endo appointment back in 2004 that I was to have RAI thyroid ablation the following year - a treatment I now deeply regret - but back then, I knew nothing and just accepted what mainstream medical advised.