hyperthyroidism and side effects

[Zoe12]

I'm 8 weeks in now and my levels have come down. What's the minimum carbizamole we can take to stop relapse, I don't want to go hypo. I'm on 10mg at the moment but have 250 alkaline phosphatase reading which can indicate liver damage. What happens if the meds cause liver damage, I so want to stop taking the meds. Any advice?

[pennyannie]

Hey there again;

There is an alternative AT drug Propylthiouracil - PTU - for short :

and imagine you will be switching to this option - so check with your doctor / endo as to this option.

What are your TSH - T3 and T4 readings now ?

Have your symptoms reduced and do you feel more comfortable in yourself ?

The lowest level of Carbimazole would likely be achieved by chopping the 5mcg tablet into 2 - but it's a short sighted policy -

if your immune system response isn't given enough time to calm down on the AT drug - it could ' take off ' again.

Do you now have your initial TSH, T3 and T4 readings and ranges at diagnosis and the result and range of the antibodies found over range and positive in your very first bloods at diagnosis :

[PurpleNails Administrator]

The lowest dose manufactured is 5mg so doctors view this as the lowest daily dose but many find they need to take eg a quarter of a pill or a dose on alternate days to fine tune levels to best effect.

Carbimazole controls levels when your level rise uncontrollably. Remission is when antibodies fall & you can remain off medication & stay at a stable level.

Often the medication is given for 18 months then remission is tested by stopping medication , doctors don't always retest antibodies.

Some find the lowest dose drives them hypo but stopping completely results is rise or Graves taking off again so it can be a real balancing act.

Best approach is to tweak carbimazole to lowest dose to keep you in range.

Liver issue on carbimazole is rare, your doctor needs to investigate & confirm if carbimazole is the cause of the issue.

The alternative antithyroid - PTU, is considered harsh on liver so doctor likely won’t suggest it be tried even though chemically they are different.

[pennyannie]

You might like to read this research paper which reports that the longer the patient stays on the AT drug the better the longer term outlook for the patient :

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