I'm due to start taking Carbimazol today. The Endocrinologist advised my Gp to prescribe it because the wait for an urgent endo appointment will be 8 weeks plus.
I'm not very good generally at taking tablets Paracetamol for headache is generally my limit, as I get worried about side effects. Is there a better time of day to take Carbimazol? I've also been given propananol 3 x daily but only taking it 1 x daily as its making me feel very numb
Will I start to feel better taking Carbimazol? I've booked in for bloods again in 6 weeks to monitor levels
TIA
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Teaforthesoul
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What dose of carbimazole & propranolol have you been given?
Carbimazole is usually prescribed for continuous, high thyroid levels caused by Graves’. if you have temporary hyper levels will naturally drop. Additional anti-thyroid medication can induce hypo too quickly.
I suspect long waiting lists have prompted drs to start prescribing low doses of anti thyroid as a way to balance either case.
Do you have trouble remembering to take medication or you susceptible to side effects.?
I alway took carbimazole in morning when on 1 daily dose & I used a pill organiser & app reminder.
My experience with propranolol is that I was started high dose & I never have any side affects, but specialist said to stop suddenly & that made me very ill, it should always be reduced slowly. So if propranolol not right for you & you can manage without it or on a lower dose that might be best approach. There are 10mg pills for propranolol.
Carbimazole lowers production of new thyroid hormone. So it’s not a quick fix. It will take time for levels circulating to stabilise & then symptoms will begin to resolve.
Rechecking levels at 6 weeks is very good, the dose will need to be adjusted by FT4 & FT3. TSH might not respond for some time so shouldn’t be used as reliable measure.
Start collecting your results so you can track progress. Post on here we can explain results.
You are entitled to results, either online access if available or printed copies with lab range.
You should have been tested TSH, FT4 & FT3.
Thyroid antibodies TPO, TG, if hyper TSI or TRab should be tested by endocrinologist.
Important to test folate,,ferritin,,B12 & vitamin D & to screen for gluten allergy. If not already tested ask to add to follow up test.
They have prescribed me 120mg daily of propananol but I'm only taking 40mg and some days I take 20 as I just dnt like thr numb feeling it gives. I was hoping to stop taking that once the carbimazole starts to take effect.
T4 is currently 24
TPO antibodies more than 1300
TSH less than 0.03
I definitely had a b12 check and that was 1 away from low. Going to get some supplements today.
I can't see a T3 result 😕
All of this is postpartum induced but I guess they are giving me the Carmibazole due to my TPO antibodies being high? I'm not sure, the Gp didn't know too much just said they have received advise from Endo and to prescribe and take until an appointment can be made with them.
I dnt particularly forget to take meds, if I'm honest I've never really been sick before and always been very physically healthy and never needed to take meds for anything. I've tried SSRIs in the past but they really dnt agree with me.
It's all new to me but I've felt so awful these past 6 weeks and really hoping I start to feel better soon
1 away from being low on a B12 test isn't just low - it is VERY low. The setting of the bottom of the reference intervals isn't just questionable, it is quite clear they are too low. There is no magic number that you can keep just above.
A B12 range might be something like 180 to 800. 181 is in real terms indistinguishable from 179. The lab isn't that accurate and the effects on you are just the same.
You should see a number closer to 500. And 800 is in no sense a limit on how high you can be. Many labs stop their testing processes at 2000 and take the view that no-one actually cares how high it is once it is that high!
At your level, they should be offering both testing for Pernicious Anaemia and a B12 injection.
And I very much agree with PurpleNails - it is usually used in overt hyperthyroidism. Not a transient of fairly mild over-range results.
TPOab are usually high in Hashimoto's and often high in Graves.
It is quite possible that you are where you are as a combination of post-partum effects - but possibly ALSO Hashimoto's which is renowned for causing periods of apparent hyperthyroidism despite its end result of thyroid destruction.
You don’t include a range for FT4 but by most ranges that is borderline high. Your FT3 might be disproportionately high, if tested. I had borderline FT4 but double FT3. I was also given 20mg carbimazole 2x10mg split dose. I wasn’t retested until 8 weeks, there was a mix up. I was heading to hypothyroid levels but I have a continuously producing nodule. I suspect your hyper isn’t continuous.
Carbimazole won’t treat antibodies. Drs ignore autoimmune aspect which aren’t treated with mainstream methods. (There are holistic approaches). Antibodies test confirms thyroid autoimmune, but highest elevations occur with Hashimoto’s (autoimmune thyroiditis). TPO is often present with Graves, but GPs don’t test TSI or TRab antibodies which is evidence of Graves. From the sound of doctors don’t suspect Graves but still want to treat what they view are high levels & I think they might drop too quickly.
1 option is to arrange a private blood test after 3 weeks to retest thyroid function (& key nutrients.)
Private testing options:
Order a kit online and sample can be taken by fingerprick test, (extra fee for clinic visit / home visit venous draw) sample posted back & results available online often very quickly. Post back early in week away from weekends.
Sample recommended to be taken just before 09.00 fast overnight, take carbimazole as normal. avoid biotin 3 days before test. (Often in b-complex & multi supplements)
See link for private companies with discounts with many packages & options.
Thank you. I will definitely do another test in 3 weeks, as I am worried that my levels will drop too quickly too and I'll become hypo. It seems like it's a real balance tk get it right. I'm hoping as this was postpartum induced it will right itself after 12 months
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