Hyper to Hypo thyroid

kavya007 · Dec 31, 2009

Hi,

My husband suffers from Graves disease. He was diagnosed 7 years ago. The past 1.5 year he has been on 2.5 mg of methimazole. The doc told him that his thyroid is pretty normal and its best to discontinue medication. A blood test was done 2 months after his meds was stopped. He is now hypothyroid. The results even surprised the doc and he said lets wait and watch. He is scheduled for another test 2 months later. Has anybody had a similar situation. I am very worried. Both hyper and hypo thyrodism come with lot of emotional and physical problems. Please share your input.

Thanks,
Kavya.

tikka · Jan 1, 2010

Hi, how have you been. I do fluctuate between hyper and hypothyroidism though I have not had a formal diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroidiits. I hear you. Initially I gained weight and then I started having tachycardia. I was on homoeopathic treatment for a year and my thyroid levels seem to have stabilised. But the last few months,I have the same symptoms of hypothyroidism again. If you have not already read this here goes Can You Be Both Hypothyroid and Hyperthyroid?

kavya007 · Jan 3, 2010

Hi Tikka,

I have been doing good. How about you. My husband was diagnosed with Graves disease about 7 years back. It runs in his family. Do you know a conclusive diagnosis on Hashismoto's made? I also wonder if he is having Hashsmoto's and not Graves disease. Both homeopathy and yoga don't seem to be working for my husband. Now he is trying ayurveda. Did you find homeopathic treatment to be very effective. Has thyrodism affected your emotional health a lot ? Do you feel you get easily depressed and irritatable when you are off your meds? I am very worried about my husband.

I posted the same query on another thyroid board and this was the response I got
"At the last Graves disease conference in October one of the physicians mentioned that about 4-5% of Graves patients could go hypo in time for no apparent reason. We do know that some Graves’ patients swing from hyper to hypo due to TPO antibodies at play. TPO antibodies are most often seen in patients with Hashimoto’s disease (Hypothyroidism). It is possible to have both antibodies (TSI & TPO) in which case thyroid regulation becomes more of a challenge for some people. Work with your Dr. to pinpoint exactly what is at play. There are various blood tests that your Dr. can order to help pinpoint the problem and give you some direction going forward. If your Dr. is only ordering TSH testing, ask him if it is worthwhile to check the FT3, FT4 and TPO as well. Keeping a copy of all lab reports is something that I have found helpful as well"

Please do update me.

Thanks,
Kavya.

tikka said: ↑

Hi, how have you been. I do fluctuate between hyper and hypothyroidism though I have not had a formal diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroidiits. I hear you. Initially I gained weight and then I started having tachycardia. I was on homoeopathic treatment for a year and my thyroid levels seem to have stabilised. But the last few months,I have the same symptoms of hypothyroidism again. If you have not already read this here goes Can You Be Both Hypothyroid and Hyperthyroid?
Click to expand...

tikka · Jan 3, 2010

Kavya, looks like Hashimoto 's is more common in women. I dont know how the differential diagnosis for Hashimoto and Graves happen. My reasons to believe I have Hashimoto is the presence of hives post partum. Unfortunately in India, thryoid function tests do not involve thyroid anitbodies at the secondary levels. The testing seems to be done only in tertiary or superspecialty levels. I have had three tests done in the last 4 years and all of them check for T3, T4 and TSH. My levels are not very typical of either hyper or hypo - TSH has been either high or low.
Yes, I did have rather pronounced irritability with the hypo phase, but dont know if that is because of the very stressful work atmosphere - a new boss who did not like women and openly said so. The other related symptom I had at that point was spondylosis with chronic pain, which also made me very irritable. I had typically signs of depression and people wanted me on antidepressants, but I was not so sure.
Yes, so agreeing with you, there was a huge emotional component, but I do think there has to be underlying issues already. This time I am not going to a homoeopath. I feel I still do not have the correct diagnosis for this. Once that diagnosis happens, I would look for an homoeopath can work with an autoimmune disorder. Hope this is clearer.

ananthy · Jan 5, 2010

[justify]dear Kavya

thyroid disorders usually occur due to a bad lifestyle filled with too much stress and tension on a daily basis and lack of rest and sleep. has your hubby found out the reason of stress in his life ?
is he working too much in the office ?
is he unhappy with his colleagues ?
is he under too much financial/social/professional pressure ?
is he too materialistic and money minded and careless about his body/life?
is he sleeping properly and sufficiently daily?
does he watch too much TV/computer ?
does he relax at the weekends ?
is he addicted to alcohol or cigg ?
taking too much tea/coffee ?
is he taking a balanced diet rich in proteins, iron and calcium ?
does he take his food at proper time in morning/afternoon/night ?
is he taking junk food ?
he is overweight/underweight ?
does he exercise regularly or over exercising or not exercising at all?
has he forgotten to laugh or smile or enjoy the lighter moments or life ?
is he a satisfied person or always worried about something or the other ?
does he talk and think too much and doesn't give rest to his mind and body ?
is he worried about any family matters? (like wife children etc.)
is he unhappy about any family situation ?
is he insecure about something ?
is he making it a habit to be angry/hyper/emotionally sad ?
does he breathe properly/taking in enough oxygen ?

the stress list can go on and on. i strongly suggest that you and your hubby spend some time together without any disturbance and try to find out what is making him unhappy or hyper. prepare a detailed questionnaire and get the stress list a soon as possible and start working on eliminating each of the cause in it. the questionnaire should cover all the aspects of good lifestyle like food, physical,mental and emotional health and most importantly sleep/rest. you can even show this to your doctor for further consultation if required.

because once you find that out you can control the situation quite easily. thyroid can be controlled only by a proper disciplined lifestyle along with medication. medications and yoga is helpful but only if you follow the good lifestyle. if the reason for stress is eliminated as soon as possible the medication and yoga can put him back to normal life. but if you don't then no amount of medication or yoga can help and he will continue to be hyper and hypo.

take care ....
[/justify]

kavya007 · Jan 5, 2010

Hi Ananthy,

Appreciate your input. I know stress is an important trigger. My husband was diagnosed in 2003. The doc was constantly titerating the meds. We once went to a homeopathic doctor and he told us that thyroid occurs because of contention between head and heart. My husband was not able to identify what triggered this problem for him. He is now moved to a healthier lifestyle with yoga, meditation and veg food. He does not smoke/drink. But his problem has still not disappeared. Next month we will have another medical check up and that will throw more light on his condition.

Tikka,

In the US also we only test TSH and T0 and T1 levels to determine thyrodism. I got the info on the other antibodies from the graves disease forum.

Kavya.

Deepthik · Aug 10, 2010

Hi,

recently I went through TSH test and the results said TSH is 18. I dont know what it means and is it problematci to health?
I need to contact doctor, but due to lack of time I havent meet him.
Any idea about this?

tikka · Aug 21, 2010

Deepthi, TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone. From the looks of it, your thyroids are not working well and therefore the brain is producing this hormone in huge quantities to kick start your thyroid glands. So yes, something is off here. Best to go to a doc as soon as you can.