Re: self-med tap/carb etc

[Guest guest]

Hi :

There was a period of time where I tried to modulate my own ATD

dosage. What I learned was that although I did ok with small

incremental lowering of my dosage at the tail end of being hyper, once

I was in normal range, going on and off would actually make the

situation worse for me - it got really confusing.

I would definitely get labs before going on ATDs again. The times

that I was feeling hyper were not actually because my thyroid levels

were off, sometimes it was because of my menopausal fluctuations, and

sometimes just stress and anxiety, and dosing myself with PTU actually

made me hypo. It may be worthwhile for you to run a full hormone

panel if you are pre-menopausal.

I have found that in those times where I feel very hyper (fast resting

heartrate, hyper-emotional, jittery, lack of focus, fast digestion,

heat, etc.,), taking small and short doses of a beta blocker could

solve the problem quickly. I checked with my endo and she said that

was ok to do, but I do it very rarely and carefully.

Once I was off ATDs because my levels were normal (not borderline

normal, really well within range), there were and still are a lot of

lessons to learn about monitoring how I feel and checking that against

labs - one without the other is too uncertain in my case.

If your labs are hyper or borderline hyper, there may be a case for

starting the ATDs again, but if you decide to do so, it would be good

to do labs first, and then be regular and precise in the dosage,

giving it time to work before changing it, otherwise it can be a bit

of a mess. The lab results should give you an indication of dosage,

which you could decide with your doctor, and monitor with frequent lab

tests. With PTU, keep an eye out for a rash, which could indicate a

problem with the meds.

Have you tried other things to change how you feel, such as exercise

like yoga, meditation, adjusting your diet (more cruciferous

vegies, less sugar, carbs and stimulants), herbs (I like lemon balm

tea)? If the hyperness is more emotional, sometimes I still take an

anti-anxiety med.

Good luck,

I've been off ATDs for a few months and had thought I was still hypo,

but have now decided I'm hyper and need to start ATDs again - do you

start with a small, divided dose?