Re: Graves question

[Guest guest]

My gosh !

You are absolutely correct. This is nuts !

And your analogy to blood pressure pills is a good one.

While there is a Graves' treatment where the patient takes BOTH antithyroid

drugs AND thyroid replacement hormone, this is not what you are describing.

It seems your physician has NO experience treating Graves' what so ever.

While you are looking for a new doctor, you have the situation of being

forced to figure out what to do right now. We are not doctors, only Graves'

patients, and some of us have been at this for a long time, so we do see

this sort of thing being reported, and are horrified each time.

First, do NOT take the thyroid hormone.

Tomorrow morning get paper copies of ALL your lab results to date. We can

show you what they mean if you ask.

NORMAL treatment using antithyroid drugs:

1. Started on a high dose to quickly gain control of hyper.

2. Dose lower when labs show lower FT4 and FT3

This is most likely at 6 to 8 weeks.

3. Dose is slowly lowered each time the labs show hypo starting.

4. A low maintenance dose is found and patient stays on this for as long as

needed. With Tap the dose will probably be some where between 2 1/2 mg and 7

1/2 mg.

5.After an average time of 1 1/2 to 2 years, patient becomes hypo on too

small a dose, and then a TSI antibody test is run to insure the antibodies

that are Graves' are gone. THEN dose is slowly weaned off of completely.

This is remission.

Now you need to figure out what YOU are willing to go through once again, if

you go completely off the Tap way too soon. Any lowering of dose must be

done over months.

There is more danger being off all Tap than being on a small amount.

Rapid withdrawal of antithyroid drugs is a known cause of rare, but life

threatening thyroid storm. IF this were to happen, even IN a hospital

setting, there is no guarantee you would live.

A more likely possibility is a heart attack or stroke.

Just because you made it through last time, is not going to make a

difference this time. Not all factors can be exactly the same.

If you are becoming too hyper to think well, please have a trusted family

member or close friend read this, and join us also. You need someone to be

able to help you if you stop the drug and have any problem. Because as you

are aware, the mind goes as well as the body.

-Pam L-

3 1/2 years Graves', TED, and PTU. Remission due to SLOW reduction of PTU

(despite an incompetent endo ! ), improved lifestyle, excellent nutrition,

herbs, and looking at the big picture.

Pills alone only help the symptoms. We must help our bodies to heal.

[Guest guest]

> 3. Dose is slowly lowered each time the labs show hypo starting.

Or each time the medication is showing it has a substantial effect. One

may not necessarily go into hypo numbers.

Take care, Fay (in remission for 2 years after a course of Tapazole)

P.S. Don't know how long you've been looking but trust Pam. Your dr. is

NOT doing block-and-replace, which uses both types of meds. Please share

your results with us.

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