Anyone have experience with this? Labs indicate my recent weight loss success is not entirely due to my diet & exercise.
It depends on how severe your hyperthyroidism is.
By the time they caught my mom’s, she had to be treated with radioactive iodine and will be on synthroid for the rest of her life. If they caught it early or it’s not that severe, they’ll probably put you on antithyroid meds.
If you have other symptoms associated with it, they might put you on additional meds to control the symptoms. For example, my mom was tachy early on so they put her on a beta blocker until they could get her thyroid under control.
My mom is was on medicine for longer than her endocrinologist wanted but she was in the middle of an emergency childcare crisis with kids who had been abandoned and put off the radioactive iodine treatment for their sake. (You have to be isolated for several days after treatment.) Then she went into remission and could discontinue the hyperthyroid meds. It’s very unusual but she was fortunate.
FIL did the radioactive iodine treatment. He was really tired for awhile until the right level of Synthroid was reached.
Everyone else I know who was treated with radioactive iodine had a similar experience, but they ended up feeling fine after the adjustment period.
Physician here. Needing thyroid replacement after destroying your hyperactive thyroid is no big deal. Replacement pills in different strengths are $10 per 3 months at Walmart (that’s $40 per year) without using insurance (giving them insurance info may count towards any deductibles on your policy). Generic drugs work fine. Go ahead with whatever treatment is recommended for you. No side effects to worry about, unlike other medications this is just what your body produces naturally.
H has been on Synthroid for his hypothyroid for a long time now. No side effects and even tho its the brand name, quite reasonable even tho we pay close to the entire cost out of pocket (insurer chips in maybe $5/90 day Rx for it).
I found the generic works just as well for me as the Synthroid brand- Target used to do the $10 for 3 month supply of Synthroid but quit that several years ago. That Walmart price is the lowest found using the GoodRx and Blink sites for coupons (none needed). Sometimes it is cheaper to go outside of one’s insurance. As a (retired) physician I pay attention to quality as well as price.
Hmmm, H’s internist said that switching from Synthroid to generic could cause H to develop a goiter, which is the only reason we stick with name brand. The doc and we embrace generics for most other things.
Thanks for reminding me to check Wal-Mart, Costco & WM used to be the same price, Costco has gone up to about $60/90 days, and I had not thought to recheck WM, I’ll transferring that Rx!
I understand being leery of generics in some cases but synthetic thyroid hormone will be chemically the same as I understand it and from experience. A goiter would only develop if the dose was far too little and the routine lab results will tell you if the generic is doing what it should. A goiter is thyroid enlargement as the gland tries to put out hormones by increasing in size bit is not successful. In my childhood days we got iodine pills with our daily snack milk to prevent goiters. Now using iodized salt seems the way to go for those not getting iodine from the sea.
Check with his doctor and/or others you trust about this. You may save a lot of money and he could do just fine.
Thanks. Will speak with our favorite pharmacist and have H talk with his internist again and see. It’s the ONLY Rx that his internist insists remain brand and NOT generic, so perhaps not worth battling about since the brand is pretty reasonable for us in the scheme of things.
I had Grave’s Disease, a form of hyperthyroidism. They put me on PTU (meds) for about a year, then weaned me off of it in preparation for taking the radioactive iodine. Then it turned out I went into remission, didn’t need the definitive treatment, and here I am 30 years later with no thyroid problems! I get it tested every year or two just to make sure, but it seems to have resolved itself or maybe the PTU did a good job of resolving on its own? I guess we’ll never know.
Count me as another who went from hyper back to normal. I think I was on medication for 2 years, after refusing RAI (radioactive iodine). Unfortunately, now, 7 years later, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, so will get that RAI afterall.
@toledo best wishes for a good outcome!
Thyroid scan is set for next week so will know more about what’s causing my issues soon. Fortunately for me, a parent of one of my former students is a well-regarded endocrinologist in town. I was originally told he couldn’t see a new patient until November, but I was able to see his nurse yesterday and mentioned having taught the doc’s kid a few years back. When I checked out, I was offered an appointment with the dr. within two weeks. Teaching may have low pay and status, but there are occasional perks! In the interim, I’m on a beta blocker, cutting my coffee in half, and under orders to stay off my spin bike. Surprised to find I am most frustrated by the latter directive!
Thanks to all for sharing insights and experience. CC folks are the very best strangers on the internet!
@yauponredux, just curious what made you suspect your weight loss might have other causes?
They can’t be exactly the same – fillers or coloring can vary (I know because I have a severe side effect from Synthroid, but not from the genetic).
@Nrdsb4 I actually didn’t suspect any causes beyond diet & exercise. I went to the doctor because I suddenly began experiencing tingling sensations in my arm & fingers along with nausea and dizziness. Blood work revealed very low TSH and caused referral to endocrinologist.