Hi, I have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I was put on 15mg of carbimazole and after 3 weeks my blood test stated my condition had worsened. I was then increased to 20mg and after 3 weeks had blood tests and the condition had got worse still. I'm now on 40mg of carbimazole and although my fatigue is subsiding, my anxiety and brain does not feel like it's getting better. My head almost feels like it's full of pressure and I'm unable to think properly. Is this brain fog? Also will this subside and does anyone have any indication on how long this will all take? Thanks
oh no!! Carbimazole is a bugger and not great for the body apart from doing what it's meant to do! I got more brain fog when started taking it, 5-10 mg a day, I won[t take the higher dose, but this is my choice. I think the diet has a lot to d with it ie paleo.You may benefit from trying t PTU? The other anti thyroid but defo get in touch with your GP/Endo asap.
Thanks for your reply
Hello James so sorry you are having such a bad time...I'd like to share my experience with you.... In May this year I was also diagnosed with over active thyriod
And put on carbimazole and after more blood tests they increased my dose to 30mg then 40mg my anxiety levels were off the scale ....I lost my sense of taste
for approx 6wks ....My hair fell out in handfuls I thought I was going mad...however just 6 months down the line my levels have come down so good that I only
take one thyroid tablet a day now..They took me off carbimazole ....
I take propylthiouracil now because of all the bad side effects caused by carbimazole
I also take propranolol 10mg 3 times a day which helps to keep my pulse/blood pressure steady..I hope your specialist is keeping a check on your blood pressure as well
.....I really hope you feel a lot better soon ...my story proves it can get better .... I hope it does for you soon ..bless you..warm regards ☺.
Take care
How do you find PTU Blighty? Did you put on weight?
Hi Karmaway...hope you are well ....I lost about two stones before I was diagnosed ... sorry i'm of
an age so only know pounds and ounces... I have put my weight back on but no more than I was before
I'm 9 stone which is about right for my height. ..I prefer the propylthiouracil to carbimazole. ..I really was in a bad way
when I was taking it..hope this helps..take care regards ☺
That's great that you get on with the PTU. How did carbimazole make you feel and how long stabilise on the PTU? Thanks.
Hi Karmaway it's early days with propylthiouracil (one month) even if my life depended on it though I wouldn"t take
Carbimazole again sound dramatic I know but... I lost my sense of taste for approx 6 wks my hair fell out in clumps
Muscle pain... ulcers on my tongue....sore throat....head felt like I had a bunch of workmen in it with hammer drills...lol generally unwell ..
But I didn't realize there was an alternative medicine so I put up and shut up so to speak...Then I saw a different endocrinology doctor at clinic
and it was her that suguested propylthiouacil thankfully
Are you having a hard time with carbimazole ? So sorry if you are because it's no picnic ...Take care warm regards
Oh my god Blighty that's awful! How much carb were you taking? I try to take as less as possible but yeah sometimes feel like I have the flu and wading in treacle? Double vision and mood swings! I am wary of PTU and the liver? My hair lacks lustre and is falling out a bit but has been for a few years due to hyper I think? Ugh!!
Hi Karmaway so sorry you have suffered for so long...Thyriod problems are the pits
Because my levels were T4 71.9 and T3 26.4 they started me on 20mg 3 times a
Day of Carbimizole....
Warm regards take care
Thank you for your kind words! No wonder you were feeling so ill!! That's a whole loada carbimazole right there!!
Xx
Hi Blighty,
Thanks for your response. I'm sorry to hear that you have also suffered with this. The good news is I don't need to worry about my hair falling out as i went bald a long time ago. Lol. I'm wondering if you have experienced some of the following... When I wake up on the morning I seem to be better ish. I have minor symptoms..then I take a tablet 9am and throughout the day my symptoms ( anxiety, fatigue, brain fog) get worse and worse and then I crash. To the point where I have to sleep I then wake and start to feel better around 8pm then at 9pm I take another tablet and feel bad again. Not sure if it's the Carbimazole or just my condition is like this. Also I have symptoms where last night I competed crashed! My partner had to put me to bed, I couldn't talk or walk. I then felt very strange, like all the symptoms were subsiding and leaving my body and they did. I felt great for about 30 mins. The best I felt in a long time but then I woke up today and it's back again but not as strong. I also feel like my head is full of pressure and sometimes I can feel that pressure lifting or moving. Like my head is blocked and then there is a tap and someone lets the pressure out a little bit.
Do you get a sensation like you are leaving your body?
No, I wouldn't say leaving my body. More like clicks in my head and throat and pressure being moved around or blockages being moved around. That the only way to describe it.
Ahhh ok I have the de personalisation but plus probs with my nose and ears? May have to have grommets ugh! Think the thyroid effects everything! Plus I sometimes used to hear my heart beat in my ears 👀!
Yes I can hear my heart beat in my ears. I get facial twitching and jaw chattering too.
Oh god fun hey!? Maybe you should try the other anti thyroid drug?
Did you get shortness of breath with the carbimazole Blighty?
Hi Karmaway. .....yes I did get shortness of breath however my doctors realised it was a mixture of
Carbimizole and a BP tablet I was taking Cardioplen XL working against each other in some way
As soon as I stopped taking Cardioplen XL and they replaced it with a water tablet Bendroflumethiazide my breathing became normal
Must say it was a scary experience not being able to breath properly when it first happened...however don't really think it was totally the carbimazole
that caused that particular problem...hope my answers are making sense I'm making sense could not reply to James the other day
because I am using a tablet not my computer and every time I attempted to answer him my typing went haywire so I gave up in the end I hope you are both felling much better
Warmest regards Blightyear X
With hyper active thyroid / Graves' disease, I was undiagnosed for ages. They tried different carbimazole doses but I stayed with thyrotoxicosis for months. So now they've found a daily dose of carbimazolei keeps my levels steady. But, my endo is concerned the effects of Carbimazole are getting worse than the illness itself, mood swings, fatigue, brain fog, terrible muscle pain, and tummy aches, and I feel dreadful, but if I reduce my dose then I get hyper very quickly. Apparently such a high dose for a long period can start causing its own problems!
i feel awful, and am on the list for a thyroidectomy , which I didn't want.
medication takes time to work, but you need a time frame to work with, you need constant blood tests like do, to check levels and LFT ...liver function, and sore throats can be a cause of oesophagitis , acid reflux burning, as a result of the thyroid problems. I take omezaprole , an antacid , to reduce the burned throat.
keep at the treatment, keep a diary of symptoms and diet. It will get better, just keep positive ok? X