General Medicine

» petersonc - advice on grave's

In response to advice on grave's posted by daisyelaine:

hi elaine,
i havent been on in awhile. i was wondering if side affects of the mouth were common either with gd or the methimazole. i have had angular cheilitis for several months and just recently have a swelling my dentist thinks is a mucocele (clogged salivary gland). I am still taking the methimazole and recently my doctor upped the dosage. i will probably have to seek a second opinion because my current endo will only keep me on meds for a short time. but i was wondering about these weird mouth symptoms. i did use a fungal cream and topical steriod prescribed by my medical doctor and the angular cheilitis seems better?! thank goodness!!
any response is appreciated.
thanks
carla

-- posted by petersonc

» Elaine Moore - Graves' Disease and Side Effects

In response to Graves' Disease and Side Effects posted by princesssoft:

Hi Princess,
You're welcome. It's a good thing you're pro-active and questioned what was going on here. Best to you, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - advice on grave's

In response to advice on grave's posted by petersonc:

Hi,
Could your methimazole dose be too high? You want a dose that keeps FT4 at least at mid-range, preferably near the high end of the range, regardless of TSH. According to Broda Barnes, a dose that's too high and causes hypothyroidism could increase your risk of infection. Angular cheilitis is reported to occur in thyroid disorders but the definitive cause is infection with Staphylococcus aureus and/or Candida albicans. Best, Elaine

» kitykatt - Great Labs

Elaine, It's been about eight weeks since my last post. As you may or may not remember, my doc wanted me to take 30mgs. of meth. You helped me understand my labs. (graves) I felt my dose was too high. After consulting with you I made the decision to lower my dose and I'm happy to report my labs look the best ever! I'm so pleased. I'm meeting with my naturopath this Thursday and I'm so excited!! I'm so glad I listened to you and my body, and I'm so confident that now my new doc will take me to the next level. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, YOU ROCK!!!! Jackie

-- posted by kitykatt

» kwild89 - questionable graves disease please read!!

i have a question if anyone can help me i was very ill for about three months and was having increased heart rate it has some what gotten better as in it rarely happens now and when it does its not as fast so i did blood work with my doc and it says my t4 levels are high but my tsh levls are normal soi went to an in endocrinologist and he diagnosed me with graves disease now im not to fimiliar with it but from what ive researched dont u have to have low tsh levels for that and couldnt this just be a bad case of thyroiditis that has lengered on?? well im going to do a follow up at ucla in a month but tell then could anyone help thanks
>kyle

-- posted by kwild89

» petersonc - advice on grave's

In response to advice on grave's posted by daisyelaine:

Elaine,
I actually noticed the angular cheilitis about the same time I started having symptoms of hypertyrodisim again. I was shaking all the time and it was driving me crazy. About this same time, the corners of my mouth seemed unusually dry and would keep cracking. I finally went in to see my endo and had blood work done and I was in hyperthyroidism again. He put my back on methimazole and about 2-4 weeks ago after more blood work he upped my dose to 10mg daily. During this, I have seen my general doctor and she prescibed an anti-fungal and topical steriod to help with inflammation. This helped and made it go away but it is coming back : ( ... This is why I was asking about deficiencies with grave's disease and how common it was? just thinking and wondering if there was something else going on because the only thing that has changed is being hyperthyroid again. I am using the same toothpaste, don't have dentures, I am not a mouth breather nor is my pillow ever wet like I drool at night?? so I was just trying to understand why this is occuring now??
thanks
carla

-- posted by petersonc

» Elaine Moore - Great Labs

In response to Great Labs posted by kitykatt:

Hi Jackie,
I'm so glad to hear that things worked out for you. Listening to your body is so important. Best to you, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - advice on grave's

In response to advice on grave's posted by petersonc:

Hi Carla,
According to current theory, the immune system in Graves' disease is weak and ineffective. This is why it launches an erratic response, targeting our body's own tissues. This could also explain why you're showing susceptibility to organisms that your body would normally fight. We also end up with numerous nutrient deficiencies because we metabolize food quickly before nutrient absorption is complete. Vitamin and mineral supplements along with a nutrient-rich diet can help strengthen your immune system without stimulating it. Certain foods, notably refined sugars and saturated fats, have been found to weaken the immune system. Dietary changes may offer benefits for you. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - questionable graves disease please read!!

In response to questionable graves disease please read!! posted by kwild89:

Hi K,
Sorry to be slow in responding.
The total T4 test measures thyroxine that's linked to protein molecules. In this form, thyroid hormone is inactive. These binding proteins (that carry hormones in the blood) are increased by estrogens and certain medications.

So the T4 level can be elevated by either increased free thyroxine or increased binding proteins. Since women can have elevated estrogens, the T4 test is often falsely increased in women. Ever since labs developed tests to measure free T4 directly with the FT4 test, we've recommended that doctors order FT4 rather than T4 levels.

Most often, when the T4 is high and TSH is normal, it's because the T4 level is falsely elevated by binding proteins. To check this, most doctors would order an FT4 level.

Another possibility is that FT4/T4 levels have risen quickly and the pituitary gland, which secretes TSH, hasn't caught up with the change. Normally, as soon as your thyroid hormone levels start to rise, the pituitary slows down or stops secreting TSH in an effort to prevent hyperthyroidism. In this way TSH regulates thyroid hormone levels. Normally, TSH would tell thyroid cells to produce more thyroid hormone. But since you mention having symptoms for 3 months, it could be that you're noticing spikes of thyroid hormone elevation. The spikes would cause symptoms but not keep your levels elevated enough to see a TSH response.

One other (rare) possibility is that you're producing TSH antibodies, not TSH receptor antibodies. TSH antibodies falsely increase the TSH test result. There are tests available to test for these antibodies. We usually run them when the thyroid function tests aren't correlating the way they should. I hope this helps.

You can also write me at the spa discussions. I tend to get there more often. Best, Elaine

» cybee - Selenium

Elaine,
I had a mild case of TED which now seems to be resolving and am currently taking 75 mgs of synthroid for hypothyroid. I had been taking 200 mg of selenium until I read about it possibly increasing the risk of diabetes...thus reduced it to 50 mg of selenium (by breaking the tablets into fourths). Should I continue taking selenium and if so, what amount do you advise! Thank you so much! This is a great site for much needed info!

-- posted by cybee