r/Hyperthyroidism

Hi! I’m 28 and was diagnosed with Graves’ disease about 1.5 years ago. I’ve been on methimazole and propranolol since then, and I feel like I’ve been on such a roller coaster with my thyroid levels.

What’s been especially confusing is that I’ve had probably 4 different flares while taking essentially the same dose of methimazole. I can be completely stable and in range for months, then suddenly go very hyper or even hypo without a major medication change. I recently had a virus that seemed to trigger another hyper flare, and I’m just feeling so defeated by the unpredictability of it all.

My husband and I started TTC this year and desperately want a baby. We’ve tried for about 5 months during periods when my thyroid levels were stable, but haven’t conceived yet. All of my fertility labs so far have looked good, including progesterone (was 18 at 7dpo), and I appear to be ovulating (positive lh strips and excellent labs). The main thing I haven’t done yet is an HSG to check my tubes. I’ll schedule that soon.

I know 5 months isn’t technically considered infertility at 28, but having Graves’ in the background makes it so hard not to wonder whether the autoimmune activity, inflammation, or fluctuating thyroid levels are making things harder. and if i’m wasting time not getting a TT. Im wondering if the inflammation from autoimmune is ruining my egg quality??? I over think this every single day.

I have an appointment with my endocrinologist in September to discuss definitive treatment, and I’m really torn. I’m scared of thyroidectomy because I’ve never had surgery before, and Graves already makes me worry about my heart rate during surgery, my goiter, anesthesia, and potential complications. At the same time, I really don’t want RAI because we want to TTC as soon as safely possible and I know pregnancy has to be delayed after treatment. I feel like i’m running out of time at 28. I want multiple kids. Also, we aren’t rich whatsoever and can’t just choose to do IVF. Any tips on surgeon as well? I’m near Portland, Oregon.

I would LOVE to hear from other women with Graves’ who were TTC. Did you stay on medication and eventually conceive? Did you choose thyroidectomy before pregnancy? If you had surgery, how was your recovery and how long did it take to get your thyroid levels stable enough to TTC afterward? Did anyone have Graves that kept fluctuating like mine despite being on the same medication dose?

Positive pregnancy stories would be especially appreciated because I’m feeling pretty discouraged right now. 😞

*** Of course, I’m discussing all of this with my endocrinologist and will make treatment decisions with my medical team, I’m mostly looking for experiences from other women who have been through something similar. Thank you!!! Appreciate any advice.

I was just diagnosed 3 weeks ago with graves and hyperthyroidism. I am curious about one thing and would like to hear what you all think about it since i am fairly new to this dreamy club.

Its specifically about the emotional aspect, the severe mood swings, the unbearable saddness and feeling of defeat, or the lack of feelings all togeather. I’ve experienced all of them in the span of 3 weeks and it is slowly driving me crazy.
The thing is (which im sure most of you already know) the doctors say the medication does not usually have these side effects, so i thought maybe its the beta blocker? Or the actual disease itself?

If it is the disease itself then how come i never felt these dreadful feelings prior to the medication? I did feel the physical ones (rapid heartbeat, temors, random anxiety attacks..ect)

My doctor said that i might just be in shock and emotional about my diagnosis. The thing is, im really not. If anything im relieved there is a different way to live life than what i was actively fighting before being diagnosed, thinking im just a weak human riddled with anxiety that made no sense and came out of nowhere.

So my question is, did you feel this way? The spikes and dips of emotions? One hour im fine, the next im thinking about how the world would look without me in it?
Second question is that if you did, how long did it last (and i am talking purely about the emotional part not the physical)?
And where do you think this comes from?

Im all ears👂👂👂👂

Hi everyone,

I am a first-time mom to a sweet 2-week-old baby girl I live in the UK and her newborn screening test, her bloodwork came back with high TSH (71.2) and low FT4 (9.1). We were immediately referred to the pediatric hospital and she just started her daily liquid levothyroxine medication.

As a new mom, I am feeling extremely anxious, overwhelmed, and worried about her cognitive and physical development. The doctors told us that catching it this early (at 2 weeks) means she should grow up completely fine, but I really need to hear real-life reassurance right now. They say among all the scary things in the blood test screening , this is the easiest for them.

What frightens me the most right now is not having the absolute certainty that the treatment will work and that she will develop completely normally.

I would love to hear from parents of older kids who were diagnosed at birth, or adults who grew up with congenital hypothyroidism:
How are your kids doing now with school, sports, and life in general?

Did early treatment give them a completely normal life?

Please send us some hope and good energy.
Thank you so much from a very worried mom. ❤️

Hi everyone. I was recently diagnosed with graves disease. My labs are as follows: free T4 2.1, t3 normal, Tsh low, tsi 201. No symptoms except lighter menses and mild weight loss. This was discovered during an annual routine exam.

My Endo started me on methimazole 5mg daily. As soon as I started this med, I experienced mild tension/pressure below my right eyebrow and on the side of my right nose bridge after. I just had a retina exam 2 weeks ago and the retina specialist did not say that I have TED. I took selenium 200mcg twice on 2 different days: first day I feel nausea and heart racing, 2nd day I feel intraocular pressure so i stopped taking it.

I don’t think the pressure I feel is behind my eyes. It is more on the two locations that i described as above. I have no other eye symptoms except this. Can this be due to methimazole?

TSH - 0.01
Free T3 - 2.61
Free T4 - 7.7

Husband and I are trying to conceive. We had a miscarriage two months ago. I read somewhere that you can get the antibody test first and an ultrasound. PCP wants to discuss treatment right away before other testing is done. I’m not entirely sure if this approach is common or done regularly? Is seeing an endocrinologist better?

not sure where else to vent about this, people are probably gonna look at this post and call me dumb or silly but i need to express my feelings, sorry if i get things wrong...

i learned i have hyperthyroidism a couple weeks ago, i was given medicine to slow down my heart rate because it was constantly way too high compared to normal people and it has helped some (it's temporary until they decide if i need medicine or surgery.)

this has all given me a lot of anxiety since i'm young, apparently the thyroid controls a lot of things. because of this i have been experiencing bad stomach pain and especially nausea. for some reason, soda (specifically cold pepsi in a can) is the only thing that settles my stomach and makes me not feel nauseous anymore and i have no idea why. on one hand i'm happy there's something to help me but i also know it's not good for me. it raises my heart rate because of the caffeine, and i've gone through boxes of pepsi in 2 to 3 days. i really don't know what to do and all of this makes me anxious, it's like no matter what medicine i take the nausea won't stop and only pepsi has helped. has anyone else experienced similar?

The muscle weakness in my legs and arms are getting worse by the day. So much so, walking is getting harder as every step is extremely painful. I'm scared , I'm depressed, this isn't me. I'm scared I'm going to wake up one day and I won't be able to walk anymore. Help....did anyone experience anything like this? Could this just be a symptom of something else? I finally see the Endo next Friday for the first time.

so my tsh is at 0.005 and t4 is at 51.3. i feel like my heart is barely clinging on even though logically i think im probably fine. i just got my meds though but this very sudden change in life is quite difficult to cope with. i feel myself slipping back into depression that has gone into remission years ago. i have bad anxiety regarding anything heart-related, and i just read that artrial fibrillations are a thing we might get sometimes and could lead to strokes etc etc etc. was the beginning this scary for everyone? i'm glad that my heart palpitations finally have an explanation to them but this is still all so scary.

A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with Graves' disease after a sudden RHR spike (40-50+ bpm). Started on methimazole + a beta-blocker — RHR has actually come down nicely (from the 100s to 67 in about 2 weeks on beta-blocker, which seems to mean the methimazole is working).

Last night I broke out in hives and had to get a steroid. No fever or sore throat, so hopefully not the scarier rare stuff, but wondering — has anyone else had a hive/allergic reaction on methimazole? Did your doctor switch you to a different anti-thyroid med, or was it manageable enough to stay on it?

Wondering if anyone can relate or give an idea on when things will improve. I’ve had an underactive thyroid since age 18 and it’s been well managed with levothyroxine. Last October I started getting weird feelings of needing to get away from anything and everything eg watching son play football, family visiting or going out for dinner. I then hand panics but more of thoughts than increase in heart rate. This continued until March when I got my bloods checked and my TSH was at 10.7, t4 15.2. GP increased my dose from 100mcg to 125mcg and tested again 8weeks later - TSH then 0.26, t4 16.2. GP said to maintain on that dose which I now realise was an error. my symptoms continued and if anything got worse. my limbs upon waking felt electric, uneasy all day etc. GP agreed to lower dose down to 100mcg again. I did a York test in parallel which showed TSH at 0.16.

anyway I am now 5weeks into reducing the dose and my mood is so low, I don’t feel bad about myself or anything but depressive thoughts about this horrible feeling never leaving me. I wake with what I assume is adrenaline in my body but also huge fatigue. I can manage about ten mins in a shop but then the feeling raises itself. family visited today and I manage for so long then have to break away and reset. GP tested bloods this week and TSH now 0.28 and t4 is 16.0. my b12 is now slightly low which I assume is from being over medicated for four months.

my query is how long I will take to feel better again?

thanks for any insights, it’s a lonely place when others haven’t gone through this so cannot fully understand.

The last 4 years I’ve been on Methimazole to keep my thyroid in check. I went into a thyroid storm in 2022 and that’s when I got my diagnosis of graves and hyper. Since then I’ve changed diet and lifestyle. I also had a child in 2025. My levels are finally in range and my dr said I could try coming off the meds. That was in June. I’ve been off them since. Every once in awhile I get some hot flashes or racing heart but not for long. What natural things can I take to keep my levels in range in hopes of staying off the meds indefinitely??

Hello everyone! Just wondered if anyone had any experience with this particular issue and how you navigated it.

I had two CT scans with contrast back to back (one in December and one in January). In March, I started getting extreme nervousness/anxiety, tachycardia, palpitations, heat intolerance, and other hyperthyroidism symptoms (intolerance to caffeine, increased SHBG, etc.). Since then, and for the past 6 months, my TSH is usually between 0.10 and 0.25, so subclinical but still symptomatic. Ultrasound and antibodies are normal, as are T3 and T4 and the free variants of each. My PCP gave me propranolol 10mg to take as-needed, but I try not to take it too regularly due to some side effects (increased lethargy, stomach pain, ED, worsened brain fog).

Prior to the scans, my TSH was always 1.0-1.5… my last test being 3 months before the CT scans.

Is there any way to make this better more quickly? I’m just hoping it will eventually go away on its own after a while (a year or so… fingers crossed).

Hi everyone!

I want to preface this by saying I do not have a legitimate thyroid cancer diagnosis as of now. I just want to see others stories and ask a few questions about getting their diagnosis.

Back in 2017/2018 I was in a car accident — had CT — incidental single thyroid nodule. Saw PCP, got an US, saw endocrinologist — single colloid cyst, all is well check back in a few years or if symptoms arise. Thyroid panel always normal.

Life got hectic. I was in PA school, graduated and working now. Fiancé was diagnosed with leukemia while I was in school. Relapsed and passed away in January this year. I have lost A LOT of weight FAST, attributed to stress. Other symptoms that were never a red flag for me because I’ve had them chronically but got worse after he passed. Also always have to clear my throat (though the US below shows they aren’t that big idk). Never got to do repeat US.

I got my annual physical and my TSH was ever so slightly low — I pushed to get my US quickly. My inflammatory markers were shockingly normal/low (hx of RA and other stuff).
**Side note. Strong family history of Hashimoto’s/hypothyroidism so the low TSH was a flag for me, also no family history of thyroid cancer that we are aware of.

- Right thyroid lobe enlarged with 1.0 × 0.6 × 0.9 cm hypoechoic nodule with punctate calcifications, stable in size. TR 5
0.6 × 0.2 × 0.4 cm hypoechoic nodule, new. TR 4
- Left thyroid lobe 1.1 × 0.6 × 0.8 cm isoechoic nodule, new. TR 3

Being a PA I knew what this meant, I scheduled an appt with an endocrine surgeon just to get the FNA and establish care in the event it really is malignant.

TLDR/Questions:
* Anyone ever have TR5 on US and it not be cancer on FNA/biopsy?
* Would you push to have TR3 and TR4 biopsied too since they are already going to be doing the TR5?
* Although I practice medicine, it’s difficult to not have clouded judgement and emotion within myself, any and all advice is greatly appreciated and beyond helpful

---

It’s listed as rare side affect however wondering if anyone else has had muscle cramping/pain when just moving around day to day on overactive thyroid medication, such as carbizamol or any other overactive thyroid medication

hi everyone. so this post is more of a scream into the void trying to ground myself. not sure where to post this but i thought this was related enough.

i'm seeing the doctor for a blood test and full thyroid panel tomorrow due to my symptoms. there isn't even concrete evidence suggesting i have anything, but my hypochondriac self is freaking out. trembling hands and weakness aren't helping me either, just makes me even more terrified of what's to come. i know i shouldn't google it'd make it worse but sitting still isn't exactly relaxing either. been having diarrhoea for more than a month, heart racing always racing at 100-120 and now this!

I'm a hypothyroid patient on thyronorm 88 ... everything was fine ...i started going to gym since a month ago...I was doing heavy workouts entire month to loose weight...and I did I lost about 3kg...and suddenly my heart palpitations started.... didn't know how to fix these...read about them online...I'm on a keto diet... Assumed that I have magnesium deficiency...and taking magnesium glycinate tablets every day but didn't change my situation...what to do I have exams coming up...can't do well in exams with my condition...what to do?? Any suggestions or inputs are appreciated my tsh 3.889

T3 1.03 and T4 11..had ecg done...showed pvcs...plz help anyone!!!

Hi Everyone! About a month ago, I established care with a new Primary Care Doctor and happened to mention that I feel tired all the time, have difficulty staying asleep, and often wake up drenched in sweat. Thyroid labs were ordered along with an ultrasound. Those findings led to a diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism, and today I was officially given a Graves Disease diagnosis based on results of my TRab test. The doctor prescribed 5mg of Methimazole and repeat labs in 8 weeks. I start the medication tomorrow. The first endocrinologist appointment I could get is in February so my PCP will manage care until then.

I was so grateful to find this Reddit and am hopeful the meds will give me a better quality of life as I’ve been functioning despite exhaustion I couldn’t shake for years and just thought it was due to job stress.

I guess I’m just posting looking for support and wondering if people could share what to expect as I start on this journey, what they wish someone had told them right after diagnosis, and any tips/tricks or experiences with Methimazole.

Thyroid survivor here, still learning things the hard way even years into managing it. Sharing in case it helps someone newly diagnosed.

The anxiety isn't "just stress." I kept blaming myself for feeling constantly on edge, racing heart, can't sit still. Nobody told me that's a textbook hyperthyroid symptom, not a personality flaw or something I needed to "calm down" from.

Weight loss isn't always the win it looks like. People kept complimenting me on losing weight, and I didn't have the heart to explain my body was working overtime and burning through everything, including muscle.

Labs' "improving" doesn't always mean you feel better. I had months where my numbers looked good on paper, but I still felt wired, exhausted, or emotionally raw. Recovery isn't linear even when the labs say it should be.

Ask for the full picture, not just TSH. I learned to request free T3 and free T4 alongside TSH because TSH alone didn't always explain what I was actually feeling.

It does level out. It took me time to trust that feeling normal again was possible, not just something that happened to other people.

If you're newly diagnosed or still adjusting your treatment, you're not imagining any of it. I am happy to answer questions if anyone's going through something similar.

I never developed the main symptoms like a goiter or TED, just shakiness, sweaty hands and foot, anxiety, DPDR and mood swings which I attributed to my CPTSD but as my labs always came fine (never tested my thyroid) I just went to therapy but something never clicked for me. Turns out I was really sick. I honestly don't know which ones will taper and which will stay

I was diagnosed with subacute thyroiditis after ruling out hashimotos thyroiditis in May/June. I’ve had 2 lots of ultrasound, 3 blood tests since April. In May/June I had painful swelling on the left of my thyroid, swollen lymph nodes and inflamed thyroid. The pain sometimes carries down to the base of my throat and my left collarbone. For a while I was managing with ibuprofen, but then it continued to flare up every few weeks. Doctor prescribed me with a higher anti inflammatory med which again helped, but has continued to flare up with pain. I’m a teacher and using my voice lots makes this really tricky. I’ve been having lots of hyperthyroid symptoms: crazy mood swings, anxiety, struggle to sleep at night, tremors in hands… all that stuff.

But recently I went back to doctor because pain won’t go away. It’s been months. And she ordered another ultrasound and blood tests. Ultrasound now shows a benign cyst on the right side of thyroid, and my lymph nodes are no longer inflamed. But the pain is still bad on the left side of my neck. TSH levels, T3 and 4 are totally normal. I’ll also add that I have signs of thyroid vascularity too which is interesting and is different to the last round of tests.

I feel like I’m losing my mind. Has anyone had similar issues with either developing a cyst with SAT and/or thyroid levels go back to normal but you still have pain that you once did at the start of diagnosis?

Thanks 😭