Diagnosed at 37 with hyper
At about 150 lbs
Was getting the eye twitches, hiccups uncontrollably
Waking up in the middle of the night sobbing (felt like first trimester pregnancy hormones!)
Visually appeared that one eye bigger than another. Even went to the eye doctor, who steered me to the endo
I gained weight that year, for sure. I was only taking a small amount of Tapazole. It had an unusually good effect on me â I cut my dose in half after 3 months, and in half again at six months.
But I was like you: gained weight while being hyperthyrodic â the opposite of what usually happens!
At six months, blood work appeared ânormalâ, symptoms including moderate goiter dissipated shortly thereafter.
I do not know why it worked so well on me. This is the Genius Endo, who also diagnosed my LADA.
When at seven months, feeling much better, I walked into my next visit â he jokingly asked me if I was a praying woman. Because, he furthered, even though the hyper was not curable, I had recovered so well in such a short time, he was at a loss to say why.
Although I stopped Tapazole, the 40 lbs I gained stayed with me until T1 kicked in two + years ago.
Thatâs when I lost 65 lbs unintentionally.
Because I was sick from the diabetes. Not the way anyone wants to lose weight.
Itâs also why I got a thorough check up and blood work done, and what helped me start to get healthy again.
Other than learning the ropes of T1, I am so much better than when undiagnosed.
Youâre T1, right? Have you considered asking your doctor about metformin? Or do you already have a history with it?
Drug interactions are so crazy, I couldnât begin to figure out that stuff for anyone but myself. Just seems to be some new evidence T1s can benefit from it.
Iâm still learning the ropes of how to post!
Iâll figure out the quote thing soon.
Yes, diagnosed with Gravesâ disease. I had the racing heart also. And insomnia. I would wake up at 2 am, and watch country music videos and bawl my eyes out.
And I wasnât much of a country music fan then.
So it was all very unusual to me.
But it sounds like you are on the right track, treatment and remission wise. You have goalposts for Tapazole reduction and even remission goals. And they are not that far away!
I am glad the heart condition is also being treated; this could have contributed to the fatigue you experienced so strongly in December.
And if I was you, I would call your endo to ask about Metformin right away. Here in the States itâs a holiday weekend; so I donât know if itâs possible for you to reach the doctor before tomorrow.
But in discussing, a good thing would be to cite the study Rose found and posted here. Itâs a great starting point for the conversation. Even leaving a message with the question, and citation could work well â that way doc has a chance to review the paper and call back to discuss.
I mean, if you still need beta blockers â again, donât know whatâs contraindicated between Metformin and what you are taking â but it means you are needing heart support, and the endo can determine whatâs best for you!
You are the first person I have ever met who gained weight with Gravesâ disease besides myself! It is interesting to see how these autoimmune tracks combine.
Oh, and congratulations on 25 years as T1. That is a great accomplishment. I am a baby next to you at less than a year since D-diagnosis. Keep up all the good work.