Okay, so I went to a new neurologist last week and he ordered some labs and changed some meds. I just talked to his phone nurse to follow up with the med changes. One of my questions to him was if my lab results were back.
Apparently everything was normal or negative, except I have an elevated thyroid antibody. Any ideas what this means?

Hey, Jennie. Well, it means that antibodies are attacking your thyroid gland. And it means that you need to go see an endocrinologist to follow up on that and get advice. A neurologist is not a specialist in that area and you should not rely on them to give you any advice on the matter.

The destruction of the thyroid may take a long time or may happen more quickly. If you are on immunosuppressants, it will help that antibody process too. Are you?

I'm sorry you have two problems now. If or when your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones, they will offer drugs like Synthroid to you. You might want to consider more "natural" drugs like Armour Thyroid or NatureThroid.

http://www.labtestsonline.org.au/und...dies/test.html

Monitoring your TSH levels and getting advice from an endo is the best thing to do. Maybe your loss of appetite has something to do with this too. Bring that up if you see an endo. Take care.

Annie

Well, actually we're going through this right now with my daughter. There are two kinds of antibodies they might have found: Hashimoto's or Graves'. But the presence of either in the blood doesn't necessarily mean you have Hashimoto's or Graves'--it just means that you're susceptible to those diseases.

Here's a quote from the ever-helpful Mayo Clinic:

"Some people without thyroid disease may have TPO antibodies. However, the presence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies may increase the risk of future thyroid disorders. If you have normal thyroid function with TPO antibodies, your doctor may recommend periodic checkups to watch for future thyroid problems."

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thy...isease/AN00806

Abby

How does elevated thyroid amtibodies effect MG?
And no, currently I'm not on any immunosuppressants.

If you just have the antibodies, and your thyroid is functioning normally, then it shouldn't affect MG. But if you're hyperthyroid (if your thyroid is over-producing), that could make your MG worse.

Since you have the antibodies, and since it's common for people with MG to have thyroid disease also, it's important to make sure your thyroid function is good. If they tested the antibodies, I would hope they also tested your thyroid function. If there's any question at all, you should see an endocrinologist.

Abby

The antibodies by themselves wouldn't affect MG but a low or high TSH level would. It can make you even weaker. Please see an endocrinologist.