Thyroid Treatment Causes MG?!
 

Yeah, Abby, I thought of you when I saw this. But so many MGers have thyroid issues. For those of you whose thyroid problem came first, were you treated with antithroid drugs like methimazole or propylthiouracil before you got MG?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20635587

Again, if they can figure out all of the drugs that can cause MG, like Gapapentin and Ketek, why can't they figure out how to STOP or CURE it? ;)

Annie

Yep, that's me. Phooey. I got Graves' 16 years ago, after the birth of my daughter (totally worth it, though. What a sweetie she is). I was on propylthiouracil (PTU) on and off for about 8 years. Then I had a five-year remission where I wasn't taking anything. Then, three years ago, I had a big relapse. Went on the PTU that spring. Noticed my first symptoms of MG that fall, though in retrospect I had symptoms all summer that I put down to other things.

So, here I am. Maybe I should have had my thyroid killed with radio-active iodine way back in the beginning. But I was having babies and nursing babies, and didn't want to be radioactive. I was also worried that I would get stuck in a mildly hypo state that the doctors would refuse to treat with higher doses of synthroid--this happened to my mother. So I opted for the thyroid-suppressant drugs, which other than possibly giving me MG have been great. I'm not on anything now.

Well, water under the bridge. We make our decisions based on what we know at the time, which is all we can do. It was a sensible decision, and therefore not a "mistake," even if it was the wrong one.

Abby

Abby, I don't think it was the "wrong" decision to take that drug! I've just been doing drug research and thought the info might help people who are facing taking it. Isn't it the JOB of the pharmaceutical companies to do that research ahead of distribution? :eek:

Babies are never a mistake. I wish I could've had one in my life. Well, besides my last 2 shih-tzu babies. ;)

Right. I was reminding myself that the decision made sense based on what I knew. I didn't do anything careless or stupid. I bet that the percentage of Graves' patients who get myasthenia from taking PTU or methimazole is so small, anyway, that it would have been a reasonable risk even if I'd know about the risk!

I'm very grateful to you for posting that link. I have a niece who just came down with Graves'. She's deciding what treatment to have. This is something she should consider. They say myasthenia doesn't run in families, except for familial myasthenia. Humph.

Abby

I'm sorry your niece is facing down this nonsense. I'm glad she'll have this info too. I just sort of happened upon it.

Makes you wonder what other drugs are lurking out there, waiting to cause trouble.

I was diagnosed with Graved disease 8 months after my daughter was born, they started me on Methimazole, and 4 days later my double vision started, I got crazy hives and then I could barley walk, I was diagnosed with MG 28 days later, I thought the might have been a connection there, thank you for that article

Kim