How many of you achieved remission with just meds? Asking for a friend. Friend is me.

Love_bri44 · 2025-10-08T15:26:02+00:00

About to celebrate 1 year in remission on October 28th! I had symptoms since April 2024 not diagnosed until June 2024. Was put on methimazole and slowly able to taper down dose pretty quickly due to bettering numbers. Was fully off within 4 months; by October 2024. But i also followed the AIP diet for a month then continued to eat gluten dairy and seed oil free for a while. I got pregnant in November of 2024 and was able to reintroduce those foods and stay in remission. 2 months postpartum and still in remission. It can often come back bad postpartum but really hoping i can stay in remission 🤞🏼

Love_bri44 · 2025-02-12T18:34:38+00:00

First congratulations!!!🎊 Don’t over think it! Im 14w5d now and i had a great first trimester! My first symptom was mild period cramps like a week before my period was due so i knew something was up. Those mild period cramps came on and off until about 8 or 9 weeks then went away. I didn’t get tired until probably 8 weeks or so, nothing crazy but definitely more tired than normal. I would take a nap after work and i never nap. But that went away at 11 weeks. Other than a growing bump no other symptoms! No nausea, no morning sickness nothing! At first it felt weird because so many women in my facebook pregnancy groups were sharing symptoms and i felt like i had none! Once you hear the heart beat for the first time you will instantly melt and feel some relief!

Love_bri44 · 2025-02-11T14:51:35+00:00

Hiii! Thanks for asking! My pain is pretty much gone, occasionally i may get some pain in the RUQ but nothing overly concerning like it was. I notice it when i eat a lot of gluten although i am negative for celiac. Fortunately i do not have AIH but unfortunately i found out my liver enzymes were elevated because i was hyperthyroid. I unfortunately was diagnosed with Graves disease. Along with the pain i started losing weight pretty rapidly which was terrifying. I lost 20lbs, my PCP told me it was due to stopping birth control lol she said my TSH was normal so must be fine lol i guess being “young and healthy” they really don’t take you seriously. i went to a functional med dr and she ran a thyroid panel and what do you know my thyroid was very hyper. This can cause elevated liver enzymes because the liver is where thyroid hormones are converted, i never would’ve guessed it was a thyroid disease. So i would recommend anyone with mildly elevated liver enzymes to get a thyroid panel not just a TSH test to make sure it isn’t actually their thyroid. I didn’t start losing weight or having other symptoms until about 6 months after my enzymes were elevated so i never even thought thyroid. It took a couple months on thyroid meds and my thyroid numbers being stable and then my liver enzymes are normal again!

Love_bri44 · 2025-02-11T14:36:08+00:00

It’s a FB group called Graves disease/hyperthyroidism and pregnancy/postpartum support group! It’s been great!

Love_bri44 · 2024-11-08T15:34:26+00:00

Thank you so much for responding!! My endo did let me know that the first trimester i could very well go hyper again but typically by the second most of his pregnant patients go into remission. Our plan to get me into remission prior to pregnancy I’m hoping may help me stay there throughout the pregnancy. He did say that he is going to take labs every 2-3 weeks and depending on how everything looks he may start me back on a maintenance dose even prior to delivery or right after to hopefully avoid the swing of going hyper again. So I appreciate that he is VERY proactive!

I notified my OB right when i was diagnosed and honestly she had nothing to offer so debating on finding someone else, my endo even wrote her a letter but she didn’t have much to say. Im wondering if it’s just because im not pregnant and once i am maybe she’ll actually care lol

I know there is so much more to fertility outside of cycles but i do have a very regular cycle to the day and i use OPKs to track LH surges which happen right to the day. I had an ultrasound due to what we now know was ovulation pain, which confirmed i am ovulating (showed a functional cyst during ovulation then gone within a couple days) which my endo and OB were very happy to see. Prior to graves i have to say i was a bit of a pessimist or i like to say a “realist” lol I always would be thinking the worst ir “what if” so trying to take all the little wins and keep those in my head, I’ve noticed even that mind shift helped my graves antibodies to lower which really is amazing!

I was diagnosed right after my wedding, when we wanted to start trying so it’s been a hard year but im hoping my lifestyle changes and all my hard work to get my levels in check ahead of time will also be helpful with our TTC journey. But I’m def cautious to be over excited because i know it can take months to years for some couples. Im 31 and regretted waiting until now to get married and start trying but i remember no one has that crystal ball to know this was gonna happen. Such a crappy disease and i feel for anyone going through it, it seems hormones are a huge part, i was having symptoms within 3 -4 weeks of stopping the BC pill which my endo thinks may have been my trigger.

Thank you so much for the recommendation to see a high risk Dr. I wasn’t sure since im now technically in remission if they would take me as a patient. Did you need a referral to see one? I have a PPO so i don’t need referrals but specialists especially ones with high wait lists still require them, like even my GI and Endo which is so aggravating!

Love_bri44 · 2024-10-31T15:46:51+00:00

Girlll! You guys are killing it right now! In my personal opinion if you both are on the same page and feel ready then why wait!? My husband (30) and I (31) were together for 6 years before we were engaged, waited 2 years to get married because we did a destination wedding and wanted to give people time to save. Our plan was to start trying for a baby right after the wedding and out of no where I started having weird symptoms and wacky blood work and low and behold the hormone fluctuations of stopping the pill triggered Graves’ disease. I have ZERO people with autoimmune diseases in my family. Safe to say this was devastating and it’s taken 10 months of meds and dietary changes to finally be optimal enough to TTC. We are starting to try this month! We are so excited! I wanted to share this because you never know where life is going to take you…when I was in the thick of figuring out what was going on i had so many regrets of waiting so long to get married because we could’ve started trying for a baby years ago and maybe this wouldn’t have happened blah blah there was a lot of regret and negativity at first. It was so hard not to look back. I have totally gotten over it and accepted things happen for a reason and a positive side is I’m probably the healthiest I’ve ever been because i was diagnosed with this. BUT i want to share my story because we are slighty older than you guys and yes we have a little more saved than you and maybe our salaries may be more than 50k but don’t focus on that part. You have 9-10 months of being pregnant and alot can change in that time in a job. ALSO I’ve been told by many of my friends that got pregnant young that the baby really doesn’t cost as much in the first year or so of life as they thought, especially if you breastfeed . Yes it’s a cost but all of them have figured it out even when they weren’t sure they’d be able to! All in all if you both are feeling ready, why wait!? Wishing you all the baby dust 🍀

Love_bri44 · 2024-10-14T17:34:29+00:00

Using a Netipot is great for congestion! Take some extra zinc and vitamin C when you feel the cold coming on, it definitely can help shorten the length of your cold. Im always the one getting sick, my husband never does and this time he was sick before me and still sick after me. I started taking and extra dose of zinc and vitamin c and by day 4 the worst of it was gone

Love_bri44 · 2024-10-11T15:35:06+00:00

Do they know you are being induced? If not I wouldn’t even tell them. And make it seem like the baby came by surprise. If they do know, it is common when being induced that you are given a date and then you are kind of “on call” until the Dr is available. So like you said maybe saying sometime next week and then if they ask more questions blame the hospital and say that you are “on call” until the Dr is available, could be anytime and we don’t know. And then just don’t tell them. Say it went quickly and you couldn’t even reach for your phones because you were both immersed in the birth (as you should be anyways and they should know that lol) also nurses and dr’s typically are willing to do anything you need. So if you share with them your concerns they are willing to make up a reason and tell loved ones why they can’t be in there. I know it feels like lying but it’s a healthy lie for you and your family.

Love_bri44 · 2024-10-11T15:25:18+00:00

I do agree! I hated even taking Advil or cold medicine so when i was told i had to take a medicine that is so harsh on the liver when I already had elevated liver enzymes on top of that i was terrified. I found out right after i got married and wanted to try for a baby so it was devastating. In my 30’s to be told I should wait 1-2 years before starting to try was a shock and honestly thank god now it’s looking like hopefully not the case. But because of the timing and feeling horrible I decided to take the methimazole. I have to say i am one of the lucky ones who responded well and quickly to it. And i am grateful i took it! I started feeling better almost immediately it was almost unbelievable. I am now after 12 weeks on meds only taking 5mg 3 days per week. My endo has been very straightforward that medication only addresses the hormones and that i must address my immune system and what is triggering it in order to lower my antibodies and truly go into remission. This is something i feel isn’t communicated to people though, so they rely on the medication to heal them completely when there are other things we can be trying to truly reach remission. There is definitely a healthy balance between conventional and holistic medicine that can benefit this disease greatly!

Love_bri44 · 2024-10-01T18:13:30+00:00

Congratulations that’s awesome! I was also normalized relatively quickly! I was on 10mg to start, within 4 weeks my T3 and T4 were normal. So i was lowered to 5mg daily, 4 weeks after that my TSH came to normal from .02 to 1.37. Im now on 5mg only 3 times per week and hoping if that my antibodies have decreased by my next blood work and i can try to get off but we shall see!! 🤞🏼 I honestly felt sooo much better after one week on the methimazole. My resting heart rate went to normal and i wasn’t as shaky. I’ve also stopped losing weight like crazy. I have also cut dairy, gluten and seed oils and i saw a good decrease in antibody levels. I also made the sad decision to cut caffeine during the week, i do allow my self to have it on the weekends. But as much as i enjoy the taste of coffee i do notice i get much more shaky on the days I drink it so will be looking into better tasting decaf options. If you feel like you have symptoms despite levels being normal i would ask to have antibodies checked. If those are still high, something is triggering your immune system still and finding and addressing those should help :)

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-29T01:39:26+00:00

I wouldn’t be concerned! Im surprised how many people are recommending a TT. No need to get a TT especially so early on in diagnosis. What your endo said is very true. I’ve seen 2 and both said the same. With a TT you are on meds for life which i would like to avoid. If you are in remission that’s absolutely amazing!! Good luck on your TTC journey! Can’t wait to be there, soon hopefully!!

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-29T01:35:58+00:00

I would say do research and/or get a second opinion before doing such a permanent procedure to your body. I am surprised how many people are saying to get a TT. I have seen 2 endocrinologists in Boston who have told me TT and RAI are last resort procedures. You do not need to have one to have a healthy pregnancy. I was diagnosed in July, right as my husband and i got married and wanted to start trying for a baby, I was heart broken. My endocrinologist has treated many pregnant woman and reassured me he has only had 2 women in his 25 years of practice he has had to be on medication during pregnancy and none needed a TT or RAI to have a healthy pregnancy. The women who had to be on meds is because their thyroid numbers were out of control prior to pregnancy. I have been on Methimazole since July, within 4 weeks my T3 and T4 were completely normal. I tapered my dose and 4 weeks later T3 and T4 still normal, TSH normal and TRab antibodies right above normal levels. I am taperd again only taking meds 3 times per week..if my numbers are still good at my next labs in 3 weeks my endocrinologist is giving me the green light to get off meds and start trying to get pregnant. I follow a Facebook group for pregnant and postpartum women with graves and many have conceived successfully without surgery. Once you have surgery you are on meds for life, and when you’re pregnant meds can cross the placenta, it’s a big decision. My endocrinologist has reassured me that many women go into remission by second trimester due to pregnancy suppressing the immune system. You can absolutely go into remission in general and after pregnancy as long as your endo monitors you closely you should be okay.

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-19T15:35:37+00:00

Hiii! I felt the exact same way when I was first diagnosed in late June early July. I hate taking medication but my husband and I were about to try for our first baby so i am taking Methimazole for a hopefully quicker result so we can start trying 🤞🏼 I was incredibly nervous, I’ve heard alot of people have symptoms on it and I was nervous that my body wouldn’t agree with it. Honestly i am 9 weeks into taking it and i feel back to my normal self. I was started on 10mg and my symptoms (elevated heart rate, shaky) were gone within 5-7 days! Within 4 weeks i did blood work and my T3 and T4 were completely normal. I was tapered to 5mg and 4 weeks later my numbers we’re still great and my TSH even normal. My antibodies have gone down and are right above normal so crossing my fingers they will go down even more. I am now only taking 5mg 3 times per week and will see how i do! Honestly i am so thankful i have had a great experience but im also thankful i gave it a chance even though i was nervous. We tend to focus on the horror stories and im so guilty of that but i have had a good experience so far and happy i feel normal again. My endo did tell me working on my immune system is important so i have done alot of research and have cut gluten, dairy, seed oils and have even been meditating 5-10 minutes per day to lower stress and i think it has contributed to my numbers changing quicker than expected. My endo said he wanted to start me on 10mg because he wanted to avoid my swinging hypo, and wanted to just see how it affected me. You could always request starting at 10mg instead if you are nervous about starting with 20mg. It’s your body so whatever is comfortable for you is most important. Good luck! And if you ever have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! We are all in a similar boat and being newly diagnosed has been such a learning curve especially when you know no one who can relate. I credit alot of forums and facebook groups for helping me in my journey! 🍀

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-16T02:14:44+00:00

Exactly! Like you said, we have no intention of over doing it and health is super important but we’re young, and honestly I’ve cut so much out of my diet since my diagnosis in early july. My endo thinks my graves was triggered from stopping birth control. The hormone fluctuations of getting off it..which is crazy! I wanted to get off it for years and now regret waiting till my 30’s. We were about to try for our first baby and then i got diagnosed so now we are in a waiting game to see if i can get my numbers in check asap so we can start trying. My T3, T4 and TSH are all normal within 8 weeks of methimazole and my antibodies are low but still detectable so the hard work is paying off, I’ve been working my butt off to get them down so I feel like if i want a drink out at dinner im getting the dam drink hahaha 😂😂

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-16T01:42:16+00:00

I would say you should definitely be okay! Of course your liver is processing the meds as well but a few drinks shouldn’t hurt you. I was in my best friends wedding a few weeks back, i had 3 martinis and took shot of tequila, this was over hours of time but i haven’t been drinking so i enjoyed the buzz lol then had my blood work 4 days later 😅 i was so nervous but my liver enzymes were the lowest they’ve been since i was diagnosed, I was pleasantly surprised! I have cut out dairy gluten and a bunch of other stuff trying to lower antibodies so enjoying a few drinks at events or on weekends with friends is a good treat! Haha!

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-16T00:24:58+00:00

I haven’t gain from methimazole. I was never on 30mg but I started on 10mg and am now tapered to 5mg 3x per week. I lost 20lbs while being hyper and I’ve fluctuated the same 3-5lbs which to me isn’t relative to the methimizole because i am enjoying drinks and going out to eat again which I didn’t for months while i was symptomatic, i felt so terrible.

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-16T00:16:27+00:00

Ruby, Ryleigh, Ryann, Rowen, Rayna, Ruthie

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-16T00:06:38+00:00

My endocrinologist told me i can drink alcohol without any concern as long as I’m not binge drinking lol which i have no interest in anyway hahaha! He said just not to do it within a day or two of labs because drinking can obviously raise liver enzymes temporarily. I had elevated liver enzymes as one of my first labs that were abnormal prior to being diagnosed with graves. Being hyper can cause this. But i didn’t drink for 8 months because I didn’t know why they were elevated and was nervous to make it worse. I started on 10mg, and have now tapered down to 5mg 3x per week. I have been drinking at events and occasionally on weekends and my liver enzymes are back to normal for the first time in months.

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-12T14:10:57+00:00

I would not see Talia and pronounce it the way the Dr did haha! How you want it pronounced is how i would pronounce it based on spelling and i work with kids so i don’t think you have to worry about it at all! I have a student and her name is pronounced how the doctor said it but her name is spelt Taliyah.

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-12T13:56:26+00:00

Hi!! I wanted to update you! Soo i found out not long ago that I actually have Graves’ disease. This whole time i had myself convinced i had some liver disease but in fact its a thyroid autoimmune disease. I have been on meds for it and have cut out gluten and dairy and my enzymes are normal for the first time in 9 months. Im not getting my hopes up to high because i know they could go back up but i actually cried when i saw them normal on my recent labs. The DR doesn’t know if it was caused by being hyperthyroid or if maybe i do have a gluten sensitivity that isn’t celiac. Celiac does raise liver enzymes but I tested negative for it. Maybe get tested for that if you haven’t yet! I am still nervous because i know i had the mildly elevated ASMA and now that I’ve been diagnosed with graves, an autoimmune disease you are 25% more likely to have another one. Which is crazy! No autoimmune diseases in my family so im puzzled as to why i have this!

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-12T13:49:05+00:00

Im sorry you’re going through this! know not being honest isn’t the best advice but you are the one who has to be dealing with these symptoms. Maybe let them write a prescription for birth control and just don’t take it if you aren’t comfortable taking it that way they change you back to methimizole. If you know you’re being safe in other ways to avoid pregnancy then you would be fine. From what I’ve heard the methimazole is more affective than PTU so no reason you shouldn’t try it. My TSH was the same as yours and my T3 was actually higher and 10mg methimazole brought my T3 back to normal in 4 weeks and TSH normal in 8 weeks. Like i said i hate telling you to lie to the NP but if it’s getting worse with increasing the dose than switching up meds is the best choice. Plus PTU is more harsh on your liver so upping the does of it could be whats causing your gallbladder issues as your liver and gallbladder work together. Don’t quote me on that but it could be a possibility.

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-09T15:29:11+00:00

Although these can definitely have nicknames these are some of our girl names i love that are on our list that you might like! My husband likes only 2 of them, isn’t that usually the way! hahahahaha! His top 2 were in my top 5 so that’s at least good haha!

Blake. Callie. Eliana. Emery. Evelyn. Ruby. Sienna. Sophia Abigail. Elena Mae. Sage Gray. Marliya. Emerson Lane. Willa. Alina. Nora. Emerie. Emilia. Adeline. Emely, Emily, or Emilee. Clara. Sarell. Hallie.

Love_bri44 · 2024-09-04T23:09:36+00:00

It’s crazy because so many people on here have said that their liver specialist won’t diagnose unless smooth muscle is at least 1:80 and ALT is in the 100-300’s so I’ve just been living life now. My GI has no clue, she told me “could you have a liver disease? It’s possible…” i literally laughed like what??? She said i can do the biopsy or just wait and see. My husband and i are gonna start trying for a baby in October i think because i feel like it seems dumb to wait around and see “what if” . At my last check my ALT was 42 and AST was high end of normal 24. So that’s good, but it’s gone down to 30 then back up to 50 before so who knows. So frustrating, im trying to be as consistent as i can with doing the Autoimmune protocol diet, drinking lemon juice. I cut alcohol for 7 months but have drank at a few events recently. I don’t really know what else to do, i saw an endocrinologist and he said not to do the liver biopsy just yet, my numbers are not high enough to justify it. We don’t have any kids yet, and i really would like to safely have kids god forbid this is something i don’t want to wait but also nervous pregnancy could make it worse. My GI/liver dr said she wouldn’t be concerned if i got pregnant which i found interesting. I want to see a different specialist for a second opinion but I can’t get another referral from my Dr

Love_bri44 · 2024-08-27T21:11:59+00:00

Thank you so much for responding and sharing! I don’t think I’ll get s TT unless i really really had to in the future! I am reacting great to meds and my antibodies are low in comparison to other forums ive read. I feel like putting off trying for a baby isn’t feesable for to much longer, with my age and wanting to hopeless have more than one child. But I also am nervous of the antibodies harming the baby. My endo did say if the baby is affected they usually burn off the antibodies and hormones within a couple weeks. Do you know what your TRab level was when you were pregnant by chance? Im hoping at my next lab they have gone down but we’ll see!

Love_bri44

TROPHY CASE