Thyroid Disorders and Interferon

[geterdone]

Here is a Thyroid check list of symptoms that may help in understanding the effects the Interferon has on the thyroid because it is the second in command and is the controller of our body functions.

Cut and past to a word document and check off what may apply since starting treatment.
Then go back to the info packets of the Interferon and Ribavirin and see the similarity of symptoms associated with each.

The thyroid “Bounce” will mess you up before it shows itself at some point during tx.
  
jasper


Hyperthyroidism

I have the following symptoms of hyperthyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

____ My heart feels like it's skipping a beat, racing and I feel like I'm having heart palpitations
____ My pulse is unusually fast
____ My pulse, even when resting or in bed, is high
____ My hands are shaking, I'm having hand tremors
____ I feel hot when others feel cold, I am feeling inappropriately hot or overheated
____ I'm having increased perspiration
____ I am losing weight inappropriately
____ I am losing weight but my appetite has increased
____ I feel like I have a lot of nervous energy that I need to burn off
____ I am having diarrhea or loose or more frequent bowel movements
____ I feel nervous or irritable
____ My skin looks or feels thinner
____ My muscles feel weak, particularly the upper arms and thighs
____ I am having difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, or going back to sleep after awakening in the middle of the night
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, thin
____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
____ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (shorter, longer, or heavier, or more frequent, or not at all)
____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
____ I have had one or more miscarriages
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless, or anxious
____ I have had panic attacks.
____ I've recently been diagnosed as having panic disorder, anxiety disorder, or panic attacks
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ My eyes seem to be enlarging, or getting more "bug-eyed" looking
____ My moods change easily
____ I have feelings of worthlessness
____ I have difficulty concentrating or focusing
____ I have more feelings of sadness
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hyperthyroidism:

____ My hair is falling out
____ I can't seem to remember things
____ I have no sex drive, or am having sexual performance problems
____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
____ My eyes feel sensitive to light
____ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches
____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I get recurrent sinus infections
____ I have vertigo
____ I feel some lightheadedness
____ I have severe menstrual cramps

[geterdone]

I don’t know if there is an answer to the question while tx’ing. I would venture to say that as mentioned above it has a lot to with the INF and how each individual’s thyroid reacts to the toxicity of the INF. Some have stronger thyroids than others. Here are three studies relating to the thyroid and Interferon. Can I nail it down, no but if others have more data please chime in.

jasper


http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/reprint/89/8/3656.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11982739?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11344186?dopt=Abstract

[Lady Lauri]

  Thank you, will hang on to this.
The problem I see tho is that many of those are also 'sides' of tx, so how would we know what's causing what? Labs of course, I know, but for now we could all check a lot off.
My TSH has fluctuacted a bit (think you'd pointed it out??).
My ongoing question is...and can never get a sure answer... I have heard if it goes out of whack, it's for life than some say no, it can go back to normal.
Do you know which is true?
(Being 2b, UND week 4, in week 18 and all.....don't know if I'd want to risk the for life thyroid problem, if next one shows bad, etc.)
thanks

LL

LL

[geterdone]

Here is a little hyper Thyroid song,
it's called Thyroid with an Attitude!

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a heper now, no time to talk.

Interferon is flowing and Riba is choking,
and I’ve been knocked down since I began.

It's all right, its O.K
you may look the other way
and until we see you another day
just stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

We can try to understand
the Hepc virus sx effect’s on man.
Whether you're a brother, a sister
or you're a mother, or man
were all just trying to make it, make it as best as we can.
stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

We feel our physic breakin' down
and ev'rybody starts shakin' their heads
and turning around, for it’s all right, it’s ok
the loss is indifferent because we're here to say
stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.

Well now, I get low and I get high
and if I can't get either we’ll give synthroid a try.
We got the wings of angles, on our shoes
were all heppers and we just can't lose.

Well you know it's all right, it's O.K.
we will live and play another day.

We can try to understand
the sx effects are different for everyone,
whether you're a brother, a sister
a mother, or man,
were all just hopein’ and praying
to see it to the end.
Just stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

But, It’s all right, its O.K
we’ll be able to walk and work another day
and when we do, you just wait and see
there will be nothing that we can’t do.

So don’t give up hope your almost there
think of a little song and you’ll make it through

Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.

Disco Geterdone!

[geterdone]

Look at it this way you inject Interferon once a week that is 7 days, 4 in up cycle and 3 in down cycle. To the thyroid it’s like trying to catch a falling knife. No wonder were so batty on the drugs It’s like being thrashed around in the grip of JAWS!

jasper

[geterdone]

Yes, from my own point of view and experience early on in TX it does flip flop back and forth at a very low frequency (undetected) at first and then progresses the longer you are on the interferon until the swings get wider and wider apart and it finally gets stuck in either hyper or hypo but before then it will go hyper because the body is saying it needs more balance which is caused by the INF then the thyroid produces more and some times to much then shuts down the thyroid which causes hypo because of the over production and when tested will show either or and some times to the two extremes at various times during TX until it is locked in place at either spectrum in which synthroid is needed. Hopefully when treatment is completed it will return to normal and for the most part it does but there is exception to where it does not.

BTW no reason to stop TX it will take a couple of weeks for the synthroid to kick in.

jasper

[smaug48]

This is very helpful, much appreciated!!!!

[annekynch]

thanks for the info.  when you say bounce are you saying the tsh and t4 flip around from hyper to hypo.

[geterdone]

Hypothyroidism:

I have the following symptoms of hypothyroidism, as detailed by the Merck Manual, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the Thyroid Foundation of America

____ I am gaining weight inappropriately
____ I'm unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
____ I am constipated, sometimes severely
____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick
____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
____ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it's getting worse
____ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more frequent)
____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ My moods change easily
____ I have feelings of worthlessness
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I have more feelings of sadness
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hypothyroidism:

____ My hair is falling out
____ I can't seem to remember things
____ I have no sex drive
____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ I'm snoring more lately
____ I have/may have sleep apnea
____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
____ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
____ My eyes feel sensitive to light
____ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches
____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I get recurrent sinus infections
____ I have vertigo
____ I feel some lightheadedness
____ I have severe menstrual cramps