and yes - have her get the TSI test done.
I can't say this is fact or not - but I did have these saved in my articles However I found this stuff out after I had RAI so I do not know any proof on it. Your asking about natural things to suppress - so this is the only thing I can offer you.
If you have symptoms of Graves' disease, see a doctor and take the prescribed medication. Do not attempt self-treatment, even though it worked for the young woman whose story began this chapter. In addition to following your doctor's advice, and with his permission, you might also try these herbs.
Bugleweed (Lycopus, various species). Bugleweed has a considerable folk history for treating thyroid conditions, and modern research supports this use. This herb inhibits iodine metabolism and reduces the amount of hormone that's produced by thyroid cells.
( I read about Bugleweed alot with hyperthyroidism)
Leaf extracts are more active than root extracts. The recommended oral preparation is a tincture (alcohol extract) rather than a tea. In one study using laboratory animals, bugleweed tincture resulted in a significant decrease in thyroid hormone levels.
Bugleweed is widely used in Europe as an herbal treatment for early-stage Graves' disease, often in combination with lemon balm. However, take caution that bugleweed--and other herbal treatments for Graves' disease--have mild effects and are best used in early stages of the condition or in addition to synthetic pharmaceuticals.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). In Europe, lemon balm, also known as melissa, is often recommended along with bugleweed for treating Graves' disease. Studies show that lemon balm causes a decrease in blood and pituitary levels of TSH after a single injection, thus reducing thyroid hormone production. It's not clear if lemon balm has a similar effect when taken orally. It's probably worth a try.
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris). A quarter-pound serving of self-heal greens with bugleweed tubers, spiced up with basil, oregano, rosemary and spearmint, should contain significant quantities of the compound rosmarinic acid, which helps suppress thyroid hormone production.
Kelp (Laminaria, various species). Herbal pharmacologist Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D., author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine and Herbal Tonic Therapies, notes that among the Japanese who consume a great deal of kelp, thyroid disease is practically unknown, but among the Japanese who have become Westernized and eat little or no kelp, thyroid disease is on the rise
You can buy powdered kelp in health food stores to sprinkle on your food as a seasoning.
The last paragraph I am not sold on. I hate kelp and find it very dirty and inconsistant. If I went this route and wanted to entertain iodine then I would move forward to potassium iodide and eliminate using kelp.
Remember - this is only thoughts.. I'd have her read more on all this.
Its amazing how helpful this site can be,.......people here were a life saver for me 2 years ago. And even though I've got through the worst, I still stay here to help out the new ones on their 'journey to wellness'.
Its not just the thyroid support but the support knowing we are not alone in this.
Thanks for the replies. I forwarded your information on to her. She is to get a copy of her uptake/scan results today. Hopefully she will be able to share the images with us. She really doesn't want to do anything permanent at this time (unless diagnosed of cancer or such importance) so I hope she does well on the meds. After speaking with her again, she is beginning to think the upset stomach is more from the thyroid than the meds. She just didn't realize it was one of the hyper symptoms. Oh, and I forgot to mention that her 23 year old daughter has hyperthyroidism as well (and she is pregnant so I advised that she talk to her doc soon), her mother, brother and sister are all hypo and take daily meds for it. No confirmed "disease" that I know of.
Not patting myself on the back or anything but I am really glad I read so much and asked so many questions. If I had not been so familiar with the symptoms, I would not have been able to recognise what she was going through. Who knows what might have happened. She had actually been to her ob-gyn and cardiologist and they never questioned the thyroid. I thank this board for the help and information I received.
Tell your friend to 'space out' the doses of beta blockers.
I was on 40mg daily and I took 10mg morning, 10mg after lunch and 20mg at night to sleep.
I found this easier to cope with.
Also advise your friend that she can go HYPO within 2 weeks of MMI if she has a low tolerance to meds.
Either way...I was checked every 2 weeks to avoid levels going too high/low.
I suggest she does the same.
With the % of uptake, I would say that RAI or TT is on the cards for her because with levels like that, the anti-thyroid meds will not work enough to stabilise the levels.
Tell her to avoid IOdine at all costs and iodised salt, goiterous (green) vegetables (broccolli).
She should start feeling some relief with 3-4 days of being on the MMI (methimazole).
My heart goes out to her as Graves and Hyper is he//.
You are a good friend xxx
combo of propanol/methimazole made me sick at first, but your body gets used to it after 3-4 days. I did accupuncture and loved it! It lowered my heartrate instantly and calmed me down if she is open to trying it. Mostly she just needs to trust the medicine will work and every day it gets better.