Yes, there is, as far as I know, just one other medication for Graves. I've had it for years now and became immune to the tapizole. The other med is called PTU which is short for, you ready for this, Propylthiouracil. Tapizole is the go-to drug upon diagnosis. Personally, I think you should give the tapizole some time, and I highly doubt that is what is making your throat sore. When 1st diagnosed you thyroid gland is being fully felt and manipulated by your Dr. They get tender easy. Plus, you need to remember the thyroid is in a spot that doesn't have a lot of extra room and it is probably swollen. Graves is an autoimmune problem, your immune system has decided your thyroid is the enemy and is trying to kill it. Taking the tapizole is a shock to the whole works, your immune system and your thyroid. Give it time, Graves is very hard to get regulated. If they haven't already, tell your Dr. you want a standing bloodwork order, in paper form to carry at all times.
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When you feel off get blood drawn ASAP. Mine will jump all over the board rapidly. Hate it when I feel like crap and by the time I get the ok for a blooddraw my numbers are in the normal range. Have also realized thru the years that just because one may fall within the "normal" limits, those numbers are averages of normal. I feel terrible and will be just in the normal range, I don't feel right until Im in the middle of the ranges. One more thing, educate yourself on Graves, share the info with those close to you, especially the symptoms. A lot of times they will see the psychological changes before you feel bad enough to realize what's happening. Find an Endocrinologist, and run to them. My family Dr. found it, finally, buy doing bloodwork 4-5 times a week for 3 weeks. Thank God he was humble enough to admit that a family Dr. only has about 3-4 class sessions, about 8hrs. total education on all thyroid problems, and hyperthyroid being less common than hypo gets very little attention. If your Gyno found it, they have a bit more experience since it seems to hit woman more, but for the best result find an Endo. Don't mess around with this, educate yourself, and take charge of your medical health. Don't worry about hurting your diagnosing Dr. feelings. Once an Endo works with you, and gets you all straight you'll see them every 6mo.-1yr. Your family Dr. or Gyno will work hand in hand with them and do maintainence care. An Endo will also order at the least a sonogram of your thyroid gland. Mine is huge, but it's girth is pushing toward the back of my neck instead of the front, so it's hard for them to feel by hand. When mine swells more it shuts my airway, turned blue a couple of different times! Expect to have several lumpy growths on it. The Endo will, thru the sonogram, measure and monitor any size changes. WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT LET THEM REMOVE IT!!! If any Dr. suggests that to you, run, don't walk, out of that office. That is old school medicine, and they are just making it easier for themselves. Removal will either do nothing because if one cell is left your immune system sees it as a full thyroid and continues it's assult. If, by some stroke of luck they get every cell, you will then be hypothyroid for life. Much easier for them to handle than us skinny, hyper girls. Plus, with removal the chances of damaging your parathyroid glands is high. You need them badly, thier job is processing calcium. My Endo says removal should only be done for thyroid cancer, not any other reason. I know this is hugely long but I've learned a lot in the years I've had Graves. Actually, today, I was, for the first time in years, deemed offically in remission. Not been on meds for a full year now, only had one attack this summer, and my numbers have been consistantly good. Am staying at a healthy weight, size 7, no more 0-2, my hair is healthy and full, Im not shaking, a raving lunatic, not even gasping for air. You will be shocked once your body gets used to the tapizole and you begin to get regulated. One day you will realize you feel different, This crap sneaks up on you and changes you and by the time you feel bad enough to see a Dr. about it, I know for me, I was a hyper, crazy mess. My insides were going so fast the rest of the world couldn't keep up and backed away from me. I was exhausted yet wired, my limbs felt like 100lb weights were hanging off them, had to rest 3 times to get to the top of stairs. First I was diagnosed with asthma, then anxiety, then depression with anxiety, then arthritis, then they finally caught it, I think cuz I started getting thyroid headaches, they are a very distinct pain, different from average headaches. None of those were right, it's all from the Graves. I started with the Graves Eye Disease about 3yrs ago. Pray you don't get that part, it sucks bad. Also, look up "thyroid storm". It's what happens if you decide not to take your tapizole. The sore throat will pass, take your tapizole, and insist on carrying an order for bloodwork. Don't mean to repeat myself, but it's important, you need to learn as much as you can about this and take control of your care. I am always amazed at the stupid comments I get from the medical world, especially overweight nurses. Fighting not to look emaciated and all the symptoms that go along with Graves suck. All they know and see is that we are thin and will tell me how lucky I am to have it. Ignorance. As I say, the more you learn about this the more you will realize how little most in the medical profession knows about it. By the way, Im surprised the sore throat is what's getting to you, for me it was the God AWFUL taste and lingering aftertaste of it. The PTU has no taste, tapizole tasted to me like I'd sprayed Raid directly in my mouth. They don't have you on real high doses, at one point I was taking 20, 50mg. tapizole pills a day and still terrible numbers and symptoms. Some of the tests I didn't register any number at all. That's what brought the switch to PTU. Must be unusual to take it cuz the drug store had to look up what it was and order it. Im the only one in my area that takes it! By the way, for my own curiosity, do you live near a nuke plant or down wind from one? Feel free to contact me anytime, this is a subject Im well educated on, been dealing with it since my mid 20's not a proper diagnosis till around 33, and now Im 50 and it's finally not in control anymore. Also, at 35 I had a woman who was about 65 tell me not to let them remove it, take the meds, do the best you can and it will clear up at about 50 as it did for her. Im so glad I listened, cuz as I said removal is hypo forever and thier meds with longterm use can make alot of woman bald!!! You've got a long road but you're better off than I was, I had no one who knew about this, you have me!! As I said I'll help as much as I can and I promise to try next time not to be so longwinded!!!
floundering
if you have a sore throat or fever you need to notify your dr. immediately. Some people experience a depletion of their white blood cells. This leaves your body defenseless against infection.