Methimazole for Hyperthyroidism User Reviews (Page 3)

• RoG...
• November 15, 2020

"1st diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, Graves' disease in 2016. Symptoms were mild, occasional palpitations, weight loss, felt hungry, anxiety, warm, headaches. Endocrinologist started on 10 mg. Immediately gained weight, but since heart palpitations were occurring, was advised to work out less. Also noticed leg, back muscle pain, fatigue, itchy skin. Lowered dose to 5 mg 6 months later. Changed to new endocrinologist in 2017, dosage lowered to 2.5 mg daily. My weight back to normal, had no symptoms, but my TSH was low, often less than 0.5. Then in 2018, lowered to 2.5 mg every other day. In 2019, was advised to stop taking it. TSH was at 1.5-2.5. In April 2020, I started to feel heart palpitations, weight loss again, consistently felt through summer. Was put back on 5 mg daily, TSH 0.01. Been back on for 3 months, did gain weight, but not drastic like before. Felt itching again. I hope my test results in 2 months will allow me to lower the dose again or stop."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 15, 2021

"I was diagnosed with Graves' disease in 2017. I was misdiagnosed with preeclampsia during pregnancy. By the time my doctors figured out I had Graves' disease, my TSH/T3/T4 levels were way out of range and my symptoms very severe. My resting HR had gone from 50 to 120, and my blood pressure went from 100/70 to 160/100. I was a runner and could barely walk up the stairs. I started on 20 mg per day of methimazole and metoprolol. Most of the symptoms subsided in a few weeks. My heart rate returned to normal, and I was able to go off of metoprolol permanently. However, I developed asthma shortly after starting methimazole and still have it. I constantly roller coaster hypo/hyper. My T3/T4 levels have been normal several times (not my TSH though). Methimazole has been reduced to 5 mg per day a few times, but then I end up having to increase again. My new goal is to cure naturally (while still taking methimazole). I am reading a book by Isabella Wetz. I have noticed eliminating sugar and gluten helps! So far."

• Out...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2022

"1. This is not the first time that I have been given a medication that caused more issues than it helped me. This is why I don't usually trust primary care providers to give me the right medicine anymore. 2. Taking this pill every 8 hours is impossible, it actually caused insomnia and completely destroyed my circadian rhythm trying to take this medication on time. Do you know anyone who stays up 16 hours to take the second pill and then sleep on time enough to catch 8 hours of sleep before the third pill? Yep, me neither... 2. I had side effects including: insomnia, itching, severe abdominal pain, trouble peeing, asthma, allergies, anxiety, severe muscle pain, joint pain, increased blood pressure, and high risk of anaphylaxis. 3. I had to get myself off the medication because the symptoms were unbearable. My glands swelled up! This is the first time this happened since taking the medicine! I am on half a pill a day, and it helps with the glands to swell less, but I am still miserable."

• Che...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 31, 2016

"Horrible diarrhea, headache, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, mental fogginess, weakness, flu-like symptoms, and the worst abnormal hair loss. I stopped taking this drug 2 weeks ago and want to know when these side effects will go away."

• DKM...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2016

"1) The first 4-5 days were rough - very nauseous, but then it cleared up. 2) I take it in the evening shortly after I get home from work, by itself - no other medication for at least two hours, this was done on the recommendation of the pharmacist. Always with food. 3) Getting blood work done on a required basis to make sure nothing else is going on in the bloodstream. 4) Exercising and eating small balanced meals, drinking plenty of water. 5) Swelling or itching has not been an issue so far. 6) My heart rate is down, and I am more energetic."

• Zee...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 4, 2021

"No side effects of methimazole. Did not gain weight, just brings you back to the weight you should be naturally. On low dosage, 2.5 mg daily and immediately brought me back to normal. When I go off the drug, my hyperthyroidism comes back, though, 6 months later. So I probably need to stay on it."

• Ace...
• July 10, 2022

"I have been on Methimazole for nearly three weeks and have seen considerable improvement in how I feel. Before, I could barely walk up the stairs, and now I can go to the gym again. My blood work proved that this is working on my T3 and T4 already. I was a bit hesitant to take this at first, but I'm glad I did. I have no side effects as of yet. For now, I'm on 30 mg a day. Very grateful."

• Kel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2018

"I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease 2 months ago. I started 20 mg of methimazole a day and saw an improvement in my symptoms almost immediately. I had had severe shaking, sweating, night sweats, and rapid heart rate. The medicine improved my symptoms by 80%. At about the one-month mark, I broke out in a rash and hives all over my neck and chest. It stopped as soon as I stopped the medicine. I took a break from it for a week and just restarted again with 10 mg now. Hopefully, the hives don’t come back because other than that, this medicine has helped me a lot, and I would like to continue taking it!"

• Jea...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 23, 2023

"I take 10 mg Methimazole for my hyperthyroidism. I have experienced hair loss, dizziness, depression, spinning sensation, weight gain, and frequent bowel movements. The medicine has eliminated my heart palpitations that I experienced before taking the med. The hyperthyroidism affected my liver and after taking the medicine my liver reading is back to normal. The pros outweigh the cons."

• KCJ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2022

"I have been taking methimazole for almost 2 weeks, 30 mg a day. Day 7, this medication made me so nauseous till I would throw up. My doctor told me I could split the doses up to help with the nausea. I now take 10 mg 3 times a day, and the nausea has gone away. I have been weighing myself because the doctor says the meds can cause weight gain, but I haven’t gained any. I had horrible night sweats and rapid heartbeat, and both have almost ceased. I do have a little more energy, but I find I’m more irritable. I get my first blood drawn in a few weeks, so hopefully things are stable. My TSH was .01, T3 12.8, T4 4.14, so I was definitely hyper."

• Cri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 14, 2019

"I have had hyperthyroidism for 3-4 months now and started taking Methimazole about 4 weeks ago at 15 mg 1 per day. My doc said my hyper was moderate, but I found my symptoms debilitating. Within a week of taking Methimazole, I started feeling better and was 80% better by week 3. Now, at week 4, I suddenly developed crippling muscle/nerve pain in my entire left hip and thigh area that radiates down to my toes where it’s numb. It hurts constantly and is so bad I can’t stand up without excruciating pain. It has been like this for 20 hours now. I am stopping the meds immediately and want to know when the pain will go away?"

• Fun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 28, 2020

"I was diagnosed with Graves' disease on Halloween 2019. Been taking methimazole ever since. Started out taking 10 mg twice a day. Now, my endocrinologist has switched me to 5 mg every other day. I feel better, but get crazy dizzy spells. I also get a little stomach pain, but after a while it goes away. I also get crazy back cramps that feel like labor!!"

• sur...
• January 7, 2021

"This is an update on my hyperthyroidism. I'm at the beginning of month 6. I'm taking 10 mg a day now, but I started with 30 mg. With my treatment, my side effects started at month 4 with being dizzy all day and feeling like gastro. I started having a lot of gas, and my stomach makes weird noises. I did all the tests twice, he said, I saw all your results and all is good, then you have to wait until we finish the treatment. It may be the meds. Finally, the nausea is gone, but I still feel my stomach weird sometimes and also some tingling. Also, a few days ago, I got some red bumps, an allergy on my right arm, but very mild and is almost going away. About the weight gain, I got 20 pounds, but I started to get back to normal once they lowered the meds. No more water retention. Just to finish, I ask you to put the time when your side effects started, because in the pharmacy, they said the side effects are at the beginning of treatment, but I doubt it. So that's why I put the time frame, so we can all compare. Cheers."

• Tra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 3, 2019

"I have been taking this medicine every day since July 2016. I have Graves’ disease. I have gained 15 lbs in 2.5 years. I have heavy periods now that last more than 8 days. My hair is thin, my skin looks like rubbish, and my joints on my hands and feet hurt. I also have brain fog now. I hate this medicine, but I take it every day to avoid radioactive iodine. Really not simple solutions for people like me who have Graves’ disease."

• gmo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 5, 2018

"I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism 2 months ago. Numbers were not that elevated, just a little over the normal limits. I was prescribed Methimazole 5 mg. I started taking this medicine in the evening before going to bed. I have to admit there were a few times I forgot to take it. I returned to the doctor 1 month after starting this medicine and was having joint pains, muscle aches, and was so sleepy/tired all day with continuous yawning also. The doctor seemed to think the sleepiness and tiredness was coming from my BP meds since it made my heart rate drop. (This medicine and the thyroid problems also contributed to making my heart rate drop more-a few times to below 50 bpm.) Now after taking the meds regularly, the pains, aches, and other symptoms have multiplied tremendously."

• Bbm...
• February 2, 2016

"This has been a horrible experience. I could never take the full dose because the stomach issues were horrible. My hair got so dry that I had to put conditioner on it just to wash it and get my fingers through my hair. Then my hair came out in clumps. So hungry all the time that I would eat things I hated."

• Bab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2019

"I took this medication and immediately felt a difference. Unfortunately, after only 4 doses, I had severe reactions. Pain in neck, chest, and left arm with numbness and tingling in fingertips. Rash on face with itching and burning. I discontinued medication and was placed on another. I do believe if I didn't have such a bad reaction, it would have worked. I just have to have use of my arm."

• No...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 18, 2025

"I suspect there is a fair bit of selection bias in these reviews, as people generally only feel compelled to write one if they've had a bad experience. Thought I'd share my 'average' experience with methimazole to balance it out. I have been on methimazole for four years with no side effects whatsoever. It does the job, as evidenced by my regular blood draws, and keeps me alive. If there is one problem I have with methimazole, it is that I frequently forget to take it because I forget I am even on it."

• LL0...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2022

"Methimazole caused an extremely severe allergic reaction on day 15, putting me in the emergency room for 11 hours. The doctor did not believe my medication caused it, so I was given 2 Benadryl. Symptoms were huge hives/welts over 90% of my body. A goose egg literally formed on the back of my skull, 3' by 1.5' wide. Intense itching, ripping at skin and bone. He sent me home with just a stronger antihistamine. When I woke up, my motor skills were gone, I could not walk and was almost blind, my eyes were swollen shut, and my husband called my endocrinologist. He saw me immediately and put me on Prednisone: 8 tabs for 2 days, 6 tabs for 2 days, 4 tabs for 2 days, and 2 tabs for 2 days. It is helping immensely. I am on day 3. I needed cortisone steroid treatment, this reaction was so severe. I was ordered off methimazole immediately and am not a candidate for beta blockers, so radioactive iodine and ultrasound are upcoming soon."

• Zan...
• August 20, 2016

"I just started taking methimazole, and I don't like how I feel. My back hurts, and my right hand near my little finger gets sharp pains shooting through it. I can't eat because I'm nauseated all the time. I get dizzy and can't focus. I looked at the side effects, and I have a few of them, I don't like that."

• Meg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 15, 2020

"I started this drug, methimazole, a week ago on a dose of 60 mg/day (the highest prescribed), and today I broke out in a crazy rash all over my body; terrible red bumps that itch like crazy. At first, I thought it was hives, but my doctor said it was a “classic” methimazole reaction. I’m supposed to take a lower dose, but now I’m nervous to take it at all, which is unfortunate because it was actually doing a good job regulating my heart rate..."

• Eli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2018

"I do not like methimazole. I have been on it for 6 months, and my labs came back normal only one out of the six months. I was still told by the doctor to keep taking it. This drug has been very hard on my teeth, and I can't stand the weight gain and hair loss. I'm not having my thyroid removed or radioactive iodine stuff at this time, and also I'm being told hyperthyroidism is sending me into early menopause. So I am having my battles with the disease as well as the side effects from the methimazole. If you can avoid it, do not STRESS!!"

• Dre...
• October 16, 2020

"I was diagnosed 3 months ago with hyperthyroidism and have been taking 20 mg of Methimazole daily. I had lost 65 lbs before taking the meds and have since put on 25 lbs. I have been hit with many side effects after about a month of taking meds. I am hungry every 2 to 3 hours, and the stomach pain I get is unbearable. I get bad nausea where I have to throw up. The nerves in my legs and whole body are really bad. I twitch so bad at night that my girl has to sleep in another bed. I can't sit still while watching TV. I get the shakes in my hands and legs. My stool is really black, and my heart feels like it's coming out of my chest sometimes. My hands and arms get tingling, and my voice is hoarse. I go see my doctor next week, and I will tell him he has to change the dosage or change the medication. I worry about what it's doing to my body. I work out 4 to 5 days a week to maintain my weight."

• Stu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2020

"I am a type 1 diabetic for 40 years and was just diagnosed with mild Graves after a radioactive iodine uptake scan. My free T4 is 2.01, TSH is .02, 6-hour scan was 17, but 24-hour was 37. My endo just prescribed this at 5 mg/day. After reading the reviews, I was scared to try the medication; however, the anxiety and palpitations are bad, so I’ll give it a shot. If this doesn’t help, I’ll ask for beta blockers until RAI therapy."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2020

"Methimazole caused me to have extreme itchy skin all over my body. Another side effect I experienced was pins and needles. I had a full thyroidectomy 3 weeks ago, and I still suffer from those symptoms a little, but it’s controllable now."