help heart just started skipping beats

[ron#01busa]

just out of the blue my heart just started skipping beats sometimes 6 to 10 a minute, its been going on for a week now. i was diagnosed with graves 1-2009 and had rai in 3-2009, four months went buy and my endo put me on 137 micro of levoxyl that was to much so six weeks later it was reduced to 113, then six weeks later it was reduced to 100, then when i went back six weeks later the doc said i needed a lower dose. so i said wait one minute, how bout i go off all the levoxyl for six weeks and see what my readings come out, well it seemed like i needed the levoxyl so the gave me 75 micro grams. i started taking that and just out the blue my heart is starting to beat fast during the day only along with the skipped beats, but it does not bother me at night at all. i had nuclear stress test in july and that came back fine, the cardioligst put me on 25 g of metroprol twice a day last thursday . he said he thinks its graves related somebody out the experienced these symptoms this is getting old!!!!!

i had all the classic symptoms of hyper when i was diagnosed but never had any heartbeat skipping

[nasdaqphil]

Do you know for sure the RAI worked?

It sounds like there is some remaining tissue and it's sputtering, causing the skipped beats. I know RAI doesn't always work the first time.

Curious what your numbers were like when you went off meds?

I understand the doc said you needed to go back on meds, indicating hypo but how hypo were you without meds? If the RAI worked and totally ablated your thyroid, you should not be producing any thyroid on your own and would turn VERY hypo very quickly. If that was not the case that would indicate some active Graves-infested thyroid tissue remains.

[Andros]

Originally Posted by ron#01busa

just out of the blue my heart just started skipping beats sometimes 6 to 10 a minute, its been going on for a week now. i was diagnosed with graves 1-2009 and had rai in 3-2009, four months went buy and my endo put me on 137 micro of levoxyl that was to much so six weeks later it was reduced to 113, then six weeks later it was reduced to 100, then when i went back six weeks later the doc said i needed a lower dose. so i said wait one minute, how bout i go off all the levoxyl for six weeks and see what my readings come out, well it seemed like i needed the levoxyl so the gave me 75 micro grams. i started taking that and just out the blue my heart is starting to beat fast during the day only along with the skipped beats, but it does not bother me at night at all. i had nuclear stress test in july and that came back fine, the cardioligst put me on 25 g of metroprol twice a day last thursday . he said he thinks its graves related somebody out the experienced these symptoms this is getting old!!!!!

i had all the classic symptoms of hyper when i was diagnosed but never had any heartbeat skipping

Welcome to the board. Our Administrator has supplied some good information and I agree. For that reason, I do suggest that you request a radioactive uptake scan to see.

For that reason, you will have to go off your levoxyl for 6 weeks but doc can give you Cytomel (T3) for that duration which you will quit taking 72 hours prior. That is "if" you need the cytomel. You may not.

It would also be good to get a heart sonogram as many of us w/ Graves' (myself included) have a damaged heart from that disease. Most common is the mitral valve prolapse or regurgitation.

Let us know what you decide to do. It is a scary thing when your heart acts in an erratic manner.

Are the beta blockers helping?

[ron#01busa]

thanks for the input, my doc wants me to drop to 50 mgm of levoxyl, but said stop the 75 and wait three days and start the 50, well ive decided to stop the levoxyl all at once and see how far i can go before i start feeling hypo. then get a thyroid panel drawn tsh, t3 t4 . how long do you think it will take the levoxyl to get out of my system? since ive stopped taking the levoxyl my skipped beats are not as bad but are still there. is this a wise choice to see what my readings are. im thinking if my thyroid was not working i would be in the 200 mgm range . the only time i was ever hypo is 2 months after rai and i was also on methimazole. ever 6 to 8 weeks same issue bloodwork the adjust the levoxyl to a lower dose. so all that for this question stop the levoxyl and get bloodwork after its out my system. i know the uptake is very low radiation but i dont like the radiation part of it.

[Andros]

Originally Posted by ron#01busa

thanks for the input, my doc wants me to drop to 50 mgm of levoxyl, but said stop the 75 and wait three days and start the 50, well ive decided to stop the levoxyl all at once and see how far i can go before i start feeling hypo. then get a thyroid panel drawn tsh, t3 t4 . how long do you think it will take the levoxyl to get out of my system? since ive stopped taking the levoxyl my skipped beats are not as bad but are still there. is this a wise choice to see what my readings are. im thinking if my thyroid was not working i would be in the 200 mgm range . the only time i was ever hypo is 2 months after rai and i was also on methimazole. ever 6 to 8 weeks same issue bloodwork the adjust the levoxyl to a lower dose. so all that for this question stop the levoxyl and get bloodwork after its out my system. i know the uptake is very low radiation but i dont like the radiation part of it.

Well; it is a small amount of radioactive material and really might be the only way to know for sure if you still have live thyroid tissue which by the way, grows back.

Half-life of T4 is about a week.

T4 is slow acting, with a half-life of about one week — after a week, you have about half the level of the T4 still in your body, a week or so later you have half of that half remaining, and so on. So, figure on 6 to 8 weeks.

I don't know if this is a wise choice or not but please don't hesitate to work with your doctor on this.

Just hope you feel better.