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What Causes Weight Gain While On Carbimazole For Thyroid Disorder?
I have Graves disease. I have been on 15 mg carbimazole for 8 weeks and then a blood test showed my T3 and T4 were at the very bottom end of normal range so my Dr told me to cut my dose to 5mg. TSH is still suppressed but I understand TSH can take a long time to normalise. My question is, I am still gaining weight on 5mg daily - should I stop taking it? I am guessing my levels have gone too low. I eat a healthy paleo diet and run 35 miles a week and walk 2 hours a day, so would not expect to gain weight.
Mon, 10 Aug 2015
Hi & Welcome.
I appreciate your concern for the weight gain while on Carbimazole.
Carbimazole is an antithyroid drug used to treat the hormonal imbalance caused by excessive production thyoroid hormones.
One of the common side effects of Carbimazole is weight gain.
Since the production of your thyroid hormones is being suppressed and the fact that the thyroid hormones control metabolic rate & thus a decrease in thyroid hormones will imply a decrease in metabolic rate and thus more reserves stored as fats.
You need to have some sort of lifestyle modifications like:
Avoid eating high caloric foods (oily vegetarian and non vegetarian, fast or junk foods, carbonated soft drinks, choclates, etc.
Continue doing the routine physical activities and the walk.
You must have an ideal body weight with BMI of about less than 25 Kg/metre square of the body area.
If the weight gain continues to occur then you must consult your treating doctor to reduce the dose of Carbimazole after doing the thyroid function tests which will enable him to adjust the dose.
Hope to have answered your query.
A feed back is highly appreciated.
I appreciate your concern for the weight gain while on Carbimazole.
Carbimazole is an antithyroid drug used to treat the hormonal imbalance caused by excessive production thyoroid hormones.
One of the common side effects of Carbimazole is weight gain.
Since the production of your thyroid hormones is being suppressed and the fact that the thyroid hormones control metabolic rate & thus a decrease in thyroid hormones will imply a decrease in metabolic rate and thus more reserves stored as fats.
You need to have some sort of lifestyle modifications like:
Avoid eating high caloric foods (oily vegetarian and non vegetarian, fast or junk foods, carbonated soft drinks, choclates, etc.
Continue doing the routine physical activities and the walk.
You must have an ideal body weight with BMI of about less than 25 Kg/metre square of the body area.
If the weight gain continues to occur then you must consult your treating doctor to reduce the dose of Carbimazole after doing the thyroid function tests which will enable him to adjust the dose.
Hope to have answered your query.
A feed back is highly appreciated.
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