Hyperthyroid - when will meds take effect?

[neely]

What was the process like for the I-131 for your kitty? By all accounts it seems like there are few side effects, just have to deal with the days in isolation.

Honestly I was nervous as heck about the radiation and isolation but knew it would be short-lived and I would't regret it. Looking back I'd do it all over again since the outcome has a 96-98% success rate.

 

[5DH]

UPDATE: Thanks for all of the words of wisdom.

His thyroid test showed improvement from 4.7 to 3.5 on the 1.25mg/day. The vet said for hyperthyroid he wants the blood test to be even lower (< 2.5) so we are increasing to 1.25mg twice/day. He said the reduction seemed like good progress and showed the medicine was effective, but he also said "not to scare you, but if we're not seeing a change to appetite and weight, we'll need to start thinking of what else it might be, like cancer or a GI issue." That was before I mentioned to the vet that his appetite seemed somewhat less ravenous.

We stopped measuring his food because he has been ravenous while losing weight so giving him all he wants while we sorted the meds out to prevent him from losing any more weight than he had to. His weight seems to be stable (ideally I'd love him to gain a pound). The vet tech forgot to weigh him when he was in for the blood test so we don't have a comparison from when he started his meds to +4 weeks later.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Increase the meds as the vet suggested and re-check the thyroid level again after 3-4 weeks. And, if that proves to be too much, lower one of the two doses to 0.625mg, while keeping the other at 1.25mg. Sometimes, doubling the dose can be a bit much.

Forget about the other things the vet mentioned until you need to pay attention to that. You are not there yet!!

 

[Mac and Cats]

UPDATE: Thanks for all of the words of wisdom.

His thyroid test showed improvement from 4.7 to 3.5 on the 1.25mg/day. The vet said for hyperthyroid he wants the blood test to be even lower (< 2.5) so we are increasing to 1.25mg twice/day. He said the reduction seemed like good progress and showed the medicine was effective, but he also said "not to scare you, but if we're not seeing a change to appetite and weight, we'll need to start thinking of what else it might be, like cancer or a GI issue." That was before I mentioned to the vet that his appetite seemed somewhat less ravenous.

We stopped measuring his food because he has been ravenous while losing weight so giving him all he wants while we sorted the meds out to prevent him from losing any more weight than he had to. His weight seems to be stable (ideally I'd love him to gain a pound). The vet tech forgot to weigh him when he was in for the blood test so we don't have a comparison from when he started his meds to +4 weeks later.

You may want to consider getting a baby scale and weighing him weekly or monthly. You could probably find a used one on Facebook or the like. Our cat was 13 and diagnosed the day we brought him home from the shelter with hyperthyroid. They gave him a 5mg dose twice a day of Methimazole. When I took him to our regular vet, they thought that was agressive and reduced it to 2.5mg twice a day. Eventually he tapered off and he started getting REALLY picky about food. I thought I just had the pickiest cat on the planet. I spent the better part of 2 years wasting money and throwing out food trying to find something he could eat (also has CKD) and would eat. We ended up having a weekend where he just stopped wanting to eat and having lost 3 cats in an 18 month span, I rushed him to the urgent care. The tests came out totally normal and they recommended an ultrasound. They did discover inflammation and said it looked like IBD but could be small cell lymphoma. We did not do a biopsy because he had issues last time he went under anestesia for his dental. This was back in March. I'm not telling you this to scare you, I'm just telling you so you might be prepared to do an ultrasound. Our boy is doing great now. He's on Prednesolone (2.5mg once a day), which is not great for kidney disease, but he is eating normally, has gained 2.5 pounds and seems to still feel good. After what we have been through with our 3 other cats, I'm fine with that as long as he is eating and seems to be feeling good. We adopted him as an older cat and I'm aware that we probably don't have many many years left with him and I'm ok with that. I just want him to live out his senior years with a caring family and doing the best we can for him, which I feel that we are. Sometimes that's all you can ask for.