Side effects
Carbimazole may cause several side effects. An overdose of carbimazole may cause an underfunctioning of the thyroid gland with the following symptoms: Furthermore, an allergic reaction to the drug may occur, which may include skin changes, fever, dizziness, headache, diarrhea and swollen joints. The most severe and at the same time very rare side effect is the so-called “Agranulocytosis“, in which the number of certain defence cells in the blood is reduced.
Agranulocytosis leads to fever, death of various areas of the skin and mucous membranes and susceptibility to infectious diseases. – Weight gain
- Severe fatigue and lack of drive
- Constipation
- Dehydrated skin
- Depression and
- Deceleration of the heart
Side effects on the eyes are not to be expected with carbimazole therapy. If you notice changes in the eyes such as impaired vision or a protrusion of the eyes, this has a different cause and an ophthalmologist should be consulted.
Patients who are treated with carbimazole due to Graves’ disease (an autoimmune thyroid disease) can develop such complaints in the eyes. However, the cause is the disease itself. It is not a side effect of carbimazole, even if there is a temporal connection to taking it.
The medication should therefore not be simply discontinued. If carbimazole therapy causes side effects, these are most frequently on the skin. In about one in ten patients treated, there is a temporary, usually slightly pronounced rash, itching, redness and wheals (small, punctual accumulations of water in the skin as after contact with stinging nettle).
This is an allergic reaction of the body. If such symptoms occur, the doctor treating the patient should be consulted as soon as possible and, if necessary, be consulted. The doctor will be able to advise on the further procedure and a possible change in therapy.
Alternatively, a visit to the family doctor can also be arranged. Hair loss is not a side effect of carbimazole or other thyrostatic drugs (including thiamazole). If hair loss occurs at the same time as starting carbimazole treatment, there must be another cause.
Most often it is a genetic or hormonal disorder. If one wants to investigate the symptoms, one should consult a dermatologist if necessary. Carbimazol should continue to be taken.
Carbimazol works on the thyroid gland. It has no effect on the brain or the psyche. Psychological changes or illnesses are therefore not due to carbimazole but can have another cause.
If you notice changes such as listlessness or a loss of joy in life, you should get help. The first point of contact can be your family doctor. Carbimazol and all other prescribed drugs should not be discontinued without consulting a doctor.
Dosage
The appropriate dosage of carbimazole can vary greatly from person to person. The doctor has to take various factors into account and determine an individually adjusted dosage based on these factors. In the case of hyperactivity, a higher dosage is often chosen first to achieve normal function.
In order to maintain this and to prevent a relapse, a change to a lower maintenance dose is then usually made. By checking the thyroid function by determining the thyroid hormones in the blood, the doctor determines whether the dosage is correct or whether it has been set too high or too low. If necessary, it is then corrected until an optimal setting is found.
Tablets with 5 mg carbimazole as the active ingredient tend to be taken in lower doses. They are mainly prescribed when a normal function of the thyroid gland has already been achieved by higher concentrations of carbimazole and one wants to maintain this function. However, the appropriate amount of active ingredient a patient needs for normal thyroid function varies greatly and depends on many factors.
Carbimazole with an active substance content of 10 mg is in relatively high doses and is mainly used at the beginning of the treatment of hyperthyroidism. If this restores normal function, the patient usually switches to a lower dosage to maintain it. However, if the hyperfunction below 10 mg persists or normal thyroid function cannot be achieved, the dosage is maintained for a longer period of time or even increased if necessary.
