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988694 tn?1332359479

reactions to thyroid medicines

Hello,

I have been looking to different posts and reading a lot of books (I have done my research) but I have given up trying to find some answers so here is my problem:
I am hypothyroid and I am having reactions (sneezing, itching, chest pressure and anxiety), to every single thyroid medicine: I have tried synthetic, natural and compounded t3/t4. I have tried them together and alone (t3 only or t4 only).
Cortisol AM and antibodies normal. Even the smallest doses cut in half give me reactions and can't pass the first day. The fist two months felt great until dose was increased and my problems started. I have't been able to start over.
I have not found anyone with this problem, any idea what I could do? Doctor suggested taking antihistamines along with meds, but they give me also reactions.


Thanks
18 Responses
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Avatar universal
Has anyone experienced small bumps on their face??? I'm not sure if it's due to being hypo or to the Synthroid.  It's got to be due to one of the two.  Anyone???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Have you given each med at least 3 months to get into your system or have you swapped and changed every few weeks?
The regular changing of meds could be causing the itching as each one has different fillers.

I would be sticking to one med for 3 months at a time if you can....and then take it from there.
OR.....go for allergy testing.
Helpful - 0
988694 tn?1332359479
You are right, I had those, and other symptoms (including face and scalp itching) before starting the treatment, what happens was that these, for one or other reason, got much worse when I take my medicine, that it is why I have changed to so many brands and compounded without luck.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Chest pressure, sinus problems, congestion,...these are all thyroid symptoms and not from the meds.

I have these when borderline Hypo.
Helpful - 0
988694 tn?1332359479
I might follow your advice. I am going to give it three to four weeks before increasing a half of one tablet considering that I still have some reactions mostly nasal congestion/irritation, sinus pain and some days, chest pressure.
I am just so impatient…
Helpful - 0
988694 tn?1332359479
Honestly, I am a little bit skeptical about herbs, acupuncture and homeopathic treatment among others. Nothing against it though.
My mom is a huge fan of homeopathic and she is still trying to convince me about trying these kinds of treatments. I do not even believe so much in Vitamin supplementation, although that changed a little after I read about one doctor that treated his hypo patients with vitamin B complex and natural desiccated thyroid (after some extent research), I might try the vitamins.

Smilerdeb: I can not take Claritin or any other antihistaminic (sometimes I have taken Zyrtec, but only half of one pill) because I have reactions (congestion, nasal irritation, redness, palpitations anxiety and so on).
Yesterday I took Ibuprofen and I got the same reactions, this is something new to me I have never in my life had so many reactions to medicines.
You gave me great news when you said that the itching went away once your levels stabilize, because there is someone out there who could get rid of at least one the reactions I’ve experienced with the thyroid medicines.


Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I agree with skeeter.
Maybe try taking Claratin for the allergies???
I found I get itching too but once my levels stabalise, the itching goes.
Usually the itching is when I am borderline hypo.
Helpful - 0
549681 tn?1229724499
OK, this idea is unconventional.  I tend to think outside the box.
You might try accupuncture to relieve symptoms and still stay on the prescription.
When I was hyper I tried accupuncture and chinese herbs.  They did relieve the symptoms.  My accupuncture guy said he has patients on the herbs who are taking Armour.  I thought that was odd.  At the time, I really didn't know what Armour was.
Since nothing else is working for you, it might be worth a try?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
She does mean the fillers or binders.  I think because you've tried so many different products, the problem is the medication, and not the fillers.  My problem is the meds also.  

You may need more than two weeks between increases.  You have to really give yourself the time to acclimate to the dose.  If you don't feel it's right, take more time.  Your hypo symptoms will persist longer, but there' no way to speed it up.  You'll just keep frustrating yourself.
Helpful - 0
988694 tn?1332359479
I think the slow increases sounds perfectly reasonable, I am just afraid that when it is time to increase the dose (every two weeks) everything is going to start again, but if you said you could handle it...there is still some hope for me.

ChitChatNine, what do you mean by inert ingredients? the fillers?
Because, even the compounded T3/T4 which is supposed to be super hypoallergenic gave me trouble (not to mention all the medicines that are in the market and I tried)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I don't think it's the inert ingredients just because you've tried so many different products, and their inert ingredients are mostly different.

My doctor probably shouldn't have increased my dose.  He was a new endo at the time, and I was trying to be cooperative, so I thought I'd try the increase.  Ten days into it and I started having increased episodes of tachycardia (I have a congenital heart defect), couldn't sleep, restless, always too hot, the usual hyper symptoms.  As soon as I called him, he told me to discontinue all meds for three days then go back to my old dose.  At my last appointment, he didn't want to increase again and said I was one of those people comfortable in the lower end of the range.

I've been on meds for 20 months.  My PCP started me out on 88 mcg...nearly killed me.  Within a week or so my tachy had gone wild.  She lowered it to 44 mcg.  Once again, a couple of weeks, and the tachy was back.  She lowered it to 25...same scenario.  So, I went on a beta blocker to counter the tachy, which helped tremendously.  I started increasing the levo from 25...baby steps...I hit 37.5, 44, 50, 62.5 and finally 69 mcg.  That's when I switched to my endo.  He changed from generic to Levoxyl and raised my dose to 75 mcg (my labs had gone downhill after the change to Levoxyl).  All this took just over a year.  But, I've been on the 75 since January now.  Just had labs, and they look about the same as last time, with just a little increase in FT3.  So, I think things are stable for the moment anyway.  I have Hashi's, so maybe the thyroid is totally defunct at this point, and I'm on total replacement.

The slow increases was the only way I could deal with it.
Helpful - 0
168348 tn?1379357075
HI and WELCOME .. it could be one of the inert ingredients .. ?

C~
Helpful - 0
988694 tn?1332359479
I agree with you that there are more people out there who tolerate thyroid meds pretty well. Those who don't, are not the majority, so obviously no company is going to spend money in those cases.
       yeah... some people might have symptoms at the lower range when some other feel just fine, for me I guess I have to be more in the middle-high of the range, because even though my numbers are not too off, like so many other cases that I've heard of, my symptoms said it all. Because of those, not too abnormal numbers, I was misdiagnosed for many years.
      There are many doctors who pay more attention to the symptoms than to the numbers, like Dr. Larger who used the Basal Temperatute Test and a list of symptoms to diagnose hypothyroidism, just like Dr. Barnes did.
      If you felt comfortable with your dose, your doctor shouldn’t have increased it, luckily you seem to be doing okay now. How long have you been taking meds? Have you had to adjust them during that time? You mentioned also you were sensitive to meds, what were your symptoms? How did you manage?
     Some doctors believe that during winter hypothyroid people need a little bit of an increase.
     Well, I tried the compounded T3/T4 once (25 mcg) and felt the same allergic/overdose (don’t know how to call it) reactions than with the synthetic and natural. I couldn’t believe it.
   This other Dr. /author, Ken Blanchard, also treat people with intolerance to meds with compounded and he adds it works wonders. That it why I was so thrilled when I was about to try the compounded, but it did not happen for me.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Being at the bottom of the range does not make me feel hypo at all.  But that's ME, and a lot of other people would be absolutely miserable where I am.  In March, I tried upping my dose from 75 mcg to 81.5 mcg (a change hardly worth talking about!) because my endo wanted to "nudge my numbers up a bit in the range".  Two weeks later I was hyper as can be!  Enough of that little experiment.  Lots of people are not comfortable until they are in the middle to upper end of the range.  These are the people we hear from all the time.  Their doctors have gotten them into "range" (lower), but they still feel awful.  However, there are just as many people who feel comfortable in the lower end of the range.  When they're in "range" (lower), they feel fine, so we don't hear much from them.  

However, if you feel hypo, then you obviously need to increase your dose.

You don't have to worry too much about conversion until your FT4 is well up in the range, but your FT3 remains low.  Your FT4 is still low.  Usually, when FT4 comes up so does FT3.

I've heard of Dr. Langer's approach.  I'm sure there are some people so sensitive that it's the only thing that works.  I think the problem is that most people tolerate thyroid meds well as long as their dose is adjusted properly and they are neither hypo nor hyper.  Pills are convenient.  The drug companies could be developing a number of alternatives, but they're not putting a whole lot of money into R&D these days.

Did you mention above that you had tried having a compounding pharmacy make something for you?  
Helpful - 0
988694 tn?1332359479
Thanks for your feedback.

I tried T3 only and I felt horrible, I could not stop sneezing and blowing my nose. I tried 5mcg (did not split it like I am doing now).
I have been almost one week taking the daily quarter of a 1/2 grain and still feeling terrible hypo (too little time time to say anyway), I definitely want to try (if my body allows it) to take for at least two weeks the entire 1/2 of grain, which is less of what I was prescribed in the first place (50 mcg), and then have my levels checked.
You say you feel comfortable close to the bottom of the range, but it doesn't make you feel more hypo? sorry,  I got a little confused. T4 and T3 are supposed to be in the middle or high levels of the range for hypos, don't they?
I heard someplace that also having problems with T4 converting to T3 can cause problems.. but that would be resolved by taking T3.  I heard too about adrenals causing trouble, but I am not sure that I want to try corticoids yet.
This doctor, Langer (I’am reading his book), gives his patients with intolerance a water base T3 and T4 and has his patients start with a daily dose as small as one drop, which is 1/10th of a quarter of a grain. He then has them to go up little by little until they can switch to the tablets.
If these medicines cause too much allergies why don’t just create a water base one? (No dyes, no fillers, just pure T3/T4). I wouldn’t mind to take drops every day instead of tablets.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I know one woman who has been on almost every T4-only, T3/T4 combo, and Armour at one time or another.  It seems each worked for her for a while and then stiopped working and made her sick.  Finally, with the complete support of her endo, who she loves, she got off all meds briefly, then started on T3-only.  That's been working for her fo several months now, and she feels good. However, her endo has recently told her he wants to try to introduce some T4 again.  I haven't heard fro her since the first day she started that.  They're trying one of the few brands she's never been on.

I am very sensitive to meds also, and I am quite comfortable when my FT3 and FT4 are close to the bottom of the range.  It kind of makes sense to me that sensitivity to meds might correspond to naturally low body levels.

Are you sure you really need to increase your dose?  Do you still have hypo symptoms?
Helpful - 0
988694 tn?1332359479
yeah...I am forcing myself to take the medicines because I need them, however I am taking only a quarter of a 1/2 grain (natural thyroid, about 30 mcg)every day and I am planning to increase every two weeks if I don’t have to quit due to my reactions. I still have reactions on this dose, but I can stand them (or trying at least) better than when I take more at once.
My levels were: THS pretty normal, 1.4 or something like that, but it was good. My T4 was in the limit low and my T3 was definitely low. When I first started I was taking synthetic T3 and T4 and I was in 50 mcg
It is just that I have seen posts here and in other places where people have reactions, but they are usually something more like an overdose. And then people who seem to have my reactions or either change to compound (I also tried that whit no luck) and issue resolved or I never know if the found a solution.
I think that when my dose was increased, after those initial months, I had an overdose, but it could also be an allergic reaction.. in there I got confuse.
I just feel frustrated. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your response.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It sounds like you are super-sensitive to thyroid meds as many of us are.  Are you currently taking meds?  If so, which and what is your dosage.  Also, what are your current FT3, FT4 and TSH levels (and their reference ranges).  What dose were you on the first two months when you say you felt good?

Sorry to answer a question with many more of my own...
Helpful - 0
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