For those whose pain killer of choice is parace... - Thyroid UK

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For those whose pain killer of choice is paracetamol - be warned!

greygoose profile image
33 Replies

thehealthierlife.co.uk/natu...

I never did like paracetamol, it always made my nose feel funny. I was also put off by the fact that if you accidentally over-dose, there is no antidote! Yes, in the hospital they stuffed me full of it! You'd think they'd know better, wouldn't you.

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greygoose profile image
greygoose
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33 Replies
shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

Thanks for that. I took one yesterday as I had no nurofen left. We don't know what we're taking these days, I think.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toshaws

Too true! My mother was a pain-killer addict (undiagnosed hypo) so I was brought up to believe they were anodine and have always felt free to indulge! It's coming as a bit of a shock at 69 to find out that this is really not true. My mother's drug of choice was paracetamol.

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator in reply togreygoose

I'm fortunate I rarely need pain relief.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toshaws

Fortunate indeed! Nor do I now I've discovered zinc! That took away all my muscle pain and allowed me to be active again.

Silver_Fairy profile image
Silver_Fairy in reply togreygoose

Did you get your levels up? or do you take it as a regular supplement? If so, how much do you take please?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toSilver_Fairy

Can't answer that question, I'm still experimenting. But in any case, l self treat so don't know much about my actual blood levels, testing is too expensive.

blackqueen65 profile image
blackqueen65

It's always best to take the minimum painkiller needed whichever one you choose but SJS can be a side effect of lots of drugs, not just paracetamol. Ibuprofen, naproxen, anti-convulsants, anti-psychotics, allopurinol and even penicillin. It's serious but rare and it's not really possible to avoid every drug which has the potential to cause it. It's also possible to get it from having an infection even if you don't take any medications.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toblackqueen65

Well, indeed, it is obviously best to take the minimum, but sometimes the minium can be quite high. Up until last summer, I had been taking a minimum of 4 ibuprofen a day, that was the minimum for me to function at all, but even so, it didn't completely rid me of muscle pain. One does what one can to get by.

nightingale-56 profile image
nightingale-56

Feel exactly the same as you greygoose. Disprin always used to be my choice (not very often needed), but I understand you cannot have this with the dreaded Levo.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tonightingale-56

I don't know Disprin - is it aspirin? Aspirin does lower levels of T4 in the blood, so not recommended. Aspirin has never done anything for me.

nightingale-56 profile image
nightingale-56

Greygoose, yes Disprin is Soluble Aspirin, but I haven't seen it around for a while so may not be on the market any more. I only ever needed the smallest dose to be effective.

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw

Thanks Grey - I think... :-o

My New Year's Resolution will be to take fewer painkillers. I've practically mainlined them at times this year, but now that I'm on nature throid I seem to be needing fewer.

So, tell me about zinc. How much should I be taking? :)

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toJazzw

I'm sure you are needing fewer now you're getting your frees up.

As for zinc, have a look at this :

thyroidnation.com/essential...

Good luck with your NY résolutions! I've never managed to keep one beyond February! lol

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw in reply togreygoose

Me neither, but there's always a first time! :)

But I've got to get off the painkillers - my poor liver. Anyway, zinc now on the shopping list, thank you. I'd forgotten about zinc. I remember reading the symptoms for pyroluria a couple of years back and deciding I had nearly all of them, and that had something to do with zinc deficiency, if I remember rightly.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toJazzw

Yes, I read something about it too. And this is the beauty of forums like this, we forget so much - everyone dose, but hypos more than others - so things we read on here can remind us. Hope the zinc works for you!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply togreygoose

This is a mainstream page about zinc (sorry - USA source so example foods are not ideal, especially measurements in cups!)

ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Z...

And this Scottish FAS page:

eatwellscotland.org/healthy...

Rod

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tohelvella

Thank you, Rod. Very interesting.

Treepie profile image
Treepie

Grey, do you have a reference for effects of aspirin on T4 ? I am on aspirin daily although i have somehow forgot to take it for a week.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toTreepie

No, afraid not. Lost all my references in a computer crash earlier this year (and don't you dare tell me about backing up!!! lol) But I know Mary Shomon mentioned it, so you could try searching her site on About.com.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toTreepie

Three quotes from one page of Thyroid Manager (aspirin is a salicylate):

The most extensively studied compounds that interfere competitively with thyroid hormone binding to the carrier proteins in serum are salicylates, diphenylhydantoin, and heparin.

AND

Some TSH-inhibiting agents listed in Table 5-4, such as, fenclofenac and salicylates, may act solely by increasing the free thyroid hormone level through interference with its binding to serum proteins.

AND

Salicylates. Acetylsalycilic acid has been identified as the most commonly administered medication which may cause significant alterations in measured parameters of thyroid function.224b,224c Salicylate and its noncalorigenic congeners (Fig. 5-3) compete for thyroid hormone-binding sites on serum TTR and TBG.225-228 As a result, the serum concentrations of T4 and T3 decline and their free fractions increase.228 The turnover rate of T4 is accelerated, but degradation rates remain normal.225,226 Salicylate and its noncalorigenic congeners also suppress the thyroidal RAIU but do not retard iodine release from the thyroid gland.312 The impaired respone to TRH313 and the hypermetabolic effect314 of salicylates have been attributed to the increase in the FT4 and FT3 fractions. If this were correct, hormonal release from the serum-binding proteins should produce only a temporary suppression of the thyroidal RAIU and transient hypermetabolism, but both effects are observed during chronic administration of salicylates.225,226 In addition, this mechanism of action does not explain the lack of calorigenic effect of some salicylate congeners despite their ability to also displace thyroid hormone from its serum-binding proteins. In vitro studies have demonstrated an inhibitory effect of salicylate on the outer ring monodeiodination of both T4 and rT3,315 but lack of typical changes in serum iodothyronine levels suggests that this action is less important in vivo. Acetylsalicylic acid mimics some actions of thyroid hormone, but does not reverse classic manifestations of hypothyroidism. While salicylate administration may lower serum cholesterol levels,316 it does not provide a therapeutic effect in myxedema, or lower TSH levels.317 Administration of 8 g aspirin daily raises the BMR to normal in myxedema, accelerates the circulation, and increases sweating, but it has no effect on the skin change, the electrocardiogram, or the mental state.316 Because of some analogies between the effects of salicylates and nitrophenol, uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation has been suggested as one of its possible mechanisms of action. If this were the case, direct chemical action does not appear to be involved since analogs of salicylate that do not uncouple oxidative phosphorylation in vitro are active in vivo.318

p- Aminosalicylic acid and p- aminobenzoic acid are closely related chemically to salicylate. They inhibit iodide binding in the thyroid gland and are goitrogenic.319,320 These agents also displace thyroid hormone from its serum protein-binding sites.321 Abnormalities of thyroid function tests have been also reported in patients treated with salsalate.322

Numbers refer to references on that page.

thyroidmanager.org/chapter/...

Rod

Treepie profile image
Treepie in reply tohelvella

strewth! only supposed to take 75mcg but might continue to forget ,maybe try pine bark recently mentioned.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toTreepie

Please be careful! I would not wish you to make hasty changes without full consideration of the positive effects of aspirin. It's all very well me quoting information, however accurately, another what people do with it.

Treepie profile image
Treepie in reply tohelvella

Understand

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toTreepie

Treepie, have a look at this :

thehealthierlife.co.uk/natu...

Treepie profile image
Treepie in reply togreygoose

Thanks Grey, was aware of the gastric problems but not the macular degeneration etc.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toTreepie

One should always know of the possible risks as well as the possible benefits.

Treepie profile image
Treepie

ah, also had a pc crash last year,lost most stuff.

Whats back up! Leave techie stuff to daughter on her annual visit -like now. But despite being nearly 40 we never see her until after midday.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toTreepie

Perhaps she's got a thyroid problem, too! lol

I do back-up my really important stuff - but - and this is going to sound reeeeeally stoopid - but, I didn't realise that you lost your favourites when the computer crashes!!! I thought - if I thought about it at all - that they were somehow on internet, not on the hard disk! Oh, well, you live and learn...

Silver_Fairy profile image
Silver_Fairy in reply togreygoose

Just save all your important stuff (in my case mainly my bookmarks!) on a memory stick, sorted! :)

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toSilver_Fairy

I did say not to tell me about backing up, didn't l! Lol l do know about memory sticks, l just didn't do it!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator

Paracetamol can be very nasty. But we do have to be careful not to end up jumping ship to something else.

I had tennis elbow (this was when my TSH was rising) and tried ibuprofen gel. That helped but suddenly realised that is was affecting my stomach. (Yes - I did apply it to my skin, not swallow it! :-) ) Stopped and never taken any since.

Whereas I used to take two paracetamol as my standard dose, as many do, I now take only one. As I feel quite tolerant of codeine I think I'd rather take a single paracetamol + codeine tablet than two paracetamol tablets. Others may well disagree with this!

Rod

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tohelvella

We're all different, Rod. Things affect us differently, as you very well know. As with most things, it's a case of trail and error.

bd79og profile image
bd79og

For me the problem is not the paracetamol but the other tablet ingredients. Paracetamol is often (but not always) prepared with sodium metabisulphite which is meant to help it disperse better in the stomach. Many people with asthma including myself are sensitive to sulphites. So look carefully at the other ingredients if you feel that the paracetamol is a problem or try non pill methods of pain relief.

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