Itching

[zoobsmum]

Please can any one help with itching it's driving me bonkers have also got horrible rash which started on back and has now spread to arms. I spoke to the pharmacist for his advice and he said it could be a side effect of thyroxine but I need to take thyroxine so what can I do??

[galathea]

Have you tried taking it with an anti histamine?   Some people have problems with the fillers.......

[Heloise]

Hi mum, you have several options.  You could ask for a different brand of thyroxine to try, I think there are quite a few but not sure what the NHS offers.  You could switch to a natural desiccated thyroid hormone which may agree with your system and there are several of those.  If they refuse to accommodate either of these options, you can buy your own and select which one you prefer.    You could even take T3 instead of T4 (thyroxine) which is available as well.  Any of them are not terribly expensive if you choose to buy them. 

[Clutter]

Zoobsmum,

Take an antihistamine an hour before you take Levothyroxine.  If the itching is relieved it is likely one of the fillers in Levothyroxine is causing an allergic reaction.  Ask the pharmacist for an alternative brand either Mercury Pharma, Actavis (also known as Almus) and Wockhardt.

[000ggg]

If it's really bad the antihistamine is probably worth a shot. I can't take them anymore because they give me horrible side effects now although I am using an eye drop that I seem to tolerate for now. I would go to a dermatologist and see if they can figure it out. I have had lots of itching rashes for years now and no one can figure it out. One of my docs said red headed people have more allergies and skin issues. I don't think mine has to do with the levo.  Sarna sensitive cream helped me when it was really bad. I also used a pure aloe vera gel, see my older post about my rashes. 

[greenfingers]

I too suffer with itching. It drives me nuts. I put it down to manufacturer, so asked GP to prescribe Wockhardt only. Up to now I have been fine, now it's started again! Have now got Activis, so will give it a go. Goodness knows what they put in as fillers, maybe just a small amount makes a difference.

[zoobsmum]

Thanks for all the replies will try antihistamine see if that helps 

[Ellie-Louise]

Hi, some time ago I had to collect my prescription from a different chemist to where I normally got it. I couldn't stop itching and also had a few itchy spots come up on my neck.

I researched my symptoms on this site and an allergy to a filler called acacia powder was mentioned. When I checked the pack it did indeed list acacia as a filler.

I took them back to the chemist after calling them to check I could and explained why. They were very nice about it and understood the problem giving back my prescription docket so that I could go elsewhere.

The next day I managed to go to my normal chemist and was given my usual brand which is Activis.

I can't remember what the other was called but as Activis does not contain acacia powder I presumed the other pack had been the cause of the problem.

After that things were back to normal. I had no more itching and the spots disappeared just as quickly.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Ellie-Louise]

Details of all three UK levothyroxine tablet products are here:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[zoobsmum in reply to helvella]

My current tablets are actavis  not sure if they contain acacia. Was told by GP that liquid would probably be out of question to prescribe due to cost.

[Ellie-Louise in reply to zoobsmum]

It tells you on the leaflet inside the box what the ingredients are. 

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Ellie-Louise]

And on the page on Thyroid UK I gave a link to.

[Ellie-Louise in reply to helvella]

Yes, I did read that the other day. So I imagine the pack I was given must have been the MercuryPharma, and actually that rung a bell.

It's odd but I could have sworn I'd already replied. oh well, brains must have deserted me that day. Lol

[zoobsmum in reply to Ellie-Louise]

Thanks for that

[Pastille]

Itching can also be due to low iron. I am always itchy when under medicated and hypo. Just a thought. Can also be a side effect of B12 supplement. 

[Katlees]

I was itching mainly at night when I was on a low dose of levo its gone now that my dose is higher .