Increased thyroxine dose causing itchy red, rash on throat and jaw??,

[Sophit]

Hi All. I wonder if anyone can help. Im panicking a little. Hence im writing this at 1am! My daughter had her levo increased by 25mcg 3 weeks ago. About a week or so ago she showed me a small red patch on her throat that looked like heat rash. Since then it has grown in size and is spreading all over her neck, jaw and begining to move up to her face. I didn't make the connection with the possibility it could be the increased dose. I genuinely thought it was heat rash due to the warmer weather, so gave her antihistamines which did nothing. She has been using aloe vera soothing gel and cool flannel on the area but it's very angry and aswell as itchy and burning. I feel awful for her and being Saturday I can not see our GP. I'm not sure what to do as if it's the levo I do not what to keep giving it to her. she's been on 100mcg for a few years now and we've never had this problem. I'm sure it's the same brand she usually has (mercu pharma or something along those lines (off top of my head)

Should I stop the meds over the weekend until I get an emergency appt Monday with GP?? .

I can try the pharmacist and see if they can advise..not sure how much help they can be..

Is it a sign of over medicating? She seems absolutely fine aside from this rash. She is due to have her bloods done to check everything is ok with her levels next week.

Can anyone advise if they have experienced this at all?

Apologises for all the questions!

Many thanks in advance xx

[silverfox7]

My first thoat was allergy to the fillers which is the usual problem plus an allergy can appear at any time so the increase in dose may just be a coincidence. However the next thing I would have suggested would be to take an anti histamine one hour before the medication. You say they haven't help but have you taken them as I have suggested?

[Sophit in reply to silverfox7]

Hi Silverfox. She takes her thyroxine at night around 10.30pm but have been giving her the antihistamines in the morning and sometimes early evening. I've just checked and the extra 25mcg are made by wockhardt. I'm going to search about reactions to this make. Although as you say, it could be the usual brand of mercury pharma that's doing it as it can develop at anytime.....woken up this morning with it all over her face and given she takes the tablets at night I do think it's some thing to do with the levo. Hopefully I can get to the bottom of it. She also takes a multivitamin, and vit d and she has been taking these for a while now but dot think it's these causing the problem.

[Soneram]

Have you not tried a drop in centre near by nothing worse than being itchy and it gets out of control

[Sophit in reply to Soneram]

Hi Soneram. I think I will do this today as she's woken up with it on her face now. Thank you for your reply.

[silverfox7]

I would try the antihistamine S I suggested an hour before the medication. Taking it after may just stop it getting worse though it sounds pretty back. Also have a word with the Pharmacist. The ingredients should be listed on the Patient Information Leaflet and there's usually a few in each brand but they can vary. She will have info on them all so may be able to suggest a better one to try.

[Rita-D]

I have just increased from Levo 100 mcgs to 125 mcgs. The 100 was 'erciry Pharma and the 25mcgs is Wockhardt! I've been itching every day since I increased scratching so hard that I'm leaving marks on my skin! It's the Wockhardt. I've not changed anything else. Going to have to go back to my GP for a script for another brand. I'm having trouble again trying to get Mercury Pharma which seems to suit me better. Not sure if GPs have been told to supply generic! Good luck with sorting the issue out.

[Sophit]

Wow! I've found someone that has had the same problem. I've read that apparently wockhardt has less fillers than other brands and is usually more tolarable. So I thought i may be back to square one again. I will definitely see Dr on Monday. I have some other 50mcg tablets that are the same brand as the 100's so I'll break them in half for today. Not ideal, but I dont want to keep giving her the 25's if these are the problem. Hopefully the rash should start to go by Monday if it is those. Good luck

[Ellie-Louise]

I found that it was the Acacia powder filler that had been the cause of my own very similar itchy red throat a few years ago.

It was when I was dispensed a different brand to the one I normally had. After complaining and the chemist changed it for me the problem disappeared.

[Sophit]

Just looking at all the ingredients in wockhardt and they have the same fillers as MP. The only difference is Sucrose and I can't see it being an intolerance to that. So I'm thinking maybe it's not the wockhardt? What else would be different in the 2 products?.......

[helvella Administrator in reply to Sophit]

I recently posted about an analysis of levothyroxine (that is, the levothyroxine used as an ingredient when making tablets) which found tiny amounts of numerous substances present. These are likely to vary depending on the manufacturer and the manufacturing process. So two different makes of tablet could have lots of differences at this very low level.

What we do not know is whether any of these impurities have any biological effect.

Nor do we know if, for example, the maize starch in both products is identical, or not.

In the end, we might fathom out why, but very often we simply have to accept that one make causes issues that another make does not.

If I had noticed your post earlier, I'd have suggested asking your pharmacist for just a few tablets of 25 microgram Mercury Pharma and not taking any more Wockhardt. Pharmacists are allowed to do things like that in emergency situations - and I'd class this as such a situation. Or, failing that, trying to cut up a 100 microgram Mercury Pharma into four - at least approximately. For a couple of days any inaccuracy will have little impact. Indeed, even just take the 100 microgram Mercury Pharma only.

[budd_james]

Wockhardt caused facial swelling & resulted in a trip to A&E for me. Strange thing was that I had been taking them without a problem for months & was half way through a pack when the allergy triggered. MP & Teva also cause me issues so am on liquid thyroxine at the moment & Dr is talking about T3.

Hope you get to the bottom of it.

[Sophit]

Hi Budd James. Thank you for your reply. That's exactly what started to happen. She had been taking it for a month everyday and 2 weeks every other day before that and then boom! Started with the neck rash and just got worse and worse eventually her lips and cheeks started to become puffy very scary... It wasn't until I saw on this forum a few people mentioned the same thing that I realised it was the meds. I thought it would have happened after the first dose. Anyway she's not taken it for 2 nights and everything seems to be calming down. Went to dr today and they changed to MP 25s. So we will see. Good luck with the T3