Hashimoto's Flare Up?

Hi there,

I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's years ago and been on NDT for years, feeling great until July this year. I was prescribed a huge dose of Prednisone (40mg/day) and Claritromycin/Klacid (1000 mg/day) for minor skin issue (!). I have developed a chemical reaction on day 2, then the next day my GP told me to stop all this abruptly. That's when it all started.

My neck felt tight, I had palpitations, red rashes that would come and go etc. my "smart" GP thought I should completely discontinue my thyroid medication as I am overactive. As we all know, TSH is always extremely low, when on NDT, my T3 and T4 were top of the range.

I have reduced the dosage from 195 to 65 mg or 0 mg every second day per his recommendation (silly).

Within three weeks my T4 went down to 10 (range 12-22), T3 to 2.2 (range 1.7-3.1). I was feeling awful. Another GP said I should not take any thyroid hormones, I am still overactive (!). Stopped it completely and after 2 days I thought I was going to die from cold.

Two weeks after that, went to another doctor, who told me to immediately resume my NDT and split it 3 x daily. I have not been experiencing any palpitations since.

However, I have developed so many symptoms now - lymph nodes swelling everywhere, ultra sensitive skin (burning skin sensation), water retention including swelling behind my knees, rashes that come and go, muscle pain, joint pain and cracking (like rheumatism), my arm swelling up - endless list. That with losing hair, nails breaking, losing weight and acne appearing on top of all this. Thankfully, energy levels are improving.

My question is - could this be that my symptoms are still appearing and will persist until I am optimal or even beyond that?

I have been treated by incompetent doctors until now and heard so many things - you might have a virus, it could be thyroid, it's not thyroid etc.

Right now my T3 is 2.76 (1.7-3.1), T4 still not mid-range: 16 (12-22). I always had both top of the range...and of course, my antibodies are high as always = 946 (lab range up to 5).

Thanks for your help...delighted that these forums do exist!

[SmallBlueThing]

Has your skin darkened - even slightly - where it feels as if it's burning? With swollen lymph nodes, it could be cellulitis or erysipelas with the risk of developing septicaemia. If this was due to community acquired MRSA, Clarithromycin was a poor choice. But you didn't complete a course of appropriate antibiotics for what you thought was a minor skin issue? Unfortunately, these antibiotics do have side effects.

[Hidden in reply to SmallBlueThing]

It was folliculitis. My skin has not darkened, it is quite dry and sometimes red because of sensitivity.

[SmallBlueThing in reply to Hidden]

Folliculitis can be sterile (due to friction from clothing) or fungal, neither of which would need an antibiotic. However, it could also be due to MRSA (ruling out Clarithromycin), and any break in the skin gives an entry point for further infection.

If your skin flakes and cracks, it would be good to use an emollient. The cheaper ones usually include a preservative, which can sensitize the skin with prolonged use. The aim is to avoid breaks in the skin, and causes of itching.

The arm and leg photos at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erysi... show the slight darkening that can be seen on Caucasian skin with erysipelas, but it can be less discernible.

[Hidden in reply to SmallBlueThing]

Thanks, but none of it looks like what I have. I also had blood tests done including CRP and was hospitalised for 3 days, they did scans, ultrasounds of my arm, xrays etc even ruled out lymphoma.

They suspect another autoimmune disease, but I would like to understand if stopping thyroid medication could have caused all these symptoms.

[SmallBlueThing in reply to Hidden]

Dry, flaky skin; oedema; joint pain; hair loss etc. are all possible when untreated or under treated, and may never fully resolve

Oedema, in particular, may respond quickly to changes in free T3.

[Hidden in reply to SmallBlueThing]

Thanks! I am now back taking NDT T3 T4 for 2-3 weeks and hoping they will go away as soon as balanced... I have been perfectly fine until they stopped my thyroid medication...