Desperate

[Alice70]

Hi ,yes I'm desperate to find out what is causing this ichie rash I hhave put up with for ten years or so ,I have underactive thyroid for the past thirty year ,and for all this time I had taken levothyroxine, ichie skin is always there in the back grown,I keep it at bay by creaming myself constantly, and by wearing loose cloths ,if I'm not going out I wear a loose nightie in the house ,and I dont let myself get to warm ,occasionally like now the iching goes crazy ,carnot sleep at night with it the only thing that will calm it down is dermavate ,when I say rash I can always feel it just under the skin ,but times like now when it is really bad it comes out similar to a nettle rash, or something like plucked chicken skin.over the years I have gone throw things like changing washing powders soaps ect I never put perfume near me ,ihave tried changing my underwear and bedding to cotton ,ihave tried everything possible ,my medications are levothyroxine ,and B12 injection ,I have B12 every two months ,last year I did without it for six month to see if it made any difference ,it didn't, the only thing now left for me to think that maybe it is the levothyroxine ,when i was first given thyriod medication the brand was eltroxin ,I carnt remember what year i was changed to the cheaper brands ,i think it was more than ten years ago ,i now take actavis 100 and the 25 is any brand the pharmacist has in stock, would ask my gp for a prescription specifically for eltroxin,but I believe the ingredients for this has also changed ,the itching effects my torso and scalp ,I would be so grate to anyone who comments on this depressing skin condition ,and if anyone can tell me if eltroxin has changed over the years

[jamesal0]

Hi Alice

Are you gluten free ? Google "gluten rash" and looked at the images. I get it these days if I get accidentally gluten-ed. I have celiac disease, which is an auto immune disease of the gut, that silently killed my thyroid for several years prior to my becoming hypothyroid.

[Alice70 in reply to jamesal0]

Hi James,I dont think I am celiac as I have no other symptoms to do with celiac ,funny thing my husband is celiac ,so I no the symptoms and what foods to keep away from ,my husband was diagnosed through stomache biopsy many years back he has it quit severe ,darnt look at wheat, my husband is Irish, and his specialist at the time told him there is more Irish people with celiac than anywhere else,isn't that strange ,and funny thing he has borderline thyroid ,going back to myself I would be very surprised if I were celiac in which I doubt that I am ,thank you for your reply

[jamesal0 in reply to Alice70]

I was diagnosed with the celiac antibodies in the bloods 7 years ago, never bothered with biopsy, the rash is a recent symptom for me.

[waveylines]

Have you thought about the fillers in the levothyroxine? You maybe sensitive so worth checking.

[Alice70 in reply to waveylines]

Yes wavey this is what I am trying to work out ,but find it very confusing ,I have been on Google ,there are that many brands some of which are the same but under different names ,dont no if I'm coming or going lol ,I am trying to find out now weather or not eltoxine has the same formular as it did years back thank you for reply

[fibrolinda]

Take a antihistamine an hour before your levo , see if it is fillers in the levo tat are causing the itch. It must be a flipping nightmare, hope you can get to the bottom of it.

[Alice70]

Thank you Linda, yes it is a night mate, how I'm not on antidepressants, I dont no ,as it does get me down on times ,I am trying to sort out the fillers ,but find it so confusing ,thanks for reply

[HLAB35]

It could be something called hyperkeratosis pilaris, which is vitamin a deficiency, if it's not an allergy, which I am not saying it isn't.

I don't get on with some of the (toxic) preservatives they put in liquid soaps and shampoos and shower gel - but for me the allergy always appears in the exact spots where I have put the products, like my hands and neck.

The symptoms of vitamin a deficiency are very common in people with Hashi's - dry skin and hair, thick dead skin in patches, acne and eye problems including night blindness. Hyperkeratosis pilaris is like plucked chicken skin on upper arms, butt and thighs. It can itch when you have warm central heating. Vitamin A is not well absorbed in Hashi's because we are not very good at converting beta carotene into vitamin a. Check with GP before supplementing though. Liver is a good source of vitamin a.

[Alice70 in reply to HLAB35]

I've just looked at some pictures of they above ,no it is not that ,but I can see what you mean about chicken skin ,my rash is kind off under the skin , my skin is not as tough looking as those with hyper p ,thank you hlab35 for your thoughts on this ,it has crossed my mind though do i have some kind of vitimin deficiency

[HLAB35 in reply to Alice70]

Definitely see your GP anyway. Before you see them try taking some over the counter antihistamine like chlorphenamine maleate - it's the one I use when I react to something I've eaten or put on my skin. If it helps, you will know it's most likely a histamine response to something - which is very common in Hashi's... our immune system over-reacts!

[Alice70 in reply to HLAB35]

Will do ,is that the actual name of the antihistamine or is there another name with ch maleate in it

[HLAB35 in reply to Alice70]

Piriton is the branded one, but you can get the pharmacy's own one.

[Alice70 in reply to HLAB35]

Tried to get some piriton 5 o'clock this evening ,all pharmacist ,were closed sat afternoon ,I'll get some on Monday,I have some Telfast here gp gave me ,they dont seem to working very well

[waveylines in reply to Alice70]

The supermarket pharmacies will be open....

[Alice70 in reply to waveylines]

Just seen this post wavey ,there are no pharmacist in supermarkets here ,I've decided tomorrow I am going to try and see private skin specialist ,I have inquire about cost 18o pounds ,I've thought if my car needed mending ,and it cost that much I would pay it ,I've had enough of itching so I am going to try to get appointment tomorrow, thank you wavey

[HLAB35 in reply to Alice70]

Just seen your reply to wavey. Even better to see a specialist, I agree.

[HLAB35 in reply to Alice70]

A couple of paracetamol is quite good at helping me sleep when I have had some kind of itchy rash, or insect bite or even sunburn. I don't rate it as a painkiller for things like back pain, but it does work when you just want to numb the itching and I believe that it doesn't interfere with antihistamines - but you can check with the pharmacist to be sure.

[Alice70 in reply to HLAB35]

I have taken paracetamol before to make me sleep,I'll try them agian thankshlab

[HLAB35 in reply to Alice70]

Only a couple though, mind. Best book a GP appointment as they may be able to figure out what kind of rash you have (if it's allergic) The whole of my face swelled up once after eating a takeaway and I now take piriton with me to restaurants.

[Clarrisa]

Hi Alice, I have been trying to locate the source of my itching too. It thankfully sounds far lower grade than yours but still is worrisome. I am on Synthroid, & Tirosint though.

I posted about a study entitled “Miconutrient Deficiencies Are Common in Contemporary Celiac Disease Despite Lack of Overt Malabsorption Symptoms” on the Gluten Free Guerrillas forum earlier. Someone there kindly provided a link to this July 2019 Mayo Clinic Proceedings article by Adam C. Bledsoe, MD, etc. I have gained some understanding how difficult it is to pin point the problem, as you can’t really overlook anything.

Yesterday my face puffed up again, it hasn’t in a long while. So it seems as if It was in something I consumed or supplemented recently as well. Do you experience any trouble with swelling too?

[Alice70 in reply to Clarrisa]

No Clarrisa i dont have swelling anywhere,thanks for the info iwill look it up

[humanbean]

A lot of medications contain acacia as one of the excipients. I think it is a common thing for people to be allergic to or intolerant of.

drugs.com/inactive/acacia-1...

Other problematic excipients I'm aware of are lactose and mannitol.

You could try taking an anti-histamine (the tablets that people take for hay fever that can be bought in pharmacies or supermarkets without prescription) 30 - 60 minutes before you take your Levothyroxine. If it helps reduce the itch then it suggests that something in the Levo is a problem for you.

The best thing to do would be to make sure that you have control of your prescription, rather than it being sent to a pharmacy automatically. You then have to go to your surgery to collect a paper prescription. Start keeping records of which Levothyroxine you have taken and note down your symptoms. Next time you get a prescription phone round your local pharmacies and ask which brands of Levo they have in stock. If they have one available that you have never tried then take your prescription there.

Read this thread - there are several helpful links given in the replies that can tell you what different brands of Levo are available in the UK and can be prescribed and what they contain :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

If you can't find a brand that suits you then you may have to be prescribed liquid Levo. Your doctor will probably refuse but I think you can appeal to your CCG. I'm on sticky ground here though - I don't know what your rights are. Liquid Levo is a lot more expensive than tablets.

You may find this page of interest :

bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-f...

The prices are, so I've read, not accurate but are quite close - they aren't updated often enough.

[Alice70 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you human for all this information, we only have three pharmacist in my area I rang them yesterday ,all three do the same brand of actavis, I am going to read up on the links you have sent me ,do you know I am jumping from one thing to another ,trying to find out what is happening to my skin ,now im wondering if I have some kind of urticaria, not the type you see with big red lumps ,I believe there are all types of urticaria