Iodine contrast dye with Hashimoto`s

[catsmummel]

Hi folks I`m to have a CT scan in a few weks, + gp has said it wil involve me being injected with an iodine based dye to make stuff show up on scan. Am rather concerned about the effect of the iodine on my already poorly thyroid. I have Hashi`s. Has anyone any experience of this at all please? Many thanks

[Framboise]

I had to have an iodine contrast dye injected two years ago for a CT scan. I was hesitant but I weighed up the chance of side effects against the need to find out what the scan showed, and decided it was worth it. All went well and I had no side effects.

If you need further CT scans it's worth knowing that, once they know the area they're looking at, any more scans shouldn't need the iodine contrast. I queried the need at my second scan and the radiologist said I didn't need it - but the nurse would have given it had I not asked.

Thankfully both scans showed nothing wrong, I hope yours is also fine! Good luck

[catsmummel in reply to Framboise]

Hello there, + thankyou glad to hear that your scans were clear, that`s great news . Thanks for that. Yes , i too have been weighing up the risks etc, but i definitely need it doing, so will go ahead with it. I`ll remember that about any follow up scans too. I`d not have thought of that, + would probably just have gone along with it :/ . Thanks for your reply. It has made me feel a bit easier about it all

[asidist]

hi catsmummel, sorry if this makes your decision more difficult but my experience for what it's worth:

i had to have iodine solution injected in 2009 for a workup for interstitial cystitis. i dont remember exactly what procedure it was but i think it was a good bit of iodine and may very well have been more than what you will be having. i had no awareness then of the interaction of iodine with hashimoto's, so did not question it. now this could be 100% coincidence, but although i was diagnosed with hashimoto's almost a decade earlier, it was not until the year following that procedure that i started to have issues with my thyroid levels. i don't know now how long after the dye i started to have symptoms because i didn't pay attention to the timing back then (nor did i realize my symptoms might have anything to do with thyroid functioning). knowing more now, i do think it's notable in retrospect that i went hypo within the year following the iodine dye procedure. someone else sharing his/her story on this forum is what helped me to connect the dots in my own past. of course, still could be coincidence. sorry to not have a more positive story to share - best of luck.

[Yppah]

Hi, I got a quinsy and once drained had a scan with iodine contrast to check everything gone. At this point in time I had been having recurring tonsillitis, sinusitis, chest infections. I didn’t know I had Hasmimoto’s at this point. I never quite recovered from that and had a year of almost constant rather than recurring infections. Hard to say if the iodine made it worse though. And weighing up the options of the quinsy not being away and knowing of potential problems of iodine I think I probably would have still had the scan even with that knowledge. Tricky one. Hope this helps with your decision.

[diogenes Remembering]

Given that the iodine in the contrast medium will only stay with you for a short time, I wouldn't think that would significantly affect things. Its when you take iodine over a long period that trouble can arise. There have been studies where healthy people have taken Lugol's (iodine solution) for a short time to conduct a particular investigation. That could not have been done ethically if there had been significant danger.

[Margareta3]

I had a rather negative experience. After injection of the contrast dye my TSH went up and stayed up for few months and I felt very ill (extreme fatigue, etc) for about 6 months before everything returned to normal.

[Gcart]

Just to add I had a collapse straight after test and was in hospital for 6 days. I have not had iodine since and have had CT chest without the dye .I understand it’s not so clear a picture for the doctors to interrupt.

Sorry to add a negative experience.

[Ralph1985]

I have hashis and I have had done a lot of iodine base dye contrast at least like 6, I never had any significant effect that I can notice I don’t think the dye works like supplements idk 😐 but one thing is for sure if I start using iodized salt I can feel a difference of how I feel... I’m not much knowledgeable about the difference but for what is worth.

[nightingale-56]

I had projectile vomiting (four times) after having Contrast Medium for a CT Scan 3 years ago. Prior Contrast Medium for an MRI Scan about 10 years ago had no adverse effect.

[serenfach]

I too had a very negative experience - a rash within minutes and my skin peeled off. Not a good look. I had no idea I could not tolerate iodine, but had had a colposcopy that I thought they were using neat sulfuric acid.

There are other contrast mediums, but they are more expensive. Worth asking about them though.

[catsmummel]

Hello there, + a massive thankyou to you all for your input. I`ve got my scan coming up on Wed, (week today), + i`m going to ask if there`s an alternative i can have to iodine. They`ll probably say no, but got to try. Really don`t want that in my body Thankyou again everyone. xxx