i have been having severe itching & hives on my legs in the evenings. Recently, i . Had a skin prick test, i was pricked with 50 needles, dr didn’t find any allergy. Recommend Allegra when needed! Reluctant to take meds unless absolutely necessary!
I was on Levothyroxine 50 mcg , switched to 50 mcg synthroid, brand name three weeks ago, itchiness little better on Synthroid..
Allergy Dr thinks itchiness: hives are due to Hashimoto thyroid. Endocrinologist does not agree!
Any one had similar experience? Have any solutions?
Thanks
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Suzi_
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Yes Ive also recently started having severe itchiness on my lower legs and a red rash in patches sometimes hot. It co-incided with taking high dose b1 hcl which can cause histamine issues so I thought it was a histamine issue.
Hi Suzi, I have Hashimoto's and had been sent to an allergist and I tested negative to all. He said it was probably my antibodies and they were very high and started on Zyrtec and have been on it for several years. I have, on my own, discovered an allergy to yellow dye. When I eat anything with yellow dye, I itch like crazy! Never give up!
Endocrinologist wrong allergy Dr right. I experienced exactly this. GP even suggested it was insect bites! Eventually the problem vanished when I started thyroid meds. I never get hives now but can sometimes get itchy lower legs as I’m now prone to discoid eczema. I keep it at bay with regular moisturiser. Keep going until you are on the right dose of thyroid meds for you. For me that included T3 but we’re all different. Make sure it’s right for you, not your endo! Good luck.
Yes, regularly get hives/urticaria rash and eczema. I never had these before my thyroid hormones got so low. I've also been told nothing to do with thyroid - but it is.
What are your most recent thyroid and vitamin results
What vitamin supplements are you taking
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
You would need to do full iron blood test including ferritin 3-4 times per year to ensure iron and ferritin levels were optimal
On vegetarian diet would need to be taking daily B12 and vitamin B complex
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.
A trial of strictly gluten free diet is always worth doing
Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential
A strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential due to gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and may slowly lower TPO antibodies
While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first as per NICE Guidelines
The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported
In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned
Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.
Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too. Approx 50-60% find dairy free beneficial
With loads of vegan dairy alternatives these days it’s not as difficult as in the past
Yes, I went to the emergency room twice for hives that swallowed my body … doctor was shocked the last time I went in he said I had hives as large as a dinner plate stacked 5 high on my head … I looked like the elephant man and I felt horrible… I still get occasional hives just not as bad to go to emergency room … in my opinion it’s thyroid related.
I really think that there is a connection to Hashimoto's and hives. I have been allergy tested, negative to everything. I tend to get hives when I am overheated and when sick. I go in spurts where my skin gets very itchy and then I break out in hives easily. I can go months without getting hives and then once I start to get them I have them for months on and off. My breakouts are usually on my chest, abdomen, up my neck, and sometimes on my face. I do take Allegra once in awhile when they are really bad since it is a histamine blocker. I make sure I moisturize my skin daily to keep it from getting too dry. I also cut out all the tags in my clothing so there is no rubbing on my skin and shower right away after exercising.
I take calcium with vitamin dally and vitamin k-2 micrograms daily to help with my bones. I guess the only way you could figure out if that is the cause of your issue is to stop taking one for a while and see if it improves. I think a lot of time we're hives are concerned, they are idiopathic. It is really hard to find the cause of hives. I played around with my diet and one thing I noticed that bothers me, if I eat strawberries.
Magnesium is also important for your bones and has the advantage of being a mast cell/histamine stabiliser. You are more likely to have issues with processing histamine if you are low in magnesium. (Strawberries are high histamine). As mast cells produce histamine (as well as all sorts of other often pro-inflammatory chemicals) and are the first responders of the immune system, those of us with messed-up immune function are likely to have a little or a lot of difficulty with mast cell mediators and histamine. Some of it is genetic, some affected by other meds, but a high histamine diet may well be a problem. I eat low and medium histamine only and moderate my intake depending on symptoms and weather (a main trigger for me).
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