hi all. Newly diagnosed with Hashimoto after my daughter was born. 9 weeks ago after being diagnosed, I went on Levothyroxine, teva brand. After 10 days I started getting very itchy from head to toe. I stuck it out for 6 weeks until I got a blood test to check thyroid levels and they were perfect and then I went off the medication because of the itching. Anyway doctor didn’t know what to do, talked about sending me to endocrine but I asked for a new script so I could try another brand called accord which I’ve now been on for 1 week. Itching still there. Defo not as bad but still there. Anyone experience this and if so how long until the itching stopped? I read it can take some time. Because thyroid levels okay and itching only started after I started teva then I know it’s an allergy, probably to fillers in teva.
levothyroxine (Teva brand) allergy: hi all. Newly... - Thyroid UK
levothyroxine (Teva brand) allergy
Firstly its highly unlikely your thyroid results were perfect after only 9 weeks of treatment. I assume your on a low dose? How much Levo are you taking?
It may well be that the Teva brand of Levo didnt suit you, in which case trying a different brand might solve the issue. Vencamil is a good 'clean' brand that suits many.
Its not uncommon for people to get new symptoms on first starting Levo. It can take many months to get to the right level of treatment and symptoms to settle.
It's ideal if you can always get the same brand of levo at every prescription. You can do this by getting GP to write the brand you prefer in the first line of the prescription. Many people find that different brands are not interchangeable.
Do you have a copy of your latest blood results that you can share with us? You are legally entitled to a printed copy of your results, ask at GP reception. In England you can get the NHS app and ask for permission to see your blood results on that by asking at GP’s reception.
Do you know if you had positive thyroid antibodies? Many with autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's benefit from a gluten free diet. A smaller percentage of those also need to remove dairy from their diet to feel well. These are intolerances and will not show up on any blood test.
Always take Levo on an empty stomach an hour away from food or caffeine containing drinks & other meds. Many people find taking it at bedtime works well for them.
When hypo we get low stomach acid which means we cannot absorb vitamins well from our food, regardless of a great diet. For thyroid hormone to work well we need OPTIMAL levels of vitamins.
Have you recently or could you ask your GP to test levels of ferritin, folate, B12 & D3? Private tests are available, see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...
There is also a new company offering walk in& mail order blood tests in London, Kent, Sussex & Surrey areas. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...
Only do private tests on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid postal delays.
Do you do tests as per the protocol recommended here?
Recommended blood test protocol: Test at 9am (or as close as possible), fasting, last levo dose 24hrs before the blood draw, last T3 dose 8-12 hours before blood draw & no biotin containing supplements for 3-7 days (Biotin can interfere with thyroid blood results as it is used in the testing process).
Testing like this gives consistency in your results and will show stable blood levels of hormone and highest TSH which varies throughout the day. Taking Levo/T3 just prior to blood draw can show a falsely elevated result and your GP/Endo might change your dose incorrectly as a result.
please add results and ranges from BEFORE starting on levothyroxine
And 2nd set test results 9 weeks later
ESSENTIAL to also test vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease, usually diagnosed by high TPO and/or high TG thyroid antibodies
Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s
Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis.
Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.
Significant minority of Hashimoto’s patients only have high TG antibodies (thyroglobulin)
NHS only tests TG antibodies if TPO are high
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)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
Post all about what time of day to test
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Testing options and includes money off codes for private testing
Medichecks Thyroid plus BOTH TPO and TG antibodies and vitamins
medichecks.com/products/adv...
Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes BOTH TPO and TG antibodies, cortisol and vitamins
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...
Medichecks and BH also offer private blood draw at clinic near you, or private nurse to your own home…..for an extra fee
Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.
Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test
support.medichecks.com/hc/e...
If you normally take levothyroxine at bedtime/in night ...adjust timings as follows prior to blood test
If testing Monday morning, delay Saturday evening dose levothyroxine until Sunday morning. Delay Sunday evening dose levothyroxine until after blood test on Monday morning. Take Monday evening dose levothyroxine as per normal
Randox FULL thyroid test including both thyroid antibodies just £29
Test at home or in clinic
Hi Rachen. I used to have issues with itching with teva. Also my hair is straight but it turned my hair wavey. Mercury pharma and wokhardt work the best for me. It took me over a year to work out the root cause.
thank you, it’s a relief to know I was not the only one with itching issues with teva. My two aunts have it and are on mercury pharma, I couldn’t get it where I live but will try harder if accord doesn’t work for me. I think itching is dying down (she says as she scratches her scalp..) Thanks again.
Rachen, Itching is a commonly experienced symptom when starting levothyroxine. Although it can occasionally be a reaction to the medication itself, often its actual cause is because the dose of levothyroxine is too low, and it subsides once on an appropriate dose.
My TSH reduced from 10 to 4 on 100mg of Levothyroxine after 6 weeks so that would make me think the dose is okay? Helpful to know many suffer with itching at the start. It only started when I started Levothyroxine.
A TSH of 4 is still too high, but as it has only been six weeks there's time yet for it to go down further. The high TSH indicates that you're not 'optimal' yet, and the itching may disappear once TSH is down nearer 1. Certainly ask the pharmacist for a different brand when you next get your prescription fulfilled though 
' It only started when I started Levothyroxine.'
Something to consider, is that before you started thyroid hormone replacement, every part of you was being deprived of the necessary amount of a vital hormone. Without wanting to overdramatise, every part of you was starting to deteriorate, and because your thyroid couldn't produce the hormone required, the necessary 'ingredients' for healing were in short supply. Now that you are taking levothyroxine, you are replacing the missing vital hormone, and things can gradually start to heal themselves. The itching can sometimes occur as a part of that healing process (just like when grazed or cut skin is healing, and goes through an itchy stage).
My thyroid hormones document lists every product available in the UK and includes all the named excipients (inactive ingredients).
It can't tell you the cause of your itching, but it does let you know the possibilities for products to ask to try.
helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines - UK
The UK document contains up-to-date versions of the Summary Matrixes for levothyroxine tablets, oral solutions and liothyronine available in the UK. Includes injectables and descriptions of tablet markings which allow identification. Latest updates include all declared ingredients for all UK-licensed products and links to Patient Information Leaflets, Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d), British National Formulary, NHS Drug Tariff, etc. PLUS how to write prescriptions in Appendix F.
Now also includes latest pricing information from dm+d..
Also includes links for anti-thyroid medicines (but not product details).
Direct link to PDF:
📄 dropbox.com/s/bo2jzxucgp9hl...
Blog last updated 28/12/2024 - documents are regularly updated
Link to blog:
helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...
Excipients:
helvella - Excipients
Details of excipients are in my Excipients document. This includes all excipients identified in UK-licensed thyroid hormone medicines.
Direct link to PDF:
📄 dropbox.com/scl/fi/tud6r8f5...
If the last updated date of a copy your have downloaded isn’t very recent, please download a new copy!
Blog last updated 28/12/2024 - documents are regularly updated
Link to blog:
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