Dh And Iodine And Thyroid Poll Curious

[eatmeat4good]

Yeah, well, I'm diagnosed, but unmedicated..so I'll let you know how the healing goes when I get Hashi meds.

Guess I should be asking for Armour. Sounds more natural and thorough..

[cassP]

Yeah, well, I'm diagnosed, but unmedicated..so I'll let you know how the healing goes when I get Hashi meds.

Guess I should be asking for Armour. Sounds more natural and thorough..

honestly: except for the 3 or 4 strange incidences with my forearms that lasted a day or 2 each- i felt the same on Synthroid+Cytomel as i do on Armour. seriously.

actually- we only switched to Armour for the cost- because my Synthroid & Cytomel was costing me 90$ a month. i really dont know if the Armour is healthier cause it's natural- but i DO know that my body needed T3. i actually wish the brand names synthetics were affordable-because we could then up my T3... whereas the Armour's T4 and T3 percentages are already set in stone.

just got my latest panel results today on the phone- and im technically hyperthyroid now- but i still have hypo symptoms..

and when you do the math- my Rt3/T3 ratio is still not optimum- so everything is hyper driven now- but my cells are still not getting all the T3 they need.

anyways, im blabbing now... ugh.. this thyroid stuff is exhausting

[rosetapper23]

This IS complicated! And I can only say that I called every thyroid hormone replacement lab in the U.S., and every single one assured me that their product contained iodine. Before I went on thyroid meds (and I've taken BOTH Levothroid and Armour), if I accidentally ate gluten, I didn't break out into DH blisters because there was no iodine in my system--I'd avoided iodine for ten years before discovering that I actually had celiac and that that was the reason for the itchy blisters. I had assumed they were caused by iodine, because when I removed it from my diet, the blisters went away and didn't come back.

Fast-forward to four years ago when I developed Hashimoto's. Ever since I started taking thyroid meds, if I experience even the smallest amount of gluten CC, I break out big time in DH. Obviously, iodine is now present in my system due to the meds, since I still never knowingly ingest iodine. Whenever both gluten and iodine are present, I break out in DH. Also, I have had a chronic case of hives across the top of my back ever since I started taking the thyroid meds...and, no, it's not DH. They appear to be some type of "allergy" hives. Obviously, I cannot tolerate iodine at all. If iodine touches my skin, I experience deep muscular pain as though I've been beaten with a bat, and the bones and joints become painful underneath. I know--weird...but it's true.

Therefore, I must disagree--my experience has been that hormone meds DO indeed appear to contain iodine.

[cassP]

This IS complicated! And I can only say that I called every thyroid hormone replacement lab in the U.S., and every single one assured me that their product contained iodine. Before I went on thyroid meds (and I've taken BOTH Levothroid and Armour), if I accidentally ate gluten, I didn't break out into DH blisters because there was no iodine in my system--I'd avoided iodine for ten years before discovering that I actually had celiac and that that was the reason for the itchy blisters. I had assumed they were caused by iodine, because when I removed it from my diet, the blisters went away and didn't come back.

Fast-forward to four years ago when I developed Hashimoto's. Ever since I started taking thyroid meds, if I experience even the smallest amount of gluten CC, I break out big time in DH. Obviously, iodine is now present in my system due to the meds, since I still never knowingly ingest iodine. Whenever both gluten and iodine are present, I break out in DH. Also, I have had a chronic case of hives across the top of my back ever since I started taking the thyroid meds...and, no, it's not DH. They appear to be some type of "allergy" hives. Obviously, I cannot tolerate iodine at all. If iodine touches my skin, I experience deep muscular pain as though I've been beaten with a bat, and the bones and joints become painful underneath. I know--weird...but it's true.

Therefore, I must disagree--my experience has been that hormone meds DO indeed appear to contain iodine.

this is such a conundrum, yes :/ because iodine is so good & crucial for our whole body, not just our thyroid. i THINK too when your body coverts the T4 to T3, it knocks an iodine molecule off of it. and we have to convert.

rose- have you ever had Grave's antibodies? are your numbers balanced?? cause i DO know that hives and rashes CAN be a symptom of hyperthyroid.. or maybe just a temporary hyperthyroid moment.

and again, maybe it's the synthetic iodine? idk.. i havent had the crazy rashes since switching to Armour. ??

[rosetapper23]

Cass,

I've been on Armour Thyroid for nearly four years--the synthetic didn't do a thing except cause me to become more hypothyroid. As for Graves, I've never been tested for that. I've had the rash since I first started taking the hormone meds (and the rash exists whether it's synthetic hormone or Armour). It's possible that I have a sensitivity to iodine with regard to DH and celiac but that I also have a true allergy to iodine, too. I recently underwent surgery, and the surgical nurses uses Betadine (even though I told them that I have an iodine allergy), and I ended up with scalded skin syndrome (nearly died) and an itchy rash all over my body that lasted for longer than a month. It was pure hell! After a week, all the skin on my body just ripped off in sheets(even from under my arms and on my feet and hands). Iodine is a REAL problem for me.

[cassP]

Cass,

I've been on Armour Thyroid for nearly four years--the synthetic didn't do a thing except cause me to become more hypothyroid. As for Graves, I've never been tested for that. I've had the rash since I first started taking the hormone meds (and the rash exists whether it's synthetic hormone or Armour). It's possible that I have a sensitivity to iodine with regard to DH and celiac but that I also have a true allergy to iodine, too. I recently underwent surgery, and the surgical nurses uses Betadine (even though I told them that I have an iodine allergy), and I ended up with scalded skin syndrome (nearly died) and an itchy rash all over my body that lasted for longer than a month. It was pure hell! After a week, all the skin on my body just ripped off in sheets(even from under my arms and on my feet and hands). Iodine is a REAL problem for me.

OMG that's so AWFUL!!!!! why did they use the Betadine in spite of what you told them?????? oh that makes me angry. yes ive seen pictures online of people burned after surgery from it.im sorry that happened to u.

ive wondered what i would need to tell them in the even of surgery- or even something like a bone scan when they inject you with iodine and other crap. years ago when i used Betadine to clean my navel piercing- i didnt have an issue at all. but last year when i had DH on my stomach- and i did the "iodine patch test" to see if new blisters formed- i ended up with burns!! you're supposed to leave it on overnight i think- and i only lasted an hour- some of my skin came off. so i dont know- maybe i just have a mild skin intolerance???

[GFinDC]

Geez Rose, that suks big time!

Hey Cass,

Looks like the WHO doesn't think people with DH should take potassium iodide.

Open Original Shared Link

Clinical conditions in which KI tablets are contraindicated

There are very few clinical conditions in which the administration of KI is absolutely contraindicated. People with these conditions must not take KI and need to be protected by other measures on a case-by-case basis and under medical advice. These conditions include:

hypersensitivity to iodine. This is a very rare disorder that should not be confused with the more common hypersensitivity to contrast agents used with iodine in certain radiological examinations;

dermatitis herpetiformes (a chronic skin condition);

hypocomplementaemic vasculitis (an uncommon inflammation of the vascular walls, which can occur in certain immunological disorders); and

myotonia congenita (an extremely rare congenital defect involving muscle stiffness).

I think it was you that asked about how much iodine we need right? Here is some info from the ICCIDD (International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders)

Open Original Shared Link

4. How much iodine should we get? - Several international groups have made recommendations, which are fairly similar. ICCIDD, WHO, and UNICEF recommend the following daily amounts: age 0-7 years, 90 micrograms (mcg); age 7-12 years, 120 mcg; older than 12 years, 150 mcg; and pregnant and lactating women, 200 mcg.

A recent report by the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, USA, offers similar recommendations. It calculates an "Estimated Average Requirement" and from that derives an RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). However, occasionally sufficient data are not available and instead an "Adequate Intake" is calculated, which may be set higher than the RDA would be, for safety. The recommendations for daily intake are as follows: the AI for infants 0-6 months is 110 mcg iodine and 7-12 months, 130 mcg; the RDA's are: 1-8 years old, 90 mcg; 9-13 years, 120 mcg; 14 and older, 150 mcg; pregnancy, 220 mcg; lactation, 290 mcg. The Food and Nutrition Board also sets the tolerable upper limits of the daily iodine intake as 1.1 mg (1100 mcg) for adults, with proportionately lower levels for younger age groups.

[Carol from NYC]

Here's my understanding of the hypothyroid/iodine/DH Catch 22. Thyroid hormone -- and thyroid hormone replacement, no matter what kind you take-- contains iodine atoms. There's not extra iodine added, its basic structure contains iodine. For example, the dose of Armour I was taking -- 240mg -- provided three-fifths of my daily iodine requirement. BTW, I stepped back slightly to 210 mg and my lesions greatly improved.

[cassP]

thanku so much GFinDC for all the info. i have to say, im very in shock that the WHO even knows what DH is, but impressed.

so the WHO has nothing to say about Potassium Iodide & Hashimoto's &/or Grave's??? there's a lot of talk within the thyroid community- and the panic i felt on it was horrific.

[kitchenscientist]

GFinDC- I've had hypothyroidism for the past 9yrs. and will give you some info that my dr. gave me at the time of diagnosis. Get off yeast b/c yeast diminishes the function of the immune system. Get a copy of the book THYROID POWER by Dr. Shames and read it thoroughly and reread periodically. There's alot of valid information in that book. There are supplements available to stimulate your thyroid like selenium, and L-tyrosine. Be careful with L-tyrosine...it can raise your blood pressure and cause fluid retention. There's also a supplement called i-throid that I take and get it from the ICAM clinic. Black Walnut also is a natural source of iodine as well as garlic. Avoid SOY at all cost b/c it blocks the action of the thyroid. Don't forget to exercise regularly too.

Hope this helps.

[JenR]

Therefore, I must disagree--my experience has been that hormone meds DO indeed appear to contain iodine.

With whom do you disagree? It's been well established that thyroid meds by their very nature contain iodine as part of the molecular structure of levoxyl/levothyroxine.

[JenR]

Avoid SOY at all cost b/c it blocks the action of the thyroid.

This is not accurate. Excessive consumption of soy products can be a problem for those with hypothyroidism, but moderate consumption is not. Of course every individual is different so it's always best to listen to your own body.