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Iodine And Levothyroxine

kitgordon

By kitgordon
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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kitgordon Explorer
kitgordon
Posted

Still scratching DH after being glutened in August :angry: I did switch to plain, not-iodized salt, but no real help there. Now I read that my thyroid meds are made of, or with, iodine. Maybe that explains why I have DH now when I never did before. My symptoms were always GI, but I started with the levothyrox this spring, and I guess this has been my first glutening since then.

I don't think it is a good idea to drop the medication, and I understand iodine is a necessary component. My question is, will a low iodine diet actually help if I am on medication containing iodine? And if so, could someone here give me a sample day's menu of what you actually eat on a LI diet? It looks awfully restrictive, and some things aren't clear. Breakfast - no eggs, obviously. Are any gluten-free breads low iodine? Rice Chex? gluten-free oatmeal?

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pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

My thyroid meds have never been an iodine issue for me.

If you haven't read the thyca.org info on high iodine foods, I suggest you do so. Just removing iodized salt is not a low iodine diet.

Yes, a low iodine diet can be restrictive; however, I felt after 3 years of that Damn Rash, it was a fair trade. I only had to do "total LI" for two weeks - after my rash healed I started adding in high iodine foods slowly. I do realize I was very lucky in that regard.

rosetapper23 Explorer
rosetapper23
Posted

I take Armour Thyroid, and what I have found is that when I get glutened, I do indeed break out in DH...and because iodine is always in my system, it takes a good, long while to clear up. Prior to taking thyroid medication, I only broke out in DH when glutened while also eating something high in iodine, and the DH would clear up relatively quickly. If you eating strictly gluten free, your DH should resolve itself within a few months' time. For those of us who suffer with DH, it is absolutely necessary to be as careful as possible because a glutening can cause suffering for 2-3 months.

kitgordon Explorer
kitgordon
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the responses. I am very strict about gluten free eating. I know non-iodized salt isn't a LI diet; I just did that as a first step, hoping it might be enough. It wasn't. :( I did read the thyca.org info a few weeks ago and it scared me, but I am getting ready to try it. Desperate and miserable. I hope two weeks or so will do it for me, too.

jlaw Apprentice
jlaw
Posted

Thanks for the responses. I am very strict about gluten free eating. I know non-iodized salt isn't a LI diet; I just did that as a first step, hoping it might be enough. It wasn't. :( I did read the thyca.org info a few weeks ago and it scared me, but I am getting ready to try it. Desperate and miserable. I hope two weeks or so will do it for me, too.

Wow, I could've written that exact post. Except I don't take thyroid meds. Back to getting my head around the thyca.org info. At least this time I have more incentive, considering my feeble attempts before were not enough. But it's obvious this DH means business... Good luck!

kitgordon Explorer
kitgordon
Posted
  • Author

Thanks; good luck to you, too!

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