[basebplyr6]

#1018940

Hi. I’m new to Graves Disease and was just diagnosed about 2 months ago. I went the drug route initially and was prescribed methimazole. After three weeks on the drug I began to break out in hives…shoulders, legs, back of head, etc. So I immediately stopped the drug and took Zyrtech, after 5 days all of my hives had disappeared. After a visit for my doctor he suggested the RAI treatment because my thryoid was 2 times the normal size, I had moderate hyperthyroidism, and he thought that I would be allergic to the second medication. But I decided to try the PTU. I waited 4 days after my hives were cleared up and started the PTU. After my third pill (1st day) of taking the PTU I got some small hives on my hand, so I immediately took a zyrtech and they were cleared up within an hour. So if anyone can help I have a few questions. **Also Im taking atenolol 100mg to help with the symptoms.

1. I drank 2 beers 45 minutes after taking the PTU, could the hives be a reaction to the beer and PTU or do you think that I’m allergic to PTU after only my 3rd pill? Should I try the PTU again without drinking, I didn’t think that I would effect the medication but maybe it did?

2. I don’t have a problem with the RAI treatment and after reading and talking to a few doctors they mentioned that for some people that are not even allergic to methimazol or PTU eventually go the RAI route anyway. But what are the chances that I’m allergic to the snthyroid pill? I just read online that there are some allergic reactions. Can the doctor test and see if I’m allergic before going through with the RAI? If I am allergic to snthyroid what are the other options? Are there other thyroid replacement pills?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

[ewmb]

#1067958

There are lots of people who have posted here who have been allergic to something in the medications. If you read my posts about my journey with that you can see that I was probably allergic to one of the inactives in the medications and not the active ingredient. I have been on levoxyl, hormone replacement, about 4 weeks now. I had RAI in early May. The formulation of the replacement that I am taking doesn’t have the inactive in it that was in the generic methimazole I took that causes lots of people to have a rash. I haven’t had any troubles with rash on this. You might want to check and see if the inactives in the PTU and the Methimazole had any overlap. I mean the same inactive ingredients. If they did then it might be that you were allergic to these. I don’t know if you can check to see if you were allergic to a specific ingredient. Your pharmacist may have a suggestion. There are several different companies that make the hormone replacement and they don’t all have the same inactive ingredients. You don’t have to take synthroid, you can take one of the other brands out there. Try googling for pictures of your tablets if you still have them. The pictures can help identify the manufacturer of the tablets if it wasn’t on the bottle.

Good luck,
ewmb

[elf]

#1067959

Synthroid is not a medication, it’s identical to your own thyroid hormones. You are not allergic to your own thyroid hormones, right? I am not sure what inactive (packaging) ingredients can be in Synthroid, never researched that. But, there are other brands of thyroid hormone, down to natural desiccated thyroid derived from pigs’ thyroids.

[Ski]

#1067960

Just a quick comment ~ the first response you got seemed to say that methimazole is in some way similar to thyroid hormone replacement, which it’s not.

Methimazole and PTU are chemical medications formulated to affect the way our body uses thyroid hormone, and a person can easily be allergic to either of them, to the medication itself.

Thyroid hormone replacement is, as this last post says, chemically identical to your own thyroid hormone, and so we are literally unable to be allergic to it.

In one final piece of confusion, it IS possible to be allergic to one of the inactive ingredients in a thyroid hormone replacement pill (the substances that give it color, or substance), though it’s extremely rare. If it happens to you, there are several manufacturers, and you can explore the different types to find one without your particular allergen. There is also a replacement brand called Unithroid that has NO artificial colors or substances, so that’s probably the best option for those who are allergic to fillers in other brands.

And finally, just to be complete in my information, once you have chosen a replacement thyroid hormone, and determined you are NOT allergic to it, you should stick with that particular one. Don’t let your insurance company, your pharmacy, or your doctor’s office change it. While technically these are supposed to be exactly the same, our bodies tend to react slightly differently to each one, so having gone through a long period of adjustment, finding YOUR dose that leaves you feeling just right, you could trigger an entirely new period of adjustment just by switching brands.

I hope that helps!

[ewmb]

#1067961

Sorry I was unclear about the inactives in methimazole and the replacement hormone. As SKI said the medications are not the same but lots of medications do contain the ingredient that I think I am allergic too called povidone. It is in lots of tablets, all kinds of medications, regardless of their active ingredient. Again sorry about the confusion.

ewmb

[basebplyr6]

#1067962

Hi. Thanks for the responses. One quick question…I posted that after the 1st day on PTU 3rd pill I drank 2 beers 45 mins before taking the medication. About an hour and a half I had small hives on my hand. Is there any chance that the beer and medication together produced the hives and there is a chance I wouldn’t be allergic without the beer? I’m probably second guessing myself and probably am allergic to the PTU but is there a chance that if I didn’t drink that I wouldn’t be allergic and is that chance high enough that I should try PTU for a few more days before scheduling RAI?

Thanks.

[Ski]

#1067963

That’s a question for your doctor, or your pharmacist ~ either could probably answer it definitively. I’ve never seen this question brought up here before, and I’ve been here a LONG time.

[Kimberly]

#1067964

Ski wrote:That’s a question for your doctor, or your pharmacist ~ either could probably answer it definitively. I’ve never seen this question brought up here before, and I’ve been here a LONG time.

Another possibility to discuss with your doctor or pharmacist might be whether a lower dose would keep your levels in check without causing the hives. I’ve read stories from other patients who had issues at high doses, but not at lower doses. (Obviously, this is a moot point if the low dose sends you hyper again…)

Best of luck!

[Bobbi]

#1067965

Regarding drinking alcoholic beverages while taking antithyroid meds: talk with your doctor, because it might not be a good idea. The ATDs are metabolized in the liver (as is alcohol) and have a known possibility of causing liver problems. Alcoholic beverages can cause liver problems. Taking the two together, especially if you are having hive reactions can show a potential problem.

[Author]

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