General Medicine

» jb50583 - Tapazole itchy and welts

Hi, I too am experiencing the same thing. I wish I had some adice but Im now waiting to hear what my Doctor is going to recommend. Im hoping the do not recomment the Radiation because the idea does nto sit well with me.

-- posted by jb50583

» Elaine Moore - Tapazole itchy red marks

Hi,
Sorry for the delay in responding. Itching and rash can occur if your dose is too high or if you're having an allergic reaction. Reducing the dose can help. Some people also use diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to reduce itching. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - Tapazole itchy and welts

People who have a reaction to methimazole almost always do well when they're switched to PTU. Although these are both ATDs, the two drugs aren't chemically similar. Ask your doctor about this if reducing the dose doesn't help. Best, Elaine

» kmillerman - Methimazole itchy red and marks on body

I have exactly the same thing with exactly the same timing. Dr. said to take 25mg Benadryl nightly and determine whether it's related to the methimazole or something else. Your note makes me think the experience is more than a coincidence.

-- posted by kmillerman

» Elaine Moore - Methimazole itchy red and marks on body

Hi,
Benadryl is recommended or reducing itching and rash related to anti-thyroid drugs, but often reducing the dose and/or switching to the other ATD takes care of the problem. Some people also find that adding a vitamin A (best to take an A & D supplement in autoimmune disease) also helps reduce these drug-related rashes. Take care, Elaine

» sb06 - Tapazole itchy red marks

I've been on PTU (for Graves Disease) for over a month and I've become very itchy too. I've had some small welts that come and go, but no full rash. I checked out Benadryl on drugs.com and it says "Before taking Benadryl, talk to your doctor if you have hyperthyroidism." Is Benadryl safe with GD?

-- posted by sb06

» Elaine Moore - Tapazole itchy red marks

Hi,
Often, rashes and hives occur with Tapazole if the dose is too high. Usually patients start out on a dose between 10-30 mg daily, and the dose is lowered as soon as the FT4 level falls into the normal range. often, the rash resolves when the dose is lowered.

It's pretty standard to prescribe diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to reduce the itchiness, but in general thyroid hormone levels are in control or low when the rash occurs. With hyperthyroidism in control, diphenhydramine at a low dose should be ok. Many people become drowsy at even low doses so this is also something to consider.

You might want to see if you can have labs and have your dose reduced or switch to PTU if your labs are still high. In general, people who have a rash with one anti-thyroid drug do fine on the other one. Best, Elaine

» sb06 - Tapazole itchy red marks

Thanks, Elaine.
I'm taking PTU and my doc says that if I switch to Tapazole that I have a 50% chance of having the same allergic reaction. So after deciding that I want to stay on PTU (even though the doc recommends RAI), I tried Benadryl. It was a disaster as I was so tired I couldn't function or go to work. So now, I'm staying on PTU and taking Loratadine (Claritin) and managing okay. Still get mild/moderate hive breakouts, but I still think it's preferable solution than an irrevocable treatment like surgery or RAI. We'll see how long I can sustain this and how my TSH has changed.

-- posted by sb06

» loriv134 - Tapazole itchy red marks

I happened to stumble across this website and post and finally feel like somebody is out there with the same issues I have. I recently was diagnosed with Graves Disease and was pushed into treatment with a Dr. I'm not comfortable with. She put me, reluctantly, on Methimazole (3 10mg tablets). She really was pushing the RAI. I've done research and was against it from the start. I started to get hives last week starting on the palms of my hands and in between my fingers. By the morning I had it completely all over my body. I phoned the Doctor and they ordered me to take a blood test that morning checking for white blood cell count. I received a call later that day saying I had a slight suppression of white blood cell count and to stop the thyroid medicine. I questioned the fact that I read Graves patients sometimes do have a slightly lower white blood cell count to begin with. Without a prior cell count test to base her decision off, she still insisted on stopping the medicine and continuing with the Atenolol I am on. She wants to do another blood test this Friday to make sure my white bllod cell count has stabalized and then talk about treatment. Which, for this Doctor is RAI. I feel like I can't find a doctor where I live that is open to all treatments of Graves Disease. I feel I have no options and quite frankly feel alone. If you can advise or pass along a Doctors name in Milwaukee, I'd greatly appreciate it!

-- posted by loriv134

» sb06 - Tapazole itchy red marks

Loriv34 -- Unfortunately, I don't know any doctors in Milwaukee - I'm from New England. Try a web search or call your local hospital?? Good luck and hang in there. I know how hard this all is...

I had to go check my WBC last week because I had a fever, but thankfully mine was normal. However, I just found out that after 30 days on PTU, my TSH went from undetectable to only 0.11. I'm bummed that it wasn't higher. I also just found out that my liver enzymes are elevated and I'm going in tomorrow for a re-test to see if I need to stop PTU. I really don't want to stop, because not only am I uncomfortable with RAI, I also want to get pregnant and would have to wait 6 mos to a year afterwards to conceive.

-- posted by sb06