My doctor said I have hypothyroidism, but cannot take Levothyroxine. I am allergic to shellfish.
Can I take Levothyroxine if I'm allergic to iodine, such as in shellfish?
- Asked
- 16 Aug 2014 by Anne Francis
- Updated
- 30 April 2019
- Topics
- allergic reactions, iodine, levothyroxine, hypothyroidism, doctor
Added 16 Aug 2014:
Levothyroxine, Synthroid, etc., replace iodine in the underactive thyroid gland. Could it be that hypothyroid meds are synthetic in nature, and would not be a problem for me? Anyway, I broke out in a nasty case of hives, just like I would if I ever were to eat shrimp again.
3 Answers
masso
16 Aug 2014
So your Dr. diagnosed your condition, he / she prescribed Levothyroxine, knowing you are allergic to iodine (shellfish) and can not take it, where is the question ?
This med does not contain iodine as far as I know the inactive ingredients are:
butylated hydroxyanisole
silicon dioxide
crospovidone
magnesium stearate
mannitol
microcrystalline cellulose
povidone
sodium lauryl sulfate
sucrose
D&C Yellow No. 10
FD&C Yellow No. 6
masso
16 Aug 2014
Did you inform your Dr. you are allergic to certain foods or any medications?
masso
16 Aug 2014
I really want to help you, I dug deeper (remember I do this for free, I am not a Dr. nor pretend to be one, just a helpful individual) and got down to the molecular formula, and yes Levothyroxine has iodine.
You are going to have a hard time finding the proper med, but I guess you are aware of that.
I, on the other hand would like to thank you, for thanks to you (and don´t take it the wrong way) I have learnt something new today... thank you once again and best of luck on your special journey.
kaismama
16 Aug 2014
There is nothing in the literature that says its contraindicated if you're allergic to shellfish. And there are other meds for hypothyroidism too. I'd advise seeing an endocrinologist. They are the specialists for this.
allergyqueen
1 May 2019
It is likely you experienced hives as a result of taking levothyroxine which likely was due to the povidone in the drugs inert chemicals. This is the iodine that someone listed but didn't recognize as such. That being said most allergists argue that there is not a correlation between iodine and shellfish. They believe it's a protein in the fish muscle that is the allergen. That being said, this individuals reaction is rather suspect.
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