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THE Q & A

Welcome to The Q&A with Elaine Moore. Registered members are invited to ask any question of Elaine Moore on autoimmune diseases, Graves' disease, other thyroid diseases and subconditions, laboratory work, traditional and complementary medicine, triggers and environmental influences, thyroid and immune disorders in pets and animals, and other relevant areas of inquiry.

Each thread represents one question with one answer and will only appear at the time it is answered. Once answered, further replies cannot be made to the same thread since each thread represents only one question. A new thread will need to be started for additional questions.

Questions are answered solely by Elaine Moore, a medical writer and clinical laboratory scientist, MT, CLS, with more than 30 years of experience in immunology. Moore has also authored and edited over a dozen books in the area of health sciences and is an editor for McFarland Publisher's Health Topics Series.


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 2/28/2009 10:14 AM
 

Hi Elaine,

 

I have just been diagnosed with Graves Disease and have some questions regarding conflicting information I have read.  I also suffer from seasonal and non-seasonal allergies (dust, dust mites, allergic rhinitis) and take Allegra-D, which is an antihistamine and decongestant containing ephedra and Rhinocort, a corticostroid nasal spray.  I read that allergies can be a precursor to Graves and treating the allergies is helpful, but I have also read that I should not take antihistamines and decongestants.  Do you have any information on this?

Also, I have started to have muscle and joint pain and am not sure if it is from the Graves Disease or from the mdication.  I was on PTU 150 mg/day.  My doctor took me off of that and I just started taking 15 mg/d of methimazole.

Thank you so much for this website.  It makes me realize that I am not alone.

Julie

 

 

 

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 3/1/2009 1:37 PM
 

Hi Julie,

Allergies are indeed a known trigger for Graves' disease. When we have allergies and we're exposed to the allergen, our immune systems react. In doing so, they produce immunoglobulin E. Numerous studies show that high levels of IgE are associated with more severe symptoms in Graves' disease. In Japan, allergies to cedar pollen are considered a major cause of Graves' disease. Most people with Graves' disease have a combination of environmental triggers that contribute to their disease and influence symptoms.

You'll probably notice on your box of Allegra-D that it says this product shouldn't be taken by people with thyroid disorders. This is because a certain class of drugs called sympathomimetic amines (ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, etc) stimulate the nervous system. So does thyroid hormone. So any symptoms of hyperthyroidism can increase with drugs of this class.

You could take Allegra only--it doesn't contain pseudoephedrine and the other ingredient is safe, or Claritin. Most of the newer allergy meds are safe but Allegra-D isn't. Nasal steroids are excellent because they inhibit the allergic reaction locally and have few systemic effects. If your hyperthyroidism is in very good control and your thyroid hormone levels are low, your doctor might feel that Allegra-D is safe. If you're newly diagnosed and have high thyroid hormone levels, this wouldn't be the case. You can always call your doctor and mention you noticed thyroid disease mentioned in the product information and ask if there's another medication that might work better.

With more deaths caused in U.S. hospitals caused by medication errors than certain diseases, it's always wise to check for potential side effects and drug interactions. It's good that you're researching things. Best, Elaine

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TO USERS: Q&A posts are visible to all readers. Users can delete their own threads at any time. Users must provide information which is true and correct to the best of their knowledge as well as provide sources or references to any health / medical information if not taken from personal experience. All users including the moderator must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Advertising and self-promotion is not allowed. The moderator or site administrator has the right to ban users with or without warning for not following the basic rules of this site. All posts by default are not to be considered that of medical professionals unless otherwise indicated. As sole moderator, Moore has no conflicts of interest in the sponsorship of this forum.

 

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