Hypothyroidism & hives

Hi
I started with hives in 8th grade. In college i got my first bout of severe hives from head to toe. Couldnt fit glasses on the bridge of my nose or put contacts in due to severe swelling. It was awful.
Dr tried everything. Finally tried ativan at a low dose. ThT was the fix.
The hives continued intill at sbout 40 i was diagnosed with hashimotos thyroiditis. That took forever too since my dr did not seem to understand that a tsh of 10 was not good. I was reLly sick. When tsh got to 235 he listened.
Once i started synthroud i never or almost never had hives again except rarely snd very mild.
There is some connection to hives snd thyroid.
In my case extreme stress was usually a big trigger.
At 70 i have many. Utoimmune isdues but not hives!
Good luck with that.

Hello @mmarusco97, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @siosal and others. I don't have any experience with hypothyroidism but found this article that includes some suggestions that might help.

"Thyroid disease can sometimes cause repeated bouts of an itchy skin reaction known as hives. In fact, up to 30% of people with chronic hives (also known as chronic urticaria) have underlying autoimmune thyroid disease."
-- Thyroid Disease and Chronic Hives (Urticaria):
https://www.verywellhealth.com/thyroid-disease-and-chronic-hives-urticaria-3232750
It sounds like you've seen multiple doctors and haven't been able to find something that helps. Have you thought about seeking help at a major teaching hospital or health facility?

I wonder if the hives are a reaction to the Synthroid. Sometimes, possibly could be a reaction to the dyes used on/in the Synthroid? Or the hives an allergic reaction to Synthroid, and maybe 'Real thyroid' could help instead? Real thyroid is sometimes, my understanding from what heard/ read, made of pig thyroid or possibly some other animal. And whatever is used to 'dye or color' the pill/ medicine be it Synthroid or Real of thyroid replacement hormone medicine could possibly lead to a reaction of hives; but more likely hives can be reaction to allergic to Synthroid. Or possibly something else could be causing the hives, since the person who I think started this thread said they had hives prior to taking Synthroid. Autoimmune issues or other things could possibly be leading to hives, possibly an autoimmune issue called Lichen Planus. A good dermatologist can do a scraping of the hives and look to see what may be the issue, if it is Lichen Planus or possibly see if something else? Benadryl over the counter cream type sometimes can help with hives or itchiness; check with your doctor/s and or pharmacist and or only try a small dot of Benadryl and hope that it too not cause problems or make whatever going on worse. Hope things improve and get well soon!

My mother told me when I was a baby that I would break out in hives often. She thought that it was a reaction to my asthma and some honey I was given. I was born with it and it is not clear if I still have it or not.
I do know that I was diagnosed this year with hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency and hypotension. I had hives, sporadically, as a grown up before but nothinng like my mother told me.
I am going through difficult times right now but the doctor hasn't prescribed my Synthroid. Don't know why.
Anyway, I have started itching. Is a very different itching that comes and goes. It is very uncontrollable itching. I haven't checked to see if I am turning red or not. Who cares is just another weird symptom that pops up. One day is my eyes, another day is the burning of my skin, then it could be my foot, or my joints, A migraine, pain in my kidneys. More than half the time, they have nk answers for me. One day I see blurry and the other day I don't. I see it as another symptom I must endured.
After reading your comments I don't know if is the extreme stress or the hypothyroidism causing it.
I don't do health research like I did before. I have wasted so much time thinking that I was going to get better. Please forgive me, even reading is tiresome for me. I am not looking forward deteriorating as time passes by or going through the cycle.
The cycle is from time to time, my symptoms slows down enough to make me feel that I am better. And then unpredictably, I am back sick, bed riddden and so many symptom. This cycle of looking ok for a few months confuses people. The can be cruel to you.
I hope that I made the point that I think is the hypothyroidism causing the hives and not the medication. Now if I could get the doc to order the synthroid.
That's another story.

Hello, Hypothyroidism diagnosed at 9. My mother took me to the doctor to ask why I was fat. The doctor checked my throat ( big lump, when swallowing it felt like I had something stuck) he ran some blood work and they did a MRI of my throat. My left side of my thyroid was non-functioning. So my right side worked harder to make up for it and over worked itself to becoming swollen. So.. synthroid helps a lot! When I didn’t have insurance I would go to Mexico and the levothyroxine medicine they had their would work just as well. I have struggled with hives thru my youth and now. I use benedrly. I was once picked up by an ambulance and they gave me a drip of Benedryl and it all went away. I feel it’s your body telling you something is off. I get small red hives around my collar bone and ears. I don’t even notice them but my husband does. So I started a routine of lotions for hydration ( dry skin is also a cause of hypothyroidism) and vitamins and oils for nutrition of skin care. B12- omegas, fish oil (for eyes I am already starting to experience the bulge due to my thyroid). Being pregnant caused it to go all crazy so for any women out there take care of yourself. I have only experienced hypothyroidism in my female body. But I’m sure the symptoms are similar

@507 I am Hashimotos and also adrenal insufficiency. Your dr may be waiting to diagnose the synthesis til your adrenal dosages are leveled. The reason I say this is because I received thyroid hormone before knowing that I had adrenal insufficiency and it “threw me over the edge” so to speak. The thyroid-pituitary-adrenal system is sensitive and each organ affects the other, so need to start treat adrenal treatment, measure, adjust, repeat. Then can add thyroid treatment following same process.

Hello,
I have been diagnosed and treated for Hashimoto Thyroiditis since I was 27 and am now 61. My symptoms have changed over time, I recently started having hives and also sensitivity to the skin in my mouth causing blisters and soreness. I take an antihistamine and use a topical cortisone cream for the hives which provides some relief. I will be seeing my doctor tomorrow to discuss these latest symptoms. Managing a chronic condition is challenging.

@nennoah2026 i do not have your particular HT condition, and i'm 70, but out of nowhere, 5 months ago, i developed a rash that started out looking like some kind of contact dermatitis. nothing angry or itching for the first 1 1/2 months, but something that was clearly spreading over the trunk of my body and extremities. when the itching started and i saw my dermatologist. fast forward, after 3 different areas of the spots being biopsied over time, and after several different courses of treatment the conclusion was that it is a form of atopic dermatitis. the rash had become so widespread and the itching was over the top intolerable (i wanted to literally crawl out of my skin), and my dermatologist once again changed courses to a more aggressive treatment: a 5 day course of Prednisone, to basically stop my overactive immune system, while starting me on Dupixent, which has been quite successful in treating this kind of thing. i was already on a high dose of Allegra (an second generation antihistamine that's safe) and a topical corticosteroid ointment, both for the itching. my doctor also recommended using Sarna lotion (over the counter at CVS, Walmart, even Amazon), which i keep in the refrigerator and apply as needed on the itchy areas, in conjunction with everything else. keeping it cold gives even more relief at the time you apply it.

i know my condition (which will remain chronic, but at least hopefully manageable moving forward) is different from yours, but maybe some of what i shared will be helpful. i've learned that as we age especially, changes to our bodies occur (and can come out of left field, as it did for me). i will never know what the exact cause of my overactive immune system is, but that's what's driving the inflammation and therefore the itching.

good luck to you! i hope you get answers and relief!

I suffer from Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroidism. I too, occasionally get hives, but generally they are from adhesive tape on my Nicotine Patch, that I’m wearing for Long Covid. I also eat pretty cleanly, meaning nothing out of a box, bag, all fresh food, fruits and vegetables. Cleaning up your diet may help get rid of your hives. Wishing you all the best!

Endocrine system issues are challenging. Basically it is ductless glands that produce hormones. There are lots of them that are responsible for many different functions (adrenal, reproductive, pancreas, pituitary, thyroid…) There is often a connection with autoimmune system issues to make everything more complicated and challenging. When troubles arise (such as hives) it makes it hard to sort out the cause and determine an appropriate treatment. That is when good specialists are indispensable (such as endocrinologists, dermatologists etc.) sometimes these specialists need to collaborate.