OTC sinus/decongestants
Weeziejef
people with thyroid disease (at least it says so on the package) Sometimes
these remedies would be soooo welcome for me - I get the worst congestion in my
ears (gross to talk about but argghh) it's driving me crazy! Anybody have
suggestions on what "we" CAN take? Thanks a million!
Retanne
Not a lot of people would try this, but our chiropractor has helped
immensely with ear congestion/infection!! We discovered this when our
twins were complaining of earaches (about 13 months old) Our son
suffered 13 ear infections from birth to 12 months. Naturally we were
concerned with the free handing out of prescriptions at such a young
age, but who were we to argue?
Several years later...after our twins saw the doc in the clinic, I
happened to have a chiro appt. The chiro asked what was wrong with the
girls. He asked if he could massage their ears. I thought it might
relieve the pressure so I said ok. He massaged behind the ear under the
lobe (you may find this relaxing) stroking downward...seems to help
drainage. Then he held the lobe and gave a quick downward tug...gently
of course...but instantly we felt her ear warming up...and later that
day...no complaints...no crying...nothing! We took them to the clinic
the next morning and the doc said he'd never seen such a quick recovery
(no infection - and no drugs either)
Since then, NONE of us has ever suffered more than one day with ear
complaints. (there are also several "pressure points" that when
manipulated, by yourself, will relieve pressure in sinuses, etc. almost
instantly...this is NOT a cure obviously, but will enable you to
breathe, etc in the meantime - whatever gets ya thru the day)
One family's opinion,
Ret
-----------------
Kevin G. Rhoads
NOT a HYPO- warning. The legalese
cover-your-butt mentality just makes it
overly broad.
Ask your Doctor and/or your pharmacist, but
if you are hypo- not hyper- there really is no
reason to avoid these.
The fear is that the decongestants -- which have
an UPPER side effect -- could push a HYPER-
sufferer over the edge into <something>. For
hyper- sufferers who have high blood pressure
or uncontrolled racing heart problems this IS a
real issue. For controlled hyper- and hypo- it
is more of a boogieman thing.
Just remember when you are reading those
warnings that they are written by the people
who brought you such gems as:
"Warning: Snowblower should NOT be used to remove snow from roof."
and
"Contents of <fire extinguisher> are NOT flammable."
--
Kevin G. Rhoads, Ph.D. (The Cheshire Cat for official Internet mascot.)
kgrhoads@NO_SPAM.alum.mit.edu
John Riggs
Grave's Disease. Personally, I try to avoid them as they can end up making
you just as miserable when you stop taking them.
Weeziejef <weez...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990918161350...@ng-ce1.aol.com...
Nancy
Use In The Shower"
Nancy V.
Kevin G. Rhoads <T_Rh...@NoSpam.CLASSIC.MSN.COM> wrote in message
news:01bf0231$80a1be80$0100007f@stupidwin95...
Megan Stevens
As far as I am aware (and I am not a doctor) the OTC decongestants are
really only a problem with hyperthyroidism rather than hypothyroidism,
due to the pseudoephedrines in them. I have Hashimoto's disease and have
taken them for short periods without any ill effects. As far as I am
aware the pseudoephedrines can cause hyper symptoms. But check with your doctor.
Best wishes
Megan
PS The following article is taken from the newsletter "The Bridge" of
the Thyroid Foundation of America. I don't know the date of the article.
"WARNING:
Do Not Take This Medication If You Have Thyroid Disease."
Sooner or later, a thyroid patient will pick up a bottle of a cough
remedy or nasal spray and find written on the package that "if you have
a thyroid problem, ask your doctor before taking this medication." As a
result of such labelling, some patients have written to the Thyroid
Foundation of America asking for guidelines about medication safety for
people with thyroid problems.
Unfortunately, the physicians of the Foundation cannot give a simple
answer to such questions and will refer you back to your own doctor or a
specialist in your area for such advice. This is because a drug may
interact not only with your thyroid but with other medications and other
conditions known best to your doctor. So the best answer for you, if you
see that warning on a label, is to ask your physician for advice.
On the other hand, some general guidelines can be given. If you are
hyperthyroid and have too much thyroid hormone in your blood, you may
have a fast pulse rate, nervousness, and shakiness. If you add a
medication which can increase the heart rate even further, you may
worsen your condition. Many over-the-counter cold remedies contain
decongestants which can speed up your heart and cause nervousness.
Therefore, if you are actively hyperthyroid, even if partially
controlled with medication, you should abide by the warnings on drug
labels and avoid stimulants of all sorts. For similar reasons, you
should avoid drinking too much coffee, tea, or cola, since caffeine can
also cause an increase in the pulse rate.
Once hyperthyroidism has been completely controlled, however, through
radioactive iodine treatment, a thyroid operation, or anti-thyroid drug
therapy, no problems should occur with cold medications when taken
according to the manufacturers' instructions. Therefore, if you know
that your thyroid blood level is normal, you should be able to take
medicines such as those cough and cold remedies which you took before
you had a thyroid condition. You are not at life-long risk for such
problems simply because you once had hyperthyroidism. Similarly, for
patients with thyroid problems other than hyperthyroidism, there should
be no problems with cough and cold remedies.
Iodine is another matter. Whether in kelp from a health food store, a
cough remedy, a dye used by a radiologist to make a special x-ray such
as an arteriogram or kidney x-ray, or a new heart medicine called
amiodarone, iodine can cause big trouble for thyroid patients, even
those with "cured" hyperthyroidism or simply a nodular goiter. Either a
marked increase in thyroid hormone release and hyperthyroidism, or a
sudden drop in thyroid hormone production and hypothyroidism is possible
following a dose of iodine. Therefore, unlike stimulant drugs and
caffeine, big doses of iodine should be avoided in any form. If iodine
exposure is medically necessary, be sure that your doctor is aware of
your underlying thyroid disorder. Once-a-day vitamins containing 100
micrograms (0.1 milligrams) of iodine per capsule are not a cause for
concern, but the larger doses of iodine described above may cause problems.
In sum, if you have a question about a medication and see a warning on
the label, call your physician and ask whether the particular drug is
safe for you. There may be some other reason why there might be a risk
from stimulants, but if your thyroid hormone level is normal, your
thyroid condition shouldn't cause a problem.
Similarly, if you need to take a drug containing iodine, or an x-ray in
which you will be given an iodine-containing dye, talk to your physician
about possible effects of the iodine on your thyroid."
Skuchins
ears (ears in the last year). Whenever I take a decongestant now (it took me
years to figure this out), I take a child's dosage. An adult dosage wires me
for a good day. I also opt for an antihistamine/decongestant too. So, for
Dimetapp Elixir (what my 3 year old takes), I take the same as him at 3/4 tsp.
It helps enough. For three months I did take Zyrtec (antihistamine) for this
chronic ear fluid problem and it seemed to help w/no side effects. I recently
was referred to an E-N-T doc, and miraculously, the ear seems to have cleared
itself up. I will probably still go in, though, as I still experience noises
in the right ear. I will also consider the chiropractor option in the future.
I'm a firm believer in their treatment and had never thought about going to
them for an ear problem. Hmmmm.
Marianna
Well, I used to be the worst for ear infections, constant sinus infections. Since
starting with a supplement of T3 Tertroxin/US Cytomel I haven't had any ear pain,
even when flying. My sinuses are now normal.
Kind regards
Marianna