Severe And Persistent Thyroid Dysfunction Associated With Tetracycline-Antibiotic Treatment In Youth

[Momado965]

Thats not hypothyroidism but rather hyper hyperthyroidism. They have low tsh, good t4 and amaizing total t3 levels. The antibiotics improved their levels.

 

[Collden]

It might be in part due to hormonal mechanisms that are part of puberty. Acne is caused by prolactin, estrogen excess or by cortisol Messing with androgens - and might be aggravated by suppressing thyroid function / homeostasis through mino even further.

Have you taken retinoid acid - medication also?

No just this and a topical antibiotic the name of which escapes me.

Its very easy to not suspect anything due to all the other stuff going on during puberty. Maybe a lot of what we attribute to puberty is rather due to side effects of modern medicines heavily prescribed for teen issues.

 

[LeeLemonoil]

Thats not hypothyroidism but rather hyper hyperthyroidism. They have low tsh, good t4 and amaizing total t3 levels. The antibiotics improved their levels.

Only for a time as the study clearly states. Then thyroid function tanks.

 

[sun-maid]

Only for a time as the study clearly states. Then thyroid function tanks.

They all went back to an euthyroid state. Where did it shows it tanks ?

 

[Collden]

Only one got persistent hypothyroidism and it was after taking methimazole and propanolol..

You think these drugs were rather responsible for the persistent hypothyroidism?

In several cases it seems like they only refer to when the thyrotoxicosis resolved without further follow-up, whereas one case developed hypothyroidism 15 months after the thyrotoxicosis resolved, which then took another 2 years to resolve.

Also it seems the blackening of the thyroid is a permanent effect of these drugs, and there is some evidence that this pigmentation does disrupt thyroid function.

“Black thyroid” has been noted in patients after a wide range of tetracycline exposure as well as in those who discontinued the drug. Pigment deposition may occur early in the treatment course and represents a permanent alteration in the thyroid [4, 26]. The relatively common finding of “black thyroid” and the potential for thyroid dysregulation has led many authors to call for the routine monitoring of thyroid function in patients taking tetracyclines.

 

[sun-maid]

You think these drugs were rather responsible for the persistent hypothyroidism?

In several cases it seems like they only refer to when the thyrotoxicosis resolved without further follow-up, whereas one case developed hypothyroidism 15 months after the thyrotoxicosis resolved, which then took another 2 years to resolve.

Also it seems the blackening of the thyroid is a permanent effect of these drugs, and there is some evidence that this pigmentation does disrupt thyroid function.

I dont know a lot about methimazole and propanolol but it could be. Where do you see the case with develope hypo 15 monts after ?
I think the blackening is iron chelates. Not sure if its dangerous.

 

[Collden]

I dont know a lot about methimazole and propanolol but it could be. Where do you see the case with develope hypo 15 monts after ?
I think the blackening is iron chelates. Not sure if its dangerous.

That was Case 7.

 

[Tristan Loscha]

I dont know a lot about methimazole and propanolol but it could be. Where do you see the case with develope hypo 15 monts after ?
I think the blackening is iron chelates. Not sure if its dangerous.

If changes in appearance are visible without histologic technology and in plain sight,we have to assume that it is indeed dangerous,and that associations between drug use and permanent damage in consuments are overlooked,underreported and not followed up,and probably quite common.

 

[sun-maid]

That was Case 7.

I see. It might be the methimazole.

If changes in appearance are visible without histologic technology and in plain sight,we have to assume that it is indeed dangerous,and that associations between drug use and permanent damage in consuments are overlooked,underreported and not followed up,and probably quite common.

Well, I guess more study are needed to determine whether or not the pigmentation is dangerous.

 

[Collden]

Histologic, Immunohistochemical, and Ultrastructural Findings in a Case of Minocycline-Associated "Black Thyroid" - PubMed

Abstract
We report on a 37-yr-old woman with known antemortem ingestion of minocyclin who died suddenly from a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. At autopsy, her thyroid gland, although not enlarged, was diffusely black, caused by the deposition of a melanin-like pigment that stained positive with Schmorl's reagent. The pigment could be bleached with permanganate, and on examination by electron microscopy, it appeared to be deposited within the thyrocyte lysosomes. Additional immunostaining with many antibodies revealed an increase in vimentin staining in the follicular epithelium compared with normal control thyroid glands. Staining for cytoplasmic thyroglobulin was markedly reduced, despite normal thyroid indices performed on stored antemortem blood. Stainable ubiquitin in the follicular epithelium appeared reduced compared with control thyroid tissues. These immunohistochemical findings may reflect disruptions of lysosomal transport and function associated with the abnormal accumulation of pigment. This appears to be the only case of minocyclin-associated "black thyroid" in which extensive immunohistochemical investigations have been performed.

Reduced thyroglobulin and disruption of lysosomal function sounds quite bad, although she had normal thyroid hormone levels. Can a damaged thyroid gland still produce optimal amounts of thyroid hormone?

 

[LeeLemonoil]

And Ubiquitin reduced. No, that’s no longer a functioning thyroid. Not by far.

 

[LeeLemonoil]

Even if it still pumps out normal range hormones. Everything that differs from normal tissue has impact on its function

 

[Momentum]

how does the thyroid gets repaired,would like to re-nourish my glands!,i do not have much hope that it works though?

Oh, gosh, Tristan. I consider Lugol's iodine one of my pillars of health. Absolutely foundational and I'm one of those with the mystery of chronic illness (and I probably have 10,000 hours of research). I've been on 100mg/day (yes mg, not mcg) for over a decade. The first time I started Lugol's I started with 1 drop, the next day 2 drops, the next day 3 drops, the morning I would've taken 5 drops ..... I was miserable. My salivary glands were aching and over producing and I had a metalic taste in my mouth. I thought I was excreting iodine and assumed I wasn't deficient. But iodine kept coming up in my research. A year later I started again, 1 drop for three day, then 2 for 3 days, etc. (along with cofactors). What I learned is that the first time I started, I couldn't detox fast enough the garbage that the iodine was displacing.

I take 2% and put it in an empty capsule. I worked up to 40 drops. My body just craved it.

Every cell in our body uses iodine. You can find charts by organ and how much each organ requires. We need a lot. We get very little. And worse, we take in many things that reduce/displace iodine. Iodine will displace certain things like mercury, bromine and and I believe oxalate (but oxalate isn't proven).

After a year I was able to reduce my thyroid meds. Eventually I was able to stop them, then after several years my Hashi's was gone. Recently, I dramatically unknowingly exposed myself to tons of oxalates (eating certain superfoods) and damaged my thyroid and had to go back on meds, I had also reduced my iodine.
Do you research. Steppingstonesliving.com has great info. Winston A Price has good info and Dr Browenstein has good info. Stepping Stones most recent protocol is to go up fast - I think using salt to help. This may be OK for some people, but for people who have compromised detox symptoms I don't think this is good. Displacing mercury can be dangerous if done too fast.

Stepping Stones also has a facebook group, but the owner had to go back to work full time. I would think there is still good info there. JCrow is the cheapest place to purchase Lugol's by the pint.

I will say that iodine is not "the" solution to all that ails someone, especially those who have chronic illness. But like I said, it's one of my pillars.

 

[Momentum]

So recently I read that oxalate and iodine either take up the same receptor. So I wonder if tetracycline could displace iodine?

 

[LeeLemonoil]

So recently I read that oxalate and iodine either take up the same receptor. So I wonder if tetracycline could displace iodine?

Why that, do you know about a similarity of Tetracyclines and Oxalates or just an idea?

 

[Momentum]

Why that, do you know about a similarity of Tetracyclines and Oxalates or just an idea?

Just an idea
As I was reading the OP and thinking that oxalate will compete with iodine and if lack of iodine and too much oxalate can damage the thyroid, could this be the same mechanism with tetracycline? But I have no research on it.

 

[sun-maid]

I think we should ask Ray about the the thyroid pigmentation from minocycline. Someone got his email adress ?

 

[Collden]

I asked, he was somewhat cryptic as usual though

- What do you think of the so called "Black Thyroid" that can be caused by Tetracycline use? They identified one of these pigments as neuromelanin. Will accumulation of neuromelanin in the thyroid gland impair its function? Some reports link Tetracycline use with persistent hypothyroidism but in these cases there was also treatment with anti-thyroid drugs like propranolol and methimazole

RP: I don’t know of any harmful effects of melanin, unlike other pigments, including lipofuscin. Medical use of antibiotics is usually irrational; maybe this will lead to a product to cure grey hair or vitiligo.

I also asked about the histological study suggesting damage to the gland but normal circulating hormone levels , his comment

RP: I don’t think there’s enough information about normal thyroid physiology to be able to clearly evaluate these observations.

 

[Tristan Loscha]

I asked, he was somewhat cryptic as usual though

- What do you think of the so called "Black Thyroid" that can be caused by Tetracycline use? They identified one of these pigments as neuromelanin. Will accumulation of neuromelanin in the thyroid gland impair its function? Some reports link Tetracycline use with persistent hypothyroidism but in these cases there was also treatment with anti-thyroid drugs like propranolol and methimazole

RP: I don’t know of any harmful effects of melanin, unlike other pigments, including lipofuscin. Medical use of antibiotics is usually irrational; maybe this will lead to a product to cure grey hair or vitiligo.

Good for quizzing him on it!There is too much to know and understand in biology.I remember that part of the blackening stems from transformed tetracycline itself,the substance is staining,and lysosomal storage of it.

 

[LeeLemonoil]

While it’s when you think about it, the right answer to state that the knowledge isn’t sufficient to really say anything absolute about healthy or optimal thyroid function - it’s also a bit annoying that he takes this head in the clouds stands
Thanks for asking and sharing @Collden