Thyroid Disorders Linked to Over-the-Counter Iodine Supplements

I was given Lugol’s liquid Iodine (and I take Levothyroxine) by a naturopath. After two weeks of increasing a drop every four days, by the time I got to the 5th drop, I knew something horrible had happened. Couldn’t hardly swallow, my voice became raspy, my throat felt like i WAS being strangled, and I was extremely fatigued. Stopped it, went back to my endo, and I’m okay now.

I found out the hard way that iodine, did not agree with me. I had

swollen tounge and mouth. I had my thyroid removed years ago

because of a goiter!

I was diagnosed 4 months ago with moderate hyperthyroidism and multinodular goiter and my endo recommended thyroid removal which I did NOT want. I started on 50mg Ioderal daily. After 3 weeks of taking Iodine, I went to a previously planned appointment with an endo surgeon. My goiter and nodules had diminished in size, my thyroid numbers were within normal range. I recommended iodine to other family members. Some have noticed nothing, 2 of them noticed feeling better overall. Who knows? Maybe at my next endo appt, things will have gone haywire and I will regret ever hearing about iodine but so far, it has worked well for me and my family.

Iodoral changed my life for the better. I began with half a 12.5 mg tab and titrated upwards. I generally now take one and a half per day, sometimes less. Iodine kickstarted my metabolism in a way that years of exercise, low carb and T3 did not. I feel so much better with it.

How interesting to see how Iodine can help some and hurt others. I take thyroid hormone replacement, but would have to do a great deal more research before adding Iodine.

I have tried five different top quality vitamins/minerals over a three year period In the beginning I feel well, much better than I usually feel, and for a couple if weeks everything’s great. But then I begin to feel overstimulated all the time, my heart often racing. When I quit the vitramins, it quickly goes away. I think it’s the iodine causing it, because I get the same thing if I use grey salt to cook pasta, making the water as salty as the Mediteranean sea. Two or three hours after eating it, again, my heart is racing. It has ti be the iodine, that’s what I think.
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Supplementing with iodine requires taking companion supplements to aid the detox process of removing halides (bromide, chloride, fluoride) from the body. Celtic salt or other unrefined salt is also used with iodine. There’s an easy to follow protocol. The article only mentions people using iodine & nothing about about how it was used. Before the baby is thrown out with the bath water, people need to review the procedure for taking iodine.

The Wolff-Chaikoff Effect was poorly designed research & incorrect. Yet somehow, this has set the stage for increased thyroid dysfunction by demonizing iodine. Iodine is needed by every cell & are diets are woefully iodine deficient. The RDA is ridiculously low.

I’ve recently started iodine supplementation after researching it thoroughly.

Iodine, on his own, saved my sons life and brain. You need to read Dr. Brownstien’s book on iodine. Taking iodine helps leach the bromides from your body, and yes you will experience some symptoms while the bromides are being leached from your body, but that is a good thing. Your iodine meds will not work well while bromides and flourides dominate your body. Iodine helps get rid of them. To each his own though. Iodine is needed in EVERY cell of your body. Time to do your own research, folks.

i also take iodoral. my naturopath knows that i take it — so, i meet the criteria of only taking iodine under the supervision of a doctor.

my thyroid is just barely off — accoring to my endocrinologist. so, for the moment, i am not on any thyroid medication like levothyroxine, which i’m totally allergic to anyway [it's the fillers that are the problem].

with the iodoral, what i have found that works for ME the best is 3/4 of one pill a day, and no more than that. i start to feel weird if i go over that dosage. i also take all the vitamins recommended for people who have thyroid disease. and i am on a gluten-free diet.

my tsh has dropped to the point where, if it continues to drop like it’s doing, i will NOT have to take thyroid medication at all.

so, for ME the iodine is working. all of us are different – what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else. that is important to remember.

blessings to all.

Anyone researching iodine should read the work of Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Abraham (who explains very well why the supposed Wolff-Chaikoff effect is a fallacy).

I, too have done very well with iodine and companion nutrients, but I still need thyroid meds. That’s okay.

Lack of iodine is also related to cancer. Iodine is used by far more than your thyroid, but if you start to supplement, your thyroid may demand it first, which is why some get a high TSH and other results which are usually transient according to those who administer iodine.

I treated my hashimoto by low iodine diet to the very best result. I became an activist in berlin/germany to promote my experience in 2006. since then I met several people ready for iodine control with equal results of increased health and stabilized thyroid function. I did not even take the highly recommended thyroid hormone substitute… please be aware of iodine overflow in your food!

My husband and I both take Lugol’s Solution daily, dropped in our coffee. We each take approximately 30 mg each day–and it has done great things (we believe) for our health. I no longer have FBD and my husband says Lugol’s works better than saw palmetto. Read Dr. Brownstein’s book–and EHOW: please stop your iodine bashing. I

I’ve read that you need to take selenium and iodide along with the iodine or you risk having the out-of-balance problems described here. Is anyone taking these other minerals too?

Very detailed — technical — article about ‘iodine’ AND ‘selenium’ — apparently BOTH are needed in balance.

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/05/iodine-and-hashimotos-thyroiditis-part-i/

[quote]

xcess iodine intake can cause an autoimmune thyroiditis that bears all the characteristics of Hashimoto’s. However, in animal studies this occurs only if selenium is deficient or in excess. Similarly, in animal studies very high iodine intake can exacerbate a pre-existing autoimmune thyroiditis, but only if selenium is deficient or in excess.

With optimal selenium status, thyroid follicles are healthy, goiter is eliminated, and autoimmune markers like Th1/Th2 ratio and CD4+/CD8+ ratio are normalized over a wide range of iodine intake. It seems that optimizing selenium intake provides powerful protection against autoimmune thyroid disease, and provides tolerance of a wide range of iodine intakes.

[/quote]

I wish people would stop bashing Iodine. I started using Sea Kelp, 150 mcg in 2011 for many uses and I’ve had complete success! I started using it to possibly DESTROY the Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) anti-bodies. I have had NO bad side effects. I had to start out slowly taking 1 tablet & increaseing by 1/2 a tablet weekly along with Selenium, 200 mcg tablet, daily.

Iodine has improved my health:
Destroyed 1,266 TPO anti-bodies
removed the joint pain in my hands
removed scar tissue
removed surgery scar
removed cysts from fibrocystic breast disease
gave me back a concentration level

I stongly promote Iodine. I’ve had much success using it.
I read a lot of good Testimonies on Lugol’s and Iodoral but haven’t given it a try yet.

I’ve been trying to find Bladderwrack, a seaweed, contains Iodine but haven’t been able to find it.

I took sea kelp & selenium last May on the advice of a few thyroid books… I felt great the first 2 weeks, then I was exhausted the next half-year. I thought I had read a lot about the thyroid at the time, and none of what I had read mentioned the Wolff-Chaikoff effect and my doctors even SPECIALISTS didn’t tell me about it when I told them what happened. So stupid me, I kept taking the kelp until I finally decided to go supplement free for a while. It took me several months to have a full recovery, so it took over a year from start to finish. So with that in mind, I would warn people to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL in supplementing with iodine, until you know how YOUR BODY is going to react to it.

@ Drewboy
I have heard that sea vegetable iodine receptors – much like human ones – will pick up bromine instead; so while you think you’re getting iodine in the kelp you may be getting toxins instead. I’m no expert, it’s just something I heard Drs Mercola and Brownstein talking about on youtube.

In response to Drewboy, the Wolff-Chaikoff effect is temporary and would not last half a year. Whatever issue you had was not the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.

Because we all have varying chemical composition, we will react differently and need to strike balance. After 6 years of trying to find this balance for myself, I cannot thank the makers of Iodoral enough. I am more geared towards homeopath remdedies, I shunned what my internist did to me back in 2007. She placed me on Synthroid and it destroyed my life. Being an avid runner and participating in amy races, I gained weight, I delveloped brain fog, and many other defunct side effects. I cannot believe the FDA creates such garbage for the masses but of course, that’s what keeps them in business. From someone who has always lead a healthy lifestyle and will continue, I refuse to be a zombie on medications. I combine and alternate Lugol’s with Iodoral (1 tablet) daily and I am back to myself. It was a long ugly road and I thought my life was being taken away. The power lies in our hands to find balance and not rely on Pharma pu$hers!

Maybe you should also post an article about the case studies where Iodine has HELPED. Sure there will be cases where a patient’s doctor gives poor advice or there are negative reactions, but there are thousands of cases where Iodine supplementation has helped. Fibromyalgia, cystic breasts, goiters, etc.

This is all about balance.

Depending what is is going on, a little iodine with iodide could do wonders or push you over.

And it it not just about you. Some time ago, like in the 80s, I read about the goiter problem in Germany. The problem was that no one was getting enough iodine from foods. The soils were deficient, and the rates of goiter increased as the defidiency increase.

So where your food is grown make a difference, not just with iodide (my limited chemistry and biology make me wonder how any free idodine could be in orgainics, unless it is a wield orgainic compound) but also Selenium, manganese, etc. All those things come into play.

And the balance might require some trial and error.

This is all about balance.

Depending what is is going on, a little iodine with iodide could do wonders or push you over.

And it it not just about you. Some time ago, like in the 80s, I read about the goiter problem in Germany. The problem was that no one was getting enough iodine from foods. The soils were deficient in idodine/iodide so the crops couldn’t absorb enough. The rates of goiter increased as the defidiency increased.

So where your food is grown makes a difference, not just with iodide (my limited chemistry and biology make me wonder how any free idodine could be in orgainics, unless it is a wierd orgainic compound) but also Selenium, manganese, etc. All those things come into play.

And the balance might require some trial and error.

I really relate to Orecul…that is what happened to me…6 weeks ago, my dr. put me on 150 mcg Synthroid (which I’ve never been on before) because she thought the 88 mcg of Levothyroxine wasn’t getting my levels up to normal. I am a runner and very fit typically, but by the 2nd week, I started having chest pain, PVCs, and shooting pain down my left arm, and shortness of breath…like even getting out of bed wore me out. WHAT???? I got off of Synthroid after being on it for 2 weeks. Its been 4 weeks since I quit, and I am still experiencing all the cardiac effects, easily winded, chest pain, and hyper-anxiety, in fact getting worse. I’m afraid Synthroid may have caused permanent heart damage. So angry and scared. It seems no regular dr takes thyroid disease seriously. Because of everyone’s comments here, I will be seeking out an naturopath bc I will do anything to get my health back.

Jenn,

Sorry to hear. Sounds like your doctor jumped the gun a bit in doubling your dose. What the Dr should have done was to go from 88 mcg to 100mcg. Slowly building up the Levo. By coming off it your going from one extreme to another. I would go back to your original dose and build it up after 6 weeks to 100 mcg.

I tried supplementing with a low dose of Lugol’s, I ended up in an anxiety crisis and had to go on Xanax for a few weeks until my body righted itself.

Iodine can be damaging to people, I wish people would stop blindly touting it’s “benefits” and encouraging supplementation without doctor guidance.

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I was diagnosed with a low thyroid two years ago. My naturopath put me on iodine supplements (Iodoral) for 6 months/no soy products/increased exercise. I continued to take my other nutritional supplements. It took 3 months for my thyroid to returned to normal.

I got iodine from my old naturopath. My thyroid levels have been off and on for 20 yrs. I take it sparingly with water as they are drops. If I do this for a few days I don’t have to use it for months sometimes. This passed week I was tired, dragging, had no concentration and joints hurt. I started it again and already feeling better, even BP is lower.

Instead of ‘Thyroid Disorders Linked to Over-the-Counter Iodine Supplements’, that should say ‘.Thyroid Disorders Linked to use of Over-the-Counter Iodine supplements without adequate research and understanding before use.

I bet one of the biggest mistakes with Iodine supplementation aside from starting on a dosage too high is not taking the companionship vitamins and minerals along with it. Vitamin C, Selenium, Magnesium, unrefined salt, vitamin B2, B3. I would also suggest looking into overall deficiencies, particularly vitamin D3. When Iodine is used responsibly, perhaps it is a big threat to pharmaceutical treatments that make lots of money.

Fact is, if Doctors empowered their patients, they would have very few left and if big Pharma recommended cheap treatments that couldn’t be patented, they’d have nothing left either.

If you want to know how to take Iodine safely and responsibly, take a look at the link under my name.

I have been doing research on iodine supplementation, and Healing-Ways is right. You have to take it with the associated vitamins, or you WILL get sick. So many people just hear about it, then go buy some tablets and take them. There is a right and wrong way to do everything, and taking iodine without the companion supplements is wrong. Also, you start with 1 drop a day of 2% Lugol’s iodine — NOT the kind you buy in the drug store first aid department.

With anything new, you have to build up slowly. People read that you need so many mg of iodine a day, and go right out and start taking Iodoral without knowing how to use it properly. Of course they are going to have problems.

I got up to 3 drops a day and started getting headaches, so I went back to 1 drop and now I’m fine. Some people have to start at a drop a week at first. It’s all individual. Iodine has shrunk my goiter and given me a ton more energy — and I have lupus. Or do I? Maybe I just needed iodine.

I have been taking iosol iodine which is 1830 mcg per drop and I have been doing 2 drops for the last 2 years and have been fine but just since April I have been feeling a constriction on my throat and feel the same way when I have raw broccoli, kale, collards and all the cruciferous vegetables. I was told that raw cruciferous veges can be goitrogenic.
What is going on?

I have been tested for thyroid problems for so many years, and I was always told the numbers were fine by my doctors. It wasn’t until I went to a specialist that I was told I have Graves disease and a goiter with nodules, and yet my thyroid numbers are borderline, so doctors dismiss it. I suffer from all the symtoms, but because my numbers were low, they just ignored the problem. I was always wondering what was wrong with me, I knew it wasn’t normal.. A couple of years ago, I decided to try iodine supplements, and within the first week or so, I felt like I finally had something that worked; my nails grew in strong, beautiful and straight, my hair thickened and didn’t fall out as much, my energy came back, I felt reborn…unfortunately after a relatively short time, I noticed my hair coming out again, my nails thinned and curled, I had absolutely no energy and the depression set in again. I tried upping my dosage, but still nothing worked. I have stopped buying them, but I would rather spend the money to feel good again.

As far as greens go, I just read that kale, broccoli, etc were not good for someone with thyroid disease, I was shocked, I thought they were good for everything..especially kale, seems to be heralded as a super food everywhere.

I am so tired and frustrated of trying to get healthy