sensitivity to drugs = thyroid condition?

victoriavoodoo

TLDR at the bottom if you don't want to read the whole post =].

stats: 22, 150 lbs, 5'5''

I have a painful chalazion(eyelid bump) and saw the Eye Dr. on Wednesday; he gave me some drops and a one time scrip for pain until the drops start fixing it. The pill is hydrocodone-acetominaphin 10-325, whatever that means. I've never had a pain killer before that wasn't naproxen or ibuprofen so I don't know if that's a lot. He said to take one every 6 hours as needed. The numbing drop he used to do the exam didn't wear off for hours so I took one at bedtime.

I didn't sleep. I had chills and was sweating through my clothes all night and couldn't be still. Don't get me wrong I felt awesome but wide awake and if I got up and walked around I fell over a lot. It was kind of fun feeling but I knew it wasn't right and I was scared to take the other ones so I made an appt with the doc again today and he said that's abnormal and to get my thyroid checked. I actually felt the effects of that one pill wednesday night until earlier today; About halfway through thursday I wasn't clumsy anymore but the really good feeling lasted until today(kind of like weaker version of the gas at the dentist feeling). My pupils are still twice their normal size but no longer huge huge. The pupil thing is normal for me.

I've known I had a sensitivity to some medications, but it wasn't a problem because I rarely get sick and don't have any prescriptions. I did have to quit birth control and allergy meds because of too many side effects though. In 6th grade I had to get a dr's note so my school didn't call social services when I had really dilated eyes from one dose of children's benadryl the night before.

If i get a cold I take 1 nyquil liquid gel(a dose is two) at like 6pm because if I take two I'll sleep for like 16 hours and stumble around loopy the rest of the next day. My eyes stay dilated for hours after one nyquil, usually the whole next day. Like, you barely can see the blue it's all pupil. I always thought this was kind of cool. My mom said it was probably because blue eyes are more sensitive. Any cough or cold medication does this. If I take 1/4 dose liquid benadryl I don't feel loopy but i still get the really dilated pupils. At one fourth the normal adult dose.

Fast forward to college: 2/3 shots and I'm wasted; 4/5 shots or more and I'm blackout or time traveling. When I was a dumb freshman any amount of weed would make me go straight to sleep.

I thought I was a lightweight for anything and everything because I was very small, but I have gained a lot in the last two years and have the same reactions at 150 that I had at 110. For the alcohol I've looked at it as a good thing, because it saves money. Now I'm wondering if it's a symptom of a thyroid thing like the dr said, and how do they test your thyroid is it a blood test or something more expensive?

TLDR: My eye dr just told me to get my thyroid checked because I react so strongly to medications. Is that a thing? Like could [pretty extreme] drug sensitivity be caused by a thyroid problem?

other question: My eye is just starting to hurt again. Can I cut the pills up and take smaller portions of them? He didn't tell me what to do with the rest of them except that I probably shouldn't take them every 6 hours after that reaction.

Red_Sparrow

He gave you hydrocodone for a chalazion? I know they hurt like hell, but damn. If you're having reactions, I would ditch the meds, let everything flush out of your system and throw back an ounce or two of good old Dr. Jameson.

Thyroid can be tested by blood, I don't think it's terribly expensive.

CTcutie

If it's a sty on your eyelid, you usually just place a warm, wet washcloth over it a few times a day and it should pop on its own! No meds required. Did you doctor tell you you can try doing that? (Do NOT try to pop it using anything else! You don't want an infection to deal with, too.)

Well, not sure about your thyroid, but and can have extreme side effecthere are some people who metabolize drugs differently, and theyare very sensitive to medications. I'm not a doctor, but since you've had this problem for a long time (the pupil thing, anyway!). It could just be that you are one of those people. Hydrocodone does seem very potent for your diagnosis, though. Blood tests for thyroid hormone levels are usually inexpensive. Try not to worry

I would say that you should call the doctor's office to report the side effect(s) and ask it there is something else you can try.

victoriavoodoo

He gave you hydrocodone for a chalazion? I know they hurt like hell, but damn. If you're having reactions, I would ditch the meds, let everything flush out of your system and throw back an ounce or two of good old Dr. Jameson.

Thyroid can be tested by blood, I don't think it's terribly expensive.

lol, I didn't ask for it but I was crying when I got to the clinic so maybe I freaked him out. I had a contact stuck in there under the swollen eyelid and it hurt like nothing I've ever felt when he dug it out.

If it's a sty on your eyelid, you usually just place a warm, wet washcloth over it a few times a day and it should pop on its own! No meds required. Did you doctor tell you you can try doing that? (Do NOT try to pop it using anything else! You don't want an infection to deal with, too.)

He told me to do the washcloth thing 4 times a day, and take antibiotic drops to prevent it from getting infected. and no contacts or makeup =[.
Idk the difference between a chalazion and a stye, but its really high up and he couldn't invert my swollen eyelid enough to see it. It's a hard bump and he said the pain might be the hardened part coming out and scratching my eye.

maracuya23

For your original question, yes, drug sensitivity can be a symptom of thyroid issues. It can be easy to test for: a blood draw to look for your levels of TSH, free T4, and free T3 will likely show whether you have thyroid issues. Worth ruling out in any case, especially if a doctor recommended that you get it checked.

For more info on thyroid issue, I like the NIH's site:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000353.htm

PS: I hope your eye feels better!