Iodine can exacerbate deficiencies of the companion nutrients.

After a month or so of 50mg per day, I developed severe dry skin, particularly around my knuckles. This was to the point that my skin was scaling and bleeding profusely.

I couldn't figure out what it was.

Finally, it clicked. Magnesium is used by the thyroid to keep the TPO reaction in check.

Taking Iodine without magnesium can result in a deficiency.

I have since added about 1200mg of magnesium from magnesium glycinate to my regimen and the skin problems completely reversed.

I even upped my Iodine to 100mg per day and no ill effects at all.

Here is what I'm taking now:

Vitamin C to bowel tolerance (4 grams every 2 hours, I have a high tolerance)

Magnesium 1200mg per day divided into 300mg doses.

Vitamin D 5000IU from all sources (I get some from my diet as I eat a lot of fatty fish and eggs)

Vitamin E 200IU (the multi tocopherol/tocotrienol form)

Fish Oil

I also take a fair amount of potassium because this is required for the cells to respond to T3.

I don't take selenium because I get an extremely large amount in my diet (I eat a meat based, very low carb diet)

Sleep has improved and I see no ill effects whatsoever from taking iodine. The fearmongers are simply wrong.

I am in a biochemistry class right now and we had a whole lecture on the thyroid and how they use radioactive I to destroy the thyroid in cases of Graves disease.

The real treatment is regular Iodine and I wish people would realize this. Regular iodine will normalize the thyroid in such cases.