A man with Hashimoto’s disease (HD) is given a pill from a pharmacist in New South Wales on April 4, 2019.
The Australian Medical Association says it has received more than 1,000 reports of patients using prescription medicine to treat pica, but says it does not believe there is a connection between HD and HD patients taking the medication.
“The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is aware of a number of cases of patients with HD who have been prescribed medicine to reduce pica symptoms and for the purpose of alleviating their anxiety, depression and fatigue, and for other reasons,” the AMA’s medical committee said in a statement.
“However, the Australian Medical Council and the Australian Institute for Health and Care Excellence are not in a position to confirm whether any of these patients are taking the medicine or whether it is being prescribed to them for the purposes of treating pica.”
An Australian Health spokeswoman said the AMA did not respond to a request for comment on the AMA statement.
