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Can thyroid disease CAUSE bipolar disorder/mood swings?

Can thyroid disease/dysfunction CAUSE bipolar disorder/mood swings? Or is it just that a high percentage of people with bipolar depression have thyroid dysfunction of some kind?

I don't THINK that Bipolar can cause thyroid problems (unless being treated with Lithium), but can it happen the other way around?

I have just found out I have Bipolar II with mixed states, rapid cycling. I am also in the process of getting thyroid tests, no results yet. Wanted to know if a thyroid problem could be the blame and not my crazy brain.
Thanxs for listening and would appreciate any input. I don't know much about this yet. Thanxs,
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Avatar universal
I have heard that thyroid tests can be within the normal range with sub-clinical thyroid disease, until 70% of the thyroid is destroyed, so it is essential to test for anti-bodies also, but in this period it can case distinct psychological issues.
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Avatar universal
If you suspect thyroid as the problem, then ASAP you should start by getting tested for TSH, Free T and Free T3 (not the same as Total T4 and Total T3), Reverse T3, cortisol, Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.  Be sure to tell the doctor about all the symptoms you are having also.  When you have test results, please post here, along with reference ranges shown on the lab report and we will be glad to help interpret.
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Avatar universal
I have been crying for help for years! I am desperate and getting worse. I sleep for weeks at a time. 15-18 hours a day. I lost my job. I gambled my life savings away in a month. I am putting myself at risk everyday. I think I am experiencing a bad bipolar deal or my thyroid is terrible. I have been using drugs to wake up and function and I'm spiraling towards certain death.My mom has a severe thyroid disorder and i dont know what to do. My brain doesnt function anymore. I turn my phone off and sleep for days. I lost everything and didnt care. im in a bad spot. I need help. Can anybody tell me what I should do. im 29 and feel like im 100! When I say im in bad trouble its a understatement. Please help
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Avatar universal
Please post her thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab reports from before and after starting on the thyroid med.  Also, how many weeks was she on the Synthroid when re-tested?  What is her daily dose of Synthroid?
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Avatar universal
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Are you taking thyroid replacement hormones?  If so, what medication and what dosage?  If you still have symptoms of being hypo, your dosage isn't adjusted properly.  While thyroid hormones may not be able to completely alleviate your depression/bi-polar, they may be able to considerably lessen the symptoms.

If you have your latest thyroid test results, please post them, along with reference ranges, so we can help assess your testing/treatment.
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Avatar universal
I was diagnosed hypothyroid but my depression progressed into a suicide attempt. I was given an anti-depressant and had a manic episode. I was then diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. I have been taking Lithium on and off for 15 years. I have again been diagnosed with hypothyroid but my medication isn't working. I still have bad constipation, depression, anxiety. I am bipolar and hypothyroid. I think I might have Hashimoto's I remember as a child I got a severe case of hypothyroid but went untreated. I think my hypothyroid condition caused my bipolar disorder.
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Draven is no longer active on the forum.  This is a very old thread.  You might have better luck starting a thread of your own.
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Avatar universal
Just read your post and really hoping things have gotten better for you.  I have congenital hypothyroidism also...searching for answers....you're the first one I may relate to the closest so far.  Please...if you're available....reply.  it'd be nice to be able to have a friend to relate to on all this.
Julie
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Forgot to mention that if you get these tests done, and post a new thread, listing results and reference ranges, we'll assess them and help you interpret them.

Best of luck.
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Fightingmom hasn't been active on the forum, since she posted in August... I hope she managed to get the testing done that I recommended.

If you'll make a list of the thyroid tests I listed above and take them to your son's doctor, you should be able to get them done.. if the doctor refuses to order them, I can give you a web site from which you can order them, yourself.  I might also recommend that you ask for a thyroid ultrasound, which would show up nodules, swelling or inflammation that are common with Hashimoto's.
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Avatar universal
I'm in EXACTLY the same situation with my son.  He is 36, diagnosed Bipolar/ADD 6 years ago.  He has been on several cocktails of meds and is still not stable.  He currently takes Lamitcal, Abilify and Vyvanse.  He literally cannot stay awake for longer than a few hours.  We were thinking he needs a boost with his Vyvanse but he's at the highest dose 70mg.  This stuff is given to 6 years old with the same dose restrictions.  Does not make sense.  Last month the pd handed my son a pack of pills to keep him "awake" Nuvigil and it put him in a mental state that had us ready to admit him to the stress center.  He's going to give him Adderall next month but will not up his Vyvanse because he could "get in trouble" going over the recommended dose.  Yet he had no problem giving out samples of Nuvigil that almost killed my son.  No one has ever checked my sons Thyroid .... Not.  Once.  Thanks for all the info and Barb 135, thank you for the testing advice.  I will insist on these test with my doctor.  I read a quote from someone (can't remember the name) but it said "If you have a physical illness you have many doctors running to help, if you have mental illness your can't get a janitor to see you".  Yup, pretty much my experience with my son.  So sad.  I won't stop looking but our money is also going to run out soon.  He has no insurance and his Einstein pd is $250 for 20 minutes and he is totally a jerk.  We won't be seeing him again.  Sorry for the rant.  I'm just tired.  There is no good help here in Indiana as far as I can find.  
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Make sure your son gets ALL of the relevant thyroid tests, NOT just TSH.  This is where so many people are left undiagnosed - because doctors put so much faith in the TSH test and if it's normal, they insist there is no thyroid problem.  Don't accept that.

The tests your son needs are TSH, FREE T3 and FREE T4 to test thyroid function... make sure the T3 and T4 are "FREE" not total; they aren't the same thing and testing for totals is a waste of money because those tests are obsolete and of little value.  

Also, make sure they do the antibody tests to confirm/rule out Hashimoto's.  It's not the least unusual for symptoms to appear, long before labs indicate an issue.  The antibody tests you need to insist on are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAB).  They are both markers for Hashimoto's and without them both, many people are  misdiagnosed.

I hope this helps get you started.  If you get these tests done and care to start a new post, including the results, with reference ranges (ranges vary lab to lab and to come from your own lab report), we will be glad to  help interpret them.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your post. It has given me hope. My son is having a very difficult time.  His life  sounds much like yours except he seems to be getting worse.  He did fine in school and was accepted with scholarship to a top college but once got there this disease has take over his life as well as his family's life. He has extremely anxiety and pressure speech.  He thinks he can hear peoples thoughts.  He has tried self medications and of course it does not help.  He has no insurance and cannot get any because of the diagnosis of BP until Jan 2014 when Obama Care goes into effect.  Our family is middle class and cannot afford 200 dollar an hour therapists and the free and reduce rate clinics we have tried have been useless or impossible to get in. Then there are the psychiatrist who are pill pushers and really blow BP patients off.  My family has had thyroid disease mostly hypo -I will get him tested as soon as possible.  Thanks again for posting.
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Avatar universal
I am a 22 year old male and I was diagnosed as Bipolar II 2 1/2 years ago. Since then, I have been constantly tweaking doses and going on and off many different drugs. It seems like they've tried every combination imaginable and I still feel pretty shoddy. I understand that BP can take a while to get "the right drug combo," but even then, people are said to still have recurring symptoms for the rest of their lives and never be fully cured.

That being said, I am still not convinced BP is a disorder in and of itself without being caused by any underlying physical condition. In fact, I think this may be the case for many mental health disorders. I mean think about it, most of them are attributed to chemical imbalances, so would it not make sense that a physical problem be the source of these imbalances? Perhaps there is a BP gene, but I am skeptical.

My Story:
After my freshman year in college, I began to exhibit signs of serious depression…lost interest in everything I enjoyed, overwhelming fatigue, socially withdrawing, worrisome, and so forth. My mom and I attributed it to the college lifestyle, consisting of inconsistent daily schedules, stress, and excessive drinking.  Towards the end of sophomore year I had not improved and had developed anxiety and more sleeping issues. Sleep was my biggest problem. I would go to bed at night and literally feel as though I was conscious and awake all night. I was just so tired all the time. I finally made an appointment with my PCP, thinking that I had a sleep disorder. At the time, I requested that I be tested for thyroid disorder and Lyme disease. My Lyme disease test came back negative and my thyroid showed a 2.4 with the normal range being 0.358-3.74. At that point it was suggested that it may be a mental health issue and subsequently I began the journey down the mental health “rabbit hole.” As stated earlier, I have still not fully felt normal again to this day and I have tried just about every drug, as well as had a sleep study done (bunch of bologna).
Recently, my aunt suggested that I be tested more in-depth for Lyme disease as she was undiagnosed with it for years. I brought her my tests so she could see what tests they originally gave me, because often it goes undiagnosed and she had to go to a specialist to get an extensive DNA test done or something like that. When she was looking at my tests she noticed that my thyroid was 2.4, which was above the midway point of 1.7. While 2.4 falls within the “normal” range, she told me that she also went undiagnosed with Hashimoto’s for years. Her TSH levels also fell within the normal range, but after some stern persistence with her PCP, she got a referral with an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist determined that she did in fact have Hashimoto’s and although her levels were considered normal, she still felt terrible. After going on some thyroid medication, her life was changed. Having a doctor that worked with her on how she felt in conjunction with what the tests said, allowed her to find the “sweet spot” of TSH levels within the acceptable range.

In addition to my aunt, my great-grandma had goiters and my grandma’s thyroid was completely destroyed when she was in her 20’s. It is obvious that my family has a strong history of thyroid problems and while I am a male, I think that this is what has been causing my symptoms all along. In addition to the aforementioned mental problems, I have also had problems with aching, light sensitivity, weight fluctuations, bruising easily, swollen knees/shins, irregular bowels, attention disorder, memory loss, and a bunch more. I have felt like a hypochondriac over the years, but with this new perspective on thyroid disorders, it all seems to make a lot of sense. I have long thought that maybe I had a hormone imbalance too which may have led to the bipolar. Upon further research, I found that hormone imbalance can be caused by dysfunctional thyroids. This gives further credence to my theory. I think simply, my thyroid has been deteriorating over the years and as a result, so has my body.

I know that people get defensive about BP and just tell you to accept the diagnosis and be done with it. Well, I did that, but I am still always searching for the answer to why I feel so poorly and how I can feel normal once again. This means ruling out every physical cause that I can. I have an appointment with my PCP next week and I am not going to leave unless I have a referral to my aunt’s endocrinologist. Once I see her, I will be able to put the thyroid possibility to rest whether it’s true or false. I might just be bipolar, but if not, that would be almost 3 of my best years destroyed by a mental health diagnosis. As Venus stated earlier, this is not a diagnosis to be taken lightly. Mental health is not understood by society and that is that, despite what we all know to be true through our experiences.  I dread the day I have to tell a potential wife that our child is likely to have bipolar and I have no life insurance because I can’t get any, and on top of that the whole world things I’m crazy just because I am labeled as such. Anything I do or mistake I make will always be attributed to bipolar when the shoe fits. It is more than frustrating.

I’m sorry for the long post, but it is my hope that maybe someone is in the same situation as me and will do what they can to get the help they need. This is an old thread and if no previous poster reads this, then maybe future visitors to the site will. I ended up on this site today after a google search for bipolar and thyroid correlation and I’m sure others will too seeking answers as I did. The fact is, every doctor is not an expert in everything and it is important that people stand up for themselves if they are not feeling healthy. I am guilty of just accepting whatever my psychologist tells me, as he is quick and firm to dismiss any suggestion of physical malady that I make. Same with my PCP. They just don’t like to admit that they may not know everything and dislike giving referrals. I will post again with my results from the endocrinologist when that time comes. Who knows, it may turn out that there is no link and I will just have to toil on with the drug guess and check, but as of now it does make a lot of sense. It would be a huge relief to finally have a definitive answer and go off of the meds I’m currently on.
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Avatar universal
"Experts don't understand the exact mechanism, but the drug lithium can prevent your thyroid from functioning properly. Lithium is known to cause goiter (an enlarged thyroid), as well as hypothyroidism, and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis. There is also a link to hyperthyroidism in some patients."

It's most likely the lithium causing her to be hypo.  Hypothyroidism can exacerbate bipolar symptoms and/or mimic bipolar symptoms.  You might find that her bipolar symptoms improve as her thyroid hormones normalkize.
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Avatar universal
Hi, I am so suprised reading all these threads and very thankful that my family is not going through this alone. My sister has been diagnosed with bi polar 2, manic depressive and was given meds. sometimes she would mix the meds in her foods to the point that she couldnt take it anymore. there were times that she is extremely happy and there aare just those moments when she feels restless and doesnt know what to do. She tried od and before anything gets worst, she called her therapist and was asked to be brought to the nearest ER, she immediately requested to be brought to the psych ward and has been staying there for almost a week now, she feels fine as of now. thank god. But now she was diagnosed with HYPOTHYROID. and now takign meds for her levels to normalize. shes taking Abilify and Lithium and Levothyroxine for her thyroid. I am glad that we are not alone here, All the while i thought it's only my sister whos experiencing this.
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Avatar universal
So sorry to hear about all the trouble.  Hope that we can help.  One suggestion is to find your local State/County Health Dept. and see if they will get him tested, and get him on thyroid meds.  Certainly he needs the med, since his was ablated.  

Also, I think you will find this link to be of interest.  The article is about bipolar and thyroid.  I think there is enough info around to suggest that your son's mental status could be affected by being hypothyroid.

http://www.psycheducation.org/thyroid/introduction.htm
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Avatar universal
Going at it alone...seems to be the norm these days.  My son was diagnosed with hyperthyroid in 2007 (age 18) but allergic to the meds so had his thyroid ablated (nuclear med) and end of 2008 (19) was diagnosed bipolar (was in a severe manic state).  None of us knew what was going on at first, thought he got mixed up with drugs...now four years later he is in jail for the 3rd time and the kicker...he's also insulin dependent since age 12.  He is now 23 and a mess.  I'm scared of him when manic as he attacked my apt & me (didn't hurt me/police got there in time)  couple years ago while severe manic.  

While sitting in jail they are giving him his meds but I believe he's giving the psych meds away and will come out of jail on Mar 12th hypomanic or worse.  I have no support here and I'm feeling guilty for sending a letter to my son in jail letting him know that he cannot stay with me (mom) or his brother if he is manic and not taking his meds.  I now am suffering mentally and physically, my hyperthyroid (graves disease) may be out of remission from 35 years ago, awaiting blood work.  With this connection of the thyroid and bipolar I'm wondering if taking out or ablating the thyroid, making the person permanently hypothyroid (under-active) is the cause of the onset, something to consider.

I’ve been trying for over 3 years, with an atty, to get him disability with no luck.  I am going to get him a hotel room for a month to just relax after 4 months in jail but knowing that he will not have a place to live after that...I’m feeling hopeless for him since the diabetes and mania cause life threatening conditions.  We have no insurance so this is so very hard to cope with and get help for my son.  What about housing for bipolar individuals, where is the mercy for these individuals, the help they need?  The psychiatrists don’t spend time helping them cope with their disability, only issuing meds on a guess they may help with no “real” knowledge of how these drugs affect the bipolar population.  Now who’s crazy!
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Avatar universal
hii. i am manasi,i am 21, i have hypothyroidism..and last time when i checked my TSH level it was 96 or something..nowadays i feel really depressed..i am always crying and thinking about suicide...i dont know what to do...i am afraid to tell my parents...pls tell me what to do...pls help..
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Sometimes, all it takes is a different brand of medication.  Some people have reaction to fillers/binders in the meds, as well.  

I'm happy to hear that you are making progress.  Don't forget to get your periodic blood work done to make sure your levels stay where you need them.  Each time you test, make sure you get TSH, Free T3 and Free T4.  

Best wishes.
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Avatar universal
I Suffered from brain fog and mental disability. I was on depression and anxiety medication. This thyroid problem has been going on for over 10 years. I have been taking Synthroid. I had a baby and no longer on the depression or anxiety medication and still suffered the brain fog and mental disability. I couldn't find my words. I became stupid. I had to keep interrupting others or I would forget my thoughts. I have a BA and am 35. I complained to my Dr. again and he finally switched me to a different thyroid medication Levoxyl. I am now on it for the 3rd week and have noticed a huge difference. I am getting ME back!!! Hope this helps anyone!
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Avatar universal
hi my partner has graves disease and suffers from hyperthyroidism. I try to be as patient as possible but sometimes it's not enough. she also has bipolar in her family ( her mum and great grandmother) what I would like to know us how to try and get her checked for having bipolar without upsetting her. she had a bad relationship with her mum and doesnt have a high opinion of her great grandmother. it's kind of come up before and she's addiment she doesn't have it. but the more I read the more I'm convinced she does. I love the girl and want the best for her but she needs help
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2102364 tn?1334181277
Draven, looks like you posted back in December so I don't know if you'll read this.   But first do whatever you have to do to get treatment - even if it means going to the ER where they are legally obligated to treat you.    

Also what you said about not knowing which thoughts are real or generated by the bad chemistry.   I hear ya.   I'm starting to think the best policy is to be skeptical of every thought and emotion that passes through my brain, keep only the best.
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