Panic attack and hashimotos mess.

[danie17075rm]

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this.  I am normally hypothyroid.  Six months ago, I had what I thought was a heart attack.  I couldn't breathe and my heart was racing uncontrollably.  I went to the ER and found out my tsh was .001.  They took me off my thyroid meds and placed me on a beta blocker.  They said I was having a panic attack. In one month off meds my tsh shot to 26 and my antibodies were above 250.   My T3 and T4 were normal.  My question is that my panic attacks have not went away.  I have them all the time now.  I had never had one in my life before I went hyperthyroid.  My endocrinologist thinks this is all in my head, but I did not have any stress causing these.  I have stress now because I cannot live a normal life.  At the hospital they gave me xanax and ativan, and neither ever worked so I didn't bother taking them again.  I have tried everything from homeopathy to vitamins.  My tsh was around 7 the last time I went to the docs, but we can't increase my dosages of levothyroxine because the next dose is the one that caused me to go hyper in the first place.  Right now I am taking as little as 1/4 of  .025 every other day.  The dose seems like I shouldn't even need any, but without it my TSH shoots up.  Everytime I take even this small dose I have extreme hyperthyroid symptoms.  I get hot flashes and really hot at night.  I have diarrhea, heart palps, headaches, periods of heart racing, red eyes. and obviously the panic attacks.  I think that I might have both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms at the same time.  Is this likely? What test should I beg my endo for (as he thinks I just have panic disorder).  I know I do not though, and I cannot get others to listen.  I have also became extremely intolerant to gluten so I have cut that out.  I'm thinking it could be my adrenal glands? Mitro valve prolapse?  The only thing that helps at all is my beta blocker but that leaves me feeling horribly sickish.  I feel it working on my heart rate, but I can still feel my body trying to have a panic attack.  When this first started, I literally could not sit up without my heart rate going out of control.  That caused me to go into panic attacks.  I have a hard time sleeping, and I'm just a mess.  If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it.  Thank you so much,

Danielle

[danie17075rm]

At least you and your husband can help each other!  It seems like your symptoms improved at least.  How often do you have panic attacks now?  Do you have problems at the store and driving still.  I hate it.  I just wish I could go back to before that day I went hyperthyroid.  I'd do anything to prevent it.  In fact I just had a panic attack from just talking about it =(.  I was going to school to get my masters in counseling, but I just decided to switch to health psychology because I want to explore this type of thing more rather than to just tell people they are crazy.

[stranazingarella]

I am 36 ....well almost 37.  :)  Fortunately, my husband and I never had kids since I have all these issues and we discovered he is bipolar a few years ago.  I can't imagine dealing with panic attacks and raising a son, so kudos to you!  I also used to get the feeling of being trapped while in the back of the store and always try to stay to the front to get out faster.  It made me super nervous.  The worst problem i had was driving in the car on the highway, as a passenger.  I had this for 8-9 years and we didn't go anywhere I couldn't reach through back roads.  The last year before the diagnosis I had started feeling less anxious and was able to finally take trips on the highway;  I think maybe my thyroid was being killed off, or becoming more hypo, so there is definitely a connection between thyroid disorders and anxiety.  I was hoping getting it removed would help, but as you can see, not so.  I also saw a counselor which I think really helped because between my issues and my husband's, I was having a hard time coping emotionally.  

[danie17075rm]

How old are you?  That *****.  I can totally relate to this.  I am only 31, and at this point, I feel like I can't have any kind of life.  I have no social life because of the fear of panic attacks.  I am on a beta blocker for my heart rate, but without it it was going to 150 and above during my attacks.  The first day it stayed above 120 for hours.  I do have moments of it going high now though.  I get shortness of breath too and I panic.  I can't shop normally.  I feel like I am getting agoraphobia, not because I have a fear of public places, but because I have panic attacks so often that when I get to the back of the store I start to freak out.  I feel like I need to be close to the door as I don't want to embarrass myself in front of other (as I have).  I took my son to an event at a library and felt as if I was going to pass out, and couldn't breathe and my heart was beating out of control.  He was looking forward to it, so I had to ask the guy next to me and the head lady to watch him as I excused myself and called my mom to come stay with him.  It is such a nightmare.  The thing is I KNOW that this is not caused from something in my head, they were caused from going hyperthyroid.  I think in your case you have a lot going on, AND once your brain is used to having panic attacks, it will continue to have them until you train it to not have them anymore.  Even thought the root of your problem might be gone, you still have physiological response in your body that your brain is used to.  I tried xanax at first and it didn't help at all.  I just keep thinking there HAS to be some better treatment for hashimotos.

[stranazingarella]

Honestly,  I wish I hadn't had the TT because now I am stuck with horrible low calcium symptoms from the surgery.  If it weren't for that, I think I would feel pretty great!  My cancer was micro papillary (1mm) and I didn't have any RAI.  I still have panic attacks but now I think they are caused by the low calcium levels; any electrolyte imbalance is hard on the body and with the predisposition. . .. it just amplifies it. . .   when I have symptoms while out in the car or shopping especially because it is a life-threatening condition, if not treated, and that makes nervous.  Then, of course, being dependent on thyroid hornone is hard too... you get all types of symptoms just from that.  Yesterday I had heart palps and my resting heart rate was 90. . . today I am fine.    I have xanax in case things get too bad and I take the minimum dose if I can't deal (this from someone who would never take a thing!).  I think you should just monitor the progress of the nodules and get tested for all auto-immune diseases (maybe see a rhuemotologist for that).  Keep your thyroid as long as possible...or only get one side removed so you don''t get these complications like I did. . . It has completely changed my life for the worse and I am still young!

[danie17075rm]

I have the lab work to get tested for celiac disease.  Did you feel better when your thyroid was removed?  Do you still have panic attacks?  Thanks so much for your response.  I went for 3 ultrasounds recently and they told me that the nodules had gone away.   I went to different places too, so they told me that there is nothing to biopsy at this point.  I'm so sorry you had to go through the cancer.  This disease is just so terrible.  I wish I could find a way to help others and myself!

[stranazingarella]

I have suffered from panic attacks for the last 10 years.  Last Feb I had a Thyroidectomy for Thyroid cancer, and Hashimoto's and Sarcoid were found in the pathology, both auto-immune diseases. For years I had many of the symptoms you are experiencing but I always had a normal TSH.  The only indicator for cancer was the antibodies were high, like yours .I also was found to have multi-nodular goiter, and one growth was suspicious. I had hair falling out and a 20 lb weight gain despite not eating much.  A GP might even take you more seriously, but I think you should have those nodules checked again, just to be safe.  Also , get tested for Celiacs and other auto-immune disorders as they often come in pairs or more.