Poll: Anxiety and Hypo

[kitty9309]

Has anyone seen a definate link between anxiety/depression and their progression of hypo?

Did the anxiety improve as your levels became more normal?

What was starting TSH, symptoms and follow-up levels and resolution of any symptoms?

I am still waiting for my TSH to get to optimum levels.

I think sharing this could help others in the same situation. Many seem to have this problem, but it doesn't really get addressed.

[kitcurious]

Told I'm hypo. No anxiety. Made hyper by docs and maybe nature . Am occasionally irritable since TSH went below .04 but not anxious.

[kitcurious]

What TSH did you start out with and where are you now?

I suspect  that a disproportionate #  of people who are using a medical message board may have issues with anxiety/depression. The fact that some are worried/ stressed/confused/upset about the subject of their health may have caused them to seek out the forum in the first place.

[AR-10]

It would be interesting to see data on this.

I can't help much, because my TSH has not hit a good spot yet.

I don't know when my TSH fell off the wagon, and I don't remember a specific onset to the anxiety.

I can't really say how much is caused by the disease and how much is caused by all the peripheral stuff in my personal life that has been stirred up by being ill for an extended time.

Both my parents died in the last two years. Illness has cost me thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. My life is changing. Stuff is going on.

I hope you get better responses that shed light on the subject.

[kitty9309]

I agree that a lot of people on forums have anxiety about their health.

I am mostly curious if anyone has seen their anxiety/depression improve with optimal treatment.

The 2 are symptoms just as fatigue, hairloss, etc. are. If the anxiety improves on treatment, then we can assume it was related.

Thanks for the responses.

[kitty9309]

This is only 1 example of several articles written by psychiatrists on thyroid disease and it's psychological manifestations:

Hall et al in a study of medically induced anxiety disorder found thyroid disorders, i.e., hyper- and hypothyroidism and thyroiditis, to be the most frequent medical conditions misdiagnosed as primary anxiety disorder.11 Other common medical causes for anxiety in their study included hypoglycemia, Addison's and Cushing's Disease, hyper- and hypoparathyroidism, and diabetes mellitus.

The development of severe anxiety disorders in hypothyroid states are as much or more related to the rapidity of change of thyroid hormone levels as they are to the absolute levels encountered.

In a study of patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, anxiety was a prominent initial symptom at the time that the condition was diagnosed. It was often associated with a lability of mood, withdrawal from normal duties due to perplexity, and in severe cases, generalized agitation, disorientation, and persecutory delusions as well as extreme restlessness.


A lot of people on forums are also just looking for answers to things that they are told are "just anxiety/depression" when there is sometimes an underlying medical reason.

[ifupleze]

Go to this website: /www.drmurphreestore.com/newsletters_letters/healthnews8-9-06yah.html.  You might find an answer to your question.

[kitty9309]

Here is another article on the subject:

Psychiatric patients—particularly those
with mood disorders—are more likely to
exhibit biochemical evidence of frank or
subclinical hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism,
and autoimmune thyroiditis than the general
population. In a study of 17,533 Americans,1
approximately 12% had thyroid abnormalities
and 80% of these were hypothyroid. An
additional 17% of women and 9% of men
tested positive for antithyroid antibodies.

Biochemical hypothyroidism was defined
as TSH >4.5 mIU/L, with low total T4, and
subclinical hypothyroidism as TSH >4.5 mIU/L
with normal T4 levels. Population studies and
other data have led some endocrinologists
to regard serum TSH levels >2.5 mIU/L as
abnormally high.

It really does exist and I wonder if someone has had the experience of improvement in psychiatric symptoms.

[kitty9309]

My levels were anywhere from 3.5-4.7 when I didn't have anxiety. My anxiety began out of the blue and it just so happens that the week before it began, I had bloodwork done for a Wellness plan at work.(Quest Diagnostics). I wasn't even going to get the blood drawn because I figured my bloodwork hadn't changed in 1 year.. Luckily, I did.
During the next 2 weeks, my anxiety/insomnia skyrocketed. I had never experienced this before. When my results came back, I just expected the same results from the year before, TSH of 3.5. Imagine my surprise when the TSH was 6 and in red ink as high. Knowing that a  persons TSH remains w/in 0.75, I now know that this was a significant departure from normal for me.
Went to endo, tested + for anti-TPO, and began 25 mcg Synthroid. TSH 2.91 after 4 weeks, advised to go to 50 mcg. Since going to 50 mcg, I haven't needed any anxiety medication. Still waiting 2 more weeks for rpt testing.

[AR-10]

I'm certainly not disputing that anxiety and depression can be and often are manifested by thyroid problems. I'm living breathing drugged up proof of it.

My belief and hope is that if a person can find and maintain that perfect TSH within .75 one way or the other, eventually these and other "symptoms" will go away.

But I can't offer any opinion from experience.
It's been too confusing.

[kitty9309]

I know you have had a tough time with your thyroid. Thanks for your input and I wish you the best.

[Applecore]

I did not have anxiety nor depression until my thyroid went hypo.  I believe my numbers were sky high like in the 900s.  The hospital ER and the psychiatrist bold me it was not mental but physical from the hypothyroid.  They gave me an prozac (I took it even though I wasn't depressed at all, just the anxiety which was terrible) and lorazapam which was a life saver.   As soon as my levels started dropping drastically the anxiety got less and somewhere stopped.  I don't know what level but all of the sudden for the past two weeks it has started up again.  My levels were 3.5 and jumped to 5.5 and the anxiety started.  I have to wait another 3 weeks before I can get it tested.  My father went into thyroid storm so I know what the thyroid can do to your mind and body.  I think a lot of people that are depressed and have anxiety have undiagnosed thyroid.  I am with AR-10  that the symptoms will go away as the thyroid gets straightened out.  Mine did but why it cam back I don't know except for the levels jumping up.  

Linda

[kitty9309]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry you had to go through it, though. Except for the sky high TSH, your experience parallels mine. No depression, just crushing anxiety when my TSH jumped from 3.5 to 6.
Hope the anxiety lessens as the TSH drops. Let me know if you want. Thanks.

[Newbee2000]

I'm hypo w/ hashi and have lots of persistant symptoms, but NOT anxiety or depression, also never felt fatigued even when my tsh was 11, but I had lots of other symptoms (constipation, heart palps, yes hypos can have heart palps, neuropathies, hair shedding/loss, dry eyes, dry skin, brain fog, etc) but NO anxiety or depression, however, I have read MANY times from many sources that thyroid disorders can cause depression!

[kitty9309]

Thanks for the input. I read that some of us are predisposed to anxiety and/or depression, so that thyroid disease can magnify any underlying problems that we are normally able to handle.
Yes. depression is a very clear and well known symptom of thyroid disease.

[Jakenab]

Has any one ha

[Golgo]

New here,
I have hypothyroidism, and hypogonadism.
I had severe panic attacks and depression prior to my diagnosis 6 years ago. My MD at the time just threw paxil at me and said I should just take one whenever I felt anxious. Needless to say I had a breakdown on a plane flight 6 years ago and I have not flown since.
When I got back I was hospitalized for 2 weeks and needed to be on partial hospitalization for 2 months following. It was not until some astute doctor checked my TSH that I was diagnosed.
I was on Klonopin 1mg PRN 2-3x a day. I weaned myself off of that and all of the other psychotropics. I am still taking Mirtazapine 15mg at night but thats it besides the Synthroid. My moods have stabilized but I still have hypogonadism that I am working on now.
I know there is a direct connection. I was a healthy travelling person (was in the US navy for 6 years). Since my thyroid pooped out I am still afraid to fly and even travel too far from the local hospital.

[kitty9309]

I'm glad the astute doctor did check your thyroid. Amazing that such a simple test can turn around your life.

Welcome to the forum.

[rohit_786]

I am hypo w/hashi since 2006 July when i was first dx'd . I have lot of symptoms like fatigue  even when my TSH is normal /eye floaters started at same time when diagnosed Hypo / Neuropathy like Restless leg syndorme /brain fog/muscles and joint ache.
I have issues with my TSH level that is going UP/down .
My anxiety level is way to much , started cymbalta and now stopped it after 9 months so dealing with so many withdrawal symptoms.

I am hoping one day i will get my life the same way as i had before.