Is depo provera causing thyroid problems

[Ryezmom02]

I took my first shot of depo at the age of 16 i thnk im now 26 so lets say 10 years off and on, 2 kids in between.  I have recently been to my gp to have a lump on my neck investigated as I have had it for some time now and has slightly gotten bigger.  I had been sent for a US that showed a 3mm nodule and also i have a thick bridge. I have been searching and searching the net for amswers as i dont feel content with the progress in investigating at this point, though i have BA_swallow xray tmro. Then for some reason I thought I wonder if the depo has anything to do with this, its been only after starting the depo i noticed the lump (not immediately) i have gained 23kgs over the course of bbeing on the depo, losing weight in the middle somewhere then gaining again. Im constantly fatigue, i get alot of aches an pain in my body, several times a day i get pins and needles, I get aches in my neck and ear particularly the right side, i get light headed and have dizzy spells with some blury vision. I have read a few posts that are very very much the same. What os going on?  Feeling helpless.

[Barb135]

Nothing to feel silly about.  It all goes with thyroid issues.

Yes you did mention the thick bridge - I assume they mean the isthmus of the thyroid?  That's the portion connecting the 2 lobes. It sounds like your whole thyroid may swollen/enlarged so it wouldn't be unusual for the isthmus to be thickened, as well.

I think if you get the FT3, FT4, TSH, TPOab, and TgAb that I mentioned above, a lot of your questions will be answered.

[Ryezmom02]

Ther is another thong thats worrying i get sharp pulsing sensations in my head, not a headache and last for a minute mayb. I feel a lil silly havn all these bits n pieces here n there that im concerned about but r most likely nothn.

[Ryezmom02]

Thnx for the reply, the whole swallowing thng is very annoying and umcomfy more than n e thng, evn without the eating/swallowing.  But as i said BA was good so im happy with that. The weight gain im not complaining im happy with where im at now, i was, bfor starting depo 45kg size 6 im now a comfy 68.7 size 10-12 :)..  Did i mention the thick bridge? In the thyroid i still havent really been given an answer as to why or i have a thickened bridge from either person i have seen so far. I havent been to see a doctor in many many many years until a few months ago, so i would like to take care of these issues now and not leave it to develop into something worse.

[Barb135]

The food getting stuck could be from taking too big bites or not chewing properly.  I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but I even did that a few times.  I learned that if I take smaller bites (than even normal) and chew them better, I don't have near as much trouble.  Another thing is anxiety - you know how you get that "lump in your throat" feeling when you're going to cry?  Anxiety can cause that to be an "all the time" thing  - yep, I had that too.  We get upset about one thing or another and we always have that uncertainty about our health hanging over our heads.  We don't even really think we "feel" anxious, yet it's there, hanging over us like an ominous cloud.

The BA swallow and ultrasound would tell if the nodule were causing obstruction or anything, so you're good there.

The depo can cause weight gain, so you might want to look into another form of birth control - my daughter was on it and she gained weight, as well..

Along with the Free T3, Free T4 and TSH I mentioned above, you should also ask your doctor to order tests for thyroid antibodies to see if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  It sounds like you might have a goiter (swollen, inflamed thyroid), which is very common with Hashimoto's.  

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it.  Many have us  have it for years before we ever know it, though we often have the symptoms long before thyroid blood tests even indicate an issue.  The antibody tests you need are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).  You need both tests, since either one can provide the diagnosis. Some people have one or the other, some have both.

[Ryezmom02]

I will do so, I do have a slight issue with food gettn a tad stuck or taken some time travelling down its path though I have just had a BA-swallow xray amd things look fine, im very curious as to what the problem is and wont settle until its figured out.  Thank u for ur post

[Barb135]

While the depo may not be a direct cause, it could have some bearing on it.

You need to ask your doctor for some simple blood work to test thyroid function.  The tests you need are Free T4, Free T3 and TSH.  Don't just settle for the TSH that most doctors want to order and be done with it.  TSH is a pituitary hormone and does not provide the full picture.  FT3 and FT4 are actual thyroid hormones, so they will tell you what the thyroid is actually producing.

Your symptoms are consistent with hypothyroidism.  Once you get those tests done, post the result with reference ranges, which have to come from your own report, here and we can help interpret them.

Many of us have thyroid nodules and they are usually nothing to worry about, unless they have unusual characteristics or interfere with swallowing breathing, etc.