emotionally liable

[Jessi63]

Why do I feel so emotionally liable.  I'm even scared to stay by myself with my own kids.  

If hash's kills your thyroid, then why wait for that to happen and subject yourself to all the unwanted symptoms.  Why not just have the thyroid removed.  Either way you are gonna be on a hormone replacement for the rest of your life, right?

[stella5349]

Recently I posted a big post on stress and being positive for our well being. After viewing a thread I posted last night I am sorry to say I wasn't listening to myself there. and I am so disappointed in myself that I let it go that far.  

Fact -  anxiety and thyroid issues go hand in hand. and it makes sense. Even as girls reach that level where there body starts to change their hormones are too right? Do they have thyroid issues. Maybe... but not often. It may be why the girls teenage years are so hard to deal with when you are a parent - I know I gave my mom some gray hair growing up. Men also, I think again it is more of a sterotype to be strong and if they are ill - they feel weak and there's that depression cycle for them.

Putting hormone thyroid problems on top of just normal changes as we age increases and intensifies our symptoms. Then we become scared of the unknown and the "fear" cycle starts to evolve. Which will also elevate our moods.

I was always one in my past to say  I'll never be on the stuff. I'll deal with it. Then I got sick thyroid wise. Depression stinks and gratefully after 4 years it has begun to lift alot for me.

It takes time and appreciate that your doctor is helping you - but you must make a choice to sink in that hole- or keep digging out. Tough choice at times - but do the right thing.

I am an analyzer at everything. I think most of us here are??  That is a full time job mentally in itself. Now - and I am not perfect- I am forcing myself to stop that and work toward a better me. I still hate the anxiety meds and have gone down from .50 Xanax 6 to 7 x's a day (self dosage) to a tablet of .25 (cut in half) only 1x in the am. I feel better.

We have the power to be even better.  Hang in there poster -----part of this is life regardless what disease or situation we get in. You have a path and will find the answer soon.

[Applecore]

All I can say is wow.   We are all so different.  I am taking levothoroxin 37.5 - 6 days a week and 50 on Sunday.  It has brought my level down to 4.4.  I am having it tested on the 18th again to see where it is now.  I am very sensitive to the hormone so that's all I can take.  

There are natural hormones out there if you can find  a good holistic doctor.  I am taking 300 mg of L-5HTP which is naturual prozac and SAMe which is something that our body has in it already and he is increasing me to 600 mg of it.  It has taken a while to take the depression away.  About 6 weeks I have been on it.  I also have found as I posted somewhere else on here that fear is something we have to deal with and as we can conquer it we are empowered and get better.  Also some breathing excercises and I am also taking 1 mg of lorazapam for anxiety 3 times a day.  He wants me to be stabile for about 3 months and then will start cutting these things.  I also take supplements for energy, my stomach and whatever else for, I don't know.  I think that all this is making me healthier and even though it has been hard I think it in the long run will be good.  What I am saying there are alternative ways to recover but not everybody goes the same direction but we can encourage each other no matter how we go.  You guys have encouraged and loved on me when I was frantic, desperate and didn't know what to do.  I hope I can do the same for you all when you need it.  I am still reading these forums and communicate a lot on the private med help.  

Jessic 63,  it will get better especially when the brain fog goes and you can think better.  Trust your doctors and follow their orders but ask them questions and make suggestions as you find some answers on here that might help you know what to ask.

I will be praying for your health and happiness.   linda

[Venora Moonwind]

Lithium destrys the thyroid. I was on it back in99 for about 6 months andI am pretty sure thats what did my thryoid in.Lithium is evil and there are so many better meds for bi polar and depression .Same goes for depakote. Just my 2 cents worh.
Love Venora

[chigirl29]

ChitChat,
I think the doses are based on weight and other factors.It really wouldn't make sense for a person who is a little over 100lbs to be on a high dose like a larger person would--my thyroid probably didn't even make much normally.

If any of that makes sense--I'm starving for food!!

[ChitChatNine]

Since I'm on 88mcgs would it be "fair assumption" to say that probably my other half of thyroid is functioning somewhat since surgery but not enough to carry the load?  Just your thoughts; not a real med fact?

I am on 88mcgs with TSH of 1.5

When on 100mcgs my TSH was 0.667

Normal for me w/o meds pre surgery was:  2.8

C~

[AR-10]

Chigirl, your thyroid must not be completely dead.

Most adults that have no thyroid require between 200 and 300mcg of Synthroid or an equivelent drug.

You are righ about the anti-bodies, too.
Not much you can do to control the levels.

Also, it is possible for a person with no thyroid to be Hyper, if their med dose is too high.

Seems like it's a constant balancing act between med dosage, physical activity, stress, other illness (like colds), and aging when you are trying to keep your levels level.

Very frustrating. :(

[chigirl29]

I was on Levothyroxine 100mcg.  I might see about changing since other people have had problems with it.  I guess they never die.  I think Grave's Lady said some can re-grow or something.  I read tonight that even after RAI a person can have thyroid function again--

Even if I cut it out--I still have antibody counts that are high.

I think its driving me nuts.

It is okay to feel emotionally fragile when you have a thyroid problem--I think the two are mutually occurring.

[Jessi63]

What are you gonna do?  Is there such thing as it being dead.  I'm beginning to think not.  How much med were you on and which one?

[chigirl29]

Jessi,

I hope you get to feeling better. A good combo for me is Lexapro for depression and anxiety, and Ativan for anxiety.

Got my labs back--meds have me hyperthyroid--I knew that because my heart was hurting.

And--my antibody counts are near 2K:(

So much for it being dead--I bet there is something still alive in there--feel like I just want to rip it out--or RAI fry it.

[Jessi63]

thanks

[GravesLady]

It should be your choice which one you want.  However, if you are treated by an internist, surgery is their last option, and, that is exactly why my doctor is an internist. I am not a surgery fan, unless I am on my death bed.

RAI does not take longer than surgery to work.  As far as RAI, it depends on how much RAI is given.  Surgery, thyroid tissue is left behind to where there will be small amounts of thyroid activity or enough for antibodies to still attack, as well as there is a possibility that the thyroid can grow back, which some believe to be due to the antibodies.

*** for tat! which is better for you.

I do believe depression can be caused by high thyroid levels or exasperate existing depression and/or mental issues.  When I went from hyper to hypo 29, after treatment, I was depressed and crying all the time, until I got on thyroid meds. and level was back to normal. June of 07 when I went med. induced hypo, I was feeling a little depressed as well. Since med. dose has been upped and level closer to normal, the depression went away.  So, yes, I do believe depression can be brought on by high TSH level.  However, that does not change the fact that depression is depression and can be very hard on us to which we can be helped by antidepressants.

However, to be fair to both RAI and surgery, as long as levels are within Labs reference range and optimal for us, is the best that can be expected.

You might be in the early game of healing once level is optimal for you. Be positive and take one day at a time. Baby steps ;) you'll eventually arrive.

GL,

February is:
American Heart Month,
National Women's Heart Day - Go Red For Women,
14th National Have-A-Heart Day

[Jessi63]

zoloft can too.  just found that out recently.  that is what i take.
holding the baby in one arm and trying to type with the other.

[AR-10]

If you have thyroid cancer, you often do both.

If there is no cancer, it depends on how ugly your thyroid looks.

I wanted surgery, but was talked into RAI instead.
RAI takes a lot longer to work.
Surgery has more risks.

I have read that Lithium affects your TSH. I don't know how other anti-depressants are.

[Jessi63]

Thanks for the response.  I am on anxiety meds.  I do take an anti-depressant, right now it is at a low dose though.  I actually think that it has something to do with my TSH.  But not a definite yet.  I just want all this to be over like yesterday.  LOL  Irrational thinking I know but its a nice thought.  Is there a choice when it comes to RAI or surgery or do you have to do both?

[maz135]

I take both anti-anxiety (on a needs basis) and anti-depressants (5 mg of Lexapro every evening) as well as synthroid...and it does help with the anxiety/depression of it all...Just be careful if you choose to take an antidepressant...after the first week of taking them I got very weepy and depressed for about 48 hours and then I was much better...My thyroid counts are still heinous but at least I feel that I can move around without being panicked all the time and when I get "dizzy"- I am much calmer about it....hope that helps...Mary

[GravesLady]

Due to the fact that it might take years for antibodies to kill off 100% of the thyroid to where there is no function left (med. dose between 200/300), a lot of people go the route of surgery (or RAI), instead of waiting and suffering through all those years with symptoms.

However, none of the treatments are a 100% win win situation.  We choose the one that is right for us, then deal with the rest as best as we can.
Emotions in one form or another, is a problem most of us deal with regardless which thyroid disease we have or treatment we did.  Lot of us are taking antidepressants and/or anxiety medication.  Its just a fact that comes with thyroid illness.

I am taking  anxiety meds., on an as need bases and it has done wonders for me. You might consider antidepressants before surgery. It doesn't have to be forever, but just long enough to get over the rough spots of thyroid.

Good Luck!

GL,

February is:
American Heart Month,
National Women's Heart Day - Go Red For Women,
14th National Have-A-Heart Day

[AR-10]

Your thyroid affects your whole body, including your emotions.

Many thyroid patients either take anti-anxirty medications, as I do, or anti-depressants. Once you get your thyroid hormones stable for a few months, these symptoms and most of the other symptoms bothering you will go away.

But it takes a while AFTER your hormones are stable for some of the symptoms to go away.


Almost all people who have trouble with Hypothyroidism end up with a diagnosis of Hashimoto's. That is because they have thyroid anti-bodies that are above the lab's "normal" test range.

There are two different anti-bodies for Hashimoto's.

I am not an expert on the subject, but I know the upper limit for TPOab is 30. So if your Thyroid Peroxidase Anti-body count is above 30, you probably will be diagnosed with Hashimoto's.

If your anti-body counts are not extremely high, you may be able to live a fairly normal life with a med change every few years to keep up with the slow destruction of your thyroid by the anti-bodies.

If your TPOab is over 1,000, you will have more problems staying at a certain med dosage after they get your TSH down around 1.0. The more anti-bodies you have, the faster they eat the thyroid.

For patients like that, it requires closer supervision of your blood levels, like every three months, even after you have gotten your TSH stabilized. It may require dosage increases more often and regular testing, as well as an ultrasound every year or two to make sure nothing funny is going on in there.

Most doctors feel it is better to let the thyroid slowly die and use replacement hormones to supplement the gland and it's decreasing ability to produce natural hormones.

If they can get your levels back to normal, and you have to slowly increase your dosage over the years, that is the best solution. If you have constant problems with your thyroid hormones going up and down, then it is not so good.

Each of us is different, and the doctors can't guess what will happen most of the time. So they try to work with the functioning organ and use drugs to help keep your hormones steady and see how things go for a year or two.

I feel the same way about it that you do.
Most doctors do not. They must have a good reason.

Hope this helps you understand things a little better.