Thyroid Disease Page 3
My Response/Question-“Anxiety Symptoms with Autoimmune Hypothyroidism”
There are medical research studies that say "thyroid autoimmunity" which causes hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) is a cause of anxiety symptoms and even anxiety disorders, apart from abnormal hormone levels. The only way to deal with the anxiety in this case is getting best possible treatment for the hypothyroidism and adding other help when necessary such as medications or therapy. Some patients including myself have anxiety symptoms when our thyroid dose is not high enough as well as when it is too high. Most doctors are not aware that this can happen with either scenario.
Following below are research quotes in regard to anxiety with thyroid autoimmunity (regardless of hormone levels):
"In a study of patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, anxiety was a prominent initial symptom at the time that the condition was diagnosed." (Dr. Richard Hall PhD-Anxiety and Endocrine Disease)
"A case control study on psychiatric disorders in Hashimoto disease and euthyroid goitre: not only depressive but also anxiety disorders are associated with thyroid autoimmunity" (U.S. National Institutes of Health-PubMed)
"The link between thyroid autoimmunity (antithyroid peroxidase autoantibodies) with anxiety and mood disorders in the community: a field of interest for public health in the future" (U.S. National Institutes of Health-PubMed)
"We have found that subclinical thyroid dysfunction increases the anxiety of patients whether hyperthyroid or hypothyroid." (U.S. National Institutes of Health-PubMed)
My related article>> Reminders for Panic Attack Sufferers
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My Response/Question-“Should I switch from Synthroid to Armour?"
"Armour Thyroid" is a natural type thyroid hormone (type I take) and comes from pig thyroid glands (porcine source) which are bio-identical to human's. The problem is getting doctors willing to prescribe it but fortunately, once one does they are obliged to order refills and is true even if you switch doctors at some point. I do believe some patients do better on Armour and I have articles out there to this effect. I do also believe that's not true in every case because some patients are highly sensitive to any amount of T3 in a hormone med (Armour is combo T4/T3). There are also people allergic to porcine so can't take Armour or their religious beliefs forbid use of swine products. Really the key to knowing if Armour is superior in your case would be to get a Dr. to order you a trial of it. It has also been shown to improve depression better than T4 only medications in research studies. Here's a page where these studies are grouped together,
click here>> http://www.psycheducation.org/thyroid/studies.htm
There's a combo synthetic as well called Thyrolar but I haven’t heard positive reports often from people who take that one. You might try discussing a trial of Armour with your doctor. Doctors sometimes claim there's dose inconsistency in Armour pills but they were cleared of this by the FDA and USP. The same claims have been made about Synthroid who actually had a large scale recall of certain doses in 2002 but they too have since been cleared of any dose inconsistencies by the FDA.
My Related Article>> Anxiety and Depression Neurosis Versus Psychosis
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Jim Lowrance - Anxiety and Mood Disorders with Hypothyroidism
There is research out there that concludes that people with autoimmune thyroid disease, not only can have anxiety and depressive disorders but can experience conditions that mimic psychosis, especially when they experience "Hashimoto's Encephalopathy" which is somewhat rare but can happen when antibodies become extremely high. Hashimoto's patients do more commonly go through emotional states that mimic bipolar disorder.
I'm a stickler for making sure a doctor is treating hypothyroidism adequately and even optimally because I feel it's the most important thing to look at first. With a thyroidectomy or radio active iodine destruction of the thyroid, afterward you become hypothyroid, not having a gland. The goal of a treating doctor is to suppress the TSH level (blood level of Thyroid stimulating Hormone that comes from the pituitary/brain gland) to lowest-normal when a person has no gland. It is also important in my opinion that the T3 and T4 thyroid hormones be blood retested to see where they are as well. If these are not kept at mid range on up to higher-normal, you may be inadequately treated. Suppressing TSH alone does not always reveal where the thyroid hormone levels are.
You can only know how well a Dr. is treating, by asking for copies of your lab results (U.S. HIPPA law obliges them to provide copies when requested), monitoring your replacement hormone treatment. If your current Dr. is not adequately treating, I would seek a second opinion. TSH runs in a range of about "0.3 to 5.0" and with replacement thyroid hormone, after thyroidectomy the TSH should be at the lower end of that. If it's not, less symptom relief may be experienced.
Related Article>> A Brief Look at the Derealization Anxiety Symptom
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