autoimmune

Hello I'm just wondering if anyone else has had autoimmune tests in relation to your depression and anxiety? I just started seeing a nurse practitioner she suggested I have autoimmune tests done and one of them came up positive. She said that there's sometimes a link between depression and anxiety and autoimmune disorders. So I was just wondering if anyone else had ever had that connection made and if so how it worked out for them. I'm to go see a rheumatologist next week. Thank you!

[NoMonkeyBusiness]

Yes. Not with rheumatoid but gluten intolerance/celiac. Although I did not find until recently about the gluten and when I ate clean a couple of years ago I felt sooooo much better in so many ways.

[Hidden in reply to NoMonkeyBusiness]

That's great! Yeah I was told to try doing an anti-inflammatory diet maybe I should try it to see it will help. Thank you!

[NoMonkeyBusiness in reply to Hidden]

You should. It really is amazing how much diet can change your physical and mental health. Depending on the ailment, diet change could take a while to take affect. I know with gluten/celiac it could take as long as a few months for symptoms to resolve but even in that time you will notice improvement in them.

[Hidden in reply to NoMonkeyBusiness]

Thank you I will give it a try. I tend to not be patient with those sorts of things but knowing that it may take a while I will try to be patient and see what happens.

[EEMO]

What is it your talking about?

[Hidden in reply to EEMO]

I went to a psychiatric nurse practitioner who requested that I blood test to see if I might have an autoimmune disease. I think generally they are genetic I'm not sure. But apparently sometimes the autoimmune disorders or certain ones I guess can cause depression and anxiety this is why the nurse practitioner went to wanted to have it checked she felt from my symptoms that I may have one and indeed I do. I had no idea that they could be related.

[Pearl67 in reply to Hidden]

You are so very fortunate to have seen such a wise NP!!! Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that is tightly wound to anxiety/depression/bi-polar!!! Typically thyroid is tested upon admission to a psychiatric ward because of the relationship with moods/mental health. Gluten and dairy are also implicated in mood issues in many people. Once removed, things can improve dramatically. That is not to say medication is still not needed at times.

[Hidden in reply to Pearl67]

Thank you for your reply! Yes she seems to be very observant and very smart. My primary care did not want to do the labs but she did them anyway and I'm glad they got done. I'm interested to see what the rheumatologist will say. I'm going to try to I'm into my diet to an anti-inflammatory diet and see what happens there.

[EEMO in reply to Hidden]

Good Luck and God Bless

[Hidden in reply to EEMO]

Thank you so much!

[NoMonkeyBusiness in reply to Hidden]

You are correct that autoimmune is genetic. Essentially what autoimmune means is that your body is recognizing something within it as a “foreign object” or something that is not supposed to be there (even though it is normal) so your immune system kicks in to fight off this “foreign invader” and your body begins attacking itself.

[Hidden in reply to NoMonkeyBusiness]

Thank you! I I'm looking forward to seeing the rheumatologist in asking some questions and figuring out what is going on.

[Mary-intussuception]

What tests did you have and what one was positive?

Autoimmune Thyroiditis (known as Hashimoto's ) causes Underactive Thyroid which has symptoms including Anxiety, Depression, Fearfulness and many others.

Look on the Thyroid UK website and search for the symptoms on there.

Also read through some posts on the Thyroid forum on here.

I have Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroiditis and Hypothyroidism.

Ask for the following blood tests:

TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies )

TgAb (Thyroglobulin Antibodies )

FreeT3

FreeT4

Total T4

TSH

Also ask for some nutrients levels to be tested especially :

Vitamin D

Calcium

Phosphorus

Vitamins B12 & B9 (Folate )

and Ferritin