PLEASE TELL ME YOUR EXPERIENCE AFTER ANTIDEPRESSANTS

[anuska]

I am going to see a new endo on saturday that is has been recommended. My idea is that she works in cinjunction with my psiquiatrist to allow me to go onto a thryroid medication which help my depresion and my muscle pain.

i was put on 100 of levo with dr s. but after giving up the citalopram in 6 months weaning off process i had to go back. he gave me 1/2 a grain of armour to add to levo and made it worse. i feel in 100 no improvement and i wonder if a less dosage of levo and a lottle t3 will be the answer to me.

i was wondering if anyone can give me some feedback on the transition from antidepressants to proper thryroid medication and if you can have t3 with antidressants and the experience weaning off then when you are on the correct treatment.

for full blood test and everything see my old posts. i have got every single blood test in the world. i have discover that my ratio fte /rt3 is low is only 8. could it be that i am having too much or is not converting becuase my ferritin is only 26.

i want to suplemted by i want something that does not constipate me as hate ferrous sulfate.

please give me feedback

[marram]

I have never taken anti-depressants myself, because I have always been certain that my depression was caused by bad thyroid treatment, but I do know that some people on this forum take them. You are taking citalopram, which is the one most of those on here are taking. I know that some people are taking Levothyroxone with antidepressants, but I am nor sure about T3.

There is some research that concluded that T3 makes some antidepressants more effective, but these are the tricyclic anti-depressants and not the SSRI which is what Citalopram is.

I cannot help you any more than this, but hope that someone who has experienced it will be able to help you.

Marie XXX

[PinkNinja]

I'm sorry your question didn't get an answer before. Perhaps people felt a little out of their depth and were not sure about how best to answer. I'm afraid I just missed it as I haven't been around much lately but Marie has brought it to our attention. Luckily I can share my experiences. I just hope it's not too late to be of use to you.

As Marie says, there is evidence to suggest that T3 (and to some extent levothyroxine) enhances the effects of tricyclic antidepressants but I also think that thyroid hormones can help with the depression itself. I read something yesterday that suggested that there was a strong correlation between bipolar patients and subclinical hypothyroidism. This leads me to believe that getting enough thyroid hormone is essential for good mental health.

In my own experience, I have suffered with severe mental health problems requiring hospitalisation. This all started in the years before I was diagnosed hypothyroid but I was experiencing symptoms of hypothyroidism long before I was diagnosed.

My psychiatrist at the time decided to try T3 in combination with my other treatments and, after a few months, I was totally "cured". I was able to lead a pretty normal life until they decided I didn't need the T3 any more because I was "cured". This saw me back in the mental health unit

A couple of years after this, I was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism and the doctor I saw was sensible enough to see that I had responded very well to T3, so that was what he prescribed. I was well for a few years, able to work full time and enjoy life, until it was decided by another doctor that I had to have levo like everyone else. Since then I have been struggling with depression until I found Thyroid UK. I followed the advice on here, started taking NDT and now I feel so much better. There is more tweaking to do but I no longer have to take ANY psychiatric meds at all! I am also working full-time, helping out on this forum when I can, teaching karate once a week and having fun with my kids. Previously I could barely get my kids to school without it feeling like climbing Everest.

This is my personal experience and the same won't be true for everyone.

As your ft3/rt3 ratio is so low, I really do feel that your T3 could be part of the problem. In this case you would probably be better with T3 than levothyroxine, at least for a while.

You may also want to check your cortisol levels. Please have a look on the internet regarding adrenal fatigue. You may find that you have low cortisol (symptom of adrenal fatigue) which could explain your low ft3 ratio and some of your symptoms. Be aware that regular NHS doctors don't believe in the existence of adrenal fatigue, but you should be fine with a good thyroid endo. In cases of adrenal fatigue, you would be better taking T3 than levo.

Regarding your ferritin level; it is very low and won't be helping! I also struggle with ferrous sulphate for the same reasons as you. I take spatone instead. You will need to start with more than one sachet a day in the beginning because your ferritin is so low but after the first few weeks you should be ok with one a day. Take it with fruit juice (not grape or grapefruit) and make sure you are also getting enough vitamin B2 (riboflavin) as that will help your body store the iron. You may find taking vitamin C before meals helps with your iron levels too, and it should also help with any adrenal fatigue.

I'm sorry if this is all a bit muddled. I'm not quite with-it this morning I hope I have been able to help at least a little bit.

Carolyn x

[PinkNinja in reply to PinkNinja]

By the way. I always had trouble coming off antidepressants until my thyroid was sorted out. Then it was as if I had never needed them

T3 is fine with Citalopram as far as I am aware. I certainly never had any trouble with that combination.

[PinkNinja]

Here is a link to a paper regarding bipolar disorder and hypothyroidism. I can't help feeling there is a similar link between depression and hypothyroidism. If I find a paper I will let you know.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...