Hypo after being prescribed Quetiapine. Update for Quetiapine users.

[nezzykins]

Hi everyone. I joined the forum a couple of months ago after being referred by Gp to psychiatrist due to mood swings. Was taking A/Ds at that time. I am hypothyroid after RAI 6 yrs ago due to Graves. I was coming into my last tremester of a pg diploma when I had the RAI. Went into thyroid storm a couple of weeks later so had no option to leave the course and finish it 1 yr later. So, went to psychiatrist in October 2003 to ask for a different A/D as my libido was nil. I had entered into a relationship and wanted to feel whole again for both our sakes. I came out from psychiatrist with a diagnosis of Ciclathemia and was prescribed Quetiapine- 50mg morning and same at night, with a view to increase them to 200mg daily.Was getting along with them, until waking up one morning and BOOM!!! Pulse 46, bp 110/170, basal temp 35.5. Shaking with cold, suicidal thoughts, eye pain and many other hypo symptoms. Eventually went back to see psychiatrist ( another story being slipped through the net and din't get a follow up for 6 months until Gp stepped in). I stopped the Quetiapine as my gutt feeling was that they had caused my severe hypo state. I researched these drugs, asked pharmacists and Gps, told psychiatrist what had happened. No- one knew or had heard about this happening before! I reported it to the British National Formulary via the yellow card scheme, with a lengthy and accurate letter of how they had affected me and that I was a Graves pt. I also made sure that I told the psychiatrist this, and that I had suffered agranulocytosis from carbimazole.If anyone on the forum gets prescribed these drugs, take care and have your Gp monitor your thyroid levels closely. The BNF have now reported hypothyroidism as one of the side effects of this drug!! ( as now stated on BNF website). Was Sooo ill and too cold to even attempt going to GP for 2 weeks. I upped my dose to 100mcgms as it was obvoius to me by then, what had happened. I have written this post as we all know that anxiety and depression is one of the main symptoms that comes hand in hand with thyroid problems, and I would not wish for any of you to go through the same thing as I did. Just a precautionary post. Lynne x

[shaws Administrator]

Thanks for posting.

I am sorry you became uwell due to your medication which was supposed to help you but you became worse.

I think that many medical personnel prescribe anti-d's instead of checking the level of liothyronine when depression occurs. They may not check the whole levels of thyroid gland hormones as when the TSH is 'within range' the labs may not check T4 and T3 levels. Many people may have undiagnosed thyroid gland deficiencies initially.

I hope you are feeling better now.

[nezzykins in reply to shaws]

Thanks for you reply shaws. My levels were fine at the time of my visit to him. I did not go to him Due to depression. I was fine on FLuoxetine apart from one thing and that was no libido, was in a new relationship. So i was not depressed and was feeling well both physically and emotionally in the first place. I strongly agree with you that thyroid disease can be misdiagnosed for primary depression and in my view this awful disease should be checked out first as you mentioned. Unfortunately, this health authority only uses TSH anyway, so many missed cases of thyroid disorders can, and do get to see psychiatrists before testing and then to be given unnecessary drugs, then more drugs for the side effects of the first one and before we know it, a cocktail of unnecessary drugs, due to misdisgnosis. OMG. It's so worrying to see this going on and on. And the big Pharma's are rubbing their hands! ( In my view, it 's like pulling a weed flower out of the ground but leaving the root there and the flower keeps regrowing. Sorry for the rant, but im still pretty angry at what I went through unneccesarily. I am getting better, but it's been a very very slow process this time. I've been too low before, but with a tweak, iv'e returned quite quickly, but these Mamma's ( quetiapine) were the limit. Lynne x