Anxiety

[Tanyaking]

Does anyone suffer with bouts of severe anxiety before you are optimal on thyroid medication? What do you do to help it? It's so uncomfortable and scary.x

[Hidden]

I have it no matter what - ie whether on optimal meds or not. It is crippling

[Elh1965]

Yes I get bouts of it. It's terrible. I'm going through it again at the moment. I've been on block and replace for 7 months.

[Tanyaking]

What do you take to help it?

[Elh1965]

I just put up with it and get on everyone's nerves! If anyone has a miracle cure that would be great!

[puncturedbicycle]

I used to find that a hard swim would help a lot, and if I couldn't get to the pool I'd go to the park and run for a bit. if you have a session of vigorous exercise it really helps work out the adrenaline. Anything you can do where your muscles are spent and shaking a bit is good.

I am agoraphobic and my general anxiety would get so bad that it would overbalance my agoraphobic anxiety and I would manage to shoehorn myself out the door! Now my anxiety isn't as bad but my agoraphobia is worse. Swings and roundabouts.

[Hidden]

i use oxazepam i get on private script

Exercise alone does not help anymore, mine is worse at present due to taking employer to tribunal

[Piedo]

Yes I have anxiety too tried many things listening to music, relaxation tapes, meditation, tapping , and when really bad diazepam

I am learning to accept that it is part of my life and I have to live with it ,it is really restricting.people who haven t suffered don t understand what it s like.

On the upside I have managed to hold down a good job no one at work knew of my problem. Now I m retired I still suffer good days and bad days.

I think most of all I find it restricts my life.

Good luck I hope you find a solution try and be positive and think the attacks will soon pass

Piedo

[Tanyaking]

Thank you all for sharing,it helps.....I can't excercise at all because I have severe M.E ,as well as no thyroid and trying to get optimised is a nightmare ...I was on 300 mg thyroxine and still had low bloods then went toxic and had to have psychiatric help,then I gradually upped erfa too five grains and the same happened,tried t3 and went mental,I'm scared list and feel ashamed...my hubby has left me and I understand why..xx

[JemBron]

Have you looked at herbal remedies....Rhodiola is one.

I use Rescue Remedy - along with EFT, QiGong, Mediation....you name it! To try and keep the anxiety low I am always trying to eliminate the triggers.... If it flares up I do find exercise/gardening helps to release it. If you can get on YouTube you can look at examples of different EFT and breathing techniques which might suit you.

Really difficult...so try not to feel ashamed! Always remember....you are not alone. Take care.

[Hidden]

When my anxiety was really bad I resorted to antidepressents. They're not very popular in the thyroid community because thyroxine should be the answer for all. Well, sometimes it's not. I was agoraphobic, socially phobic, anxious beyond words....debilitatingly so. It had the most catastrophic impact on my life.

IT IS possible to have thyroid issues AND anxiety problems and levelling off the thyroid doesn't always cure the anxiety.

When I went on to antidepressents they changed my life! Literally! I lead a good amd full life now. Right now I am not taking AD's but I would not hesitate in taking them again if I felt I needed them because 24hr a day anxiety can be a living hell amd life is too short to waste it.

Xx

[Clutter]

I'm with Joesmum on this. If your anxiety is crippling you don't need to suffer when anti-depressant/anti-anxiety meds may help ease it. If it is due to under medicated hypothyroidism then you can cut back on them when your thyroid meds are optimised. It's hard enough coping with the physical aspects hypothyroidism let alone the mental aspects of it and it is possible that your anxiety may not be related to hypothyroidism.

I'm bipolar since my teens and have been on ADs most of my life with long periods of remission in between. The onset of Hashi's caused a huge flare up episode but I'm off ADs and back in remission now that my thyroid meds are optimised. Even though meds are now optimised I can't handle stress at all but I'm hoping that will improve as I'm only just recovering after 2 years of Levothyroxine hell.

[Tanyaking]

My dr gave me a few diazepam but they didn't do anything ,she said I've just got to suck it up that I'm ill and get on with it .so I sold some of my late Nan's jewellery to get something to help from the internet but it didn't.i told my dr and she was furious,but I'm not coping I wake up with my teeth gritted and shaking with anxiety all day ,I feel so lost and lonely and ashamed

[Clutter in reply to Tanyaking]

I don't see anything to be ashamed about. It's illness, possibly connected to thyroid illness. I'd go back to your GP and say you need help. Suck it up and get on with it is not helpful. If necessary see another, hopefully more empathetic, GP at your surgery.

Can you post your thyroid function tests with lab reference ranges on a new question and how much Levothyroxine you're taking? If you're under or over medicated that can cause anxiety.

[Tanyaking]

Did you suffer anxiety then corneroos15

[Dramlouie]

I find the slightest thing can set me off, just had a slight pain in the back then a woosh of adrenaline and off I go. Probably having had a slight heart attack nearly a year ago doesn't help as anything to do with my chest is immediately deemed the start of another heart attack and then panic sets in. I am hypo on 25mcg levo but also taking the nutri adrenal extra, increased it to one today from half yesterday and on the nutri thyroid one. My blood tests come back with T4 12.5 (12-22 normal) and TSH of 5.17 (0.3-4.2 normal) but the doctor says its fine. Genova tests came back as very low on T3 and T4 in the red but the doctors don't do anything and won't increase it because of my heart attack, they think a small blood clot got caught in a small junction but different people give different diagnoses so I am a bundle of nerves worrying about 5 causes. I was stressed out before losing my Dad and my husband walked out on me leaving me with the kids and my elderly Mum. But I have tried to take it easier but I cannot take any stress as it makes me feel unwell. Anyway writing this has calmed me down a bit so thanks for listening.