Confused

[Jadedflower1944]

I'm very confused now. I posted on another site asking about experiences with anti depressants. I have now been told I shouldn't be taking them with under active thyroid

Why would the dr prescribe them then.

[humanbean]

Which anti-depressant are you taking?

[Jadedflower1944 in reply to humanbean]

Fluoxitine

[humanbean in reply to Jadedflower1944]

drugs.com/interactions-chec...

Edit : My link doesn't work If you go to drugs.com and find out the interactions between fluoxetine and levothyroxine, then look at the Professional section of the site, you find out the following :

Interactions between your selected drugs

Minor

fluoxetine levothyroxine

Applies to: fluoxetine, levothyroxine

Case reports suggest that thyroid hormone supplementation may enhance the therapeutic effects of fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression. The mechanism is unknown.

References

Agid O, Shalev AY, Lerer B "Triiodothyronine augmentation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in posttraumatic stress disorder." J Clin Psychiatry 62 (2001): 169-73

Gupta S, Masand P, Tanquary JF "Thyroid hormone supplementation of fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression." Br J Psychiatry 159 (1991): 866-7

There isn't a strong interaction between them, according to that link.

I don't know why you were told not to take them. But if I was guessing I would say it was because depression is a very, very common symptom of hypothyroidism. If you get your thyroid treated correctly and adequately, and fix any vitamin and mineral deficiencies you have, deal with any adrenal problems (if you have any) and get your gut working as well as possible, then you may not need the fluoxetine (otherwise known as Prozac by the way) because your depression will go away.

SSRIs like fluoxetine are addictive, have unpleasant side effects for some people, and can be difficult to get off of. Other people think that they save their lives, are absolute wonder drugs, and are the best thing ever.

The choice is yours.

[Jadedflower1944 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for your quick reply

[Clutter]

Jadedflower, it's not uncommon to be offered anti-depressants in lieu of a decent dose of Levothyroxine. If your depression is due to low thyroid hormone it will improve when your thyroid levels improve. Otherwise anti-depressants may help. There's no reason I'm aware of for hypothyroid patients not to take anti-depressants.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[Jadedflower1944]

Thank you that has put my mind at rest. Just need the fluoxetine to kick in then I will be happy

[Glynisrose]

Because a) doctors are paid to prescribe anti-depressants and b) they NEVER even try to see if anything they prescribe clashes with anything else.

[mcooper]

Hello I've just seen my doctor this week only on 50mcg levo and he has prescribe Prozac to help with the aches and pains that are not going, I'm not depressed, but am fed up with the lingering symptoms. I asked the pharmacist if its unusual to be prescribed Prozac for underactive thyroid issues and he said no, lots of patients are on it . Worth a try, not started yet but I believe the side affects can be bad, but pharmacist says its a brilliant drug ! Good luck.

[humanbean in reply to mcooper]

If you are still getting aches and pains on 50mcg levo, I would suggest your problem is too little levothyroxine to adequately treat your hypothyroidism, or you are low in minerals and vitamins.

50mcg is an incredibly low dose of levo for someone with overt hypothyroidism. Have you ever asked for copies of your blood tests? If you haven't please start doing so every time you get tested, and start keeping a history of symptoms so that you know how you feel on different levels of meds. Once you get copies type your results into a new post and ask for advice.

Low minerals and vitamins are very common with people who are hypothyroid. Ask your doctor to test your ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D and folate. Being deficient in any of those reduces the effectiveness of any thyroid medication and causes all sorts of problems and symptoms. Again, ask for copies of the results and post them in a new post on here for advice, preferably with your thyroid results.

I doubt very much that you have a Prozac deficiency.

[Jadedflower1944 in reply to humanbean]

What do you mean by a Prozac deficiency ?

[humanbean in reply to Jadedflower1944]

I was being rather saracastic, sorry. There is no such thing as a Prozac deficiency but doctors are happy to prescribe it anyway. However, there is such a thing as having nutrient deficiencies and low thyroid hormones and doctors don't like treating those at all.

If people were properly treated for thyroid problems and nutrient deficiencies far fewer people are likely to need an anti-depressant (in my opinion). But prescribing thyroid meds and vitamins doesn't earn the doctor any extra money, whereas prescribing anti-depressants does.

[mcooper in reply to humanbean]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, yes am still full of aching joints, I have been taking vitamin b12,nutri thyroid, thyro complex, selenium,magnesium, vitamin d, folate. nothing seems to be improving /reducing the aches and pains. I can cope with them am just worried whats causing them and how will I cope if they continue to get worse. I don't think Prozac is the answer to be honest, am not depressed , I know what feels like, am just fed up with not firing on all cylinders . will get my next set of results and post on here as you advise. thank you for your time

[Jadedflower1944]

Thanks for that. Only on fourth day ,had a terrible anxiety filled two days but I was having them anyway. So I don't know if it's due to the fluoxetine or not. I will keep taking them .I am only on 75 mcg thyroxine till next blood test

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Jadedflower1944]

They can exacerbate anxiety, so that is not an atypical side effect. That should get better as time goes on but if not you can ask for something else. There are lots of SSRIs, this is not the only one.

There is resistance here to taking ADs because many doctors resort to using them instead of treating your thyroid properly (hypothyroidism can cause depression and anxiety) so obviously they aren't a substitute for adequate/optimal treatment. If you feel they might be helpful in addition to good thyroid treatment then by all means give them a go, but if you're not on the right dose of thyroid meds you might want to pursue that instead. Personally I don't think most GPs are very good at prescribing them and don't really know much about side effects or effectiveness. If anyone is going to prescribe them I'd prefer a psychiatrist to do it, and while they're at it they can assess you for whether you need SSRIs or if you are just unhappy because you're physically unwell, in which case your GP should do better.

I see somewhere above someone has commented that SSRIs are addictive, which, with respect, I do not believe to be true (with the proviso that anything can in theory be addictive). It is not confirmed by research or (from a more personal perspective) by my own experience taking them. Some people have trouble with withdrawal symptoms but this doesn't necessarily indicate addiction.

[Jadedflower1944 in reply to puncturedbicycle]

I was on 50 thyroxine then after 6 weeks up to 75. Next blood test in 3months according to dr. That was 8 weeks ago and certainly don't feel any better. So I assume I'm still under medicated .First dr gave me Diazapam for a week which was useless for such a short time. Second dr gave me fluoxetine last week and said they are not addictive. What she didn't say was how long they take to work. I stupidly went home happy thinking great I will feel better straight away. Now I'm angry cos I think I should have been told

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Jadedflower1944]

Yes, they can take six weeks, but some people notice a difference straight away. You've been on them long enough without improvement (it can take up to 12 weeks to get the full effect but if you see no improvement yet I doubt another month will bear fruit). They should change your meds to something with a better side effect profile and/or refer you to a psychiatrist. And after all if they're treating you for anxiety as well as giving you a medicine that can cause, er, anxiety, maybe they're not really on top of it. (And benzos ARE actually addictive unlike SSRIs.) Sertraline or paroxetine might be better for you but a psych referral should be made.

[Jadedflower1944]

I understand what your saying. Dr refused to bring blood test foreward because thyroxine takes a long time to get in your blood stream. She suggested that the anxiety might be from something else but I never had it before in my life and started just before I was diagnosed with under active.

[Ruthi]

Prozac made me SOOO ill, its not true! And it may or may not kick in for you.

Jadeflower, its up to you, but you really should ensure that you have adequate thyroid hormone. Its well known that Prozac is a bit of an upper, and when it first hit the market more than 20 years ago, perfectly normal healthy people were popping it to help them perform better at stressful jobs. So yes, it may well make you feel better if the side effects don't hit you too hard, but it won't be much of a cure.

Whereas if you are inadequately treated for an underactive thyroid, you will, in time, gain horrible levels of weight (with the attendant risks of metabolic syndrome), mangle your adrenals, and generally ruin your health.

First step, if no-one else has said it yet, is to ask your surgery for a printout of your test results and post them here (with the ranges which are usually in brackets) and the knowlegeable folks here will tell you if you need more thyroid.

[Jadedflower1944]

I understand it's not a cure and hope I'm not going to be on them for a long time.

At the moment I just want relief from anxiety, saying that I do seem to be more shaky yesterday and today so perhaps they aren't for me. Or as I have read you feel worse before you feel better. That's crazy

I have another blood rest in 4weeks so will ask for print out

Dr wouldn't bring it forward as she said it takes long time for thyroxine to enter blood stream

[Stourie in reply to Jadedflower1944]

It only takes 6 weeks for thyroxine to enter the blood.

Jo xx

[Doodie2]

My thyroid levels were normal until I took anti depressants for 3 years . My niece had been on anti depressants for one year and has just started getting thyroid Inbalances.. The same is true of one of my daughters friend anti depressants for 18 months now a thyroid trouble .. So be careful you are getting treated for the right complaint ..