Hypo. Anxiety?

[Ukclare86]

I have just been diagnosed with subclinical Hypothyroidism. (If this is mild then the full on would kill me!) Due to ongoing changes with my surgeries appointment system, the best I could get to discus my blood results was a phone consultation with a Doctor I don't know. So I wrote out all my symptoms in a letter to him. Firstly I felt like a child being talked to by the headmaster! Horrible experience. But he straight out told me that my anxiety can not be related to hypothyroidism. But I feel like I know it is! And I've read that other people have anxiety with being hypo. Am I actually going mad? Does anyone else suffer from anxiety with it? I'm being started on a low dose of Thyroxine so at least I'm getting somewhere... Thank you.

[Marz]

Welcome ! Pleased you have been at least prescribed T4 - is it 50mcg ? Do ensure you are re-tested in 6 weeks and your dose adjusted/increased.

Do ask for copies of your test results with ranges so you can post here with more information. So you will need the TSH - FT4 - FT3 tested along with the thyroid anti-bodies - Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg. Do you have any results you can post ?

Also have the following tested - FERRITIN - FOLATE - B12 - VITD. They all need to be optimal in their ranges for the Levo/T4 to work well and for you to feel well.

Anxiety can be linked to low thyroid along with low iron and B12. Are you taking any other medications ?

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

The second link takes you to the main website of Thyroid UK. Scroll down for ALL the signs and symptoms of being Hypo - and yes anxiety is there. The first link takes you to the Private Testing page - should your GP prove tricky with the correct testing

Stick with this forum and learn as much as you can about the condition for yourself - and monitor your OWN progress ....

[Ukclare86 in reply to Marz]

Honestly, I don't even know! He just spouted off a load of information about the thyroid gland and where it is. (As if I haven't spent the last 2 weeks looking it all up!) Then he said some of my symptoms were from my thyroid but others like my anxiety weren't related. He said my my lab results are subclinical and my antibodies were raised. So he would start me on a low dose. That is all I know! No numbers. I hardly got a word in to be honest. I am taking medication for anxiety and depression. (It isn't helping!) But I now feel like it could have all been related to my thyroid anyway.

[Marz in reply to Ukclare86]

You are legally entitled to have copies of ALL your test results - so ask your surgery for them. You need to monitor your progress.

kellybroganmd.com/7-facts-a...

Your IBS is as the name suggests a syndrome - a collection of symptoms. Again the thyroid could be involved as I am guessing that your FT3 will be LOW. I have Hashimotos and Crohns. Going gluten free will help to heal the gut.

[Hidden in reply to Marz]

But test for celiac before u go g free.

[Marz in reply to Hidden]

I have never been tested for Coeliac - but went GF over 3 years ago - and now the anti-bodies have reduced. You can be gluten sensitive without being a Coeliac ....

[Hidden in reply to Marz]

That's true, but the problem is if u go gluten free before a celiac test and you find you do react to gluten, it's unlikely that you'll want to back on gluten and endure the symptoms in order to find out if you're celiac. Really it's helpful to know if you have two autoimmune diseases, and also if you are celiac close relatives should be tested. I am g free too.

[Marz in reply to Hidden]

The test is one of those that is not conclusive - I have read - and there are false negatives. The Cyrex Array from the US is now done by Regenerus Labs in the UK and far more things are tested.

[Hidden in reply to Marz]

There can be false negatives, and if you keep eating gluten you can also develop celiac years later, but it is still pretty reliable, in the 90s, and cheap and widely available.

Cyrex Array sounds good.

[Clutter]

Welcome to the forum, UKClare86.

Your GP probably knows so little about hypothyroidism s/he probably thinks that weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and feeling cold are the only symptoms. You're not going mad, check out the emotional and mental symptoms listed in the link below:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

For maximum absorption Levothyroxine should be taken with water 1 hour before or 2 hours after food and drink, 2 hours away from other medication and supplements, and 4 hours away from calcium, iron, vitamin D supplements and oestrogen.

It takes 7-10 days for Levothyroxine to be absorbed before it starts working and it will take up to six weeks to feel the full impact of the dose.

You should have a follow up thyroid test 6-8 weeks after starting Levothyroxine. Arrange an early morning and fasting (water only) blood draw when TSH is highest, and take Levothyroxine after your blood draw.

Most people will find symptoms resolve after their TSH drops to around 1.0 with FT4 in the upper range but symptoms can lag a couple of months behind good biochemistry.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

[butterfly1408]

You are not going mad. Dr's generally don't recognise anxiety as a hypo symptom but I was diagnosed hypothyroid after I started suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks. My GP thought I might be hyper which is why he ran thyroid tests but it turned out I was severely hypo - My TSH was over 80! I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis and I still get anxiety when my thyroid flares up but its nowhere near as awful as it was when I was first diagnosed. It takes time but it will get better xx

[Ukclare86]

Thank you so much for your replies!

Even though he is putting me on the medication I still just cried when the phone call ended because it's just so frustrating! This community is amazing and I can already tell that any questions I have are in safe hands here. Xx

[humanbean]

Doctors are (allegedly) given about an hour's training on the subject of the thyroid. They are amazingly ignorant on the subject. The mistakes they make and the nonsense they come out with can make my jaw drop. I imagine most doctors have no idea what thyroid hormone actually does.

The symptoms that doctors are told are representative of hypothyroidism are listed on this page :

cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroid...

As you'll see it doesn't mention anxiety.

The symptom lists created with patient input are far longer :

hypothyroidmom.com/300-hypo...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/l...

It is possible to get better. You might be lucky and get better with the NHS supplied levothyroxine and blood testing. Fingers crossed.

If you don't then there are other options available to you, but you only have to cross that bridge if you come to it.

Good luck.

[Ukclare86]

Plus I suddenly developed IBS around 4 years ago. I still have no idea why. I wonder if my thyroid could have been playing up for years? But then my results would be more advanced by now?

[humanbean in reply to Ukclare86]

Not necessarily. The most common cause of hypothyroidism in the UK is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (aka autoimmune thyroid disease). It is progressive and people generally get more and more hypo, possibly over the course of years.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashi...

To be diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease (the name UK doctors prefer) you have to have tests for thyroid antibodies :

labtestsonline.org.uk/under...

The NHS usually only tests for TPO Antibodies - if they test at all. So it can be difficult to get this diagnosis.

But not everyone has autoimmune hypothyroidism. There are other causes of hypothyroidism which don't show up well in blood testing. I was told my thyroid was "borderline" - whatever that meant - back in 1990. I didn't get my first prescription for levothyroxine until 2013. I've had tests for thyroid antibodies several times but they have never come back positive.

Levothyroxine didn't hit the spot for me so I treat myself.

[Marz in reply to Ukclare86]

Ukclare86 - there are lots of receptors in the cells of the gut for T3 - the Active Thyroid Hormone. When levels of this hormone are LOW - then things begin to go wrong.

[Ukclare86]

You all have no idea how much you are helping me. The phone conversation was this morning and I'm so happy l found my way onto this message board. I didn't even know what a thyroid was a month ago! I can't believe the misinformation that some Doctors give out as facts. The only real way to find answers is to talk to people who are living with this everyday. Again, thank you. X

[Butterfly65]

Having read these comments I think it would be a good idea if everyone who suffered from thyroid related disorders & have been diagnosed write letters to their Gp practises briefly stating all of the symptoms they've experienced & how their medication has improved or eliminated them.

We all know most GPS haven't had enough training in Thyroid matters & this could most certainly help many others who's symptoms are being ignored & are unable to get a diagnosis.

[greygoose in reply to Butterfly65]

But the problem is that they still thing they know it all! No matter how little training they've had, they are the doctors and what they say goes. We, lesser mortals, know nothing. They don't want to be educated, for the most part. The majority of doctors would just dismiss such action our of hand. I know the ones I've seen would, and god knows I've tried to educate them!