Antidepressants.

Hi guys I thought I would let you know, I've been on antidepressants for on and off the whole 20 years that I've been hypo because my doctors told me I was depressed even though my complaint was fatigue, I rang them today and told them I've reduced my dose right down and to take them off my prescription and her reply was you can't do that ? And I replied yes I can and I have,i told her I've complained a million times about severe fatigue and you just throw antidepressants at me, it's a pity I couldn't get rid of the amitriptyline but they are for migraines but Thankyou very much guys I would have never have known if it wasn't for the forum.

[shaws Administrator]

Some people do need antidepressants but for 20 years is a bit long I think without getting to the root of the problem. If it has been caused by hypo an optimum of hormones should have eased the depression but I think you have to wean yourself off slowly but I'm not medically qualified.

If you've been taking them for 20 years it might be wise to gradually reduce.

If you can get a blood test for your thyroid hormones if you've not had a recent one, ask for TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 and Free T3. Your T3 might be low and you might need a little add, or more T4 to convert to T3.

Remember to get the eariest possible appointment and fast and leave about 24 hours between our last dose of hormones and the test and take them afterwards.

Get a print-out of the results with the ranges and post on a new question.

[linlow]

Well congratulations. Doesn't it just get right up your nose how they hand out prescriptions for anti-depressants rather than do their job an investigate properly!!

Migraine I used to get 4 or 5 or more migraines a week (long time ago now) and was at the end of my tether, with being drugged up to the eyeballs all the time, when someone told me about feverfew. I made up a preparation with the dried herb (steeping 1oz in ½pt boiled water over night, strained, bottled and stored in the fridge) and used that a spoonful at a time as soon as I felt an attack coming on and hourly for the duration of the attack (though I rarely had to take it more than once if I got in at the start) and within a year/18 months I had stopped having them - well maybe 1 or 2 a year. To start with I was making a new batch weekly but ended up throwing more out than I was using because I wasn't getting the attacks as regularly. Tastes absolutely ghastly so you need to disguise the flavour but by gum did it work

The tablets that were available then had to be taken daily in order to prevent attacks and were noted for causing mouth ulcers. You can grow it in the garden and eat feverfew sandwiches at the start of an attack but for the mouth ulcers again.

Turmeric is a fantastic herb that seems able to perform minor miracles. It, or its active ingredient curcumin, is noted as a good migraine treatment.

There are lots of herbs that can be used but these 2 are good for it.

Have you ever done an elimination diet to see if any foods are the trigger?

Have you looked at vitamin or mineral deficiency eg vitamin B2 or D or magnesium?

Magnesium deficiency could also lead to the chronic fatigue you are suffering.

[Hidden in reply to linlow]

Hi Linlow Thankyou for your reply I will certainly look into the herbs but my migraines are hormonal I've had them 34 years every single month and five days each time, the odd thing though is that I'm 52 this year and peri menopausal so I was hoping they would have stopped but hay ho maybe next year and as for the vits I've started them about 5 weeks ago, something else docs forgot to mention that I needed.

[linlow in reply to Hidden]

Brilliant aren't they!! Give you what you don't need, don't give you what you do. I know I went through the same myself but, because I have really bad reactions to prescribed meds I started down the natural road quite early (well mid twenties anyway). Check out the natural therapies in this link theperiodvitamin.com/menstr... It mentions ginger rather than turmeric but they come from the same family so have very similar properties. Feverfew gets a good recommendation again but there are a couple more good ones that I didn't suggest.

If you use fresh ginger or turmeric it can be stored in the freezer for next month and grated from frozen.

Sage is a good herb for peri/menopausal symptoms. Lemons are great too, especially if you can get organic and grate the peel/rind into lemon water or onto your food.

[Hidden in reply to linlow]

Thankyou Linlow a have wrote them down and I'm going to check out the link you sent me, I would give anything to not have to take the amitriptyline if my job wasn't so demanding I would just suffer but that's not an option, I've tried many different migraine drugs but have too many side effects I don't even take the recommended dose of 50mg I only take 20mg I will definitely try the herbs.

[Anthea55 in reply to Hidden]

This site for The Migraine Trust looks as if it may have some useful suggestions

migrainetrust.org/

[Hidden in reply to Anthea55]

Hi Anthea55 Thankyou so much for your help there is a migraine clinic not to far from me something else docs never bothered to tell me, I'm kind of embarrassed I've been walking round with my eyes closed all these years, I don't know who I'm more disappointed in myself or the docs, I will be asking for a referral tomorrow, once again THANKYOU.

[Justiina]

Support your adrenal glands while weaning off unless you are already doing that should help with withdrawal symptoms. In worst case HC could be beneficial.

[Hidden]

Hi Justina Thankyou for your reply, I have slowly come down from 150mg to 75mg now 50mg should I buy an adrenal support ?something else the docs never mentioned.

[Glynisrose]

Any anti-depressant will negate thyroxine.

[Hidden]

Thankyou for your reply Glynisrose,funny you should say that I remember around eight years ago I decided to take my meds pm instead of am and that's when I also took the anti depressants, the next day always around Eleven I would feel hypoglycaemic that went on for weeks docs didn't have a clue it wasn't till a old customer came in who used to be a surgeon years ago pointed it out to me,I want back to throid meds am and it stopped,wow I'm learning something new every single day on this forum Thankyou.

[Hidden]

Having been someone who stopped taking ADs twice, I ended up researching recently the effect of "discontinuation syndrome". Two things I would recommend to you :

1- make sure to read about the importance of a 10% tapering

2- make sure of having a clean diet and lots of supplements support especially as you are in peri menopause, which is a very challenging time in terms of your emotional being due to hormonal fluctuations.

I also was given ads because of depression and realize that my thyroid might have contributed to my depression and anxiety and it has been a rough ten years of living with the side effects of being on these mess but as well stopping them.

I am only sharing my experience but you might want to check the site : mad in America . I think I got the name right. Or read from survivingantidepressants.org/

Take care

[Hidden]

Hi Capucine 1 Thankyou for your message, I've had a read through the site you sent me and I will taper off like suggested I will stay on the 50mg for a while and mybe drop to 25 and stay on that for a few months I will see how I feel before dropping again and I'm going to Holland and barret to see about some adrenal support Thankyou.

[Howard39]

Hi sorry you have been suffering so long with the migraines.

My friend has been in the same position for a while now and was told she produces too much progesterone. ( turned out her doctor guessed) Thought it odd so asked my consultant who specialises in thyroid, adrenals etc, in passing the other day and her reply was " which numpty gave her medication without testing which hormones were not in balance".

So it can be your thyroid or progesterone and or the three levels of oestrogen are not in balance. Or all of them.

She suggested getting them tested eliminating gluten, sugar alcohol and fermented foods. You are right then adrenals and vitamins especially magnesium co q 10 and riboflavin.

Also some people are helped by fever few tryptophan and / or melatonin.

Some g ps give antidepressants for migraines but they are not licenced for them and are paid cash incentives for antidepressants and statins. My old doctor told me about three yrs ago and it was covered in the guardian last year.

Hope you manage to get to the bottom of the issue- good luck.

[Howard39]

Sorry forgot to say have you had your adrenals tested with a saliva test? That way you know if your cortisol or dhea is affected.

[Hidden]

Hi Really fed up 123 the migraines came before the hypo and they are hormonal I just thought they would of stopped by now, I won't take the recommended dose because the amitriptyline really scares me, Anthea55 sent me a thread and apparently I can ask to be referred to a migraine clinic something else I didn't know about, Thankyou for your reply.

[Hidden]

I'm in Liverpool,I've already waited for an endo appointment,4 months and still no date.

[Hidden]

Yes the NHS is a disgrace and so to the doctors as I have just found out,God to thing I put all my faith in them only to be given the very basic treatment.

[Hidden]

Oh I will have to up my Vit c as mine are only 500s, today I bought Coenzyme Q10 and vitamins E that's what holland and barrett said I needed I did want an adrenal aid but they don't sell them.

[Hidden]

Can I take NDT with thyroxin and T3?

[Hidden]

Ooh I didn't know about that I will have a read on that,I can't believe I have learnt about 6 different things from my post I'm so grateful for this forum, Thankyou so much I will go and have a look at NDT.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Only had a quick read but its definitely sounds like something I would be interested in, I'm doing OK on the T3 and Levo but I'm a bit dubious because I'm not sure of what I'm doing, I've got loads more energy and the brain fog is lifting but sometimes I get heart fluttering (which I only notice if I'm sitting still) and it frightens me a bit if you don't mind I would be grateful for the source Thankyou.

[kavidacat]

Amltryptilene almost turned me into a zombie too. I realised when I ran out one weekend and saw my GP and he told me not to take any more. I have been better ever since.

[Hidden]

Hi Reallyfedup123

I'm going to tell you something really funny, I have been reduced to a shelf stacker, after being a really successful store manager for 20 plus years but I don't blame the migraines I blame the brain fog, I was made redundant and started with a different company, I just couldn't remember all the training and I lost my confidence in a big way, I was made redundant from there so was out of work for a while, I had 15+ interviews of which I totally sucked at, so I lost my confidence even more and decided management wasn't for me anymore, so I ended up stacking shelves in a supermarket and in all honesty that's were the amitriptyline came into it i just couldn't do that job without something, but the good thing is I'm waiting to start a job in private hospital no management though I just haven't got the brain capacity for it anymore, and the worst thing about it that the doctors sympathised with me instead of helping me.

[Hidden]

That's an absolute shame about your granddaughter I'm so sorry to hear that, I know how bad that pain can be and it's an absolute struggle just to get through the day never mind having to study,I sincerely hope things work out for her.

[Hidden]

God that's really horrendous, I really hope they find a treatment for her and soon we need people like your granddaughter in this world.

[Hidden]

Well I'm the 20% range 34 years and counting, but as a kind member pointed out on a post there are migraine clinics around the country which I knew nothing about so I've asked to be referred, I thought it was real nice of the doctors not to mention them. I really do hope your granddaughter gets well soon.

[Hidden]

Mm interesting I will look into that but if my memory serves me ( which most of the time it doesn't) I mentioned that to them and they fobbed me off, something I've learnt recently they seem to do a lot.