Suffering from fake Bipolar for years

[Livingthedream0215]

I came to this forum looking for information for my best friend (yes really). Over the 4 years I have known her, she has spent more time suffering with anxiety, depression, and paranoid thoughts than happy times.

Does anyone have suggestions of an NHS consultant who could help stabalise her thyroid treatment?

Are there anymore people out there suffering unnecessarily because of poor regulation of thyroid replacement?

[Pastille]

Hi, and yes there are, all the thousands that look for help and log in here, just have a read. Your friend does sound under medicated. Do you have any recent blood test results because there are some people who can really help here but only with blood test results to see what's going on. Even if her doctor has said she's okay or normal, still get the actual figures of the results, because they often say that when it isn't the case. Good luck, hope you can help her, paranoid depression is awful as well as all the other symptoms

[Livingthedream0215 in reply to Pastille]

Thank you. I will try and get her on here with blood results.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Livingthedream0215]

There are many clinical symptoms of hypothyroidism and I'll give you a link. Your friend should tick off the ones she has.

She needs an up-to-date blood test which should be the very earliest possible, fasting (she can drink water).

She should take no thyroid hormones (about a 24 hours gap) before the test and take them afterwards.

Get a print-out of the results with the ranges from the surgery. We are entitled by law. Post on a new question for comments.

She should ask GP to test TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. B12, vit D, iron, ferritin and folate (we are usually deficient).

Does she take levothyroxine either first thing on an empty stomach with one full glass of water. Or a bedtime dose. In that case she should last have eaten about 2 to 3 hours previously as food interferes with the uptake of hormones.

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

The ideal for us thyroid patients is a TSH of around 1 or lower. Unfortunately doctors think that anywhere in the range is 'fine' (which may be up to 5) and will not increase dose. The result is that we cannot be relieved of clinical symptoms and we are then given other 'prescriiptions' for the symptom rather than an optimum dose of thyroid hormones.

[Anthea55]

You may find this link interesting

wddty.com/magazine/2016/jun...