Hi I joined HU yesterday and have first signed up to the depression and anxiety forums. I am 29 years old and I have come here because I was diagnosed hypothyroid 5 years ago and around about the same time I was diagnosed with clinical depression and iron deficiency and B vitamin deficiency. My GP gave me an antidepressant called Zoloft and sent me away. I do have some physical symptoms as well like constipation and feeling cold and looking washed out all the time but the doctors have put me back onto an antidepressant called Fluoxetine because I suffered from such bad tiredness and dizziness and brain fog that I couldn't concentrate and it cost me my job. My thyroid consultant at the hospital wasn't increasing my thyroid medication dose as per her recommendations and she said any physical symptoms were not to do with thyroid. When I was last at the doctor she insisted my problems were all in my head and so she referred me to Positive Steps. If I have come to the wrong place I apologise. If there is anything further I need to add please let me know. For thyroid I take 125mcg Levothyroxine and 10mcg Liothyronine. Thanks for reading and comments.
TSH 4.31 (0.2 - 4.2)
FREE T4 15.2 (12 - 22)
FREE T3 3.7 (3.1 - 6.8)
THYROID PEROXIDASE ABS. 295 (<34)
THYROGLOBULIN ABS. 377.3 (<115)
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Pinkprincess2
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Pinkprincess2 Oh jeez, what donkeys you appear to have for doctors!
I would bet that your 'depression' diagnosed 5 years ago was due to your Hypothyroidism and your B12 and iron deficiency and I would bet that if your Hypothyroidism had been treated properly from the start you would not have needed antidepressants then or now.
Your problems are not in your head. In fact, with those results you are very under medicated. The aim of a treated hypo patient is generally for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it is needed for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges *when on Levo*. Add T3 into the mix and TSH and FT4 will generally lower and FT3 should be at the upper end of it's range if that is where you feel well.
Your TSH is over range - I don't understand why your doctor isn't aiming to get that into range, preferably at the lower end, but of course she may not know what she is doing and doesn't know how to treat Hypothyroidism, which a lot of them don't.
And for someone taking T3, your FT3 is ridiculously low, it should be over 5 even over 6, wherever is right for you to feel well.
FT4 isn't really relevant when taking T3.
There are two ways of dealing with your meds.
1) Increase your Levo which will increase your FT4 and if it's converting well enough your FT3 should increase as well. Your TSH should reduce.
2) Increase your T3 which will increase your FT3 and your TSH should reduce.
Also, your antibodies are high which means that you are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's. This is where antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it. Hashi's isn't treated, it's the resulting hypothyroidism that is. Antibodies fluctuate and cause symptoms and test results to fluctuate as well.
To help reduce antibodies you can adopt a strict gluten free diet which has helped many members enormously. Gluten contains gliadin which is a protein thought to trigger antibody attacks.
If you haven't been, I would hang fire on Positive Steps at the moment, it's doubtful that you will need to go. What you need is to get your thyroid optimally treated, also your nutrients. Do you have current results for the following
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
If so, please post results, with reference ranges and any supplements you are taking, for comment. If not, please get them tested.
If you are currently on antidepressants then optimising your thyroid meds and vitamins and minerals should hopefully mean that you can eventually come off them.
Please come back with any questions, members are always willing to help.
Thank you SeasideSusie for your comments. When I was diagnosed with clinical depression the first time I had an over range TSH and the doctor told me the results were abnormal. She didn't ask me how I was feeling but I had problems swallowing at the time and that was the reason she gave me Zoloft and then sent me away. Doctors have been unwilling to raise my dose because of hyperthyroid symptoms I have been experiencing but I have experienced these for several years before diagnosis. Unfortunately the more Levo I take the more my Free T3 drops. I have all the vitamin and mineral results as well.
Pinkprincess2 The times you are experiencing hyper symptoms are probably linked to your Hashimoto's - as I mentioned symptoms will fluctuate so sometimes you will experience hypo symptoms, sometimes hyper, wax and wane is the nature of Hashi's.
If your FT3 drops every time you increase Levo, that would suggest that you should have T3 increased. Your balance of Levo/T3 is wrong. You are not going to improve with your FT3 so low so it makes sense to increase your T3.
However, because of your nutritional deficiencies you've mentioned in your other thread, those have to be addressed and optimal levels reached for any thyroid hormone to work.
Plus, you need a new endo, the one you have doesn't know anything about thyroid disease. A new GP wouldn't go amiss either.
Before making a diagnosis of clinical depression your doctor should have first ruled out thyroid dysfunction or other organic illness. Your GP and endo appear to be clueless about thyroid levels. You are undermedicated to have TSH over range while on Levothyroxine and T3. Symptoms are NOT in your head.
The goal of Levothyroxine is to restore the patient to euthyroid status. For most patients that will be when TSH is 1.0 or lower with FT4 in the upper range. FT4 needs to be in the upper range in order that sufficient T3 is converted. Read Treatment Options in thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... Email louise.roberts@thyroiduk.org.uk if you would like a copy of the Pulse article to show your GP.
Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's). There is no cure for Hashimoto's which causes 90% of hypothyroidism. Treatment is for the low thyroid levels it causes. Many people have found that 100% gluten-free diet is helpful in reducing Hashi flares, symptoms and eventually antibodies.
Thanks Clutter. When I was diagnosed with clinical depression I had an over range TSH and the doctor said the results were abnormal but I was still given Zoloft.
I was diagnosed with clinical depression and iron deficiency and B vitamin deficiency
Were you actually treated for the iron and B vitamin deficiency? If you weren't, then that is negligent. An anti-depressant won't fix a nutrient deficiency!
That is absolutely shocking! I don't know if there is anything you can do about it after 5 years (in terms of making a complaint), but I don't know anything about how the complaints system in the NHS works.
However, if you were to get some up to date blood tests done and get the results and reference ranges there are quite a few people on the forum who can interpret results and give you pointers on what to supplement, what dose to take, and when to re-test.
The useful links I can give are to info on private testing :
Blue Horizon offers microtainer (finger prick) testing and vacutainer (sample from a vein in the arm) testing. If you go for vacutainer you will need someone to take blood for you which will cost extra money unless you have a friend who could do it for you.
The results are in another post. I tried to complain to the first practice that was responsible for the negligence and the salaried GP wrote back to me saying "I do not know to which this refers." I left a negative comment on the NHS feedback regarding another practice that wrote no action required against the below range ferritin and they have asked me to get in contact with them about that one to clear up why it had been missed.
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I would consider changing your GP and endo.
T3 for depression 
GPs at my practice very reluctant to prescribe thyroxine and very unsympathetic!
private consult 
Confused with blood results 
New to forum
