Been taking all different antidepressants over the last 18 months to which I hate taking, all i wanted was bereavement counseling, but was on a 9 month waiting list, in the mean time but me on AD's, which put me further down hill, but then you get to a point of no return, more recently I have been in hospital, they put me on Venlafaxine 37.5mg, they want me to go Higher, but I am not going to, been on them almost 4 weeks now, not feeling good, i take 75mico thyroxine, they say my thyroid is normal. I have lost my appetite not sleeping, now taking a sleeping pill, which scares me. 18 months ago i was 1.5 stones heavier ate okay and slept okay. Before i went on the Venlafaxine paid for the biggest test in Manchester UK, but then I had a bad turn, and I went in Hospital, but now I am on tablets i am not sure whether the test would come out right, it might hide the fact there was a problem, the test is good for a year, so maybe i should wait. In the meantime can I take amino acids instead of the sleeping tablets with Venlafaxine. does anyone know? ..... Many thanks Hilary
Antidepressants Thyroid with Amino acids - Thyroid UK
Antidepressants Thyroid with Amino acids
HilaryBarnett11,
It would be a good idea to check TSH, FT4 and FT3 to check 75mcg is an optimal dose. Being under medicated will cause low mood.
I'm afraid I don't know whether amino acids can be taken with Venlafaxine. Check the patient information leaflet or Google "Amino acids+Venlafaxine".
Depression is a SYMPTOM of hypothyroid not a seperate thing.
Hilary, I forgot to ask, read some of your older posts, and you had written you were on thyroid meds for 21 years, did you feel o.k. during that time before you started the AD's? Also was wondering if your TSH, FT3, andFT4 were about the same then as they are now? Also was going to tell you that I was successfull in being off the Parnate for 2 months, and was beginning to feel better, and for some dumb reason went on it again. From everything I've read on posts about AD withdrawal, it can take a LONG time, months even, but it can be done. I think it's particularly hard when you throw thyroid problems into the mix. Colleen
Thanks Coleen.... Yes I felt okay for 21 years, at times i could suffer a little anxiety, but it mostly was if my thyroid was working properly, but never took AD's till 17 months ago, after I got late bereavement, my husband passed 4 years ago, and i was okay for 2.5 years, then it hit me, I wish then i would have paid for counseling then instead of taking a cocktail of antidepressants over time, and experiencing withdrawals all the time, now i know I have to master this one, cos no more AD's, i have had enough, I will then have to reduce on Diazepam, but i don't think there as bad to come off, as before i started taking thyroxine in 1996, they had me on Diazepam most of my life, and really it was my thyroide. Every doctor I saw then thought I had a thyroid problem, right from the age of 16, but put me on diazepam instead, hiding the fact I had a problem, till in the end i came off them in 1992 and in 1995 was falling off my feet, I was working 2 jobs at the time, so that took my mind off, first of all they thought I had MS, it was Diana Holmes ( she runs the Thyroid Uk now) said I don't think you have MS I think you have long term untreated thyroid, but the minuet I took thyroid I felt good and started walking properly and never took anything, so I know it is the AD's that have brought me down, but now it is hard to get back up again, especially when your on your own.. My FT3 and FT4 are at the very low part of normal, so too is my ferritin and vitamin B, my ferritin is halve of what it was 11 months ago, and my FT3 and 4 are lower, but again in the very low part of normal.... At the moment I think I have double whammy, withdrawal and thyroid, but since I have been taking folic acid, my depression has gone worse, but they say there is no side effects. I am not sure anymore, had a fit of crying again today. I am so frustrated.... Hilary x
What you need is a proper thyroid function test. If you can afford it you can get a private one and we have two recommended labs.
However, maybe your GP will do it for you. If so you need TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. Vitamin B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.
Blood tests for thyroid hormones should always be at the very earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and you must leave 24 hours between last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards.
We do not want any number 'within normal range' we want 'optimal' numbers particularly Free T4 and Free T3 which should be in the upper part of the range, not middle nor below. TSH should be around 1 or below.
Some labs will only do TSH and T4 (hopefully they will do all of yours) and if they are in range you will be told you are on sufficient.
Levothyroxine is an inactive hormone, it has to convert to T3, so we need sufficient levo to do so and a TSH of 1 or lower.
I believe Diana Holmes has retired. It is Lyn Mynott who runs Thyroiduk.org.uk along with her Assistant, Louise Roberts. I do know Diana worked for a while with Dr Skinner with none of the professionals listening to either.
Hi Shaw
don't feel at all well, I have lost over 2 stone weight over this last year, and I myself think its all the antidepressants they have had me on... It all started when I had a knee op I took Tramadol, to which I didn't know they were a strong pain killer, stopped them suddenly, and this gave me anxiety, so the GP put me on the first antidepressant Sertraline, I felt like I was going crazy, only on that one 2 weeks, then Mirtazapine 7.5 weeks slept and at, and cried all the time withdrew off them and went 6 weeks without felt really bad then Fluoxetine 10.5 weeks, lost weight and was still shaking badly then back on Mirtazepine , then Venlafaxine, then back on Fluoxetine. In the meantime they put me on Diazepam for all the side effects.... Been off the Fluoxtine about 7 weeks now..... I think all these AD's have affected my thyroid....... 2 years ago before I took the Tramodol for the knee op I was just sad over late bereavement and just wanted counselling, was normal weight could still smile and was getting on with things, now I am skinny, no energy muscal weakness can't think straight, adgitated, feel I am in a dream world, don't feel well at all very frightened, this was never me, been medically tested and paid 600 pounds for a blood test earlier this year, which came out normal, apart from needing a viteamin tablet can't remember which one at the moment, as my memory seems to be effected, hense the bad spelling, as I say still on 3ml Diazepam, to which I think might still be effecting my thyroid, just want to get back to the person I was 2 years ago,,,, I also have the runs a few times a day, but I am eating better now I am off the Fluoxetine, but still not sleeping very well... I am very anxious and very down... I think the on and off of AD's has made me this way, never again I am listening to me now, although it's very hard..... Can you make anything out of all this.... I do hope you can ... Many thanks Hilary x
Oh I forgot to tell you I now suffer with Bad OCD in the last 6 months Had CBT but not helped.... Could this be due to my Thyroide, as I have read with Thyroide issues, you can also over think, which I am doing, Do hope you can help in some ways..... So sorry for being a Pain, but so very desperate.... Hilary x
Hilary I am so very sorry you've suffered so much. How can this be that doctors cannot see beyond symptoms. In fact they know none of them and only look at a blood test.
I am not medically qualified but I think some doctors, to keep the patient quiet prescribe all of these anti-d's. The poor patient relying on them to be knowledgeable and educated in order to listen to patient and help them recover. Feel worse instead of improving.
I think, if hypo, it affects everything in our body from head to toe. Weight gain seems to the number one symptom for many.
Also we can lose confidence in ourselves and the doctors because we seem to be not improving despite different prescriptions.
Maybe start at the beginning and ask GP for a Full Thyroid Blood Test. The ones he wont maybe get them from a private lab.
TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies.
If you've already had some of these you can post them. FT4 and FT3 are the most important.
I assume GP has tested B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.
If we aren't getting sufficient thyroid hormones everything suffers from head to toe. I think that's were the expression 'brain fog' comes in.
I also wonder if you've had low FT3 all of this time.
Do you think maybe, I could be suffering a lot of withdrawals from all the AD's they have had me on, I know your system clears after a while , but surely it must take your brain sometime to recover.... I seem to be very sensitive to all tablets... It was my Folic that was low when I had that big blood test, took folic acid,and even they made me feel anxious when taking them, also antibiotics make me feel anxious, had to take them recently for an infection.... I just don't think a lot of medication agrees with thyroxine in my case
If I were you I'd try taking an anti-histamine tablet to see if that helps (only one). Sometimes I think we can be sensitive to fillers/binders in some produces which may have a bad effect on us which doctors are unaware of.
I know exactly how you feel. If given new tablets, your stomach goes into a ball before you swallow and you are very tense as you don't know if it will help or if you will ave a reaction of feel worse so you will feel very anxious.
I have had that experience myself.
I aso have palpitations and not sleeping very well, could this also be my thyroid .... sorry to bend your ear all the time x
Don't worry about asking questions. My own experience with levo was constant palps especially early a.m. Sleeping can also be interrupted. I am sure you can tick off more than a dozen symptoms 
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...
So very thanks for your reply x
If both FT4 and FT3 are at the bottom of the range I believe it is causing you to have unpleasant symptoms. It also means you are hypothyroid. Both should be towards the upper part of the range. Psychiatrists can prescribe T3 for their depressed patients.
This might be of interest to you. Doctors/Endos seem to be the least knowledgeable and its no wonder we cannot recover.
Hi Hilary, did you say you have been on Diazepam for many years and are going cold turkey? It has been a while since I was involved with Diazepam but I think that you need to be very careful about stopping it suddenly. I did a quick google and this came up:
prescription-drug.addiction...
Take care x
Hi Sue, no, They put me on Diazepam for the side effects of all the Antidepressants that they put me on from a year last December, which I might add none of the AD's worked for me, just made me feel worse, and loose a lot of weight, so at the moment I am on 3ml Diazepan, but finding very hard to come off them, and there not making me feel any better, full of anxiety and very low..... I think all the different AD's may have effected my thyroid, not sure anymore....This all started from feeling sad from late bereavement and wanting counselling, then I had a knee op and took Tramadol, stopped that suddenly not knowing it was strong left me with anxiety, and that's when the GP put me on AD's, bad mistake, should have weathered the storm,as I feel so bad now, need to get off these Diazepam,as for the counselling, waited 9 months for that, had I have had counselling right away, without meds I am sure I would not have felt like this... the tablets seem to have messed my system up I think......I have gone very lonely, sad full of anxiety and have OCD in a big way, just want to get back to me, as I say I was just very sad with late bereavement from my late Husband 2 years ago... when I say late, was ok for 2.5 years then it hit me.. He passed 4.5 years ago... getting a lot of counselling now, but still not doing so good...... I want to get back to me again, but finding it very difficult.....Many thanks Hilary
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