Hypothroidism, depression, anxiety and obesity

[Alicoak]

Does anyone have any info on how to lose weight when hypothyroid? Also being treated for depression and anxiety. Could an under treated thyroid be the cause for all my problems?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Absolutely it can. Do you have copies of recent blood tests, if so post them here.

If not, ring & ask receptionist at GP's for copies. It usually takes a day or so as they have to ask GP first. You are entitled your own blood test results under data protection.

If you have test results for vitamin D, folate, ferritin & B12 too. These are commonly low when hypo & we need these at higher end of normal for thyroid hormones to wrk well

Do you have any digestive gut issues?

Do you take your Levo always on an empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after. Many take on waking, but some of us take at bedtime as find more convenient and research suggests may be more effective

verywell.com/should-i-take-...

When you go for any thyroid blood test best way is to fast, (should drink water to keep hydrated) try to get very early morning appointment, & don't take Levo in 24 hours prior, delay it & take straight after

This way you get consistent results & TSH is at its highest, which is all GP wil really consider for Levo dose

Make sure always get same brand of Levo from Pharmacist. Many of us find brands are not interchangeable

[Kitti1 in reply to SlowDragon]

Very good point SlowDragon . I always forget about hashi's as I'm not hashi's myself.

When you get your test results see if they've tested for anti bodies - anti thyroid peroxidase

Anti thyroglobulin

These will tell you if you have hashimotos. Have you been told if you have hashimotos ? Its an autoimmune condition that causes your thyroid to fail because the antibodies attack the thyroid. The anti bodies are usually set off by gluten and that makes you feel poorly. So a gluten free diet is recommend for hashimotos. Sometimes lactose free too.

[Kitti1]

Yes, it sounds like your under medicated. You need to get your test results from your doctor, either ask for a print out or ask the receptionist to read them out to you including the ranges. It is your legal right to have your results so don't be fobbed off.

When you've got them start a new thread and post them on here including the ranges. There are many knowledgeable people on here that can advise you on the results. When many doctors say your tests are fine & normal can mean you are far from optimal and are under medicated

It would also be a good idea to get some private bloods done. As most doctors won't / can't test t3. Levothyroxine that we take is a storage hormone and the body needs to convert it to t3 liothyronine the active hormone the cells can use. Private bloods test can tell you how well or not you are converting to t3. They can also tell you if you need to supplement key nutrients that are important in the conversion process form t4 to t3. Vitamin B12, vit D3, ferritin ( iron ) and folate. You can ask these to be done at your doctors for now if cost is a big issue.

The are many companies that can do the private bloods but thyroid UK recommend either Blue Horizon or Medichecks. Blue horizon do a test called plus 11 that is a good starting point.

Also email Louise Roberts who works for the charity that runs thyroid uk . Ask her for the pulse article to take to your doctor to back up your case that you are under medicated.

[e-mail]

When you get your results and post them in a new thread also give a bit of back ground. What dose you are on, how long you've been hypothyroid etc.

I was diagnosed at 18, now 48 and have spent my life believing doctors that my thyroid was fine, its in your head. Struggling with my weight / always being over weight no matter what i did. Taking anti depressants and believing it was my mental health. When all along all I needed was my thyroid treating properly.

I recommend you do lots of reading on here and keep posting. Its a wonderful place with lots of knowledgeable and generous people who can help you get well 👍

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and can you give us some background information about your conditon, i.e. when diagnosed, dose (I presume levothyroxine/synthroid).

I shall give you a list and tick off your symptoms and I think you will have more than a few :-

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

As already stated - yes - the above are hypo symptoms.

[Alicoak in reply to shaws]

Here is what I believe is some important background info. I am 53 years old. I was diagnosed with hypothyroid at age if 11 years old. I was medicated for a very short period of time and my meds were not refilled. I suspect my mom didn't realize how important it was to continue with treatment. At age 16, I was diagnosed with a goiter. Meds were started and continued. I struggled through high school with extreme anxiety and panic attacks. I began to avoid panic induced situations, resulting in agoraphobia. I self medicated with alcohol to remain somewhat social. Fortunately not alcoholic. I was not medicated for anxiety. I finally broke and started therapy, remaining overwhelmed with anxiety. The thing that changed my life was falling in love and moving 6 hours away from the comfort of my parents home, to force myself to deal with my fears without running home when things got tough. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he was horrible, cheating, lying etc. Looking back I am thankful for this, I stayed with this situation for 2 years, finally he left me stranded in a town far from my hometown. I lost 10 pounds over night, from stress. The thing that got me through this was the support of my parents and my temper. I was so furious with him and my dependent situation that I used my extreme anger to push through my agoraphobia. I moved back to my parents home, but something had changed, I was so angry, I immediately applied for jobs and became employed rather quickly and have not fallen back into agoraphobia. I often wonder if my thyroid situation has been causing all of the chaos from my early years, which lead to my fears. I was not able to attend college or hold a job when i graduated high school due to panic attacks. It was crippling. I'm not sure if put in certain situations now, if I would still have a panic attack, ie public speaking. I was not overweight in my younger years, I started gaining when I was 50, and have ballooned to 200 pounds from 160. I am having great difficulty losing weight. I am currently taking 125 mcg Levothyroxine Sodium and 24 mcg ta Liothyronine.

[greygoose in reply to Alicoak]

Agoraphobia can most certainly be caused by low thyroid. Just about anything can be - and usually is - caused by low thyroid, because thyroid hormone (T3) is needed by every single cell in the body to function correctly. So, if there's not enough to go round, it's hardly surprising if that cell starts to malfunction, causing symptoms. The brain especially needs T3 - lot's of T3 - and if it doesn't get enough you can experience all sorts of brain-based symptoms, like agoraphobie, claustrophobia, anxiety, depression, paranoia - and even things like dyslexia and bad spelling! (Just had to correct my spelling of anxeity! lol)

Weight-gain is another hypo symptom. And, the only way to begin to lose it is to optimise your FT3 (which doctors don't even test!). Diet and exercise will not do it - they might even make things worse. Low calorie diets are counter-production, because they impact negatively on conversion, making you more hypo, and therefore you put on more weight. Exercise uses up your T3, so the more you exercise, the less T3 you have in your system, which makes you more hypo and put on more weight. So, eat enough good, clean food to satisfy your appetite, and only do enough 'exercise' to stop you rusting up - gentle walking, swimming or yoga. Ignore doctors' opinions on the subject, they know nothing about it.

But, you also have all your vitamins and minerals optimal, as well. The body cannot use thyroid hormone if your vits and mins are sub-optimal. You have to, as they say, get all your ducks in a row!

[Alicoak]

Thanks for this!!🤔