Hello
I've just been diagnosed with underactive thyroid and been on levothyroxine for about 4 weeks now I don't know if feeling any better yet cos was put on Seratine at same time due to having menopausal symptoms too ! Plus had a huge amount of unavoidable stress in last 3 weeks arghh ! Does anyone know if I can eat quorn and liquorice with this condition ?
Be careful with liquorice. I bought a stick once but after searching on the internet I decided it was not a good thing to take. I can't remember why now. It was a pure form of liquorice though, not confectionary which is diluted with lots of sugar and other ingredients.
Do you mean setraline or seratine? Either way, they are anti-depressants. In my own personal opinion you should not be taking anti-depressents. They come with their own lot of side effects and it is likely your physical health causing the problems so won't help anyway. You honestly shouldn't be taking these from my experience.
What are your symptoms?
It takes a while to get up to the right dose of thyroid meds. You need to be retested every six weeks with an increase in your meds each time until you get your tsh to around 1 or just under.
GPs are for the most part clueless and will give you anti-depressents to shut you up.
You also need to get your Vit B12, Folate, Ferritin and Vit D levels tested with a full blood count as you are likely to be deficient in these.
You should have a full thyroid panel including, FT4, FT3, TSH and thyroid anitbodies to get a clearer picture of what the issues are but GPs are unlikely to do the FT3 and antibodies but you could get them done privately along with the vitamins if they won't do them. Bring your results back here as GPs are often pants and useless with these too leaving many deficient people ill.
I've never heard of seratin but I agree with SaggyUk if they are a type of SSRI (anti-depressant) it won't solve your thyroid imbalance or menopause.
Doctors get paid extra, at present, to identify patients with mental health conditions so it's extra money for the surgery if they dish out anti-d's but might not be the best thing for you. Only you can decide but I would take SaggyUk's advice and first check out all your vitamin levels and try going gluten free if you have thyroid antibodies because you will likely get well without anti-d's if you get vitamins, thyroid and gut balanced. Many on here have found this has returned them to health.
The problem with anti-d's is that they can have side effects and you are adding to the complications of not being able to figure out what is causing what symptom. They can also be difficult to get off and doctors rarely help you to get off them. You're left to your own devices to sort it out.
OH MY GOSH!! Where to start? I think if you speak of QUORN I think of READ THIS FAST !!😵
articles.mercola.com/sites/...
Please take a gentler route for you. OFTEN any depressive symptons are partly due to food intolerances and OR lacking nutrition . I learned alot when I was at my worst health when I started Early menopause. My thyroid was also getting attacked ( Hashimotos) I found great relief here
saragottfriedmd.com/leaky-g...
saragottfriedmd.com/ditch-t...
Hugs!🌺😊
I eat a lot of Quorn, and have done so for years. Several of my friends eat it regularly too. None of us have had any of the problems mentioned in the Mercola article. To put that article in context, many people have adverse reactions to mushrooms, bread, sugar, yeast, nuts, etc. That doesn't make those foods 'bad'.
If a food is suspected of causing a problem, simply try eliminating it for a month and see what happens. But the problems suggested in the Mercola article are likely to present themselves very obviously, and if you don't have any of those symptoms, then Quorn is probably OK for you.
Having been Veggie for over 30yrs I too eat Quorn but in recent months have been cutting down on it since i have been cutting down on processed food in general. I agree that people can react to all sorts of foods that are not intrinsically bad but the only time I've ever had food poisoning was from eating Quorn that was 1 day out of date, so now I'm very strict about the use by dates!
In my journey I have learnt a huge amount about natural health. I wouldn’t even take a paracetamol let alone anti-depressants. Your doctor is incentivised if he/she prescribes anti-depressants or statins which is why many people take them.
Talking of Dr Mercola - his site is my go to site if I want to know anything health related. Also Dr Josh Axe. They and many others would say if the food isn’t real it’s bettet not to eat it.
There are some fabulous books you may want to read by Dr Amy Myers, Dr Isabella Wentz, dr Josh Axe and Dr Mercola.
Sue
I take licorice capsules in the DGL form,which avoids the problems with BP.I buy mine on Ebay shops.They arrive very quickly from India.
I am at present weaning myself off Sertraline,which I was prescribed because I requested it.I have been on a low dose for a year & it has been a very positive experience for me.I have had 2 breakdowns into anxiety & depression since 2011.The first time,I struggled on for 2 years but it was like living in a nightmare.The second time I had been doing SO well on T3-only.I couldn't face going through prolonged depression with severe anxiety again & after 6 months,asked for Sertraline,as a blood relative did well on it.I am fortunate in that I felt profound mental/emotional benefits & that I am tapering off from a low dose.
SSRIs & underactive thyroid are not a good combination long-term,due to the powerful nature of the AD & their interaction with the thyroid,but in cases of extreme anxiety disorder & genuine depression,my experience tells me there is a case for them,short -term.Tapering off from a full dose can be problematic & must be done carefully.
Naomi8, it sounds like you've been able to use anti-depressants in the best practice way - as a short term tool, to deal with a specific episode, that you then stopped once you'd got things stable.
Unfortunately I think GPs usually go into anti-d prescribing with the idea a person will be on them for an amorphous length of time, probably forever or at least long term, and without any additional help that might get the person to the point where they're ready to come off them.
I think if someone has a good understanding of how to use them, as you have, then they're a much more positive thing. It sounds like you've done really well 
I have always had issues with eating Quorn, it caused bad stomach cramps so I avoid it now.
I love liquorice, & have low blood pressure, so eat the strong rather than the sugary flavoured stuff.
I avoid Quorn & other processed meat substitutes as they're highly processed. I bought some last year to attract mice into live traps, & they didn't touch it, even overnight.
Anti-depressants reduce thyroid hormones, so I'm wondering why you were given that rather than HRT?
Hi Troya,
Ironically today, I am starting a Keto diet, just received a book by a well known author of Keto cooking and also she has been diagnosed Hashimoto's disease, hence the reason of starting a new way of cooking and lifestyle changes. There is a lot of five star reviews on her books. I have done similar eating plans before with success but this one seems different. Evidently (so I am told) a lot of Endocrinologists are encouraging their patients to consider this sort of eating plan as of the low carb aspect.
Regarding Soya, I know there is a lot of mixed reviews. I am not keen on it, as to me it is like eating plastic! But everyone is different. Regarding liquorice, I love it, but it is high in sugar.
I think with any health condition, eating a healthy regime of unprocessed food and a lot of fresh veg and fruit in small portions is the best option.
I was born with a partial non working thyroid and I have tried every diet/eating plan going. But to me, I always go back to portion control and cooking from scratch as this is the best option. I never buy ready prepared meals either as they are processed and full of hidden sugars. I never eat low fat foods either because of the sugar content.
I have a lot of weight to lose because I have been messed around, but things are starting to change, so I am hoping this Keto thing will help me on my journey, at least give me a kick start! It can't be any worse than what I have tried already.
Take care
Nice mindset JOLLYDOLLY! 😃
Hi
I have to agree with boobette 17 and espeege.
Quorn is genetically modified and initially labelled as made from mushrooms. This is totally incorrect is made from a mould called fasarium venenatum.
Nothing good comes from food made this way. Sorry I don’t know if you are vegetarian/ vegan or looking for a change. Either way when I swapped to organic veg- boy could I tell. I used to grow my own veg in my teens and forgot how good they were.
I don’t know your results for thyroid adrenal and vitamins so I can’t say what extra help you need but the others are right they need to be optimal before you go down the antidepressant route. I found no( as in o) t3 and d3 caused me to feel like I was in a cave. Also gps receive £50/75 per patient pa on antidepressants so not exactly impartial.
Good luck
i eat Quorn with no issues - but dont go too mad
Is being dizzy and emotional normal?
Hypothyroidism and hunger
Is it overactive 
pregnancy levels, can someone have a look?
