Over reaction to stressful situations

[Mejulie1]

Hi everyone. Does anyone else find that their bodies ‘over react’ when faced with something that could be perceived as slightly stressful? I’ll give an example. A few weeks ago some neighbours were having an argument. As soon as I heard them, my heart started beating really fast, i was sweating and my breathing became shallow. It took the rest of the night for me to calm down. I have no idea why this affected me like it did. I wasn’t involved in the argument, it wasn’t even on my road it was the one behind and the police had been called and were in attendance. I really had no need to react in this way. It was as though my body had taken over my reactions, and even though I knew I was being stupid, my mind couldn’t tell my body to calm down. It would not have been something that would normally have bothered me a few years ago and felt like such an extremely reaction. This seems to be happening more and more frequently and sometimes happens when I’m at work too. I have hypothyroidism and I think I’m going through the menopause. Can anyone offer any advice?

[greygoose]

Could be an adrenal problem, excess adrenaline. When we're hypo/undertreated for a long time, the adrenals take up the slack and produce more adrenaline to keep us going.

Do you think you're correctly treated for your hypothyroidism? Do you have copies of your blood test results? if so, post them here, with the ranges, and let's have a look.

[liaratsoni]

Hi there!

I made a similar post recently - I sort of feel like my body can't handle strong emotions - even something funny/exciting I can't watch it because I become very uncomfortable;e and have to calm myself down! I am undermedicated and also have lower than optimal cortisol and iron deficiency and from what other said in the responses to mine for many it was an undermedicated symptom! So maybe worth checking those things out but you're definitely not alone

[Tilley-2 in reply to liaratsoni]

I’m very similar to you, my heart races and it takes for ever to calm down, as you say it can happen with funny or exciting things too and I thought it was just me. I found it hard explaining the ‘funny and exciting’ side of it to others but unless it has happened to you i suppose it does sounds a bit unusual. my cortisol isnt optimal, I’m trying to improve my iron, and my t3 isn’t in balance with my t4.

[Lalatoot]

I agree with Greygoose. I was like that for years as I was undermedicated. It didn't have to be anything stressful either - the excitement of heading off for a beach or shopping trip could do it too.

[Mejulie1]

Oh I can’t tell you how glad I am that I’m not alone! I’ve been feeling like a complete failure and scared that this was me not dealing with anxiety effectively and worried that I perhaps won’t be able to cope with the things that will inevitably happen in life in the future. I haven’t got any blood test results, I’m due some time soon though my dr doesn’t give me my results other then a phone call from the receptionist saying ‘all is fine and no further action needed‘. I think perhaps I need to be a little more proactive with them! Does everyone just take levothyroxine? Also could you tell me the name of your thread. I’ll have a look at it. Thank you everyone!

[Marymary7]

I get this sometimes, my mind scrambles, I can't function, can't retain any information. Usually when I'm at work and I definitely think it's due to under medication as it happened when told to reduce it which I followed. I also seem as if I've gone into a sort of mad hyper mode speaking too fast but not achieving what I need to do. I was many years without treatment so maybe my adrenals are shot. I know I'm like a drug addict needing my first strong coffee when I wake up!

Good luck.

[Doggy1903]

Bless you, anxiety seems very shared with thyroid problems. I really understand, I was awake until 3.15am, heart thumping away and just unable to sleep! Tossing and turning alas. 2am maybe some hope of sleep and then a helicopter circled over our town !!

Keep a note of your anxiety , but maybe try not to change it, By this ,going with it to start with ,you may then decrease it. If this continues you may wish to discuss with your GP.Take care.

[NWA6]

Yes, anxiety is a huge symptom of under medication. Anxiety shows it self in many ways, including anger. It’s fight, flight, freeze It’s a really normal reaction that can be rectified with optimal treatment.

As a side note I became really sensitive to noise. Just normal everyday hustle and bustle of family life became unbearable. Things dropped or scraped used to sound so loud and/or uncomfortable.

[DeeFish71]

I feel like this a lot of the time - every day and even getting the housework done sets me off. We have horrible neighbours and I am constantly on edge about what hell they will give us every day.

I too am menopausal and have just started HRT a week ago but not seen a difference in how I feel yet. I know it can take a few months, and I hope it will work for me. I am on Thyroxine 100mg a day.

I hope you feel calmer soon, but it's easier said than done as I well know!

[Lora7again]

I can lose my temper very easily and I verbally attacked my neighbour and their tree man because he was cutting my trees without my permission. I had to have a lie down afterwards because my heart was beating too fast. I think if you have thyroid disease stress can affect you more than other people. I never used to lose my temper like this before I became ill and even today I was shopping at Tescos and someone who clearly had mental health problems kept bothering me. I didn't respond thankfully but just walked away saying I was busy and had to get home quickly. >>>>>

[Trisha15]

Hi there. I don’t experience the same sort of reaction as you but I have been going through other “not normal” reactions recently. I have been on thyroxine for about 15 years and lots of ups and downs and every time the doctors says bloods are normal, which is frustrating. But I am also going through menopause now and I definitely know this is affecting things, especially mood and perception. Whether it’s menopause or thyroid who knows - the doctors don’t seem to care!

I found this site and have got more information and support than I’ve ever got from my doctors over 15+ years.

Just knowing that you’re not alone in this craziness really helped me. I am going to get private bloods done now based on advice from here. So being able to admit things are ‘off’ and being proactive has helped me.

I’ll have to wait and see what the more comprehensive bloods say and I know I will probably have a struggle with getting the doctor to listen to me but one step at a time. If I rule out the thyroid as being the problem, then I will possibly look into HRT. I had breast changes about a year ago and thankfully everything came back normal- they put it down to hormonal changes and I was told to take high dose oil of evening of primrose. It actually helped so I don’t under estimate the power of hormones now. But I also feel that menopause is totally and inadequately dealt with - now if only men went through this, then of course it would be a different story!

Others on this site will agree that thyroid and menopause are a double whammy so you’re not alone at feeling overwhelmed now.

I hope posting here and getting some reassurance helps you.

Take care