I have been taking thyroxine for 10 years.
Just before diagnosis I started on citalopram and can't get off them due to withdrawal.
Lately noticing high moods mixed with low.
Anyone experienced bi polar along with underacive thyroid, is there any connection.
Thank you in advance
This article reviews the connection:
Journal of Affective Disorders 221 (2017) 97–106
Journal of Affective Disorders
journal homepage: elsevier.com/locate/jad
Thyroid autoimmunity in bipolar disorder: A systematic review
Margherita Barbuti, André F. Carvalho, Cristiano A. Köhler, Andrea Murru,
Norma Verdolinia, Giovanni Guiso, Ludovic Samalin, Michael Maes
Brendon Stubbsk Giulio Perugi, Eduard Vieta. Isabella Pacchiarotti
I have bipolar 1
If they suspect this they shouldn't be putting you on anti depressants as these can trigger a high if you are bipolar! If you are stopping them suddenly this can also give relapse symptoms. From what I gather it can be a different area because if your thyroid levels are not right this in itself could be affecting your mental health not bipolar, so it can be difficult to tell what is from what.
I would speak to your doc, you would need to be referred to a pdoc for an assessment as the GP cannot diagnose bipolar. My thyroid went overactive after coming off lithium, so is not related to my bipolar but I do have a family link with an overactive thyroid.
Thank you for your reply.
Not sure if underacive thyroid is causing bi polar symptoms but I'm not feeling undermedicated symptoms.
I will speak to my GP
Thank you
First of all - due to many GPs not having much knowledge about the symptoms of hypo or that the hormone T3 is the 'active thyroid hormone' needed in all of our millions of T3 receptor cells - the brain and heart have the most. Also they've been told not to prescribe T3 (due to the exorbitant cost in the UK).
Request a Free T4 and Free T3 blood test - GP may not do so but you can get a private home blood test from one of the recommended labs. It should be a fasting blood draw and don't take thyroid hormones before it but afterwards.
"Thyroid disease has some symptoms in common with certain mental health conditions. This is especially true for depression and anxiety. Sometimes thyroid conditions are misdiagnosed as these mental health conditions. This can leave you with symptoms that may improve but a disease that still needs to be treated.
and another part:-
What the research says
Researchers have known for a long time that people who have thyroid conditions are more likely to experience depression and vice versa. But with the rising diagnosis rates of anxiety and depression, there’s an urgency to revisit the issue.
"Let’s take a closer look at the links among thyroid conditions, depression, and anxiety."
My GP was keen to hand out antidepressants, diagnosed ‘health anxiety’ & sent me to a psychotherapist. Joining this forum helped me realise that many of my mental health symptoms were related to being under medicated with Levothyroxine & not having key vitamins optimal. It’s definitely worth posting your recent thyroid blood tests on the forum, as an adjustment might help. Very best wishes to you. Remember to keep posting; we are here to support one another. 😊
Thank you so much for advice and support.I need to have bloods done, haven't had a test for some time.
Mental issues including Bi-polar and Hashimoto's
drknews.com/when-hashimotos...
holtorfmed.com/mental-illne...
thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
hypothyroidmom.com/miss-dia...
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Have you had thyroid antibodies tested
How much levothyroxine are you currently taking
All four vitamins need regularly testing and maintaining at optimal levels too
all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
List of private testing options
thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...
Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins
medichecks.com/products/adv...
Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...
Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test
If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3
£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code
thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...
NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via
Hi Slow Dragon
I've only ever had GP blood tests.
I'm taking 100 LEVOTHYROXINE.
I will get bloods done privately and repost on here.
I take vit B complex, do you stop these for 1 week or 2 weeks before blood tests.
Thank you
Stop vitamin B complex a week before test as vitamin B complex contains biotin and biotin can falsely affect test results
You could instead take separate B12 and folate that week
Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription
Always test thyroid as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
Test early Monday or Tuesday morning and then post back via tracked postal service
Approx how much do you weigh in kilo
Guidelines on dose levothyroxine by weight is approx 1.6mcg levothyroxine per kilo
Extremely important to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least annually
Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?
Decades ago, I paid to see an endocrinologist privately; he decided that I was bi-polar. I politely declined his offer of lithium. Many years later I discovered that I have heterogenous DIO2 mutated gene, plus mutated MTHFR gene. These two mutations have, in my case, caused bi-polar symptoms. Once I started on methylated multi B vitamins, the bi-polar symptoms vanished.
That's amazing, how did you finally find the right answers for you.
It's a long tortuous story! Diagnosed hypo in 1981, put onto Levo, felt worse, the wonderful Dr P prescribed T3 only in 1995, but I was on much too low dose. Poor Dr P disappeared thanks to the GMC so I was left to my own devices. By 2015 (ish) I was sick of every doctor in the land, found this forum which literally saved my life, increased my T3 myself, then as suggested on here...I paid for the DIO2 gene test which returned as mutated from one parent (heterogenous). The requisite councillor from that test advised me about the MTHFR gene which often goes hand in hand. I stupidly ignored any info about the MTHFR gene until about eighteen months ago, when I started to read on here about it. I then started taking Methylated multi B vitamins, and hey presto... my diabolical mental health issues resolved.
That's amazing, shame you have to struggle and fight for your own health for so many years.So mental health issues are not always down to mental health it can be something physical
Happy to hear you've made yourself better.
I really believe now that mental health is very connected to "other things". Good luck
Several years ago I saw an endocrinologist in London called Dr Abbi Lulsegged … was surprised to hear him on an American podcast recently (although he’s still based here) where he mentions a new area of research he’d become involved with … which was the link between bipolar and hypothyroidism and using high dose levothyroxine to treat it. If you google his name plus bipolar plus thyroid you’ll find a lot of research papers which I hope might be of interest. It certainly is fascinating
I have never heard of any connection. Bi-polar is something to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist and is a life long mental illness. You would likely have been diagnosed earlier in life I would say, having had symptoms, but with some people, it happens later in life. What I’m trying to say is that if you did have bi-polar, you’d likely know about by now! My hormones are up and down a lot nowadays but I have put that down to my hashimotos, feeling shit, and now I’m 47, I’m peri menopausal (oh joy)!! Maybe its just a combo.
Your GP should be able to manage a slow and steady withdrawal off Citranopram - its not addictive. It could be a psychological reliance. Or you may have need of them if you suffer low mood, and in which case, should you come off them anyway. Many people who have low mood, stay on them for life as a preventative measure and that’s fine.
There are plenty of medical papers now showing that mental health illnesses are linked to a variety of issues, usually lack of certain minerals and vitamins, maybe amino acids & hormones. I was diagnosed as bi-polar, had extreme depression (suicidal at times), I have now sorted it. My poor uncle was diagnosed with schizophrenia aged 20 & was incarcerated (about 1950); I've had great interest in schizophrenia because of him. I've recently read medical papers showing what these patients lack.
My close relative (hypothyroid and B12 def.) was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia/dementia and psychiatrists refused to acknowledge the many research papers we sent them on the link between this and under treated PA/B12def.
That's right an endo cannot diagnose at all! Interestingly though it takes an average of around 10 years to be diagnosed bipolar. Unless someone like me who ended up sectioned lol it was then pretty quick. I follow an ecomm for bipolar and surprisingly people around 50 do post just been diagnosed, it can take that long!
The trouble is GP/s often don't witness the behavior first hand (Like a high) so many people can go years before they are even referred for an assessment. Plus services are so stretched some being referred aren't even taken on for the assessment if the pre screen thinks they don't really have it. It depends what the symptoms are, if by saying high mood turkeydinner you mean hardly sleeping, talking faster than normal, agitated, increased confidence, hypersexual, lots of ideas, doing things you wouldn't normally do etc these are just a few symptoms
I remember being told I had thyroid checks in hospital which were clear, I think they do normally do run checks on this first to rule out the thyroid affecting mental health. I feel GPs are way too quick to dish out anti depressants, they don't treat the actual cause of the symptoms you normally need talking therapy too and other stuff. Once on meds it can be hard to wean off but it can be done very gradually 
Hi kittyelen
I get highs now and again, I'm mostly low mood but manage to live normally but I'm fed up of the constant down feeling.
Last week for a few days, I felt extremely high a bit out of control.
We went to the funfair, I was buzzing and went on fast risky rides that would normally leave me terrified and I wanted more.
I didn't get tired, as I'm usually very sleepy can't get up in the morning.
I read someone was doing ridky modelling and I thought I can do that.
All very weird for me.
Reading about bi polar I think I would fit type 2, don't know how to speak to GP as I'm mostly low, I did notice however that taking citalopram made me feel more hyper when I was high.
I'm back to low again now, all strange.
Thank you x
I often get severe mood swings and symptoms of mental instability. I believe it to be caused in my case, by being under or over medicated, due to Hashis swings
Did you get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing done
Likely low vitamin levels and poor conversion
Presumably you have autoimmune thyroid disease also called hashimoto’s diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies
Strictly gluten free diet frequently helps or is essential
Get coeliac blood test done BEFORE cutting gluten out
Come back with new post once you get Thyroid and vitamin results
ALWAYS test thyroid levels as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose Levothyroxine 24 hours before test
Thank you will do.If you have private bloods, who does the blood draw,??
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