Absolutely hypothyroid can cause depression. You already have the understandable depression from the loss of your child (My heart goes out to you) however, you may also have the added depression from hypothyroid. My experience was this. For years I complained how tired I was even tho I was on 200mcg T4 (Synthroid or Levothyroxin) and cytomel T3 5mcg, which I had requested. My prayer was, “God fix me or take me, either is ok” That is how bad felt. And I was not going through trauma like you are. If you read my bio, I go into this in-depth and recommend a book I found very helpful. One thing I noticed among your tests, there was no test for reverse T3 nor Free T3. The regular T3 test shows the total T3, however, Free T3 shows the amount that is available for the blood to use. In my case, my body was making large amounts of reverse T3 and even tho both my Free T3 levels and the reverse T3 were in normal range, the ratios were off. Also, I am among around 15% of people with hypothyroid, whose body can not convert T4 meds (Synthroid or Levothyroxine) to T3 effectively. Please, read my bio. I so want you to get the help you need. Book also tells questions to ask doctors to help you and how to find one who has the knowledge you need. Good luck!
I am so sorry for your loss sylus_911. Losing a child is heart breaking.
Depression is certainly linked to being under treated for thyroid conditions. For me, changes in medication take 8-12 weeks to have a good effect (although some people do feel better after 6 weeks of a dose increase). Have you tested key vitamins (ferritin, folate, Vit B12 and Vit D)? Having these optimal supports thyroid health.
Increased anxiety has been the worst symptom of having a thyroid condition for me and is always worse if my thyroid medication and/or key vitamins are not optimal. I have been offered anti depressants several times, but managed to avoid them by following forum advice to improve my thyroid & vitamin levels. Prior to getting these levels optimal, I saw a psychotherapist and had several months of CBT. I have found mindfulness and meditation useful, so perhaps you could ask for a referral for CBT before considering an anti depressant.
Your priority is improving both your physical and mental health, so you may need an anti depressant at some point to aid your recovery. It’s important to reach out to your family, friends and also ask for help from the online community of TUK…. so keep posting. We are here to help and support you! 🦋
I hope you feel the benefit of your dose increase in the next few weeks.
CBT definitely gave me some ‘tools’ to lessen my anxiety. Listening to guided meditations (eg Mark Williams/ Danny Penman CD or App), filling in a guided journal & ‘mindful movement’ ( I started Pilates) all helped me. My psychotherapist encouraged me to try lots of techniques & work out what worked best.
I also find it helpful to take a magnesium supplement early evening to aid relaxation/ sleep, so this maybe worth considering.
I,ll give it a week or two and see how I feel.I will try the magnesium. As I said i feel so tired but not sleeping to well.Thanks again for your reply.🤗
I’m so sorry for your loss. This is probably adding to your depression but I also think it could be that your FT4 is too low for you, it’s only 31% through the range. Many people need a higher percentage, I know I do. If you can bear it, give it another couple of weeks and if you still feel weepy, ask your Doctor if you can trial a higher Levo dose.
An increase in Levo might well raise your FT3 but as long as it doesn’t go over range, you might find you feel a lot better. It’s where the levels are for you not where your Endo wants them.Good luck, I hope you’ll be feeling better soon.
I have never been through such a devastating loss as you have, my condolences.
I have been severely depressed in the past for other reasons. I am no longer depressed, and I can tell you what helped me. Whether any of it will be relevant to you, only you can tell.
1) Giving up gluten 100% and being absolutely ruthless about it - I got the first benefits on my mood within a week.
2) Optimising my basic nutrients - ferritin, iron, B12, folate, vitamin D. I must admit, if anyone says their nutrient levels are all "fine" I prefer it if people prove it by giving us their latest results, sorry.
3) I never got on with anti-depressants of any kind and found they took a very long time to achieve nothing apart from a few side-effects. I found what helped me was 5-HTP. I've been taking it for about 11 years now, although I only take it at a low (50mg) dose 3 or 4 times a week now. (Most of the time I was taking 50mg every day). I wrote a post about it a few years ago :
4) And of course, being unmedicated, under-medicated or wrongly medicated for my thyroid left me feeling depressed. Finding out what works for me has been a long-term effort.
It’s difficult to conceive the death of a child only three years ago. I think three years is still early days. This is something that will rock you to your core. Losing a child (no matter what age) is not what we see as the natural turn of events. Take very great care of your thyroid condition and find someone to talk to; preferably someone totally uninvolved with your family. You have a clear cause for your depression. In my opinion CBT is not indicated under the circumstances. You need someone to hear you, an empathic listener experienced in these issues. Check out charities etc dealing with bereavement and find a counsellor. A good counsellor can take very few sessions to help you get a clear perspective on your situation. You may have done all this. I don’t mean to teach Grandma to suck eggs. My heart goes out to you.
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