thyroid mental health support

[katewhitaker]

hi everyone! ☺️ I was hoping if anyone of you lovely people could recommend an organisation to contact who I could talk to for support regarding my thyroid and how it affects my mental health. I really just want someone to talk to and vent to about it. I live in leeds so if there’s anywhere local that would be great too! thank you, hope everyone is doing okay. x

[HealthStarDust]

Have you thought of a referral to IAPT? leedscommunityhealthcare.nh... self referral at the middle of the page.

I believe many do something specifically for people with long term chronic health conditions.

[humanbean in reply to HealthStarDust]

I just want to point out that IAPT has been renamed to NHS Talking Therapies now.

You can get more info on IAPT/NHS Talking Therapies from the website "CBT Watch". It has had a recent make over, and I can't find my way round it very easily yet, but you can read the earlier blog posts on it :

cbtwatch.com/forum/

Scroll down on the above link to :

Recent Posts, Categories, Recent Comments, Archives.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Welcome to the forum; we are a very friendly & supportive group & will do our utmost to help.

Can you share your thyroid blood test results with us? If your thyroid medication isn’t optimal, then this can affect your mental health. For me, increased anxiety has been the worst symptom of having a thyroid condition. With advice from forum members, I optimised my thyroid med& key vitamins (ferritin, folate. B12 and vitamin D) & my anxiety levels massively reduced.

TUK additional support:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Support is also available through the Wren Project

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Regenallotment]

I filled out an online questionnaire for my local ‘healthy minds’ council/nhs group. That led to a triage call and then a 12 week wait. 12 weeks CBT with a fantastic therapist and now I have a toolkit to use when I feel the need. It’s been so valuable.

[Staffsgirl in reply to Regenallotment]

My experience with local Healthy Minds has been very different. After self referral, a triage call after about 12 weeks. That was 14 months ago and I’m on waiting list!

[Regenallotment in reply to Staffsgirl]

I’m sorry to hear that, the demand must be so high. Hope you are coping best you can in the meantime. 🌱

[SlowDragon Administrator]

welcome to the forum

Can see from your helpful profile you have had RAI

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription

Very important that dose levothyroxine is fine tuned for best results

Anxiety and depression are common hypothyroid symptoms

For good conversion of Ft4 (levothyroxine) to Ft3 (active hormone) we need OPTIMAL vitamin levels

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine

For full Thyroid evaluation we always need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested

Low vitamin levels are extremely common with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, both are autoimmune

Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Please add your most recent thyroid and vitamin results and ranges

Just testing TSH is completely inadequate

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options and money off codes

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

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Monitor My Health also now offer thyroid and vitamin testing, plus cholesterol and HBA1C for £65

(Doesn’t include thyroid antibodies)

monitormyhealth.org.uk/full...

10% off code here

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Symptoms of hypothyroidism

thyroiduk.org/wp-content/up...

Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Medichecks and BH also offer private blood draw at clinic near you, or private nurse to your own home…..for an extra fee

[pennyannie]

Hello Kate and welcome to the forum :

A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you daily with trace elements of T1, T2 and calcitonin plus a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg. - with T3 said to be around 4 times more powerful than T4.

Slowly the RAI burns out the thyroid is situ and the thinking is it slowly reduces the glands ability to over produce - hyperthyroid - and ultimately renders the gland semi / fully disabled with you then hypothyroid and needing to take thyroid hormone replacement.

Generally speaking T4 - Levothyroxine is the medication prescribed and I was immediately placed on 100 mcg T4 daily post my RAI back in 2005 but read of others not receiving, or feeling hypothyroid for some months after this treatment option.

The thyroid is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation including your physical, emotional, psychological, mental and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.

When not optimally medicated the symptoms of hypothyroidism are insidious and can effect any or all of your brain and body and I realise now I had been living with depression as ' my normal state ' and then my memory was so bad I seriously thought I was dealing with dementia.

It is essential that you are dosed and monitored on your Free T3 and Free T4 readings / ranges though am fully aware that in primary care you may just be getting a TSH reading.

If taking T4 - Levothyroxine - this is a prohormone and needs to be converted by the body into T3 the active hormone which runs all our bodily functions and we generally feel at our best when our T4 is in the top quadrant of it's range as this should in theory convert in the liver to a decent level of T3 at around a 1/4 ratio T3/T4.

T4 to T3 conversion can be compromised by non optimal levels of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D - and we know that RAI can trash vitamins and minerals.

T4 to T3 conversion can also be compromised by any physiological stress ( emotional or physical ) inflammation, depression, dieting and ageing - so maybe bit harder to keep well maintained but worth mentioning.

I'm presuming you were diagnosed with Graves Disease -this is an auto immune disease for which there is no cure - some people do find that after RAI their symptoms become worse - but for the vast majority hypothyroidism is quickly established and T4 - Levothyroxine prescribed and the next job is find a dose of thyroid hormone replacement that suits you best and alleviates your symptoms.

We do need more information to help you better going forward :

It's recommended to get a full thyroid blood panel to include a TSH, Free T3, Free T4, antibodies, inflammation, and ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D blood test run.

If your doctor is not able to help you with this, you can arrange this yourself from one of the private blood companies as listed on Thyroid UK website - just post the results and ranges when they come back and you will be talked through what it all means and receive considered opinion about your next best steps forward to better health and well being.

It will be a venous blood draw and around 10 blood analysis - and between them I believe Medichecks and Blue Horizon cover the country and for a extra charge can arrange a nurse home visit - maybe this might suits you better if living in a remote area.

I suggest you start reading up on Thyroid UK - the charity who support this forum to also read of The Wren Project where you can speak freely with trained support workers in this field and who are living with similar health issues.

thyroiduk.org

You might also like to read around Elaine Moore - books and website - elaine-moore.com

[tattybogle]

Try the Wren Project . ThyroidUK have recently teamed up with them:

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...