Has Anyone Tried Ashwaghanda For Anxiety? - Thyroid UK

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Has Anyone Tried Ashwaghanda For Anxiety?

Ellie-Louise profile image
16 Replies

I am feeling very anxious atm.

I keep getting a thumping heart, pounding in head/ears with feelings that something is about to happen. This has been going on for pretty much 2 weeks.

I have nothing to be stressed about other than my head wound from my op in February that is taking time to heal. I saw the dermatologist last week and he prescribed 2 different treatments to help it and apparently it is starting to.

But I feel so het up and I think it must be down to that subconsciously. I have bothered doctors and hospital so much lately over my scalp issue so I want to try and sort myself out if I can.

This morning I looked up natural tranquillisers and came across Ashwaghanda, but it does mention interactions with Levothyroxine so I’m not sure whether to buy it or not.

Has anyone used it? or can anyone suggest anything else natural to calm me down that is safe to use? I have used camomile tea in the past for sleep, this is going back decades. I don’t have problems sleeping at all, just this anxiety thumping. Blood pressure is fine btw.

Thank you. x

Edit:

This is where I saw about that herbal remedy. hellopharmacist.com/drug-he...

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Ellie-Louise
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16 Replies
Buddy195 profile image
Buddy195Administrator

My anxiety spikes when both under and over medicated thyroid wise.

Looking at your previous post, you mentioned your GP reduced your Levo from 100-75mcg. Was this before or after these results?

March 15th. 2024.

TSH - 0.04 [0.32 - 4.94]

T4 - 14.8 [9.0 - 19.0]

Likely you will need an increase not a decrease. It would be best to see FT3 in addition to FT4 and TSH for a complete picture of your thyroid health.

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply to Buddy195

Yes, I’m still on 75mcg. To tell the truth I couldn’t be bothered chasing up my thyroid after all the worry over my * head in December and onwards. I just didn’t feel like coping with more than one thing at a time, I already had another doctor on my back about my liver and cholesterol. I just want to crawl into a cave away from the lot and stay there.

* Diagnosed as a squamous cell carcinoma on my head, a biopsy was taken at the time of my operation. When the results came back recently they didn’t find any trace of cancer, that it was some sort of immunity thing. The dermatologist whom I’m seeing and who did the op was shocked at the result, he said he would have sworn it was a cancer. I even looked it up and it did look like one to me.

Buddy195 profile image
Buddy195Administrator in reply to Ellie-Louise

So please the biopsy was negative for cancer.

As SlowDragon suggested, do look to test key thyroid vitamins and then share results with us.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

when did you last test B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D

These likely to drop with dose reduction in levothyroxine

What vitamin supplements are you taking

Anaesthetic can dramatically lower B12

Suggest you get thyroid and vitamin testing done

Most people when adequately treated will have Ft4 (levothyroxine) at least 70% through range

Your last test

Free T4 (fT4) 14.8 pmol/L (9 - 19) 

Ft4 only 58.0% through range

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

Is this how you do your tests

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

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

Post all about what time of day to test

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Testing options and includes money off codes for private testing

thyroiduk.org/testing/

Medichecks Thyroid plus BOTH TPO and TG antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes BOTH TPO and TG antibodies, cortisol and vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/testing/thyro...

Symptoms of hypothyroidism

thyroiduk.org/signs-and-sym...

Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test

support.medichecks.com/hc/e...

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

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply to SlowDragon

Thank you, yes Ido it all correctly but I couldn’t tell you when I was tested last for vitamins. I had a blood test booked a couple of months ago but when I went for it the phlebotomist was extremely confused as to what I was being tested for because 2 doctors had requested different tests. I told her I was there for my thyroid test and assumed that was what she took my blood for. When I got the results back they had tested for everything else liver etc. but only T4 for thyroid which really annoyed me.

FallingInReverse profile image
FallingInReverse

Hi Ellie - horrible feeling isn’t it. For me it comes and goes along my journey to optimize my thyroid hormones.

I haven’t read through these yet, but here are other posts here about ashwaghanda that might be helpful too:

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply to FallingInReverse

Thank you, yes it is frightening especially when your brain tells you that you are about to drop of your perch. It is also supposed to be something to do with digestion which had started to trouble me again. Maybe it is all related, who knows.

I saw this from a post on the IBS site, I still read there but haven’t suffered with that for 10 or more years.

healthunlocked.com/theibsne...

I decided to stick with Camomile tea instead.

FallingInReverse profile image
FallingInReverse in reply to Ellie-Louise

I have gotten good at seeing the anxiety feeling as separate from myself and my situation/surroundings.

I can realize the difference between legit situational depressed feelings (like dealing with chronic disease and symptoms) and the chemical buzzy feeling of dread from low thyroid hormones.

I cant stress enough, if you did indeed drop Levo 2 months ago and this is popping up for you, I’ll guess it’s very related and I hope you are able to get your thyroid bloods optimized via a possibly needed Levo increase.

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply to FallingInReverse

I think it was around January that it was dropped from 100mcg. I was doing fine on that until a doctor started looking at results. She wasn’t even my doctor, that’s the problem when there are a few of them. I know I need it raised but quite honestly, I need to get my incision mended first. After that I will do something about it. The trouble is every time you ring, you are either in a queue to the moon or your own doc isn’t there and you’re stuck with the duty doc.

FallingInReverse profile image
FallingInReverse in reply to Ellie-Louise

It’s a fight, but - as this is a thyroid forum full of people with sub-optimal thyroid - there are tons of stories here about the 1000 symptoms we experience lifting once our Free Ts are where they need to be.

It’s a fight. But this forum helps with how to navigate that fight step by step.

Incidentally, I read through some of the other ashwaghanda posts and “reviews” are mixed. Works for some doesn’t for others, but not necessarily contra-indicated to Levo and hypo in general, but definitely has a specific mechanism for how it works.

Good luck with your healing!

arTistapple profile image
arTistapple in reply to FallingInReverse

I am getting good at this too. It’s definitely a ‘thing’ in hypo state/treatment.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Anxiety is extremely common when on inadequate dose levothyroxine

GP frequently thinks it’s only linked to hyperthyroidism

Strongly recommend you get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing next week

Privately if necessary

NHS rarely tests Ft3

I already had another doctor on my back about my liver and cholesterol.

High cholesterol is directly linked to thyroid levels being too low

Sid_Arthur profile image
Sid_Arthur

We'd better be CAREFUL . . . with these complex botanicals, . . . & look (carefully enuf) . . . before leaping to buy a box of the powder, . . . or capsules . . . , as inexpensive as those may seem, . . . it might be said.

E.g. see eatfor.life/ashwagandha-dan...

. . . hope that's of help ! Did trial it myself at the start of the year, on the suggestion it was a powerful anti-inflammatory, . . . but in my (N=1) case, . . . didn't find it helpful at all ! 😨😲😨

Sid 🤔

Sat 25 May 2024 - after a cooler day . . . when summer felt more distant!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply to Sid_Arthur

Strangely this link popped up in a health email I receive, it was quite informative although I had already decided not to try Ashwaghanda.

webmd.com/diet/supplement-g...

Brigland27 profile image
Brigland27

Yes ashwagandha is good only if your hypothyroidism & not good for hyperthyroidism....magnesium is good for calming & chamomile tea.

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise

Update.

I’ve been diagnosed with Bronchitis so now I’m on antibiotics.

Incredibly that was what was wrong with me. I felt a lot worse this morning so I rang the surgery and they saw me right away.

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