Anxiety/Nervousness

[Serisu]

Hi!

I was just wondering if anyone has had an issue with severe anxiety/nervousness.

I’m not sure what my thyroid levels currently are, I’ve been both over and underactive recently so the level is very much fluctuating.

But the past few days I have been having severe anxiety to the point of feeling physically sick and having numerous breakdowns a day. I can’t control my mind or thinking and am nervous about everything.

I can’t switch off from feeling nervous and sad and anxious. It’s constantly there and I can’t get it to stop at all.

I was just wondering if this is normal and a symptom that anyone else has had? And how they managed to get it under control?

[Nezzera]

Hi Serisu,

I feel those same symptoms when my thyroid levels are off. Usually the worst when under treated. I have noticed that the change to the winter season usually causes my levels to fluctuate. Also, vitamin and minerals must be optimum to convert levothyroxine.

Makes me feel like a nervous wreck too. Can you get your levels checked?

Practice some self care in the meantime until you can get it sorted out. It takes time for medication adjustments to have any affect so I usually act quickly. As soon as I feel the agitated feeling starting to take hold.

Take care

[NinaSA in reply to Nezzera]

Hi Serisu,

Yes the anxiety and nervousness from Hyperthyroid gets me down too, also the hand and body tremors that come and go. I've been taking meds for 5 months now but some days are better than others. No medical benefits until next year - then I will test again.

[Serisu in reply to NinaSA]

Hi Nina,

Thank you for your response.

I’m sorry to hear it’s an issue you’ve been having too. My levels have been so all over the place overactive one minute then underactive the next. I’ve never experienced this symptom until recently and it’s really taken me off guard.

I have bloods on Monday that should hopefully give some answers and point in the right direction.

Have you found anything other than medication helpful trying to deal with managing it?

[NinaSA in reply to Serisu]

Hi Serisu,

Unfortunately I have no medication that manages it. I did find that even though my heart rate is all over the place and beating up to 120 despite the beta blockers - exercise helps. Not in a gym, but just being busy in the garden, with the live stock or doing the washing definitely makes the anxiety better. It is as if when my heart beats very fast for a time because I am physically busy - when it calms down I feel better.

Please post when you had your blood results.

[Serisu in reply to Nezzera]

Hi Nezzera,

Thank you for your response.

I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I spoke with the doctor earlier who has brought my bloods forward to Monday to check all of my levels again.

I’ve been taking some rescue remedy to try and ease things out, but my mind is just spiralling so often like never before.

Hopefully my results will show something that can give us a way forward to help stop it.

Thank you for taking time to answer and for your help. I hope that you are well and things are okay for you at the moment. Take care

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Increased anxiety has been the worst symptom of having a thyroid condition for me and it is always worse if thyroid medication or key vitamins (ferritin, folate, vitamins B12 and D) are not optimal. Do share results with us in a new post when you have them.

[Serisu in reply to Buddy195]

Hi Buddy,

Thank you for responding.

I had never had it as a symptom until recently, and it completely knocked me for six. I’m sorry that it’s something you have been experiencing too.

My doctor brought my bloods forward to Monday so we can figure things out sooner. My levels are so all over the place it will be nice to figure out what’s going on.

Thanks again for responding. I hope all is okay with you and you are keeping well. I’ll let you know what the results show. Take care

[phronsias]

Hello

I also suffer with severe anxiety, I hide it, I tell myself the feelings are not real.

Sometimes it works but its always there.

F

[Serisu in reply to phronsias]

Hi,

Thank you for responding.

I’m sorry that it’s something you have been dealing with. I’ve been trying to do that too, sometimes it works but other times it just doesn’t at all too.

I’ve been taking some rescue remedy drops to hopefully make it abit easier, and have been colouring too. Keeping my mind active tends to help but then sometimes my worries just slip in.

I hope things get easier for you and that everything is okay. Take care

[FallingInReverse]

I never had an anxious feeling in my life until I was diagnosed.

The most important thing you can do right now is re read the replies to your last post about exactly which blood tests you need… and to get your results in hand.

It is combination of symptoms and blood test results that we use to guide us - only one of the two is not enough.

That being said - yes, anxiety is very common when your thyroid issues aren’t optimally treated.

Is this a new feeling for you?

[Serisu in reply to FallingInReverse]

Hi,

Thank you for responding.

My doctor has moved my bloods to Monday to get them done sooner so we can reach a treatment plan sooner. I’m getting everything tested so that should yield something.

I’ve always been a slightly nervous person, and do worry about things but never anything like this. I’ve been crying every day because I’m just so scared and nervous and anxious about things. I feel sick constantly. It’s a completely new feeling and I think that is also making me feel worse.

Hopefully I can get some answers and deal with things abit easier.

I appreciate your time and help. I hope that everything is okay for you and you are keeping well

[Bertwills]

It may help to try L-Theanine. It comes from tea & is reported to lower anxiety. I use the Time Health version from their own website or Amazon.

Theanine supplement from Time Health

[Mostew]

Just in case you are listening to to much news . That is causing so many to feel tearful and anxious in these unsettling times

. Turn instead to music you like or other positive stuff.

Hope you manage to get the hormone levels in balance .

Not easy .

[Dahliasanddaisies]

Hi Serisu, I can empathise. It's happened for the past 2 October's, so I guess the change of season. Acupuncture is very helpful and I'm investing in a SAD lamp

[Parrotia]

I have heard that people need an increase if thyroid meds in winter. Also my anxiety is linked to genes I've realised. I was taking methylfolate and methyl cobalamin in supplements and I can't tolerate them. I was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia and changed to self injecting hydroxocobalamin so I can absorb it and first took methylfolate to go with it (they work together) but had to change to folinic acid. It's to do with the methylation process which I don't do well. The anxiety with high dose methylfolate was off the scale and I only took one tablet! I've also increased my T3 this winter (I take T3 and T4) and that's helped. I knew I was low because my temperature had dropped and that was initially a sign that I was undermedicated.

[Tina_Maria]

I have seen that you have been treated with carbimazole for hyperthyroidism earlier this year. Did your doctor say anything about your thyroid blood results when you were last tested? Did they offer you medication? In many cases, your thyroid function will go underactive as a result of the carbimazole treatment and you may need to go on medication.

However, many doctors think that if your thyroid levels are somewhere within a big reference range, you should be fine, but that sadly is not the case and hence many people are symptomatic.

I know that you are having blood tests today, however, most GPs will only test TSH or at a stretch T4 and many do not test T3. Low levels (as well as too high levels) of T3 can cause severe anxiety, therefore it would be good to have this tested. If the GP does not test T3, I would advice you to get a private blood test and do a full thyroid panel including antibodies, so you can get a clear picture where your levels are.

I would also test your nutrients such as iron, folate, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. Low iron and low B vitamin levels can also cause anxiety, so it would be good to get all those tested.

In the meantime, and until you know the test results, you could get a good Magnesium supplement (look out for magnesium citrate, glycinate, or maleate as these are bioavailable forms your body can easily absorb). Magnesium supplementation has been shown to help with anxiety and many people are deficient in magnesium anyway.

I know it all sounds a bit overwhelming, especially when you are anxious, but once you have the test results, you can tackle the root problem and can work on getting better.