depression and thyroid

i steered clear of anti depressants although the doctor offered them to me.....what i did do is bought a exercie dvd and used that wen my energy levels allowed...short walks with an ipod helped me too

hi i've been suffering from depression since i was 8 through childhood abouce, and have been of and on antidepresonts since then, but when i reached the age of 39 my dep got worse and i started putting on weight i had lots of simptoms but was never tested for thyroid problems ontill i move and had another dr i got diognosed 1 year age i'm on 25mg a day of thyroxin and 150 mg of my antidepresonts i still get dips now and again were i'm feeling poorley i've just come through 2 weeks of being low mood, not wonting to get out of bed to do enything feeling cold and my skin will sweat so i have to have lots of showers, but together both tabs work perfectlyi hope that is of help to you and i hope you will start feeling better soon :D

Hi there

I've been taking 75mcg 4x a week and 50mcg 3x a week and GP recently said that my TSH was 4.2 (still on the upper end). I also see an endocrinologist at the hospital every 2 months who is monitoring my fluctuating thyroxine levels.

Like you I'm depressed and recently it has got worse that I feel so desperate to go on anti depressants but am trying to be a fighter at the same time. Anti depressants made me feel awful and I was so spaced out that I couldn't even see to my own children. had cognitive behaviour therapy (cbt) which helped a little at the time but not that much. My therapist said that I won't respond well to CBT if my thyroid isn't corrected.

I've recently started taking Vit D supplements and am on iron too. I've noticed that the iron brings on rage, so I don't take it everyday. I feel a complete failure as a person, mother and wife. I don't take any interest in life like I use to. I was a really active person and loved the outdoors, going to the gym and swimming. Now I'm just sitting at home and don't want to go anywhere and don't want to speak to or see anyone. I don't know whether to increase my own thyroxine so will be seeing my GP on Monday.

I really know how you feel. What are your current tsh and t4 levels?

take care

ms

Hi It's late at night, but a degree of insomnia is part of my thyroid condition, at the moment i'm not working so i don't get too down on myself about it, I take a little nap in the afternoon if i feel tired. But I have just read these posts about depression and would like to add my experience in case it can help. I finally got diagnosed and started treatment for hypothyroidism about twp years ago. At the time, and looking back, during the previous years leading up to the diagnosis, I struggled with fluctuating moods and all the other symptoms of low as I felt so miserable for so long!. I try and put exercise into my week, just walking, i don;t always feel like it, but if i manage to get out for a while I do appreciate how it lifts my mood generally. I don;t think there's any easy options with this condition, there are so many symptoms, achey joints, tiredness, lethargy to name a few, but I just take each day as it comes. I try to do as much as I can physically, but know i need to rest as my body demands. It must be doubly tough if you have children,(mine are now grown up). I can only suggest being kind to yourself, it's not your fault your're unwell, and try and get support from any friends and family, without feeling too guilty about needing some support, we are all here to help each other! wish you all improved health soon, jeannie

Hi, for me my hypothyroidism affected my mood by not necessarily causing depression, but just making me emotionally dead. As in I did not react to the usual things that would cause a person to feel joy, or excitement and conversely I never felt sadness. Even the death of a close family member failed to elicit an emotional response. :cry:

I am on 50mcg of Thyroxine, and while it helped my energy levels, my mood was still painfully static. What I found helped me was taking Thyax alongside the Thyroxine. The first time I realised it was working was a couple of days after I started taking it I felt myself getting emotional while watching a film. Something which hadn't happened in many years. I can't say for definite if it was the Thyax, or if the Thyroxine had suddenly after 7 months cured my mood symptoms aswell. But I've continued to take the Thyax and my mood has continued to improve. I actually enjoy meeting up with friends, when previously it felt like a chore.

It's worth a try at least, it might improve your quality of life drastically. There are lots of thyroid support supplements to experiment with. Good luck!

Hi, today I feel terrible! I hardly slept last night and this feeling of \"doom and gloom\" is back. I'm going to my GP on Monday as I feel I need to up the dose of Thyroxin. I'm on 200mg at present. I was diagnosed about 10 years ago and started on 25mg. However, unlike others, I do take anti-depressants in the form of 30mg of Seroxat daily and came off these to have my son but went back on them soon after his birth as I could feel myself slipping back to the mood swings, depression etc. Sometimes I think this is not a disease worth mentioning as it is so \"silly\" in some people's eyes but hey - they want to try living with the symptoms for a while! Don't feel bad about taking medicatin as when I'm on the right dose I feel fine and coupled with the anti-depressant can lead a totally normal life. Hope this helps - ten years of experience should!