Levothyroxine and Depression

Hello, Sandra, I have been on levothyroxine since October last year. I was also borderline hypothyroid (my counts were within the range for 'normal' but towards the lower end. I, too, had been feeling a bit down. I was put on 50mcg a day for the first 6 months and took two blood tests over that time to see what was happening. At first I felt fine and when the first check was taken my count had gone up from 15+ to 18+. However, during the second 3 months, like you, I became very irritable and emotional and generally felt anxious and stressed. I didn't go to the doctor until it was time for my next blood test. When the result came through my count had gone up to 21, nearing the top of the 'normal' range as if I was moving towards an hyperthyroidism (over active thyroid). My doctor cut the dosage to half and I have been taking 25mcg for the last 2 months (my next blood test is due at the beginning of August). The symptoms of irritability did not go away - if anything they got worse. Last week I decided to take the situation into my own hands and for 3 days stopped taking the tablets without consulting my GP. On the second day I began to have hot flushes and feel a bit shaky. When I researched on the internet, I saw of accounts of sudden stopping of the medication being dangerous. On the third evening (a Friday) I didn't feel too good and frightened myself into going to the out of hours doctor. He was brilliant, much better than my own GP, explaining the situation to me much more clearly and saying it was imperative that my GP give me more frequent blood tests (i.e every 6 weeks rather than every 12 weeks so that what exactly was going on with the dosage would be clearer). He told me it was important to resume taking my tablets until I see my doctor on Monday and request a blood test to check thryroid levels. He also said that in borderline cases, based on the symptoms a person is experiencing when they first go to the GP, hypothyroid is suspected, but there are other things that can create the same symptoms so he advised me to ask for a full range of blood tests and perhaps to see a thyroid specialist rather than just my GP. The advice I would give you from this experience, is - 1. Don't just stop taking the tablets. 2. Go back to your GP and tell him/her how you are feeling and ask to have your thyroid levels checked again right now (I am assuming that your GP has already told you to come back for that after a certain amount of time - perhaps 3 months?) so that your GP can monitor more closely what is going on and find the right dosage/tablet type for you. It might take time to sort this out, as is the case with me, but with careful monitoring of blood test results, your GP should be able, one way or another, to get you feeling back to normal. Best of luck. Jaye 

to 18 to 18

Hi Sandra,

     I too experienced depression but not until I was on Levo for almost a year.  I lost my hair before my diagnosis and since 2004- have not regained a lot of it back.  I feel into depression when my hair continued to fall out and I had to begin wearing wigs almost daily!  Unless I am home, I wear wigs and it's saddening- depressing.

     I think that really set my sadness instead of the medication.  Also, right after my radiation for the Partial Kill, I went into perimenopause.  So I experience side affects from both my medications and hormonal issues.  Yes, I'm depressed but I don't know from whence it came!  lol

Hi, Really sorry to hear about you all feeling very unwell.  My advice would be to read as much as possible re. thyroid illness.  It has a lot of knock on effects within the body.  You should really have cortisol levels checked, plus iron, vit D etc. etc.  I was diagnosed over 10 years ago with hashimotos.  Levothyroxine just does not work well for me although it may do for others.  Theres a great uk based website called tpauk.com which has loads of info.  I had to go back on levothyroxine for a number of years and then found my ferritin was very low, low vit D, low cortisol etc.  Low iron and ferritin can make your hair fall out (mine became very sparse.  Now i'm back on a different regime my hair has grown thicker, I have more energy, am losing weight etc.  Best wishes to you all.