Hypothyroidism and anti-depressants
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| Thu, 06-17-2004 - 6:28pm |
I am a 28 year old mother of two young children. I was on put on Zoloft one year ago, switched now to 10 mg of prozac every other day (this is a very low dose) for the treatment of tension headaches. I quit taking the Zoloft about 4 months ago because, I gained 15 lbs. Well, my weight keeps creeping up and I am excercising and eating right (pretty much, I'm not perfect but, pretty darn good!) I've always been fit and trim and in the past year I've creeped steadily from the low 130's to 160 lbs! My fat gut is making me and my husband sick!! Other risk factors I display are:L
LOW bbt (need to check for a few days but, this is historically true)
mild depression
irritability
memory loss
fatigue
digestive problems
painful ovulation (this started in the past 8 months)
the fat seems to have deposited itself mainly in my stomach, butt and thighs.
Does anyone know anyting about anti-depressants and hypothyroidism? I am worried about permanent damage. Just looking for stories and ideas...Any resources ya'll have are welcome, I have a feeling that this is the issue, the idea hit me like a ton of bricks this afternoon when I sat down to relax for a few minutes, an epopony (Spelling, I know)perhaps.
Best,
Amy

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There is a link with hyothyroidism and depression but if it's diagnosed correctly and treated - the thyroid condition - then you can really isolate the depression after that and treat it if it needs to be treated. But to put the cart before the horse, so to speak, diagnosing depression and missing the thyroid - I'll bet it's more common than we'll ever be able to know.
There's a great book out called The Thyroid Solution about how our mental health is linked to our thyroid conditions. Very interesting and easy to read.
I've never seen a link saying that anti-depressants *cause* thyroid disease - I don't think that's true, but the two are certainly linked in many women - and some of the men that have thyroid conditions.
I don't know if this is the answer you're looking for. I hope it helps a little. Cathy :)
Best,
Amy
I enjoyed reading your post and agree 100% that being a "healthy weight" is primary over vanity issues. I would love to see the info you found regarding the anti-depressant - thyroid link. I've seen some allusions here and there but, not much.
Best,
Amy
I was on Zoloft for anxiety. My migraines are so bad I needed some help. I wished I had never taken the Zoloft. I have hypothyroidism and it flared up about the same time I went off the Zoloft (we were TTC). I gained 30 pounds in 8 wks. I was/am devastated. I did get pg and hae a find pregnancy and healthy baby but now I am struggling again with the thyroid issues/weight gain and I CAN NOT lose any weight. I'll lose 5 pounds and gain it back in swelling....
This is from a great book called The Thyroid Solution, by Dr. Ridha Arem.
On depression he says, "Although hypothyroidism in general causes either low gade depression or chronic minor depression, it also places people with these minor, lingering forms of depression at high risk for slipping into major depression. In many cases, a minimal thyroid inbalance is enough to trigger a vicious cycle that ultimately leads to major depression. In such patients, the extreme tiredness associated with hypothyroidism and depression is part of the never-ending vicious cycle that drains them and ultimately leads to deeper depression."
"Scientists have been intrigued for years by the fact that a tiny thryoid hormone deficit in the brain can precipitate a major depression. Stress, depressing events and threats to livelihood are perceived and integrated in the brain and messages are immmediatley sent to the thyroid gland so that the gland can adjust its function and increase production of thyroid hormone. The increased production of hormone helps maintain an adequate brain chemistry that allows you to deal better with stress, etc."
Since this may impact a number of "lurkers" out there, I'll go on:
He says, "In some cases, the depression may not fully respond to thyroid hormone treatment alone. The depression may have taken on a life of its own and require additional treatment, particularly if the underactive thyroid had been undiagnosed for a long time. The thyroid should be treated for at least 3 months before your doctor should try to treat the minor type depression with an anti-depressant for 6 to 12 months. Another option is to use a combination T4/T3 treatment. But for major depression, you must begin treatment of both the underactive thryoid and depression immediately. If you are still suffering from depression after 3 months of treatment with thyroid hormone and an anti-depressant, the T4/T3 combination treatment may be the solution."
About anti-depressants, he says that the earliest treatment for manic-depression (bi-polar disorder) has been lithium, which has been shown to decrease thryoid activity. This is all I found so far on that topic but it may be possible that if lithium slows the thyroid, so does Prozac and other popular anti-depressants so that they, in effect, "cause" the hypothyroidism. But the link is also strong to begin with - that people with underactive thryoids tend to show more bi-polar disorders and depression.
Hope this helps in some way!! Cathy :)
Best,
Amy
Good luck. I have to go back next week for more blood work. I had to weight 6 wks. (again)........
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