Weight and hypothyroid?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Weight and hypothyroid?
2
Mon, 07-05-2004 - 9:36pm
does hypothyroid really affect weight- weight gain/loss? i am putting pieces together(feel i have suffered from this since i was about 15-when i put on a lot of weight- but hard to determine how much was puberty-how much thyroid.) at this time they dx with depression and put me on prozac which did nothing for me. i con't to have symptoms of hypothyroid but was dx just over a yr. ago due to infertility. PHEW. just trying to figure it all out. any info would be very appreciated.

Erika

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 07-06-2004 - 12:28pm
Hi Erika - yes it doesn affect weight gain and weight loss. And if you think you might have started being hypo around puberty, you're probably right. It tends to come on around major hormonal shifts, like puberty, pregnancy, pre-menopause and menopause.

Hypothyroidism and depression are linked. Studies have shown that people with clinical depression are often hypothyroid. And women who go to their doctors with symptoms of hypothyroidism are often misdiagnosed as having depression and being treated for depression and the hypothyroidism is missed!! So it's possible to have both depression and hypothyroidism and if you do, it's possible that taking both medications will be the only way to feel your best. There's a great book on this called, The Thyroid Solution by Dr. Ridha Arem. He covers everything on hormones, depression, and thyroid conditions. Plus he also covers the conditions that mimic hypothyroidism, like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fybromyalgia and Hypoglycemia. Hope this helps! Keep asking your questions as you work on this! Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 07-06-2004 - 8:19pm
thx Cathy. this is what i suspect. not to knock them- but i was seen by military dr.'s and then referred out to a psychologist/psychiatrist. the prozac never helped. but i do think i was depressed too. depressed about my weight gain and my failed attempts to lose it. being a dancer i was very thin- so a lot of public ramifications came from the weight gain. i was also very popular at school. so it all devastated me pretty well. i did live thru it and get over it- but it was very hard for me. i became suicidal and almost hospitalized. i guess i am just angry that no one caught it then and i suffered so m uch for so long. i mean, i am glad i know now, and that something can be done to enhance the rest of my life- but i am grieving and i am in the ANGER stage! i may look into that book. is it a fairly easy read for lay medical people?

Erika