Posted by noa on October 19, 2000, at 9:47:45
In reply to Re: mega lethargic--medicinal or behavioral cures?, posted by laural on October 18, 2000, at 22:23:57
Let me give you my standard speech on the word "NORMAL". There is a big problem with many doctors. They rely too heavily on a statistical norm for the TSH test, which is the usual way of screening thyroid problems.
Usually, a TSH of between .5 and 5.5 is considered within normal limits. However, this is just a statistical phenomenon and may not mean that your TSH is normal. There is new research indicating that a TSH of 2 or higher is highly predictive of later diagnosis of hypothyroid (high TSH means hypo, ie, low thyroid function), but that initial symptoms are overlooked. Not surprisingly, often, the initial symptoms are psychiatric, or somewhat non-specific complaints. These can include fatigue, lack of concentration, depression, "brain-fog", sluggishness, lack of energy, etc. My endocrinologist has told me that people with treatment-resistant depression who are also hypothyroid often need agressive treatment with thyroid hormone, bringing the TSH down way low, much lower than most docs would be comfortable with, in order to feel ok. Luckily for me, he wrote a nice letter explaining this to my GP.
Until I was able to get to the root of my thyroid problem, I was a total mess. I was so weak and tired, I would have to rest after walking from the apartment house door to my car (30 feet), and rest again before getting out of the car. I slept constantly, felt hopeless, confused, couldn't think straight. Plus, I had intermittent edema, joint pain, dry skin, etc. I still need the antidepressants, but without proper thyroid treatment, the AD cocktail I take wouldn't really work.
For more info, see the Thyroid and Depression folder at Psycho-babble-tips. There is a link at the top of this page, or go to:
http://www.egroups.com/links/psycho-babble-tips//Noa_s_thyroid_links_000963272558/
There is lots of info there about how to get a better thyroid eval done, and how to interpret test results, etc.
It is not unusual for thyroid problems to run in families--even if the family members had the opposite type of problem (eg hyper vs. hypo). My mom had severe hyperthyroidism years ago (it took a while to get dxed, too), and I have hypothyroidism.
Good luck.
poster:noa
thread:46622
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001012/msgs/46756.html