Posted by bookgurl99 on January 1, 2003, at 1:34:32
In reply to Prozac vs Zoloft, posted by homelife on December 31, 2002, at 10:04:27
Homelife,
you are not crazy. you _do_ have symptoms of stress and depression, and - from what i read of your having no energy or interest - possibly incompletely treated thyroid condition.
i'm also hypothyroid and treated with synthroid. as a result of my hypothyroidism. in the past, i've found that my depressive symptoms improved with treatment with t3 as well. (if you didn't know, t3 is another thyroid hormone -- like the t4 in synthroid, but more active.)
T3 treatment can alleviate symptoms of depression. Plus, when you feel like you're at your wit's end, the t3 provides added energy.
(Isn't it horrid to have so much to do when you have no energy? It's not that you're lazy and don't want to deal with things, it's that you are just so tired that even walking is a chore.)
To be honest, unless you're very overwhelmed, I'd try treating your thyroid differently before going on an AD. For one thing, the thyroid treatment will cost less, and you should know within a few weeks if it's helping.
Here's a small study that shows brain function improvement, including improvement in depression and energy, in hypothyroid women treated with t4 AND t3:
http://www.unc.edu/news/newsserv/research/feb99/prange2.htm
Here's a link with information on cytomel, the standardized form of t3 that doctors can prescribe in addition to synthroid.
http://thyroid.about.com/library/drugs/bl-cytomel.htmI hope you can ask your doctor to let you try this out. Let him/her know that you talked to someone who did better on t3 in addition to t4.
I think adding t3 is still a relatively new practice for MD's, who learned that synthroid was the 'best' treatment for hypothyroidism. But I'm sure your dr. would like to help you find the best treatment for you.
poster:bookgurl99
thread:133914
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021230/msgs/133973.html