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Re: Synthroid for Anxiety when Thyroid is Normal

Posted by bleauberry on June 13, 2008, at 19:01:18

In reply to Synthroid for Anxiety when Thyroid is Normal, posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 12, 2008, at 21:01:34

Your doc seems wise to me. The good ones know that what appears normal on paper is no more than a rough guideline. Normal is a broad range that does not fit everyone. Someone with so called normal readings could in fact be hypothyroid or hyperthyroid. Symptoms are more of a clue than lab numbers. Lab numbers are useful to see how much the readings have changed from baseline. In Dr Bobs Tips, and in the STAR program, thyroid was given as psychiatric augmentation regardless of normal readings.

Here's a weird one. A guy I talked to was super skinny, couldn't gain weight, and run down with fatigue. His thyroid numbers were normal. With thyroid meds, he gained back his health and started putting on weight. The weight gain was opposite of what would be expected. Apparently his gut functions were somehow hypo as well, and they started working more efficiently with thyroid.

My doctor said my thyroid numbers were all within the normal range. But a high normal free T4, a low normal T3, a high normal total T4, and a high normal TSH tells a story to a discerning eye. It hints at hidden hypothyroid due to excess reverse T3. He prescribed compounded T3, which I haven't tried yet, as I am working my way through a laundry list of things he said I should try, one at a time.

I suspect tens of thousands of people are suffering right now because their doctors say their numbers are normal, and all the while totally ignore the symptoms right in front them. Oh, must be stress from work. That's it. Yeah, ok.

Stop The Thyroid Madness...a great website to learn about the intricacies of thyroid. The basic theme is...normal is not good...only optimal is good...and everyone's optimal is different and not measurable other than watching how symptoms respond. You want optimal, not normal. That involves looking closely at TSH, free T3, free T4, total T4, and more importantly, the story they tell. I pulled a chart off the web that allows you to plot the numbers on a horizontal graph. The numbers, if optimal, should line up vertically. If they don't, if they are skewed off to the sides in different patterns, they tell stories of what is actually going on. I congratulate your doctor, because most have no clue about this stuff, not even specialists.

You asked about anxiety? Well, I know beefing up thyroid seems like pro-anxiety. The thing is though, many people who have measured or unmeasured hypothyroid experience anxiety and panic. The improve when thyroid is supplemented to where it should be for that person. If it is overdone and you take too much too fast, yeah, anxiety and heart palpitations can happen.

An important thing I've learned about thyroid treatment from the website mentioned above and from people at thyroid forums is that it should always be started at very low doses and increased very slowly over time. Changes in dose, for example, should happen no faster than once a month.


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