Thyroid & Depression--Doctor's Mistake

I'd be going to a doc that worked better with thyroid issues.

You should have had medication for this. Many systems in the body are regulated or influenced by what's going on with the thyroid.

If the psychiatrist won't give you the meds and order labs for you then find a new doc.

I agree with Doris Day. Ask the psychiatrist for a referral to an endocrinologist.

You need to find what level is right for you.

5.15 TSH level, and your doctor thinks you're fine?! I was practically dead when my TSH test was at 5.0. Does your doctor check your free T4, free T3, reverse T3, thyroid antibodies, AND your TSH, or just your TSH? If all your doctor checks is your TSH, immediately go find a new doctor. The TSH test doesn't even directly measure your thyroid function; it only checks how much thyroid hormone your pituitary gland thinks you need. Ugh.

So what I'd do is go find a D.O. (which is a medical doctor, but with additional training in treating the whole person, not just individual symptoms), or an endocrinologist, and ask for the whole battery of thyroid tests, as I mentioned above. It sounds like your medication needs to be adjusted pronto.

Don't hesitate to switch doctors, though. If your doctor is only looking at a TSH test, and is not treating you by your symptoms first, she is not the right doctor for this issue.

If you aren't already, follow Hypothyroid Mom on Facebook. She posts a lot of great information on this subject.

I'm hypothyroid and have been for 21 years.
I take Armour Thyroid to manage it and I feel best when my levels are kept fairly close to the hyperthyroid side of the scale.
My doctor asks me how I feel, if I have had any heart palpitations, is my hair and nails growing at a good rate, etc.

At least for me - I've never felt any anxiety over my thyroid levels.
If I ran out of my medication for awhile - life starts going in slow motion and I can't get enough sleep, plus my nails won't grow and my hair falls out.
I'm way too tired to feel anxious about ANYTHING if I'm off my meds.

Now I do know some hyperthyroid people and they can't sit still if they are off their meds.
Anxiety is a problem for them along with heart palpitations and a host of other problems.
It's all very individual and personal experiences vary widely.

I'd work with your psychiatrist and your doctor (or get another doctor if this one won't work with you) and try to find your optimal level and then try to maintain it.
It may or may not be within what ever they call the 'normal' range.
Because 'Normal' is determined by taking an average of a large sampling of people.
And I have discovered that I am fairly unique and I don't fall into 'normal' range and feel good at the same time.
I'm fortunate to have a doctor who's really great about working with me to maintain a comfort level for me.
Too many of them want to go strictly 'by the numbers' and that approach just doesn't work for everyone.

Oh - since you ONLY mention your TSH levels - have they every measured your Free T3 and Free T4 levels?
If not - they need to.
They are much better indicators for keeping you in balance than by going by a TSH level alone.

I hope you feel better soon!

I looked up acceptable THS values. An article on Medline says that your levels are within an accepted range. The article also gives information that may help you understand the complexity of hypothyroidism. I would go back to your doctor, tell her the psychiatrist suggested that you need additional attention to this. Ask some questions. It's likely that he hasn't made a mistake but is looking at these levels in a different way than the psychiatrist. I would want to be sure I understood this issue in a broad way.

I also read an article that said that sometimes hypothyroidism can be caused by conditions not easily diagnosed. I would ask the doctor about that possibility.

You've trusted your doctor for years. Why would a comment made by a psychiatrist you just met cause you to believe your doctor made a mistake? I also suggest that the psychiatrist is asking you to get another test. Being surprised does not mean that he thinks your doctor made a mistake. If he actually said she made a mistake I would question the psychiatrist's ethics.

You need a second opinion with an endocronologist. That's really important. Look at the info your psychiatrist gave you as a gift. Now you can take a more active role in your health and not just assume that your PCP is treating you correctly. If she IS, then at least you won't have to continue to worry.

I really appreciate your psychiatrist giving you this heads-up. So many of them ignore the physical part.

I have thyroid abnormalities and see an endocrinologist. I believe it is better to see a specialist when there is a specific issue. Thyroid conditions are complicated and an endocrinologist is a lot more apt to keep up with the latest developments in treating your condition. When I found my endocrinologist I made sure he specialized in thyroid care instead of diabetes. For instance, I wouldn't expect my family practice doc to know the latest strides in stroke prevention and what medication would be best for my blood clotting disorder. I do however expect my cardiologist to know it and be able to discuss my concerns/questions regarding any new therapies. Because this condition makes me about 5 times more likely to have a stroke, I continue to keep up with current research on it. If my cardiologist couldn't hold a thoughtful conversation with me, I'd find a different one (and I have changed to someone who specializes in prevention instead of treating after something has happened).

I hope you will find someone to help you with your thyroid. I'm with the other poster below that if you've only been relying on TSH levels you haven't had the right labs done.

Blessings!
L.

I would understand that an internist knows internal medicine and little else and psychiatrists know the mental part.

Do you know how much information one human would have to know to know every connection in the human body? You may see this as a simple connection they should have know but you are looking at one connection out of a million.

You know now, figure out how to combat it and move on. How will you feel if it isn't the thyroid?

i was in your EXACT situation. for several years.
well, not quite actually. i wasn't really depressed or anxious, just exhausted. completely enervated. no amount of sleep was enough.
every single test i took said my thyroid was normal. after too many times having to pull over on the way home from work and take a nap in order to be able to complete the trip safely, and having my doctor suggest 'have you tried coffee?' i made an appointment with a homeopath, in desperation.
it took another year, almost two really, for her to get the right balance of homeopathic meds for me, but then i was fixed. no px medications, no lifelong need for medication, no further visits. her goal and mine were shared- to get me cured and to quit coming back.
when i shared this story with a nurse practitioner a few years later, she said kindly and condescendingly 'have you heard of the placebo effect?'
well, yeah, i had. and it might even have factored in if i'd gone to my homeopath with touching faith that she'd fix me. but in fact i went in with extreme skepticism and a high degree of certainty that i was wasting my time.
i've read the studies that totally debunk homeopathy. they make sense to me.
i just know that while i'll never be an energy powerhouse, i'm no longer sleeping 15 hours a day and dragging through my waking hours. good enough for me.
khairete
S. (mostly alert for over 15 years now with no relapses)

Part of the problem is that what is an acceptable TSH level is a range. My doctor told me for years I was fine, until I hit her threshold, and then she said I needed meds. I have found that I need my TSH level to be near 1 or less to feel better. Even then, I don't feel normal. If I don't have enough I have physical symptoms like my left eyelid won't open all the way. Doctor said it has nothing to do with my thyroid, but if I up my meds, it goes away, so I got the doc to up my dose. I haven't seen an endocrinologist, but it might be a good idea since your depression is not under control. I use Zoloft and it keeps mine at bay. I also use NALT (n-acetyl l-tyrosine) and the differences are amazing! My husband buys it through Purebulk.com for me. I would talk to both a naturopath and an Endo. I don't know if I would change doctors, that is up to you, I mean if you like her for regular stuff, then stay. But, for this in particular, I would change.

I would go to another doctor and get a prescription for thyroid replacement, because 5.15 is definitely too low (a high TSH means a low thyroid level). It may or may not cure your depression and anxiety, but you still need to take thyroid hormone, at a TSH of 5.15.

If you are feeling disconnected and ignored from your internist, seek another opinion. There are plenty of internists out there, the most important part of a doctor/patient relationship is trust and feeling heard. Even if your physician doesn't think there's a connection between your thyroid and your mood/anxiety, she should still speak with you in person about it, and not just send you off to a class.

a great place to get more information, including natural thyroid meds, is 'stop the thyroid madness . com. I am in the same boat, mine is over 5 with all of the same symptoms (plus more) and my dr says its normal I have had hypo before and been treated (but with a strict healthydiet, no gluten, exercise), I was ok without meds. But not any more. I even have nodules on my thyroid. I have an appt with an endo soon and he better listen to me.

How a dr can tell me they won't treat me when I have all the symptoms, TSH is that high, and I have been diagnosed with hashimotos, is awful. I won't be going back to her.

If you are not happy and confident with your doctors, then you need to new doctors. Find one who specializes in the area of expertise that you need.

Maybe getting a new Dr., new test and a health education class is something that could be beneficial to you.

I am surprised that a psychiatrist would suggest that another Dr. misdiagnosed you when said psychiatrist has not been treating you long term and does not have all of the facts.

I assume you want to get things right and that is where you are coming from with your post.

I certainly hope you are not looking for some validation from MMP to sue somebody in the sue happy crazy world we live in.

Find a new Dr., get new tests and move on.

I looked it up because I honestly have no experience with the thyroid (other than what it is supposed to do). I found an article that says the normal range of TSH levels was .5 to 5 but then it was narrowed to .3 to 3.0. Maybe the doc doesn't know? Suposedly some docs will only change if the lab does. I would call and make an appointment to discuss it. And keep track of your levels by number. Maybe also show the doc the following article I found by Journal of Thyroid Reserach (found it on NIH.gov site). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3246784/ Defintely needs to be brought up and ask why wasn't it considered. Maybe there are other reasons it wsa not looked into.

The chiropractor I have put me on a regimen of essential oils...Endoflex, Progessence, and Idaho Blue Spruce to help with my thyroid. My hair was falling out faster than it would grow, my thumb nails were always split down and peeling, depression, period irregular ect....I felt great after about a month or two on it. Hope that helps.

I have had the same thing happen. I have a number of specialists I see, and the information doesn't always get passed through. Calls get missed, reports lost .. it's been a real eye opener. It also took a long time to realize connections between symptoms. I have a master list .. and take it with me whenever I see any of them.

ETA - sorry I didn't really answer your question about what you should you do .. in my experience, my general physician is the one who is aware of all my symptoms - my specialists are really focused on their area. I don't find they stop very often to look at the bigger picture. It's frustrating.

My family physician keeps track of the master list with me. She has made connections many times. She is copied on all my blood work. Not all my specialists are.

It's not really advice I have here, so much as I understand where you are coming from. Some doctors are better than others ... so if you have to see an internist the rest of your life, my only suggestion would be to look for one that is willing to go the extra mile for you.

Good luck :)