Anxiety and Thyroid??

[ben16]

I have been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks for about a year.I was put on seroxat 20mg in july and have manged to calm my symptoms a fair bit.I do still get bad days but they are bearable.For about 10 months i have been putting on weight but as i was feeling ill i didnt worry about it.Just lately i have been on a strict diet and doing a lot of exercise but my weight is still rising.This is very unusual for me. I thought it may be to do with the seroxat so went to the doctor. His thoughts were that i have an underactive thyroid and has sent me for blood tests. Reading up on UT i have realised it can actually cause anxiety so this could be my cause of anxiety all along.
Has anybody else linked anxiety to thyroid problems??

[CrazyC]

Yes. I got tested last year as my mum suffers with a thyroid problem and i was secretly hoping that was the cause but my test came back fine. Im having another one Friday as i have put on almost 2 stone...but havent been eating more than usual.

[Stormsky]

yes thyroid can cause anxiety/depression.... i had blood tests done couple months ago actually hoping i had thyroid prob, so i could get medication to cure me of the anxiety...but my bloods were all fine... definately get it checked..

[gypsywomen]

definetly [YES]i have this problem ,but with meds under control now,,

[Loubeelou]

I just wanted to add that if you can ask the doctors to check for your T3 & T4. If you don't they will only do the basic thyroid function test, your TSH.
GP's don't generally do these without good cause, because it costs more money. I would advise that you get your T3 and T4 done to be sure :)

[ShelleE]

What are the t3 and t4 tests? I have a growth on my thyroid and always hope that its the goitre causing my anxiety. I recently had two thyroid function tests, the first was borderline so I was re-tested last week and it was ok.

I have been having all the symtoms of an early menopause which the thyroid can cause so having tests for that in two weeks but feel like i keep pinning my hopes on it being something.

[Loubeelou]

ShelleE, I found this to maybe explain a bit more http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Thyroid_profile:_free_T3,_free_T4_and_TSH

I too had a thyroid test that came back as normal, it measured 1.32 but my friend who has thyroid problems (she too suffered severe anxiety) and is now on medication, told me to re-test for this as hers was not discovered until she had this done. x

[ShelleE]

Thanks very much for this:)

[Lily1970]

Hi I have an underactive thyroid which is being kept under control by thyroxine. I know that an underactive thyroid definately can cause anxiety and almost always causes depression. If it isn't treated or diagnosed it always causes weight gain. To explain how badly it can affect mental health in the days before they know what an underactive thyroid was (ages ago in history) people used to be sent to asylums. Claire Rayner was someone who suffered with this undiagnosed when she was younger and she ended up in one and was pretty furious when it was discovered that she just had an underactive thyroid. There is quite a long list of symptoms. Being tired, weigh gain,sluggish, forgetful and so on. I hope that you get a diagnosis really soon and if it isnt that then lots of help. Good luck.