# Thyroid and bipolar connection?



## Lovelizz

I am wondering if there is a connection here. My mother was diagnosed as hypothyroid when she was about my age (28-30 range) and was put on synthroid. A few years later she received a bipolar diagnosis. I won't go into the details because I don't know them all, and I never even thought to make a connection but the same thing happened to me.

I started having a crazy manic episode about 2 months after starting levoxyl. I had anxiety attacks that put me in the hospital, I went to the ER because I really thought I was having a heart attack, and was told it was anxiety. I started regularly sleeping only about 5 hours a night, was extremely irritable....and it seems like whenever I'd forget my levoxyl for a few days I'd feel so much better, yet still the nasty hypo tired sluggish brain feeling...but the sleep and laziness was almost refeshing when compared with the other side. I will say that I've probably had hypomanic episodes my whole life (not full blown mania) but this was definitely the first crazy full blown manic episode. Other things worth noting is that husband and i moved across the country and are in the midst of a divorce now so there are other triggers as well. Because of the divorce I am no longer going to have health insurance so I went to the dr and pretty much DEMANDED he put me on armour and take me off levoxyl. A few months ago when I had reached a breaking point with the mania he put me on lithium also which really seemed to help, but I am concerned with long term effects on kidneys and also the cost of blood tests to check levels without insurance. Instead I requested to be put on a newer medication called lamictal. Both armour and the lamictal have almost no side effects reported so I am praying this will be the best combo for me.

He was not very keen on the armour, and thought I was making a bad choice. Im not sure why but I'd rather have something that only works 75% but NO side effects than something that works 100% and makes me feel crazy.


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## Andros

Lovelizz said:


> I am wondering if there is a connection here. My mother was diagnosed as hypothyroid when she was about my age (28-30 range) and was put on synthroid. A few years later she received a bipolar diagnosis. I won't go into the details because I don't know them all, and I never even thought to make a connection but the same thing happened to me.
> 
> I started having a crazy manic episode about 2 months after starting levoxyl. I had anxiety attacks that put me in the hospital, I went to the ER because I really thought I was having a heart attack, and was told it was anxiety. I started regularly sleeping only about 5 hours a night, was extremely irritable....and it seems like whenever I'd forget my levoxyl for a few days I'd feel so much better, yet still the nasty hypo tired sluggish brain feeling...but the sleep and laziness was almost refeshing when compared with the other side. I will say that I've probably had hypomanic episodes my whole life (not full blown mania) but this was definitely the first crazy full blown manic episode. Other things worth noting is that husband and i moved across the country and are in the midst of a divorce now so there are other triggers as well. Because of the divorce I am no longer going to have health insurance so I went to the dr and pretty much DEMANDED he put me on armour and take me off levoxyl. A few months ago when I had reached a breaking point with the mania he put me on lithium also which really seemed to help, but I am concerned with long term effects on kidneys and also the cost of blood tests to check levels without insurance. Instead I requested to be put on a newer medication called lamictal. Both armour and the lamictal have almost no side effects reported so I am praying this will be the best combo for me.
> 
> He was not very keen on the armour, and thought I was making a bad choice. Im not sure why but I'd rather have something that only works 75% but NO side effects than something that works 100% and makes me feel crazy.


Hi; there is a connection. Usually it is a misdiagnosis.

Read this please.............................

bipolar/thyroid disease
http://www.psycheducation.org/thyroid/introduction.htm

Good to see you and keeping you in my thoughts through this difficult time.


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## Lovelizz

So is this suggesting I have hashi's? I'm so borderline...my tsh was always in normal range but I had major major symptoms. Other than the negative side effects which I hate, the meds really have changed my life in a positive way. I'm just hoping to rid myself of the side effects :/ hopefully the lamictal will be more beneficial than the lithium!


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## Andros

Lovelizz said:


> So is this suggesting I have hashi's? I'm so borderline...my tsh was always in normal range but I had major major symptoms. Other than the negative side effects which I hate, the meds really have changed my life in a positive way. I'm just hoping to rid myself of the side effects :/ hopefully the lamictal will be more beneficial than the lithium!


Does your doctor run your FREE T4 and FREE T3 also?

Free T3 and Free T4 are the only accurate measurement of the actual active thyroid hormone levels in the body. This is the hormone that is actually free and exerting effect on the cells. These are the thyroid hormones that count.

http://www.drlam.com/articles/hypothyroidism.asp?page=2#diagnosis: standard laboratory test

Have you had antibodies' tests run? Have you had an ultra-sound of the thyroid?


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## Lovelizz

My ft4 and ft3 have been done, that's what he used to determine that I actually was hypo, I dint remember the numbers but my ft3 was just under normal range. That hasn't changed much at all, but my TsH has gone down from about a 3.7 to a 1.2. I have not had antibodies tests done, I asked about them on the first round of tests and he said they weren't necessary and just an extra expense, because I would be treated the same way whether I had hashi's or just hypo. I personally would like to know!


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## Andros

Lovelizz said:


> My ft4 and ft3 have been done, that's what he used to determine that I actually was hypo, I dint remember the numbers but my ft3 was just under normal range. That hasn't changed much at all, but my TsH has gone down from about a 3.7 to a 1.2. I have not had antibodies tests done, I asked about them on the first round of tests and he said they weren't necessary and just an extra expense, because I would be treated the same way whether I had hashi's or just hypo. I personally would like to know!


Oh, gads. FREE T3 is your active hormone. If it was under normal range, you must feel like death warmed over.

The limbic system of the brain is dependent on T3. That is the mood related portion of the brain. Do your research.

And, you need a good going over. Cancer is always a consideration w/thyroid; especially adults and must be ruled in or out, whatever the case may be.

Ultra-sound ..........................."essential!"

These tests................."highly important!"

TSI
Normally, there is no TSI in the blood. If TSI is found in the blood, this indicates that the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is the cause of the of a person's hyperthyroidism. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html

TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

Who Rx'd your Lithium? Who has switched you to Lamictal? Knowing the answer would help me sort through the situation.


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## Lovelizz

I have my gp do everything, thyroid, bipolar, also have pcos which is suspect is caused by thyroid!


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## Lovelizz

Whoops, I screwed up...it was my t4 that was low, the t3 is always in midrange. Normal for t4 is .78-2.19. My first initial screening t4 was at .78. Over about 9 mos it's gone up to 1.21 which I guess is almost mid range.


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## Andros

Lovelizz said:


> I have my gp do everything, thyroid, bipolar, also have pcos which is suspect is caused by thyroid!


Oh, honey bunny!! Only a Board Certified Psychiatrist should be Rx'ng this kind of medication.

This is very very concerning to me and I am sure others will agree. There is no way a GP is qualified to diagnose psyche problems.

Tch!

Bless your heart! I am glad you are here. Hopefully all of us can get you in the right direction.


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## Lovelizz

The dr and I made the diagnosis ourselves....I have had depression issues since I was 15, and pretty much known I was bipolar ever since then...I just always experienced mostly depression with hypomania, but now the depression is mostly gone, instead just full blown mania, and in place of depression is irritability and a short fuse. I am unable to afford a psychiatrist so my dr prescribed me the lithium on a trial basis. It helped immediately and i was on a very low dose. He increased the dose a month later, the only reason I am going off it is because I cannot afford the blood tests without insurance! So I'm not really depressed, mostly hysterics and anxiety mixed with excited mania. It's wild.


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## Andros

Lovelizz said:


> The dr and I made the diagnosis ourselves....I have had depression issues since I was 15, and pretty much known I was bipolar ever since then...I just always experienced mostly depression with hypomania, but now the depression is mostly gone, instead just full blown mania, and in place of depression is irritability and a short fuse. I am unable to afford a psychiatrist so my dr prescribed me the lithium on a trial basis. It helped immediately and i was on a very low dose. He increased the dose a month later, the only reason I am going off it is because I cannot afford the blood tests without insurance! So I'm not really depressed, mostly hysterics and anxiety mixed with excited mania. It's wild.


Okay; we are getting a clearer and clearer picture here. Yes; many of us have financial constraints, myself included. So.........................., but still it is playing with fire. What if all this time you have had undiagnosed thyroid issues. What a shame this would be.

Wonder if you can find a clinic in your area?

find a clinic near you
http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/Search_HCC.aspx


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## CA-Lynn

Lamictal is typically used for seizures, but is also used for bipolar disorder. Lithium, of course, has been a mainstay in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

One of my huge pet peeves that causes me to grind my teeth are physicians who are not specialists who THINK they know how to administer the drug.

Never, never, NEVER should these drugs be prescribed by anyone other than a psychiatrist.

A GP does not have the training or the experience, nor does an internist without board certification in psychiatry, to know the full impact of these drugs, how they can adversely affect a patient, etc. Even after the patient has been using either drug or using them concurrently, the body changes and this can alter the efficacy of the drug, not to mention side effects. Only an expert in the field can observe this.

Specialists go through extensive training and have extensive specific experience in such mental disorders. GP's do not. I cannot stress this enough. This is way beyond the scope of a GP's practice.

I urge you to seek consultation with a board certified psychiatrist. S/he will work in concert with an endocrinologist or neuroendocrinologist to obtain an accurate diagnosis and compatible treatment plan.

If I sound almost manic to you about this topic, it's because I've seen first hand what damage a GP can do with powerful drugs.

Find the closest med school in your area. They're sure to have a clinic for little or no cost.


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## lavender

Hi,

I can definitely empathize with your situation. You are in need of some serious medical care, yet without insurance you are really stuck. Best case scenario would be to get into a psychiatrist who can help you sort things out, but an assessment can be pretty costly if there's not a low cost option in your area. You may want to see if you can get into a local mental health center, but since that may take some time, seeing your primary care doc in the meantime makes sense if you are really suffering.

I have graves disease and since my thyroid was removed, have dealt with lots of depression. After suffering for months, I got myself into a psychiatrist who has been considering a diagnosis of biploar disorder rather than simply depression or a "mood disorder due to a medical condition" (thyroid disorder). Reason being that I had a "manic episode" when I was hyperthyroid with the graves disease. I wasn't sleeping, experienced a feeling of extreme depersonalization, had a lot of agitation, and literally felt "high" for several months until my thyroid condition was under control. Looking back, I have dealt with periods of depression since I was a teenager, and antidepresants have never helped. The psychiatrist thinks perhaps I have had some "cycling" going on that may be a mild form of bipolar rather than simply depression.

I am really in an ideal situation medically because I go to a university medical center where my psychiatrist has access to my medical records from my family doc, and also has access to lots of residents from different specialties who have been able to help sort out my physical/mental condition. I had to do lots of calling around and being assertive about my needs to get into the docs I see now. I also got really lucky when I reached a sympathetic nurse who put me into a cancellation slot for a doc who was not taking any new patients. The biggest bonus is that the university medical center runs on a sliding fee scale basis. So, whatever is not covered by my insurance is adjusted and I end up paying a small fee. Perhaps this is an option for you???

Long story short, it took a year and a half to sort out the correct thyroid medicine/dose for me. In the meantime, the psychiatrist has started me on meds that can be used to treat either depression or bipolar, and I seem to be getting more stable. Being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder has really changed a lot for me, and has caused me to get more proactive with my medical providers so that I could get the help I needed.


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