<p>So glad to see this discussion here. My d-in-law has developed severe anxiety disorder/depression after suffering a panic attack on April 1 while driving on the interstate with her 2 year old son. At the time she literally thought she was about to die and since then has become house-bound and unable to handle being alone with her son. </p>
<p>She has been told (and I have read) that the best treatment for anxiety involves not only medication but counseling, which she is doing. She was initially put on Buspar which did nothing for her (it apparently only works in about 10% of patients), but now is on a regimen of a long-term daily med plus an “as-needed” one for when she has an acute episode. </p>
<p>I have never experienced anything like this. My heart goes out to anyone dealing with anxiety issues like this…it’s just devastating. Thank the Lord, she is finally doing better, though!</p>
<p>Ummm…yes…zero on one of the meds. Not that it matters a lot at this stage of my life, but it was way too creepy.</p>
<p>I will say that I had a somewhat stupid revelation on my way home from work last night. Some of you will remember that I am hypothyroid, but due to a pretty dim endocrinologist, I have been way overdosed with synthroid. Last appointment I persuaded her to lower my dose but I was going to wait until my 90 day supply of the higher dose ran out before I switched. I am going to get the prescription filled TODAY.</p>
<p>Missypie, I don’t know if you see a therapist, but since you have other medical issues, and are on other meds, it would be wise to see a psychiatrist, so that your meds are appropriate and do not interact with the other meds.</p>
<p>Missy, good luck to you. I feel for you. However, why would you consider waiting to get the right rx dosage for your thyroid to save some money? Save money on a blouse or learn how to do your own (fill in the blank), not medication! I don’t mean to be insulting, and I hope you don’t take it that way. I also am somewhat dense on this (which I have heard similar from other people about not “wasting” the prescription that did not help properly), why would anyone continue to take a dosage that is not right to save money?</p>
<p>As I mentioned, I have a pretty dim endocrinologist. I was on a pretty high dose and then figured out (actually, thanks to folks on CC, not my endo) that some other meds were interfering with the synthroid absorption. After I stopped taking the other meds, my counts were high, my BP was sky high and I was skeletal. My endo wanted to keep me at the same high level and I said “how about lowering the dosage?” so she asked me what dosage I wanted. Next visit (a few days ago), counts still high on the lower dosage, BP better, still very thin, she wanted to keep me at the same level. I said, “how about lowering the dosage” and she asked me what dosage I wanted. </p>
<p>So, my doctor would be fine if I was on a dosage even higher than my old rx. It is my internet-CC-self-awarded medical degree that says the lower dosage will be better for me. Thus, I felt no urgency in getting the new prescription filled. (In the dim endo’s defense, Hashimotos is hard to manage…most of the time the thyroid isn’t working at all, but when it works, it works extra hard.) Anyway, I have a feeling that my “wanting to jump out of my skin-ness” is synthroid related.</p>
<p>I will say that my psychatrist always asks what other meds I’m on, and the endocrinologist never asks what other meds I’m on.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, my dog was on a brief stint of Paxil after he was diagnosed by a known animal behaviorist with separation anxiety. Had difficulty housebreaking him, getting on furniture, chewing through wallboard, etc. It cured him completely. He was only on it for 30 days.</p>
<p>I guess Prozac for cats is fairly common. My sister had 2 cats on Prozac for awhile. The good thing is that the dose is very small (1/2 of a tiny tablet) and not expensive. Our local Kroger recently ran a “pet meds” special where the people meds for pets were deeply discounted. Shoving the thing down her throat every night gets old. I put it in butter.</p>
<p>Missy - Hugs to you today! You’ve already figured this out, but your thyroid being too high can make you very, very anxious. I’m not saying this is the root of your anxiety, but it certainly can’t help. There are all kinds of reasons for keeping your levels on the ‘high side of normal’ as not everyone feels okay within the same range, however you are experiencing anxiety and weight loss…two negative symptoms of levels being too high right now. Your decision to ask your Dr. to lower your Rx and start the medication now is the right one. It may not fix the anxiety, however taking the synthroid at the correct level can take this off the table when you continue to address it. It may lower it to a far more manageable level (hey, I can hope!!).</p>
<p>I really think the anxiety it is synthroid (or some other drug) induced, because it is constant and not situational, and I’ve never been a terribly anxious person. Anxious when my D was on the balance beam, yes, but not anxious sitting at work.</p>
<p>And I do have some ideas for a better endocrinologist. I had my older D’s antibodies tested and she is high; now I’m having the other one tested. I know that my current endo’s philosophy is that there is nothing to be done other than to wait for their thryoids to be destroyed, but I’m not cool with that. Once I see what the other D’s antibodies are like, then I’ll find someone better for all three of us.</p>
<p>Missy – I’d fire that endocrinologist sooner rather than later. Like yesterday. (But I’d also make sure I got copies of all labs that had been run.)</p>
<p>If you don’t want to toss your old Synthroid, figure out your weekly synthroid dose for your new rx, and then use the pills you have remaining from your older rx and adjust them. For example, you might be able to take half a pill or skip a day completely in order to equal your new dosage.</p>
<p>Also, all of the advice I got when I had to go on thyroid hormone said to take Synthroid and not generic. But my endo (at Mayo Clinic) said that only a small minority of patients need to actually take Synthroid and she said the generic was fine. So, that’s what I do and I’ve never had a problem–and best of all, I don’t pay anything at all for it (Medco by Mail).</p>
<p>^ I am one of the one’s that has to take synthroid. The generic just doesn’t work well for me. Most my other meds are fine generic, including cytomel, but not synthroid. The brand shouldn’t be that expensive but I guess it’s all relative. My migraine Rx is $25/pill and I can’t mail away. :eek:</p>
<p>FWIW, Medco by mail would actually be more expensive for snythroid for me as it’s brand. It’s best to compare mail-away vs. local pharma. Mail-away isn’t always the best deal on brand as there is a set price.</p>
<p>“For example, you might be able to take half a pill or skip a day completely in order to equal your new dosage.”</p>
<p>Yikes! Please don’t do this without advice from the prescribing doctor Apologies to the poster if you are a doctor. I am not an endocrinologist, but with most of the meds I prescribe, that could be a disaster!</p>
<p>Missypie - I don’t know how old you are but anxiety is a * major* symptom of peri-menopause and menopause. In fact, I was reading a survey over on the power-surge dot com website forum and that was the #1 most troubling symptom women reported (over hot flashes and night sweats). I know my generalized anxiety spikes over the course of my cycle and is hormone related because I’ve been tracking it for a while.</p>
<p>I’m not a doctor, but my endo adjusted my meds by doing just that (instead of prescribing a lower dosage) so I assume that it’s okay. She actually figured out how to adjust my pill intake by the method I passed on. But you’re right and nobody should be adjusting medications based on what someone posts on CC!!</p>
<p>You are so right. I actually posted on cc about this a few months back. When you look at the symptoms of Hashimotos and Menopause and Clinical Depression, there are so many overlaps. I really wish I had a fabulous pcp…because right now it’s the endocrinologist and the gynecologist and the psychiatrist, and each one is more than willing to prescribe meds to treat the symptom du jour.</p>
<p>I think with women who are in their mid 40 - 50’s it can be hard to ascertain what certain symptoms mean because hormone problems can mimic so many other conditions. Many women experience major depression while going through pre and post menopause. It can even mess with your thyroid. My BF has struggled with hormone issues for several years so I had heard all about it before I started experiencing my own issues. (I also have had a lifelong thyroid condition). Here’s a few things that might help to see if it’s hormonal:</p>
<p>-buy a calendar (I use a weekly pocket calendar with daily spaces to write on) and number the days of your cycle - 1st day of period is day #1. Record all your symptoms as you have them on the appropriate day. By doing this over many months I was able to tell I typically have a few really down days either directly before or after my period. I also noticed that I had a few generalized anxiety days in the middle of my cycle. Same for brain fog, night sweats, etc. I’m now into my 2nd year of tracking my symptoms. It’s very comforting to know on those really bad days that it’s a temporary condition.</p>
<p>-Magnesium really does seem to make a difference. I take 250 mg a day.</p>
<p>-My pcp recently recommended taking a vitamin designed for PMS called Optivite P.MT. available over the counter. He told me to take 4 twice a day. I just started this so I can’t say for sure if it works but the reviews I have read on this seem very positive.</p>
<p>-I got [Amazon.com:</a> Dr. John Lee’s Hormone Balance Made Simple: The Essential How-to Guide to Symptoms, Dosage, Timing, and More (9780446694384): John R. Lee, Virginia Hopkins: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/John-Lees-Hormone-Balance-Simple/dp/044669438X]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/John-Lees-Hormone-Balance-Simple/dp/044669438X) and read it. I’m not a huge proponent of hormones but I have researched taking progesterone by itself in the medical journals I have access to at the hospital I work. I can’t find any studies that suggest progesterone by itself is harmful (though one never knows). I bought some Emerita progest cream and use a small amount of that starting on day 14 of my cycle. That seems to make a big difference in the anxiety. You can buy it at whole foods or health food stores but amazon has it for 1/2 price. </p>
<p>-Cognitive behavioral therapy has also helped me with my anxiety. Been going to weekly sessions for about 3 years now.</p>
<p>-I took Zoloft for 5+ years for generalized anxiety disorder. That seems to really help but I eventually went off of it because it made me so tired. Also, it is one that you have ramp up and down very slowly and it can takes weeks to work. I know there’s a lot of new drugs on the market these days that might work better.</p>
<p>-The power-surge forum was also very helpful. Just reading about other women’s experience was very useful and gave me a lot of insight.</p>
<p>-Tiny amounts of Xanax works for me but it didn’t sound like you had a good experience with it. I will take as little as 1/4 of a .5 mg tablet. That way I don’t get sleepy.</p>
<p>Good luck. I lived with generalized anxiety for most of my life but am at a pretty good place with it right now.</p>