My Personal Experience with Hypothyroidism
By Andrew Deschanes
My Personal Experience With Hypothyroidism
I have hypothyroidism, a common type of thyroid disease, it is a lower than normal thyroid function. In February of 2003 I was diagnosed with this form of the disease after a blood test showed abnormal levels of thyroid hormone. My symptoms were far from what I thought would be metabolism related. My wife was pregnant with our second son and was due in May of 2003. For several months I felt a deepening despair and was overall unhappy about everything. I was anxious for my son to be born but, I did not feel excited like I had been when my first son was born.
Finally, after feeling miserable and making every one around me miserable, I took my wife’s and my mom’s advice and went to the clinic. They thought I was depressed. So did I. The doctor on duty decided to take a blood sample and gave me an antidepressant prescription. Later that week I got a call with the blood test results. The doctor recommended I come in for further testing due to low thyroid hormone. He explained that my feelings of depression could be related. I scheduled an appointment with my regular family doctor for testing. The results showed a complete lack of thyroid function. Synthroid was prescribed at 100 MCG and a follow up blood test scheduled 3 months later.
I had no idea that I was physically ill. In this day and age when you hear about depression at every turn I thought I was just depressed. After 3 months on Synthroid my blood test showed a normal amount of hormone in my system. I was informed that I will most likely be on it for the rest of my life. Since then I have switched to Levothyroxine, the generic equivalent of Synthroid. My dose has not changed from 100 MCG. I still have to be tested every 6 months, to make sure it is at a healthy level, since too much hormone can be just as bad as too little.
Now I feel much better and am very thankful that the doctor tested my blood, instead of giving me an antidepressant and sending me on my way. If you feel down and out please see a doctor, you might be surprised at the cause.
UPDATE 4/14/07
I visited my doctor on the 13th of this month and got the all clear for another 6 months. My prescription remains unchanged. My depression is slowly subsiding, thankfully. I still am trying everything to stop it. If you are being treated are may have any symptoms I urge you to see a doctor. Don't suffer needlessly.
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