Question:
Does anyone with a thyroid disorder have trouble coping with stress. I feel
that the simplest things cause me to become so stressed and run down that I
feel like i'm going crazy. Before this I used to be able to handle anything
that was expected of me, but now I feel like everything that I need to do is
like some big task. Could this reaction to stress be caused by my thyroid or
am I just nuts?
Answer:
oh my oh my. i await all responses to this one! i am nearly out of work
due to the very thing you are discussing and would love medical
evidence/text/documentation of the relationship of stress to hypothyroidism.
in my heart i know it exists. i used to love stress, live for it, dance on
it. grin. hang in there doggie.
I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease 3
years ago and ended up quitting my secretarial job of 8 years at Harvard
University shortly after being diagnosed because the stress just became too much
for me to handle. I was so hyper that I ended up storming out of the office one
day in a screaming rage and never returned. That was 2 years ago and it's the
best thing I ever did in my life. I know I'm lucky that I can afford the luxury
of not working right now even though we're going through my retirement money and
have cut out all the extras from our budget. I went on COBRA for a year to keep
up medical coverage (a MUST when you've got thyroid problems). But it's
definitely worth every penny. If you work at a high stress job and there's any
way you can cut back to part time or change jobs I highly recommend it. I know
it can be scary to leave a job you've been at a long time but when your sanity is
at stake it makes the decision a little easier to live with. I'm hypo now after
a year of PTU and 2 RAI treatments and am gradually returning to the workforce
doing computer tutoring and setup out of my home. That way I can make my own
schedule and not feel stressed out too much.
I do not deal with stress well at all now, so avoid it at all costs.
I work full time and have a soon-to be-three year old and make sure
that I say NO to anyone who asks me for my time outside of that.
It helps to make sure that you get your Zzzzzzzzzs and eat well.
When I am stressed or tired, I wig out. (old expression for going
ballistic)
i accept your theory re: stress. in fact, as my own stress re: symptoms
increased i began to find other stress completely intolerable as i was MAXED
OUT on stress by this point. i am going to begin drug usage again after
this next appt. where my doctor is going to check me out and help me fill in
short-term disability papers. and i am going to ask for levoxyl, based on
your response as well as others'. i have lots of allergies and began to
feel the drug (synthroid) immediately, shortly thereafter, as i overdosed,
i experienced a complete personality change, according to those around me.
eventually, my job performance suffered (it had already suffered during
hypo) and performance was directly questioned right around the time in which
i was diagnosed with overdose. for overdose, i was put on inderal and xanax
for 2 weeks in order to minimize the acute discomfort that results from a
resting pulse of 110 and heart palpitations. both of these drugs added to
my depression, in fact, and were not too much fun unto themselves. which is
why i am now scared to death of trying this all over again. i will and i
will thrive damnit. am also going to see a nutritionist - there are
essential minerals and enzymes needed for liver to convert t4 to t3 and i
have neglected my nutrition for years. have also decided that although i am
very sad and insecure about not being at my desk and not pursuing my beloved
career, it appears that i can put the medical leave to good use and try to
optimize my absorption of the levoxyl through better diet, and an more
energetic lifestyle, while increasing the dose very very slowly to find the
"sweet spot" and adjust to all the physiological changes that will result.
lesson learned: never never never overdose on synthetic t4. listen to your
body and look for signs of overdose carefully. for me it was almost a path
of no return, in terms of my livelihood and therefore, my insurance!
thanks for responding. hope your swelling dissipates. some people have
said that it is t3 that, in fact, is responsible for symptoms. perhaps you
should have your own t4 conversion checked? a few post people say that they
have to take t3 as well as t4 to feel better. others say that without some
adrenal supplements their t4 conversion doesn't work, and that they need to
address both the adrenal and the thyroid condition concurrently. just
thoughts.
