Question:
Sounds like I'm more at risk for hyPERthyroid, but I'm very overweight
(330). However in the last four months I've lost about 50 pounds
without trying to (in July I weighed 380). I've also had no appetite.
I'm on 300mg of Wellbutrin for depression, but just lately it seems to
have lost its effectiveness, because I'm feeling weepy-teary-angry-in
pain a lot of the time again. I don't sleep much anymore, but when I
do manage to sleep I wake up a lot. I rarely dream, if ever.
Can anyone help me out here? The web sites I've found on thyroid
disorder are pretty dry, and kind of hard to understand.
Or is my mom just trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, as she
often does?
Opinions, anyone?
Answer:
My mother insisted that I go to the doctor and have a blood workup
done. She's convinced I have hypothyroidism. I'm not so sure. I looked it up and the symptoms include depression
(got it), weight gain (don't got it), dry skin (can't tell, don't have
any point of comparison), fatigue (depends on the day), constipation
(nope!), decreased mental function (yeah, this applies) and cold
intolerance (meaning you get cold easily, I don't have this.)
The hyperthyroid symptoms are equally half-and-half: heat intolerance
(definitely got this one), irritability (oh yeah), weight loss (yes),
nervousness (I guess so), palpitations (no), increased defecation
(ick, but yeah.), decreased menses (nope, I've finally regularized
that one) and weight loss despite same or increased food intake. I
haven't been eating much because I haven't been hungry, so I doubt
that applies either.
Sounds like I'm more at risk for hyPERthyroid, but I'm very overweight
(330). However in the last four months I've lost about 50 pounds
without trying to (in July I weighed 380). I've also had no appetite.
I'm on 300mg of Wellbutrin for depression, but just lately it seems to
have lost its effectiveness, because I'm feeling weepy-teary-angry-in
pain a lot of the time again. I don't sleep much anymore, but when I
do manage to sleep I wake up a lot. I rarely dream, if ever. I do agree that a blood workup is in order. There are so many ways that
the human body can go "wonky " (man, I love that word) that it's best to
see what's going on. Ask that the doc do a FULL thyroid panel on you
(failing that, at least the T3 and T4 tests), and you might want to ask
for the CMV (cytomegalovirus) or Epstein Barr screening as well. My thyroid problem was hypo, along with an immune disorder. I had the
tiredness, weight gain, and my hair was starting to come out, but not the
dry skin. I also had difficulty swallowing certain types of food. Thyroid stuff is not all that easy. Some years ago, I was
diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The obvious symptoms were
that my handwriting went to hell in a handbasket, and that
my emotions were volatile. Both were solved when my wife told me to go to hell (I did
not need the handbasket.)
On the other hand, I did have a positive diagnosis of
hyperthyroidism.
It is my opinion that thyroid problems can be diagnosed with fairly
normal blood tests. While this may not be helpful, insanity due to thyroid problems can
be solved by chemistry fairly quickly.
Realistically, I had hoped that my problems were due to a thyroid
problem; but I learned that the first cause was myself, and the
second cause was my ex-wife. This does not denigrate in any way
thyroid problems; of course, I don't much like my ex-wife.
Have you looked up the possible side effects for Wellbutrin? The weight
loss and some of the others could be from that, rather than from
anything to do with your thyroid. Don't know what the usual dosage is
for Wellbutrin, but if you're on a high dose then side effects are more
likely. As someone else pointed out, high or low thyroid levels can be fairly
easily diagnosed with blood tests. Sounds like you should see a doctor,
not only for those tests but because the doc could match your particular
symptoms with something else altogether.
Actually, Gryph, in this case it sounds like she's trying to make a molehill
out of a mountain-blaming your depression symptoms on a physical cause. A
physical trigger can trigger depression - hell, in my case, a short curse, I
mean course of steroids for broncitis triggered a major depression followed
by a diagnosis of manic depression- but if the wellbutrin had been helping
and now isn't, it's more likely that you are clinically depressed (IMHO).
BTW, it is not unusual to go thru different antidepressants until you find
the one that works with your brain chemistry. (BTDT!)
