PCOS and Hypothyroid

Hey,

I made a thread earlier about Polycystic ovaries and hypothyroid. I have been looking on the net to see if there is any link between them and anxiety. Has anyone experienced this at all??

xxx :frown:

Reply 1

j00ni

Hypothyroidism doesn't cause anxiety, and in fact is more likely to cause the opposite (ie tiredness, apathy, malaise, etc). Anxiety is much more a sign associated with hyperthyroidism.

PCOS I couldn't tell you for certain, and I cannot remember reading anything to suggest it. However it does seem more likely than hypothyroidism, and if increased circulating testosterone levels in male is anything to go by, then it's certainly a theoretically sound possibility

/edit: just found this:

"PCOS also has a complex relationship to depression and anxiety. Depression is not considered a symptom of PCOS per se, but the range of physical, cosmetic and physiological symptoms experienced by PCOS sufferers present a suite of underlying causes. In some women, correction of insulin-related problems through diet, exercise and medication help to alleviate depression and anxiety."

from: http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/964648419.html

Reply 2

Silly woo

Thank u for ur help :smile:

xxx

Reply 3

girl afraid

j00ni

Hypothyroidism doesn't cause anxiety, and in fact is more likely to cause the opposite (ie tiredness, apathy, malaise, etc). Anxiety is much more a sign associated with hyperthyroidism.

Hypothyroidism can cause anxiety. Although I agree that it is more commonly associated with hyperthyroidism, but to not correct you on the first statement would be wrong.

Reply 4

chandni

hey i never knew that i suffer from both these things in relative silence coz i dnt give a damn and half the time i dnt even have the presence of mind to take my medication which I believe makes me a prized ****

Reply 5

j00ni

girl afraid

Hypothyroidism can cause anxiety.

I don't see how as a biological mechanism. Other than in the same way that any condition will cause anxiety??

Am open to being shown the light though :wink:

Reply 6

girl afraid

j00ni

I don't see how as a biological mechanism. Other than in the same way that any condition will cause anxiety??

Am open to being shown the light though :wink:

Personal experience of hypothyroidism would help, though in fairness I don't know whether you have the condition or not. :smile:

When I was at my lowest and undiagnosed, doctors thought I was mentally ill. I'd say I was anxious and paranoid at times, but I never developed proper agoraphobia or anything like that. Mainly I was mentally sluggish and very depressed.

I'll bet you didn't know that people with acute hypothyroidism that's gone untreated can develop symptoms of schizophrenia. :wink:

Reply 7

Silly woo

Hey,

yeh, since being pointed in the right direction by girl afraid i've been doing a lot of research online about the link between hypothyroid (underactive thyroid) and anxiety/depression. I am determined to prove that my hypothyroidism (which also now seems to have caused me to have Polycystic ovaries) is the cause of the way i feel - anxious and depressed. The depression, however, comes in bouts and goes from severe to mild, to not really there at all, whilst the anxiety is constantly there. I am just worried now about convincing my doctor about this link. I dont think they will believe me - he'll just say that u shouldnt read everything u see on the internet/in books. Any tips on persuading my doctor to at least pursue this avenue of thought? Also, would a psychiatrist know about things such as the thyroid and the link between hypothyroid and anxiety/depression?

Any more help greatly appreciated

xxx

Reply 8

j00ni

girl afraid

Personal experience of hypothyroidism would help, though in fairness I don't know whether you have the condition or not. :smile:

No I don't have hypothyroidism. I was going off both clinical experiance and physiology, and neither has suggested a direct cause of anxiety from hypothyroidism (with the exception I mentioned). However anyone who says that they completely understand human physiology is lying, and I am happy to be proven wrong.

The mental sluggishness and depression is very common in hypothyroidism, and this can lead to mild psychoses, but I have never heard of much more than an incidental link with anxiety before.

I did actually know of the relationship between thyroid disorders and schizophrenia, as doing Thyroid Function Tests is an important prerequisite when diagnosing schizophrenia, as an organic cause is a common differential diagnosis (and hyper or hypo thryroidism is a common organic cause).

--------------

Silly woo

Also, would a psychiatrist know about things such as the thyroid and the link between hypothyroid and depression?

Yes. Even your GP should be well aware of the link with depression.

The link between it and anxiety is a more grey area though. Having said that, if you are experiencing anxiety which is affecting your daily life then this can be treated as a symptom, irrespective of causality - and can be treated in concordance with treatment for hypothyroidism.

Reply 9

girl afraid

j00ni

I did actually know of the relationship between thyroid disorders and schizophrenia, as doing Thyroid Function Tests is an important prerequisite when diagnosing schizophrenia, as an organic cause is a common differential diagnosis (and hyper or hypo thryroidism is a common organic cause).

Personally I would have found that evidence enough to link hypothyroidism with anxiety.

Sillywoo, there's something I forgot to mention. If you haven't done so already, you can apply for a medical exemption card, free of charge, entitling you to free prescriptions for life due to your condition.