iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrlllll tThe hlcinfd olsbdkpvouvMisdiagnosis
As many thyroid symptoms are nonspecific, they are often disregarded by
the medical community during the initial stages. Patients are dismissed as
having depression, stress, or anxiety. Thyroid patients are prescribed anti-
depressants or anti-anxiety medications without consideration of thyroid
function.
Medical studies show up to one third of people who fail to improve on an-
tidepressants report feeling better once started on Cytomel® (a T3 thyroid
hormone).^11 Some patients have even been hospitalized and misdiagnosed
as having bipolar disorder or schizophrenia when they were actually suffer-
ing from thyroid imbalances.
Additionally, people with bipolar disorder as well as depressive and anxiety
disorders were found to have a higher prevalence of anti-thyroid antibod-
ies.^7 To further complicate the issue, lithium—a medication used to treat
bipolar disorder—can trigger Hashimoto’s.^10
High concentration of TPO antibodies has been associated with distress,
obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and anxiety.^4 This is likely due to the in-
creased amount of thyroid hormone being rushed into the bloodstream,
causing a transient hyperthyroidism. Anyone who has experienced symp-
toms of hyperthyroidism can describe how agitating this feels. People with
anxiety, depression, or other mood disorders should have their thyroid
function checked, especially for TPO antibodies. Some individuals with
lifelong psychiatric diagnoses have been able to recover after receiving
proper thyroid care.^9
Prognosis
According to most endocrinologists, the progression from euthyroid
(normal thyroid hormone levels) to hypothyroidism is irreversible and
ends with complete thyroid gland destruction. It has been reported, how-
ever, that thyroid function spontaneously returned to normal in 20 per-
cent of patients.1,8
These individuals return to normal thyroid function even after thyroid
hormone replacement is withdrawn.