KimD: Thyroid Changes during Withdrawal

[KimD]

I'm 2 months off Celexa and still experiencing withdrawal effects (I tapered for almost 3 months before going off), most notably dizziness, anxiety, shortness of breath, trembling, sensitivity to light and irritability.  

Of course all I can think about is how much longer I have to endure these withdrawal symptoms.  My doctor doesn't have any answers and is familiar with SSRI's in the sort of textbook way that W/D symptoms should only last for a few weeks.  (Anyone on this forum can attest that that is laughably inaccurate for most people)

 

My question is this:  Did anyone else find that their thyroid values declined (hypothyroid) while going through withdrawals?  I'm hesitant to jump on thyroid meds if my thyroid will regulate itself as the withdrawal passes over next 6 months to a year (if all goes well and I am lucky).  

My TSH elevated and my T3 declined significantly about a month into my withdrawal.  My thyroid was low normal prior to going off my medications.  My doctor is recommending I start taking synthetic thyroid meds but I worry it will aggravate my anxiety.  

 

Thanks in advance!

[Petunia]

Welcome KimD,

I'm sorry you didn't get a reply to the topic you started in our symptoms forum, I moved your post over here to our intro/update section. This way more people will notice it, and you can maintain your own journal.

 

How long were you taking Celexa for? It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

It sounds like you have withdrawal syndrome, most likely because you tapered too fast. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising.

 

Reinstatement of a small amount of the drug can often work well to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal. Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work. Once you have stabilized on a low dose of the drug, then a slower, safer taper can be started. Here is some information about reinstatement to help you decide if its something you would like to try:  About reinstating and stabilizing to stop withdrawal symptoms

 

Petunia.

[KimD]

Hi Petunia,

Thanks for replying.  When I signed up, I entered my history in my bio but apparently it doesn't automatically post as your signature?  I will try it again using the link you posted.

I was on Celexa for about 3 years and tapered over the course of 3 months, using 10mg increment decreases per month.  But it may not have been small enough increments in all honesty.

As much as I find myself suffering some days, I cannot bring myself to attempt reinstatement because I absolutely refuse to go through withdrawals again.  I will just push through it, because that was it for me. 

I did absolutely go through withdrawal syndrome for a good 2.5 - 3 weeks, but now I'm in this holding pattern of really low-level withdrawal symptoms that come and go inconsistently.  

 

Thanks,

Kim

 

[SelmaLady]

Kim, I have been having significant symptoms of a low thyroid after like you, having only some slight indications.  I feel the same as you, that I don't want to start on thyroid meds (I would be taking natural desiccated thyroid) if I don't have to either.  I've read where, once you start you have to remain on them for life.  What kind of symptoms (if any) are you having?  I have been having extreme weight gain, loss of hair and dry skin.  It's so hard to know how to deal with this, in addition to all the other things.

[KimD]

SelmaLady,

With my persistent anxiety, i had a lot of trouble realizing that I was HYPOthyroid and not HYPERthyroid.  I have not experienced any of the weight gain, but I do have dry eyes (and crazy sensitivity to light), sensitivity to cold, difficulty regulating my body temp, dry brittle hair and hair loss.  I tried taking the natural dessicated thyroid (Armour) for a few weeks, but I found it increased my anxiety and gave me heart palpitations, which were really alarming.  My doctor suggested I go off the thyroid meds and then retest my thyroid in 4 - 6 weeks and see if it will boost back on its own. I feel like I'm doing everything right in terms of diet and supplements and lifestyle, but no improvement yet.

Good luck with your thyroid issues!  

I feel like our bodies go through a lot when we withdraw from antidepressants and have med changes in general and that is cause alone for our thyroids to fluctuate.  At least that is what I'm hoping!

 

-Kim D

[Petunia]

Hi Kim,

Withdrawal syndrome can mimic all kinds of illnesses, including both under and over active thyroid. In early withdrawal I was getting symptoms associated with both these conditions, but most of them have settled down now.

 

If you were on Celexa for 3 years and tapered for only 3 months, its likely you are still having withdrawal symptoms. Over time, these drugs change your nervous system. Their effects on your nervous system change as well.  These changes are temporary, but the CNS does take quite a while to right itself after the drugs are out of the body, see:

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?

[Altostrata]

Welcome, KimD.

 

Coincidentally, I am researching non-drug ways to support thyroid function for hypothyroidism. There is a surprisingly lot that you can do, even taking magnesium, zinc, or selenium can make a difference. (Test selenium and zinc blood levels first before taking any supplements.)

 

There are many, many Web sites discussing this, such as http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2010/05/19/magnesium/and Thyroid Disorders - Chris Kresser

 

As for withdrawal syndrome, many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

These are good for hypothyroidism, too.

 

The dizziness and light sensitivity sound like withdrawal syndrome. See our Symptoms and Self-care forum  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/8-symptoms-and-self-care/for suggestions about how to cope with symptoms.