Found possible cause of anxiety/panic attacks!

[nakur]

Hello all,

I am back from Poland where I visited 2 private clinics and laboratories to see if there could be a possible physical cause for my panic attacks. I don't know if I should call it a bad or a good result but it seems that I have an underactive thyroid or Hashimoto's disease which means that antibodies are attacking my thyroid. This could be the explanation for all the vague symptoms I had during the last couple of years, including anxiety and panic attacks. I will probably have to take medicines for the rest of my life but there is a great chance my anxiety/panic will go away.

Check out the symptoms of Hypothyroidism here, perhaps some of you could suffer from the same without even knowning it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothyroidism

In 2-3 weeks I will be going back for more tests and to visit a good specialist. I will ask him about the connection between thyroiddiseases and panic, perhaps this will help some people here.

Bad news is that I had a small drinking relapse, drank for 2 days but I am back on track now.

[Barto]

Interesting.

[historyteach]

Good to hear on both counts;
You have a reason for the panic, and are working on it and
you've recognized a problem with the drinking and are on that too!
I'd say that's two for two and you are due some big kudos!!!
Keep up the good work, and let us know about the new results with the thyroid.
I'm going to read that article now. Thanks for posting it!

Shalom!

[Introvrtd1]

Wow,

What a breakthru for u.

I have heard of this before. I was tested several years ago for my thyroid condition. For me, this was not the case.

Unfortunately, my drinking caused my panic/anxiety from withdrawal. Once I quit, my p/a went away.

I have however LEARNED how to respond to triggers that bring on my p/a.

Used to have negative responses, now positive responses greatly reduce or eliminate
all together.

Glad u found something to focus on to get rid of this condition once and for all.

Keep moving forward, with all the best.

Intro

[nandm]

I have found that many recovering alcoholics find they have thyroid problems when they stop drinking. I am not sure if the two are related but I find it interesting. Thyroid disorders can create havoc in the body, everything from anxiety, to constipation, and bone loss.
I would recommend to anyone who recently has stopped drinking to be frank with their physician about their alcohol use and discuss having lab tests to find out what damage has been done to their body.
I am fortunate as the only major organ damaged was my liver and it has healed for the most part but I still have to be careful about taking any medications, even over the counter tylenol, as it still can send me into a drug induced hepatitis.
Glad to hear you have found a solution. Good luck

[nakur]

One more important thing if you do a thyroid test! Ask your doctor to do the COMPLETE thyroid test. In my case the standard test values like TSH, T3, T4 were normal and my Dutch doctor said everything was ok. But when I went to Poland they also checked the level of thyroid antibodies TG and TPo and the results were astonishing! The values were over 50 times higher for TPo and 4 times higher for TG than normal. This could point to a Hashimoto's disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashimoto%27s_thyroiditis

[Lilya]

Thanks very much for this information, Nakur.

I found I was more prone to anxiety attacks when I stopped drinking and it has been manageble for the past years with combination of AA meetings, yoga, oriental dance and therapy. I wished I´d practice more meditation, though.

Like I´ve stated earlier, doctors tend to suspect I have an over-active thyroid and they usually give me a standard test. I did have the tests you had in Holland, Nakur, but they came back negative. Once I had a slight swelling on the thyroid gland and had ecography (sonar?). Negative as well.

I´m having a medical soon, so I will ask for the tests you had in Poland.

Love and light,

[nakur]

Originally Posted by Lilya

I´m having a medical soon, so I will ask for the tests you had in Poland.

Love and light,

Thanks Lilya, you can also do some very simple tests for DHEA/Cortisol ratio's, Magnesium and VitaminB12 deficiencies and for Hypoglycemia. Perhaps the cause of your anxiety is mental, but it's only a small effort to eliminate those physical causes. It will make you feel better and you can focus on mental techniques to battle anxiety, instead of worrying about something else.