Posted by barbaracat on June 13, 2005, at 19:49:05
In reply to Re: Depakote causing depression?? » barbaracat, posted by SLS on June 13, 2005, at 7:11:32
Sigh, I wish there were something that would help for thyroid support but nothing is enough except meds. I've tried everything, from blue flag calamus to L-tyrosine to guggul to ayurveda and on and on. I have a family history of it and there are enough other environmental reasons out there. I have high mercury and mercury displaces thyroid molecules. Did you know that flouride is very toxic to the thyroid gland? So are many pesticides. So even if I didn't have a genetic reason, there are other's that are culpable.
Iodine doesn't help unless you're deficient in iodine and we with our vitamins and such aren't. No, it's more a receptor competition thing and/or an autoimmune problem. I keep my levels on the 'hot' side because when I start getting even a little low my fibromyalgia pains and depression symptoms come back bad.
Lamictal: I was taking Lamictal for about a year and doing pretty well on it combined with lithium. I was only on 75mg and it was enough, given my ultra-sensitive drug reponse (except for benzos which I can gulp by the handful). Then my Mom died and I went into a bad tailspin. My pdoc raised it up to 150mg with no appreciable relief in my depression. And then I began to itch like a dog with fleas. Bad, bad itching. Neither of us associated it with 'the rash', but that's what it was. I came down with Steven's Johnson Syndrome shortly AFTER I stopped lamictal but started a sulfa antibiotic. I know the itching was the prodromal stage and it didn't take much to tip the scales, although I never was allergic to sulfa drugs before.
So no, I won't be doing lamictal again. I'm very happy with my 600mg Lithium, 06mg Cymbalta and my Synthroid/Cytomel combo. And a handful of benzos when I need them.
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> Is there anything you can do to help support thyroid function? Iodine? Probably not. I guess if there were some way to prevent thyroid dysfunction due to lithium treatment, we would have heard about it by now. Maybe. Perhaps you can go over to the Alternative board and ask if there are any supplements that would help.
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> Have you ever tried Lamictal? You could stay on the lithium and add it very gradually. Once you reach 200mg, you can then begin to VERY gradually taper the lithium. I've seen this strategy work for someone with bipolar I disorder who developed thyroid toxicity on lithium.
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> - Scott
poster:barbaracat
thread:510184
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050611/msgs/512249.html