Re: thyca vs. panic disorder/anxiety (a rock and a hard place)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/18/2002 2:24:33 PM Eastern Standard Time,

ravin47102@... writes:

> My wife had stage 1 papillary and total thryoidectomy

> 5 yrs ago with one follow-up RAI treatment at that

> time and none since. She's levoxyl now at 125 mcg's

> daily per Dr. A's prescription of suppressing all TSH.

>

Wow (and April), this is a toughie but I can tell you that I have been

through it all myself. I cannot take suppressive doses of Synthroid because

it sets off an underlying (already existing) tendency toward panic disorder.

I have been through all the ups and downs of anti-depressants, Xanax, etc.

and really there just is no satisfactory answer here. Based on MY low risk

statistics I have chosen to not be so suppressed and to keep my TSH at around

1.0. Not everyone has the luxury of doing this, but I have weighed the risk

against my individual case and my endocrinologist and I have an agreement.

Quality of life is VERY important to me. I have a full-time job, a part-time

job, two young children, two dogs, etc. Yes, I want to be alive for all

that, but I also don't want to be alive but climbing the walls with my

fingernails if you get my drift??

Anyway, this is a very personal decision to figure out between you, your wife

and her physician. Try to decide if she is considered " low risk " for

recurrence. Also balance out the effects of anti-depressents (and they

exist). I can vouch that panic disorder absolutely SUCKS. The worst part

is, when my meds get out of whack (either too much thyroid or not enough), it

sets off anxiety that is very hard to get under control even when the meds

have been adjusted.

Woodbridge, VA

Dx'd 8/95, 1 cm nodule w/multifocal papillary. RAI 30 mci (11/95), RAI 150

mci (6/96), RAI 150 (6/97). Clean scan 1998. Clean Thyrogen scan 2000.

[Guest guest]

Oh yeah-that's one thing I am familiar with. I have the same thing since

thyca. When I first went on a supression dose of levoxyl I kept running home

from the store or wherever I was. Couldn't eat, felt faint all the time, was

anticipating getting sick somewhere and became quite the little agoraphobic.

A kindly doctor taught me some self hypnosis but that was not enough. I find

I can keep a delicate balance going with staying almost supressed (not quite)

and taking Tranxene 3.75mg twice a day and Doxepin 5 mg at night. When my TSH

is normal I do not have this problem at all, but it can't be normal. My TSH

is allowed to be less than 1.0 but not as low as some people here (less than

..1) I don't see anything wrong with taking these meds if it makes the

difference between having a life and being afraid to go out for fear of an

anxiety reaction. There is no way I could take any kind of hyper feeling

without it. Feel free to mail me privately if you like, Lin in Pa.

[Guest guest]

,

> Newbie here.

>

> My wife had stage 1 papillary and total thryoidectomy

> 5 yrs ago with one follow-up RAI treatment at that

> time and none since. She's levoxyl now at 125 mcg's

> daily per Dr. A's prescription of suppressing all TSH.

This is appropriate treatment. What is the TSH?

> She's recently been diagnosed by Dr. B with panic

> disorder and generalized anxiety (syndrome?), and is

> taking paxil and occasionally small amounts of xanax.

There are a number of thyca patients on these drugs.

>

> Dr. B decreased the levoxyl dose to 100 mcg to

> alleviate some of the anxiety symptoms. Dr. A (after

> a blood test six weeks later) wants to increase it

> back to 125 mcg's (presumably to keep the TSH numbers

> perfectly suppressed), and he's adamant about it.

No doctor should decrease a thyca patients meds without speaking to

their endocrinologist!!!

> We certainly understand his concern and don't want to

> risk relapse at all. On the other hand, my wife

> doesn't want to increase her reliance on xanax to

> alleviate the panic attacks (caused at least in part

> by the higher dose of levoxyl, though she does have

> some family history in this area).

Reliance on Xanax to alleviate problems is far more desireable than

recurrance of thyca! Control of thyca should be a first priority.

There are many, many drugs on the market to deal with the other

issues to bring her to an appropriate comfort level.

>

> Anyone have any similar experiences?

>

> Can anyone recommend a good book/video/paper that

> might address this specific subject (thyca vs. panic

> disorder)?

Bella Napersath (sp?) has wonderful tapes on stress, cancer, chemo,

weight loss...they can be found on amazon. Someone, please correct

the spelling~!

Gail

>

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Hi , I too am on Paxil for panic attacks, anxiety etc. I take 425 mg of

Levoxyl. My doctor recommended that if I experience any jittery or unusual

side effects, to cut back to half a pill of the Paxil. My dosage is 20 mg.

I seem to do all right with that.

from CT

[Guest guest]

,

There is also anti-anxiety medication to alleviate the anxiety symptons. I was

on " Buspar " for a couple years and it sure did help me. It is not habit forming

like Xanax might be as that is a tranquilizer.

Joan

tt 11/95 papillary ca.(tall cell)

RAI x 3 = 489 mCi's

..125 synthroid

thyca vs. panic disorder/anxiety (a rock and a hard place)

Newbie here.

My wife had stage 1 papillary and total thryoidectomy

5 yrs ago with one follow-up RAI treatment at that

time and none since. She's levoxyl now at 125 mcg's

daily per Dr. A's prescription of suppressing all TSH.

She's recently been diagnosed by Dr. B with panic

disorder and generalized anxiety (syndrome?), and is

taking paxil and occasionally small amounts of xanax.

Dr. B decreased the levoxyl dose to 100 mcg to

alleviate some of the anxiety symptoms. Dr. A (after

a blood test six weeks later) wants to increase it

back to 125 mcg's (presumably to keep the TSH numbers

perfectly suppressed), and he's adamant about it.

We certainly understand his concern and don't want to

risk relapse at all. On the other hand, my wife

doesn't want to increase her reliance on xanax to

alleviate the panic attacks (caused at least in part

by the higher dose of levoxyl, though she does have

some family history in this area).

Anyone have any similar experiences?

Can anyone recommend a good book/video/paper that

might address this specific subject (thyca vs. panic

disorder)?

I have been to the thyca.org website and I really

appreciate all the useful info I've found there.

Sincerely,

(and April)

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> ,

>

>

> Bella Napersath (sp?) has wonderful tapes on stress, cancer, chemo,

> weight loss...they can be found on amazon. Someone, please correct

> the spelling~!

Belleruth Naparstek is the spelling - and she is great.. her surgery

tapes got me thru surgery, her stress tapes have made a huge

difference in my ability to deal with all this..

barb

>

> Gail

>

>

> >

> >

> >

> > __________________________________________________

> >