thyroid and lithium

I have also developed a thyroid nodule (after 2 years on lithium) and am taking 100 mcg of synthroid a day. Did the lithium cause the thyroid problem and is it reversible if the lithium is stopped?

I am on 1200mg Lithium Carbonate daily. I just received results from blood test and my TSH level was 37.225. I am very concerned about this because I really need to be on Lithium. What should I do?

Lithium can cause thyroid problems, but thyroid issues can cause mental health problems. A simple blood test can rule out thyroid issues. I know here everyone is screened for thyroid as it can mimick bipolar and anxiety.

I wonder if it draws it into the thyroid and leaves less to acumulate in the saliva glands and a few other places they mention at the last minute. There may be an advantage, but I have never heard of the practice.

I am pretty sure it was instremental in ruining my thyroid. I am bi polar and lithium was one of the first things they put me on. As soon as I found out how evil it is ,I got off it asap/ there are so many other better bi polar meds than that stuff. Keep getting your blood work done and post the most recent numbers. If you have any more questions I will try to help all I can.

correct - lithium wont increase appetite and weight gain with it is either water retention or thyroid problems - I get nausea if I dont eat with lithium so it does not make me want to eat.

because I take Lithium and will continue long term, will the med for Thyroid ever fix it? Will my Thyroid get worse regardless of med because I am taking Lithium? I appreciate your help.

Hi, once in a while when I take my meds without food, I feel very ill, almost flu-like. I get hot and cold and hang out by the toilet. my pdoc hasn't sent me for bloodwork in a few months or more (can't remember last time I went... ok, I checked my calendar; Nov 19 and I started lithium Nov 27). I have a thyroid problem and it runs in the family. I've already been told to look for a new pdoc. I just want to know what the symptoms are if you are getting toxic from the lithium...

hello, it's me again with another kvetch about my thyroid trouble. i've been taking lithium for years, so it's probably the culprit. ideally, i'd rather d/c my lithium, have my thyroid problems resolve completely, and, if necessary, take a different mood stabilizer instead of lithium such as Lamictal.

I get the whole hair falling out and weight gain, week nails and fatigue too, and am on Levothyroxine and have thankfully have got my thyroid levels stable. Theatrically if your thyroid is stable you shouldn't get any of these symptoms and should be able to continue taking the lithium as normal so maybe find out where your thyroid is at and go from there.

Ive taken lithium for 18 months now and I havent lost any hair or had any problem - my hair is just as thick and as fast growing as it has always been although it is going gray in places and I blame that on lithium (hey any ecxuse I can use to avoid getting old works for me;) )

So I have been on lithium for 3 years and have maybe had 2 blood test to check my liver and thyroid and lithium levels. On Halloween I was informed that I have no thyroid function what so ever :(.... I am so sad and scared and upset I will have to take medication to maintain thyroid enzymes ro whatever! So I did get an attorney for medical negligence because my new doctor has never did a blood test on me in the 2 years I seen him...

Hair loss is not a side effect of Lithium, but a thyroid disorder will cause hair loss. See an Endocrinologist for an evaluation, If anything is out of whack in our endocrine systen it impacts all our major organs, as well as causing anxiety and depression. Take care.

I was just wondering how lithium affects the thyroid since I have a mild form of bipolar disorder. Also in general is lithium a suitable drug for bipolar patients? I am affraid that the lithium may be causing more issues than not for my hypothyroidism. Thanks!!

m trying to find out if lithium can make pre-existing low thyroid worse. My blood tests for thyroid have been up and down and all over the place for a couple of years. But even when my levels are good, I still have symptoms. I want to find what's caused these health problems. To find out if it's auto-immune dysautonomia, medication-induced or just one of those things.

I have multi-nodular goiter but no other thyroid issues. My pdoc doesn't seem to mind and has suggested Lithium. Is Lithium a good choice?

Therefore some clinicians recommend baseline thyroid function tests and yearly thyroid function tests while patients are on lithium. Goiter occurs in approximately 5% of patients. Myxedema coma and hyperglycemia have also been reported. Lithium exerts multiple effects on the thyroid gland. Most importantly it inhibits the release of thyroxine and triiodothyronine and can lead to enhanced thyrotropin activity resulting in goiter.** But it doesn't say what to do about it.

Do you know that lithium can be toxic and kill you? It also damages the thyroid. One of the women on here had thyroid cancer b/c of the lithium and the thyroid problems going undiagnosed. This is nothing to mess around with. Any time anyone is on lithium they should have regular blood draws to check their levels. And if you're "playing" with the pills no dr is going to know to do this. If all she has from it is memory loss she's very lucky.

Then the tingling down my right arm with stiffness in my middle finger and popping. Pain in the right shoulder and tingling in the neck and shoulders. Long story short, symptoms got way worse, drs ran a lot of test that came back negative. Nerve testing negative, everything else negative except ANA which was 160 with a range of <80. Dr said that's a slight elevation, everything's normal and I have fibromyalgia. He ran a few more test but said they would come back normal.

I've been on Lithium for approx. 20 yrs for bipolar disorder and the disorder ruined my life; it distroyed my career, family and my economic standing. I know many others have suffered as I have but I just wanted to get it out in the open. I bounced back a few times but it popped up again, why I don't know. If it was because I faild to take my meds, I'm not sure but I did have a few doctors that didn't know what they were doing.

It took a dermatologist to prescribe med to get rid of the rash, but it kept coming back, however my psych doctor said lithium did not cause it. But when I stopped taking the lithium, the rash was gone and stayed away. I am now on Lamictal and Lexapro which seem to control my bipolar.

Hi I was recently prescribed lithium for my bipolar depression and I was nervous about it at first. I have been on all kinds of antidepressants and mood stabilizers. I am currently on 300 mg twice a day, I am also on Lamictal which wasn't doing anything by itself. My only concern is that I also have Hypothyroidism with Hashimoto's, as well as narcolepsy with cataplexy. Does anyone know if my thyroid levels will level out over time and with my thyroid meds?

Ok so I've recently been diagnosed as bi polar by a psychiatrist. This was after an hr of talking....I've never been to a psychiatrist before is that normally how it happens? But about the lithium, I am looking at that as my only treatment option as of now. I can't be on any mood stabilizers that go through the liver, my dr said lithium was processed through the kidneys.

Thyroid and lithium

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