Posted by noa on July 8, 2002, at 8:51:08
In reply to Re: Thyroid functioning tests » HMK, posted by BarbaraCat on June 30, 2002, at 13:49:51
HMK,
I concur with IsoM and BarbaraCat. Many doctors rely somewhat blindly on the TSH test "norms" (statistical norms) and don't look at the full picture. Your TSH sounds like it could be high, so something could be going on for you. You really need more tests (see the about.com site or the Thyroid and Depression folder at P-B Tips--link at top of the Psychobabble homepage for more info on tests).Here is my story: At a TSH of 4.something, I was not in good shape. With treatment, it went down to about 2.something, and I was a lot better, but still not wonderful. When it went up to 3.something, I was a mess! Then I saw a great endocrinologist (found through the about.com doc recommendations page) and he raised the doses of my thyroid meds (both T4 and T3)gradually until my symptom improvement leveled off. That was at a TSH of less than 1. He subsequently wrote my PC doctor a letter saying that some patients like me, with hypothyroidism and depression, need to have the hypothyroidism treated aggressively in order to feel better, and as long as I was not showing any signs of hyperthyroidism, it was safe to have my TSH that low.
I can't comment on the depakote, and perhaps--in the interest of figuring out which issue is causing which symptoms--you should tackle the thyroid issue first--perhaps see a different doc who knows more about this-- and then if your symptoms still indicate you still might not have enough depakote in your system, consult a second opinion doc about the depakote as well.
poster:noa
thread:110978
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020628/msgs/111729.html