Thyroid Gone. Thanks Lithium

Explains a lot.

I was only on lithium for a year. My pdoc never once checked my thyroid levels.

My general practitioner asked me this week when last my thyroid was checked. Um. Never. She quickly ordered tests.

General levels should be between 3-6. Mine read 600.

Told me to stop taking lithium immediately. Starting on 25mg lamatrogine.

Pdoc fired. How many times I complained to him about feeling tired. Intolerable of cold - I'd go in to his office with 3 layers of clothing on and he'd be sitting in a t-shirt making some snarky remark about how many layers of clothing I've got on.

It's caused a lot of problems at work - fatigue, lack of concentration etc. not working anymore but hey that's a different story.

I feel like reporting him for not monitoring my thyroid but not sure where that will get me. Live Down Under. Feel like sending him his bills back that he posted with a copy of tm thyroid levels saying thanks dork you can have these back because I'm now on thyroid hormone therapy for life!

Those of you on lithium - how often does your pdoc check your thyroid! Feel like this could have been stopped a long time ago before the irreparable damage was done.

My doctor always checks my levels and when they went wrong he put me on Thyroxin (spelling??) to stabilize my levels. It has helped. I cannot go off Lithium as I am out of control without it otherwise I would go off it for my health. If you can do without lithium I say go for it.

Yeah Throxin hormone sounds about right. Trouble is my thyroid doesn't work at all I've been told. Just mad as a cut snake that he never checked levels.

My pdoc checks my thyroid hormones at the same time she has my lithium levels checked...every 6 months. I am hypothyroid, too, and take levothyroxine for my thyroid. No way I'd go off lithium for that. I can deal with one more pill lol

I've had like 6 blood test related to lithium this year

From my experience my psychiatrist will just have me ask my primary care doctor to check from levels for vitamin d and b, thyroid and Lithium about every 3 months.

I take Tegretol, but when I decided I could go off it on my own a year or so ago, I developed hyperthyroid. Of course, no one wanted to discuss that this was the possible cause.

Also, with any anticonvulsant I take, I lose hair unless I take vitamin D. Sorry, I know this is not exactly Lithium related, but I wondered if it might apply somewhat.

Hope you will be feeling better with some treatment.

Can you report your pdoc? Every pdoc knows (should know, if s/he is worth anything) you're supposed to check levels with lithium. It's a damn element! It's not one of those things you can just eff around with. That's plain laziness. He misguided you. I'd totally report him.

This makes me so mad. I'm so sorry this happened to you.

i must jump in to reply: I faithfully took 450mg lithium daily for 35 years up until a year ago.
This is my personal experience: Yes, i had thyroid issues early on, followed by parathyroid removal due to over calcium production caused by lithium and most recently kidney issues, all directly caused by lithium. All my p/docs checked for lithium level toxicity but not one in 35 yrs. Ever looked at the creatine or protein levels or whatever the other blood tests results were when having regular blood work done.
Do your research as only recently did i learn of at least 20-30% of long-term lithium users will suffer renal damage. I am scheduled for kidney ultrasound in a few weeks after having taken addl. Blood work tests and peeing in a bottle for 24 hrs. On several occasions. Educate yourself cause the drs. May not even be looking for kidney issues but only the lithium toxicity levels when doing regular blood work.

I will be taking levothyroxine for life because the first time I was lithium was
When I was seen a quack doctor. I didn't know it could be harmful to your thyroid either. I was depressed cold all the time forgetful etc. but really I just take it every day and I feel fine. It's easily managed usually. I am sorry the same thing happened to you.

same here.

checking TSH, T3 and T4 levels for people on Lithium every 6 months is the standard of care.

My friend in Australia (I'm originally from South Africa. Been here 6 years) advised me that there is a medical reporting body that I can issue a complaint to. Don't have the energy to go down that route just yet. I've lost my job because of all of this going on for the last 4 months. Just couldn't function at all anymore. Luckily I got my union involved and get a nice little package to leave quietly out the back door. So I want to spend the next few months getting myself back on track. He's just a useless pdoc. Luckily the new one I've been referred to supports the use of lamatrogine - which stabilized my mood last year when my general practitioner put me on it in between transfers to new pdocs. Cos he's old school - as old as a fossil - he said he doesn't use these new exotic medications and whipped me off the saphris and lamatrogine and put me on the lithium. I never felt the same old me again. I feel as if a year of my life has been taken away from me. Onwards and upwards from here. A new start.

I guess I will not be taking Lithium long term.

I have been taking thyroid meds since 2007 and Im taking lithium again

Im sorry this happened..Shame on your pdoc for not explaining the medication to you and doing the follow through needed. I mean really your putting a metal in your body. Lithium on the periodic chart is considered a metal. I often think maybe it would be better to suck on your cell phone battery for a few minutes daily than take the pills.

I do think everyone needs to research the meds they may be taking or are taking. Best to be your own best advocate. I have never just blindly taken a prescribed medication I'm to paranoid for that.

Good luck

As a mood stabilizer Lithium salts and compounds are used, not actual metal.

Yeahhhh. The fact that he didn't tell you about it's potential to impact thyroid function and the fact that he never checked your thyroid levels while on lithium seems very negligent to me. I'm sorry that happened to you.

The salts are extracted from the actual metal... So sucking batteries is still an option 😉

Haha sucking on batteries. Sounds all legit to me could be cheaper too!

I was on lithium for a while but didn't tolerate it well, now on lomotrigine and going ok. I agree with a lot of posts on here re the need to educate yourself, I feel that if they can ask me a squillion questions then I can ask a few of my own. How many times you go to doctors and your getting a script without them even checking the basics like blood pressure. They see ten people before you then see you for like 15 minutes, you need to take a bit of control for your own healths sake.

Having said all that, I'm sorry to hear what some of you have gone through.....it certainly sounds like negligence. ....

Hugs