Virtually All Patients With Depression Are Hypothyroid

[Frankdee20]

It does not get much better than what this study found. More than 2/3 of mildly depressed patients and basically all moderately and severely depressed ones has low T3 levels. TSH was elevated in almost 55% of the patients. As the study says, this widespread prevalence of sub-clinical hypothyroidism may explain why so few people respond to antidepressants and why they relapse so often. However, because their hypothyroidism would be considered sub-clinical, as the study said, very few of those people will likely get treatment from their doctor. So, until doctors finally start to see depression as an endocrine problem instead of a mood disorder, an actual cure for depression will likely remain elusive.

A STUDY OF THYROID HORMONES (T3, T4 & TSH) IN PATIENTS OF DEPRESSION
"...In this study, 32 unmedicated patients of unipolar depression were included and blood samples were analysed for T3, T4 and TSH. These were compared with age and sex matched controls. Subnormal T3 and T4 levels in 90.6% and 9.3% respectively and an increase of TSH levels in 18.7% of the total patients was observed in this study. The patients were classified into mild, moderate and severe grade of depression as per DSM-IV criteria. Of the mild 66.6%, 93.3% of moderate and all of the severe grade depression patients had low T3 levels. Of the moderately depressed patients 13.3% and 9.0% of severe depression patients had low T4 levels. TSH was increased than normal in 54.5% of the patients and all these patients were of severe grade. ANOVA with multiple comparison testing shows significant decrease in levels of T3 (F2.29 >3.33) and significant increase in TSH levels (F2.29 >3.33) at 5% level of significance amongst mild, moderate and severe grade of depression patients. This study suggests a subclinical hypothyroidism in most of the patients which could lead to nonresponsiveness to the conventional antidepressant therapy. Therefore, evaluation of thyroid status prior to antidepressant therapy and subsequent thyroid hormone substitution in subclinical hypothyroid patients is suggested."

So a TSH from between 2-3 is considered low end ?

 

[Blossom]

permanent physical thyroid damage.

I think this applies to people who have had medical interventions like radiation, chemo or surgery that has permanently damaged the thyroid gland requiring life long thyroid hormone replacement.

 

[Dan W]

Does it cover dosage and how to test for optimum dosage?

The last chapter does. Although it's only a few pages and probably nothing new to people familiar with Peat (mostly about starting with low doses and gradually increasing while watching temperatures).

 

[Fractality]

I think this applies to people who have had medical interventions like radiation, chemo or surgery that has permanently damaged the thyroid gland requiring life long thyroid hormone replacement.

That's what I was thinking too...

 

[haidut]

So a TSH from between 2-3 is considered low end ?

They consider it low end but as we know even this is much higher than what is needed for optimal health. Peat has said below 1 should be the goal and at least one study agrees that TSH > 2 is too high for overall health.
Optimal Levels Of TSH Are Much Lower Than Official Guidelines

 

[Minimus]

Correlation does not equal causation - maybe depression downregulates thyroid function, or maybe both depression and hypothyroidism are the result of a third factor, e.g. inflammation.

A double blind study showing that treatment of hypothyroidism is far better than placebo in eliminating or ameliorating depression would be more convincing. Are you aware of any such studies?

 

[Count. DJF]

I have type one diabeties and Hashimoto's at age 31. I have been working on depleting PUFA since late 2014 when I was 27.

In late 2015 I had to have surgery on a septic pilanoidal sinus. After being given a toxic coctail of drugs to knock me out for the surgery and/or the stress by the anesthesiologist - I started to develop Hashimoto's

I have progressively taken more thyroid as the years have progressed and my health has improved although I was bedridden for awhile.

After being subclinical for a long-time probably even prior to the surgery, I put myself on NDT and I haven't looked back.

Summed up, I will be taking/supplementing thyroid for the rest of my life.

 

[vulture]

I have type one diabeties and Hashimoto's at age 31. I have been working on depleting PUFA since late 2014 when I was 27.

In late 2015 I had to have surgery on a septic pilanoidal sinus. After being given a toxic coctail of drugs to knock me out for the surgery and/or the stress by the anesthesiologist - I started to develop Hashimoto's

I have progressively taken more thyroid as the years have progressed and my health has improved although I was bedridden for awhile.

After being subclinical for a long-time probably even prior to the surgery, I put myself on NDT and I haven't looked back.

Summed up, I will be taking/supplementing thyroid for the rest of my life.

This is the kind of comments that make me like this forum.
I remember one chat during a walk with a zen disciple that told me that her teacher told her there’s no separation among the “bodies” (spiritual, material, mental). So, this could be a dog chasing it’s tail: you get depressed, thyroid goes a little bit down, then get stressed, thyroid goes down again, increases depth of depression, you become less capable to tolerate stress, get depressed faster and deeper, thyroid goes down, like a vicious cycle. The non separated bodies...

 

[Count. DJF]

Yes, I'm of much the idea thats tn Buddhism and probably further expressed in theosophy - that there are countless subtle bodies all interconnected like an ecosystem of sorts.

 

[vulture]

Yes, I'm of much the idea thats tn Buddhism and probably further expressed in theosophy - that there are countless subtle bodies all interconnected like an ecosystem of sorts.

Interesting question is: would body healing heal other “bodies” or viceversa? Or is this also some sort of simultaneous task where you have to create some sort of virtuous cycle?

 

[haidut]

Correlation does not equal causation - maybe depression downregulates thyroid function, or maybe both depression and hypothyroidism are the result of a third factor, e.g. inflammation.

A double blind study showing that treatment of hypothyroidism is far better than placebo in eliminating or ameliorating depression would be more convincing. Are you aware of any such studies?

There are a number of such studies. Unfortunately, most of them are older as the idea of depression as metabolic disease was replaced by the "genetic cause" idea sometime in the late 1960s and since then thyroid is not really considered as part of treatment for mental issues except very rarely as an add-on for people with co-morbid Hashimoto or with removed thyroid.
Thyroid function and therapeutic efficacy of thyroxine in depression. - PubMed - NCBI
Treatment of depression. (A) Thyroid hormone as an antidepressant. - PubMed - NCBI
[Administration of thyroid hormones in therapy of psychiatric illnesses]. - PubMed - NCBI
Studies on thyroid therapy and thyroid function in depressive patients. - PubMed - NCBI
[The use of thyroid hormones in the treatment of depression]. - PubMed - NCBI
Thyroid hormones in the treatment of affective disorders. - PubMed - NCBI
Thyroid hormones in depressive disorders: a reappraisal of clinical utility. - PubMed - NCBI
Thyroid hormone treatment of primary unipolar depression: a review. - PubMed - NCBI
[Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in depression]. - PubMed - NCBI
"...Depressed patients, although viewed as chemically euthyroid, have alterations in the function of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis including slight elevation of the serum thyroxine (T4), loss of the nocturnal TSH rise, blunted thyrotropin (TSH) response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation and predisposition to autoimmune thyroiditis. Both hypothyroid and depressed patients share a number of clinical features in common. This is the reason that some research workers use the "brain hypothyroidism" hypothesis to explain the pathogenesis of depression. They suggest that depression is a state of local hypothyroidism in brain with normal peripheral thyroid hormone concentrations as a result of brain type II deiodinase inhibition and impaired transport T4 across the blood brain barrier. This theory seems to be compatible with the serotonin deficiency hypothesis of depression. Some studies confirm the existence of classical feedback between serotoninergic and hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid systems. TRH remains under a constant inhibition by serotonin and reduced intracerebral serotonin concentration seen in depression will lead to increased TRH concentration in brain tissue. This mechanism is probably responsible for blunted TSH response to TRH stimulation."

When depression starts in the neck - Harvard Health
"...Although researchers aren't entirely sure why there is a link between hypothyroidism and depression, it is likely that some people are taking antidepressants when they should really be taking thyroid medication. Here is a brief review of when clinicians and patients should consider hypothyroidism as a possible cause of low mood — and what to do next."

 

[haidut]

The non separated bodies

What you call "separate bodies" are the structure-function relationship Peat has been speaking about in so many of his articles. Structure and function cannot be separated. The material body is the structure and what you call mental/spiritual "body" are various layers of function stemming from and influencing the material structure.

 

[theLaw]

@haidut

Wonder if the Niacinamide/Caffeine/Aspirin + Thiamine mix would help those who are afraid to take Thyroid?

Surrogates For Thyroid Hormone

 

[haidut]

@haidut

Wonder if the Niacinamide/Caffeine/Aspirin + Thiamine mix would help those who are afraid to take Thyroid?

Surrogates For Thyroid Hormone

They may to some extent, and so can methylene blue. Progesterone is also a good surrogate, as are androsterone, DHT and even T.
Methylene Blue (MB) Mimics Thyroid - Boosts T4 , Lowers TSH

But there are probably no true substitutes for thyroid hormone and severely hypo patients it has to be used. Another method would be lowering cortisol synthesis or blocking the GR, since adrenal and thyroid activity are opposite to each other and suppressing one allows the other to take over (assuming thyroid is still functional and not damaged by radiation or some other toxic treatment).

 

[Tarmander]

Are they depressed because they have low T3 levels, or are their low T3 levels a symptom of their depressed state...

 

[Elephanto]

@theLaw

They may to some extent, and so can methylene blue. Progesterone is also a good surrogate, as are androsterone, DHT and even T.
Methylene Blue (MB) Mimics Thyroid - Boosts T4 , Lowers TSH

But there are probably no true substitutes for thyroid hormone and severely hypo patients it has to be used. Another method would be lowering cortisol synthesis or blocking the GR, since adrenal and thyroid activity are opposite to each other and suppressing one allows the other to take over (assuming thyroid is still functional and not damaged by radiation or some other toxic treatment).

Don't forget the Fluoride perspective, it can easily be a main cause of hypothyroidism for some people and its removal the cure. Fluoride inhibits Iodine uptake and calcifies the thyroid and pineal glands. Boron and Tamarind have been shown to increase Fluoride excretion.

Impact of Drinking Water Fluoride on Human Thyroid Hormones: A Case- Control Study

A comparative study of fluoride ingestion levels, serum thyroid hormone & TSH level derangements, dental fluorosis status among school children from endemic and non-endemic fluorosis areas

 

[vulture]

Are they depressed because they have low T3 levels, or are their low T3 levels a symptom of their depressed state...

I think the answer was previously posted: we would need t treat depressed subjects with thyroid, or finding such studies

 

[Atman]

It does not get much better than what this study found. More than 2/3 of mildly depressed patients and basically all moderately and severely depressed ones has low T3 levels. TSH was elevated in almost 55% of the patients. As the study says, this widespread prevalence of sub-clinical hypothyroidism may explain why so few people respond to antidepressants and why they relapse so often. However, because their hypothyroidism would be considered sub-clinical, as the study said, very few of those people will likely get treatment from their doctor. So, until doctors finally start to see depression as an endocrine problem instead of a mood disorder, an actual cure for depression will likely remain elusive.

How can you be so convinced of the direction of causality here?
Why does it always have to go from physiological to psychological and not the other way around?

 

[Dhair]

How can you be so convinced of the direction of causality here?
Why does it always have to go from physiological to psychological and not the other way around?

What difference does it make? Chicken, egg?
If thyroid supplementation is beneficial, then it should be widely considered as a possible therapy for "treatment-resistant" depression. It would be too much to ask for it to be used as a first-line treatment given the current climate, but this still needs to be taken seriously. I think that is the takeaway here. Arguing the causality is moot if thyroid has been proven time and time again to improve symptoms in depressed patients.

 

[haidut]

Are they depressed because they have low T3 levels, or are their low T3 levels a symptom of their depressed state...

Given that thyroid supplementation helps for even severe depression, the causal link seems quite plausible.
Virtually All Patients With Depression Are Hypothyroid