Sinnamon,
I stand by my advice above. A TSH of 3.5 is clearly abnormal. You will need a variety of further tests to determine what is going on, such as:

free t3, free t4, total t4, TPO antibodies, t3 uptake
you will also need to determine what your adrenal function is like, try to get a salivary profile, they are exceptionally useful, you may also need a short synacthen test also.

In addition, have your testosterone checked, E2, DHEA, LH, FSH, prolactin

You need to find out what is causing the thyroid issue, is it pituitary failure? Thyroid disease? adrenal insufficiency?

Low thyroid can simple be the symptom of something else, and may not be the root of your problem here.

So, go see your endocrinologist, they will probably administer a series of further tests such as the above. With thyroid problems it pays to be very informed. Have a look at the website: www.tpa-uk.org.uk and read everything there.

I also recommend a book by a very good friend of mine, Dr Barry Peatfield:

Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy: The Great Thyroid Scandal and How to Survive it.

Also have a look at the book by Dr Mark Starr: Hypothyroidism: Type 2.

Trust me when I say do not rush into treatment. With insufficient cortisol, which is a very likely possibility now that your are hypothyroid, you can very easily run into problems with treatment and become thyrotoxic and suffer some nasty side effects, especially with T4 treatments.

I like to lurk around the forums but will reply to your thread cause I have been through and still do go through shit like this. For me I am convinced my problems are just depression anxiety issues. Get all the tests you can afford done, if they come back normal don't look further into it. I would bet it is just stress about college what the future holds in store, that shit will beat you down worse than years of taking Spike Shooters lol.

Your problem is not as deep as it seems. Stress can literally F*&k you up and that is all you are suffering from. The stress of wondering what is wrong, the stress of training too hard, the stress of taking the caffeine in the past (spike) not all of us in this world are robust and we can over whelm ourselves with our environment. This can cause many many problems which will all go away once stress is reduced. Reduce stress and give it the right tools and your body will correct itself.......

My Advice

- Get some blood work done, if nothing is profoundly wrong that is all you need to know.
- Eat a good diet (low in grains, dairy) high in fresh lean meat and Eggs, good fats (lots of coconut and avocado/nuts and raw butter) plus carbs from fruits/vegetables and sweet potatoes/yams
- Take Fish Oil and Vitamin D 2000iu per day
- Drink some red wine with dinner a few times a week
- Learn how to relax your nervous system through deep breathing and meditation
- Do stress relieving cardio 3 times a week (30 mins on a cross trainer or bike) break a sweat and do some stretching
- Lift some weights 2-3 times a week. Full body workouts no longer than 20-30 minutes per workout, leave the gym feeling refreshed not exhausted. Do not overdo your weight workouts!
- Read this http://tinyurl.com/62ob38
- Take naps when you can
- Try to sleep 7-9 hours per night. If you have trouble sleeping do some deep breathing and relax your body from head to toe (you will fall to sleep eventually)
- Learn to say F*&k it to things that piss you off and get on with life regardless of how you feel

Whatever you do dont get in a cycle of thinking something is profoundly wrong with you, this will only exaggerate stress.

All the best,

ShadOW

I agree with the adrenal fatigue related changes. Progesterone is the raw material in the adrenals needed to meet changing cortisol demands. You can get 2.5% progesterone cream OTC at better vitamin and whole food stores. Look for KAL brand. Apply size of a pea to inner arms. Get the smaller tubes as the larger tube may smell old before you use it up.

Read this:
http://www.amazon.com/...e/dp/1890572152

You need to have iodized salt in your diet. Sea salt does not contain useful amounts unless the package stated that it has been iodized. You can get supplements with some iodine.

Someone here has no idea that Wellbutrin is not a SSRI.

Wellbutrin is dopergenic, but is also a stimulant. So not good for you now.

Deprenyl is dopergenic and has slight stimulant effects. Low dose, 10mg/week is side effect free as far as MAO effects are concerned. Comes in 5mg capsules. I split these and take 2.5mg EOD. A fairly cheap generic.

Cabergoline, 0.5mg/week is dopergenic and has no stimulant effects. Very rare that a doc would prescribe for such problems, but worth a try.

Long term stimulant use [caffeine, ephedra] changes the way your brain works and dopamine levels and receptors are changed. This is the mechanics of addictive response.

I think that you do need the dopergenic drugs simply to feel normal and to restore some of your ability to feel pleasure and satisfaction. You also seem to have adrenal fatigue. You need things that increase your dopamine levels which do not act like stimulants that will prolong your adrenal fatigue.

You could try deprenyl and caber together. When combining dopergenic drugs, you need less of each. The MAO-B inhibitor action will prolong the life time of the dopamine increase that caber causes. That is a very useful synergy.

Can't sleep? Trazodone is dopergenic and dirt cheap. No AM drag over if dosed correctly. Combine with time release melatonin.

EFAs [fish oil], vit-D 2-6,000iu/day, multi vit and minerals, real food.

Sounds like you were fucked up before you started abusing caffeine.

People here tend to overthink this kind of thing, and while I'm certainly not suggesting there's nothing physically wrong with you, it seems somewhat silly to assume there's no psychological component.

sinnaman18:

Dr. James Wilson, DC, ND, PhD coined the phrase "adrenal fatigue" in 1998 and is author of the book "Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome." Dr. Wilson has had thousands of successes working with those suffering from the signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue with insights gathered from more than 30 years as a scientist as well as a physician. He is listed in The International Who's Who in Medicine (Cambridge, England), and was one of the founding fathers of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) in Toronto, Ontario.

It is possible to recover from stress and adrenal fatigue. There is a wealth of information at Dr. Wilsonâ??s website, including information on a number of your symptoms and questions.

Wishing you wellness,