My mission since returning from "hormone hell" has been to tell as many people as possible so they do not have to suffer the 2 1/2 year ordeal I did. As it turns out, a friend gave me a book to read that finally led me to the right doctor and diagnosis. The book is Screaming To Be Heard: Hormonal Connections That Patients Suspect and Doctors Ignore (Elizabeth Lee Vliet). I have talked to many, many women since who appear to have hormonal problems but are often treated with anti-depressants or synthetic hormones that have significant side-effects. The side effects from the birth control pill, Mircette, that I was given to help with my hot flashes and lots of "menopausal type" symptoms (that also are the same as many thyroid symptoms), resulted in chronic fatigue so severe I could barely work or do anything.
My story is long and complicated. It started with hyperthyroidism which revealed itself with an increased heart rate. I was also having anxiety at the time because I had just been the victim of a crime which left me frightened and very anxious. It turns out I had a hot nodule on my thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism will also result in anxiety. I was given Xanax for the anxiety, and the symptoms abated and I was off the medication in maybe 3 - 4 months.
Then they found an ovarian cyst which was removed as well as extensive endometriosis, and I was put on Lupron shots which basically put me into "chemical menopause" to suppress the remaining or any reoccuring endometriosis as much as possible. Later, Dr. Vliet who wrote the book listed above told me they NEVER put anyone on Lupron while also using an estrogen patch. Well, within a month, I had severe symptoms of estrogen loss like women have when they are in menopause which were: frequently wakening at night and inability to return to sleep, hot flashes, mood swings and anxiety. After months, I was finally put on an estrogen patch that eased some of my symptoms. After going off the Lupron, my doctor insisted that my remaining ovary would provide enough estrogen for my body. This time I was also put on a different birth control pill to continue to suppress the endometriosis.
My body went haywire. I couldn't sleep, had NO appetite, lost 10 pounds, had frequent anxiety attacks and hot flashes. I thought it was my thyroid because hyperthyroid symptoms are very similar to symptoms of estrogen loss. If one becomes severly hyperthyroid they can have significant psychiatric sypmtoms, too. I ended up having a double-whammy. The doc put me on thyroid meds at my insistence but he wanted to diagnose me as manic-depressive and put me on Paxil. I'm so glad I refused and changed doctors. I did seek the help of a psychiatrist because it was the only person who could help relieve the debilitating symptoms of sleeplessness and anxiety.
The thyroid meds made me hypothyroid in the meantime, and my bowel movements became frequent (up to 10 times a day) and I had severe fatigue. The OB-GYN had put me on Buspar, but the psychiatrist gave me Xanax for more immediate relief, tried Celexa but I bounced all over the place probably due to my thyroid condition and finally put me on Prozac to try to help regulate my sleep cycles. I was also put back on the estrogen patch during this time. I ended up getting off the thyroid meds completely, taking Prozac and finally the Mircette but had severe migraines, chronic fatigue, irritable bowels, hot and cold flashes, and generally feeling lousy much of the time. I described myself as having good days and bad days, many more bad days, and, by now, I had quit my job due to the lack of support and was working minimally.
Dr. Vliet diagnosed me with hyperthyroidism, premature ovarian failure and adverse reactions to progesterone (in the birth control pills). She changed my meds to have a higher level of the natural estrogen (7-beta estradiol, found in estrace, climara or vivelle) and lower levels of progesterone (I currently take Micronor, but I still seem to be getting side effects from it so the dose may be lowered using a different birth control pill after my next medical follow-up). She told me to decrease the Prozac because the appropriate amount of estrogen in my body will increase the serotonin levels and I won't need the Prozac anymore. I no longer take the Prozac.
