• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dr Hagmeyer logo

Natural Holistic Treatments for Chronic Disease

  • About
    • Our Approach
    • About Dr Hagmeyer
  • Conditions We Help
    • Cardiovascular Health
      • CardioMetabolic Health
      • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Functional Medicine
    • Gut Health
      • Acid Reflux GERD
      • Candida and Yeast Overgrowth
      • Food Sensitivity
      • Gluten
      • Gut Dysbiosis
      • IBS
      • Leaky Gut
      • Psoriasis
      • SIBO
    • Hormone
      • Adrenal Fatigue
      • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
      • Diabetes
      • Hashimotos
      • Insulin
      • Men’s Health
        • Andropause/Low T
        • Testosterone
      • Women’s Health
        • Estrogen
        • Menopause
        • PCOS
        • Progesterone
      • Weight Loss
    • Immune System
      • Autoimmune Disease
      • Histamine Intolerance / MCAS
      • Immune System Disorders
      • Lyme Disease
      • Mold and Biotoxin Illness
      • Overactive Immune System
    • Mental Health
      • ADD / ADHD
      • Anxiety
      • Brain Fog
      • Depression
      • Fatigue
      • Insomnia
      • Neurodegeneration
        • Alzheimer’s
        • Parkinson’s
    • Musculoskeletal
      • Arthritis
      • Joint & Muscle Problems
    • Nervous System
      • Fibromyalgia
      • Neuropathy
    • Nutrition
      • Healthy Food Recipes
      • Breakfast
      • Crock Pot
      • Desserts
      • Juices & Smoothies
      • Main Course
      • Salads & Sides
      • Snacks
      • Soup & Stew
    • Thyroid
  • Resources
    • Services
      • 30 Minute Consult
      • Clinical Testing
      • Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis
      • Functional Nutritional Consultation
      • Low Complexity Case Review
      • Functional Medicine Signature Program
    • Quizzes
      • ADD/ADHD Quiz
      • Adrenal Fatigue Quiz
      • Blood Sugar Hypoglycemia Quiz
      • Candida Quiz
      • Histamine Intolerance Quiz
      • Leaky Gut Quiz
      • Mold/Mycotoxin Quiz
      • SIBO Quiz
      • Thyroid Quiz
    • Testimonials
    • Affordable Treatment Statement
    • FAQs
    • Wellness Blog
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • search
  • Free 15 Minute Consult
  • About
    • Our Approach
    • About Dr Hagmeyer
  • Conditions We Help
    • Cardiovascular Health
      • CardioMetabolic Health
      • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Functional Medicine
    • Gut Health
      • Acid Reflux GERD
      • Candida and Yeast Overgrowth
      • Food Sensitivity
      • Gluten
      • Gut Dysbiosis
      • IBS
      • Leaky Gut
      • Psoriasis
      • SIBO
    • Hormone
      • Adrenal Fatigue
      • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
      • Diabetes
      • Hashimotos
      • Insulin
      • Men’s Health
        • Andropause/Low T
        • Testosterone
      • Women’s Health
        • Estrogen
        • Menopause
        • PCOS
        • Progesterone
      • Weight Loss
    • Immune System
      • Autoimmune Disease
      • Histamine Intolerance / MCAS
      • Immune System Disorders
      • Lyme Disease
      • Mold and Biotoxin Illness
      • Overactive Immune System
    • Mental Health
      • ADD / ADHD
      • Anxiety
      • Brain Fog
      • Depression
      • Fatigue
      • Insomnia
      • Neurodegeneration
        • Alzheimer’s
        • Parkinson’s
    • Musculoskeletal
      • Arthritis
      • Joint & Muscle Problems
    • Nervous System
      • Fibromyalgia
      • Neuropathy
    • Nutrition
      • Healthy Food Recipes
      • Breakfast
      • Crock Pot
      • Desserts
      • Juices & Smoothies
      • Main Course
      • Salads & Sides
      • Snacks
      • Soup & Stew
    • Thyroid
  • Resources
    • Services
      • 30 Minute Consult
      • Clinical Testing
      • Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis
      • Functional Nutritional Consultation
      • Low Complexity Case Review
      • Functional Medicine Signature Program
    • Quizzes
      • ADD/ADHD Quiz
      • Adrenal Fatigue Quiz
      • Blood Sugar Hypoglycemia Quiz
      • Candida Quiz
      • Histamine Intolerance Quiz
      • Leaky Gut Quiz
      • Mold/Mycotoxin Quiz
      • SIBO Quiz
      • Thyroid Quiz
    • Testimonials
    • Affordable Treatment Statement
    • FAQs
    • Wellness Blog
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • search
  • Free 15 Minute Consult

Dr Hagmeyer Explains The Thyroid Connection To Depression

December 12, 2015 //  by Dr Hagmeyer

Thyroid Levels Depression and Your Serotonin Levels

Hi Im Dr Hagmeyer and one of the most commonly overlooked areas when we talk about thyroid function and performance is the role serotonin plays.

If you suffer with thyroid problems you might be all too familiar with anxiety and depression.

In fact the most common medication men and woman are put on after thyroid medication is an antidepressant or antianxiety medications.

I want to be very clear that these medication DON’T fix your problem, but rather serve as a band-aid and what you might not know, is that if you are taking antidepressants realize that none of the antidepressant medications actually raise the quantity of the neurotransmitter that the medication is targeting. They only allow the neurotransmitter to remain in the synaptic cleft for a longer period of time.

Here is an illustration of what I’m talking about, you can see the Neurotransmitters (little yellow dots) and the synaptic cleft is the space between the nerves. Antidepressants only allow the Neurotransmitters to stay in this space longer. They have no effect on the quantity of Neurotransmitters produced by the nerve.

When a person has low thyroid hormones not just a low TSH but low T3 levels, low T4 levels, there are a number of things that happen

#1 The Serotonin receptor sites become less sensitive to Serotonin– meaning they don’t respond
#2 There is a decrease in the number of serotonin receptor sites- if there is less receptor sites, there is less places that serotonin can bind to and consequently lower serotonin levels. Also, less serotonin is then produced in the brain and in the other tissues of the body.

watch-this-video

Studies show that if you continue to have low Thyroid levels year after year, permanent neuro degeneration of serotonergic neurons in the frontal cortex occurs (that’s your brain).

Some of the symptoms you might be experiencing indicating you have Neuro Degeneration of the Brain may include:

  • Feeling overwhelmed with ideas to manage,
  • Feeling of inner rage, feeling of paranoia not enjoying life,
  • Lack enthusiasm,
  • Loss of interest in friendships,
  • Feeling of  anger,
  • Difficulty falling into a restful state of sleep.

Again these are all classic Symptoms that the frontal cortex of your brain and the Serotonergic pathways are shutting down.

Traditional medicine typically prescribes SSRI for these kinds of symptoms- medications like Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexipro and too many others to list.

Here’s a study showing the effects of Low Thyroid or hypothyroidism on the Serotonin pathways of the brain.

If you do suffer from these symptoms, you are probably wondering is it too late?, and if not, what can be done to support my brain and consequently my thyroid.

#1 there are many natural compounds that can actually increase the quantity of serotonin. Remember medications can’t do this, they only keep the NT around in synaptic cleft for a longer period of time.

#2 Supporting NT and brain requires understanding what the nerve needs metabolically as well as neurologically.

 Some of the things that I consider include

  • Supporting circulation and blood flow to the brain
  • Supplements that will help with the uptake of NT into the synaptic cleft
  • Supporting amino acid precursors- certain amino acids such 5HTP, or SAMe can help increase the quantity of these Neurotransmitters
  • Nutritional cofactors that are needed to make the Neurotransmitter- things like B6,B12,magnesium, niacin
  • blood sugar stability
  • reducing Inflammation
  • supporting optimal Gut health

In closing today’s video, it is important to understand that every case of Thyroid disease is different.

1. We all have a different biochemistry, different genetic makeup, different genetic mutations of certain enzyme pathways, we eat a different diet etc. etc- so who ever you work with- needs to take this all into consideration.

2. Thyroid disease requires investigation- you cant think that you going to fix your problem with simply taking thyroid replacement. I don’t care if we are talking about synthetic or natural or compounded- This is an outdated approach going back to the 1950’s. The body is extremely complex and there are many aspects of health that go above and beyond medication that need to be taken into consideration

3. There is no cookie cutter approach that I would be able to suggest for you not knowing any of these areas of your health. So if you email, realize I am unable to offer any guidance in this area.

4. And lastly in some cases of Hypothyroidism, permanent neurodegeneration from years of mismanaged silent hypothyroidism is a possibility. So I hate to leave on a note like this so I am going to end today’s video by saying the sooner you start doing something the better.

5. I’m Dr Hagmeyer and I hope today’s video helps you really understand why addressing thyroid disease requires a doctor who is going to partner with you in your health journey.

Readers Also Found These Articles Interesting.

  • Naturally Cure Anxiety, Brain Fog, Depression, Panic Disorder & More
  • 5 Steps to Naturally Overcoming Anxiety, Depression and Panic Disorder
  • Depression, Anxiety and the Role of Neurotransmitters
  • Depression and Anxiety- Is It Your Thyroid?
  • Tests to Understand Depression and Anxiety in Thyroid Disease-Organic Acid Testing
  • Do You Suffer From Grain Brain?-Fatigue, Brain Fog, Anxiety

Category: Depression, Hormone, Mental Health, ThyroidTag: B12, brain fog, depression

Previous Post: «Thyroid problems?  What's really going on with your Thyroid? 3 Thyroid problems? What’s really going on with your Thyroid?
Next Post: Jumpstarting Your Thyroid Naturally When Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hashimoto's Disease 3»

Primary Sidebar

Schedule a FREE 15 minute consult

Schedule Now

Not Sure Where to Start?

In order to make the most out of your time with Dr. Hagmeyer, please take a moment to complete our health questionnaire.

Health Questionnaire
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Richard Hagmeyer unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Hagmeyer and his community. Dr. Hagmeyer encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Hagmeyer products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using any products. Copyright © 2022 Dr. Hagmeyer · All Rights Reserved · Powered by drhagmeyer.com