Dr. Paul Donohue
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
04-07-1996
Dear Dr. Donohue: I read in your column a letter from a woman who had been told she had panic disorder. It reminded me of my own experience. I was told I had it, and went to two psychiatrists. I found out, though, that it was due to a thyroid condition. What I needed was an adjustment of the medicine. The gland was completely out of kilter. That was 25 years ago. I have not had a panic attack since.
In our quest to find psychological answers for emotional changes we often overlook the physical causes. We often need to look beyond the mind to the body itself and its changing status.
You found your answer in your thyroid, and that's not surprising. I have pointed out on more than one occasion that among the many changes that occur with years are those related to medication dosages.
Most often, it is overactivity of the gland that gets involved in things such as panic attacks
