Your thyroid gland creates thyroid hormone at a set rate. But in some cases that rate can speed up or slow down and create an unbalanced amount of the crucial hormone. If the thyroid produces more hormone than your body needs, it's known as "hyperthyroid." If it produces less, it's known as "hypothyroid."

These conditions have been linked to changes in mental health, and while it's not that common, some people find that their thyroid problems create panic attacks.

Thyroid Problems Are Uncommon

It's very important to remember that thyroid problems are extremely uncommon. Hyperthyroid affects 2% of women and 0.2% of men, while hypothyroid is at 1% or less for both genders (although this number increases dramatically after the age of 50). While it's nice to blame panic attacks on something like the thyroid, never self diagnose. The reality is that if you don't know what's causing your panic attacks, it's probably just anxiety.

There are many tests for thyroid problems and they're fairly simple. Doctors can tell if you have problems with your thyroid with a simple blood test, so go to the doctor and complete one to find out if you may suffer from the condition.

Hypothyroid and Panic Attacks

Hypothyroid is not generally associated with panic attacks. Hypothyroid is associated with the development of depression. There is evidence that the thyroid hormone affects the values of certain neurotransmitter levels, like GABA, and also changes body metabolism in a way that may decrease energy to the brain when a person has hypothyroid.

But interestingly, there are still many people that report panic attacks with hypothyroidism. Possible reasons for this include:

• Similar Causes - There is some evidence that stress can lead to the development of hypothyroid. Those that are prone to panic attacks - even if they have never had one before - may then be experiencing panic attacks caused by extreme stress, not thyroid hormone, and the two simply developed together.
• Health Anxiety - Hypothyroid causes many changes to your body, your emotions, your physical sensations and more. This can create a type of sensitivity to the way your body feels and "overthinking" of your own health. Health anxiety is often a contributing factor to the development of panic attacks.
• Rapid Thoughts - Hypothyroid doesn't generally cause the rapid heartbeat and fast breathing most associated with panic attacks, but it can cause rapid thoughts and unusual fatigued thinking. This combination can cause people to experience considerable anxiety over their health, which in turn may create panic.

It's also important to note that the human brain is incredibly complex, and sometimes anything that throws off the balance of neurotransmitters in your brain can cause anxiety and panic attacks. Every person is different, so it is possible that hypothyroid creates anxiety and panic in a way that is currently unclear.