Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior
Published on: March 2, 2015
Reversible escitalopram-induced hypothyroidism
Salih Saygin Eker1, Cengiz Akkaya, Canan Ersoy
1Department of Psychiatry, Uludag University Medical Faculty, 16059 Bursa, Turkey. saygineker@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Some drugs can cause alterations in the concentration of thyroid hormones in blood even without clinical signs of dysfunction or pathology of the thyroid gland. Apart from the well-known relationship between depression and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, and the impact of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on thyroid indices, hypothyroidism is a very rare adverse effect of SSRI treatment. However, the case presented here demonstrates that escitalopram may have the potential to induce hypothyroidism without any significant clinical signs and symptoms. Therefore, the possibility of SSRI-induced asymptomatic hypothyroidism presented here may help clinicians in this regard.
Related Concept Videos
Hyperthyroidism I: Introduction
Graves' Disease I: Introduction
Hyperthyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Graves Disease II: Pathophysiology
Hypothyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs