February 23, 2017
Actress Gina Rodriguez suffered from "debilitating" anxiety
and panic attacks after taking too much medication for her ongoing struggle with
Hashimoto's disease.
She was able to lower her dosage of Hashimoto's
disease medication, and no longer battles the mental health conditions, reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
"To the core of my being, I know what it's like to
feel like there is no way I can win this, so where do I even begin.
(Hashimoto's) affects so many aspects of your life. I've had it for so many
years ... that rebellion of not taking care of myself can't exist anymore," she
told Self magazine.
She added: "It is really important for us to be super
self-aware. I wasn't banking on that. I wasn't like, 'Hey, yeah, let me get a
disease that makes me have to be super aware'. I don't want to be super aware of
myself all of the time."
The "Jane the Virgin" star credits her beau Joe
LoCicero with helping her manage her illness, which can also result in
fluctuating weight for the star, meaning she has to watch her diet closely.
"(Mine and Joe's relationship is one of) respect and kindness, and
generosity, and compromise, and sacrifice. (He) has really helped me have a
healthier perspective on (weight), that stupid number that can destroy us and
feel like it's equivalent to our self-worth. This love is so easy," she said.