[ewmb]

#1067349

I don’t know an answer to your question about ADD but will caution you about putting your daughter on medication for ADD without a real diagnosis for it from a professional counselor or other person who has a lot of experience with it. There are way too many children who are labeled when there is not a reason for it. Our daughter has a form of autism and we have been very careful not to let people just write off her issues with the recommendation of medication. She has other medical issues that I feel are much more important to deal with than making her "normal" for others. As you say your daughter’s system is going through a lot right now. The other thing I didn’t hear you mention was whether or not your daughter has started her periods. The hormone changes in teenagers can be really strong during their first few years of menses. Our 16 year old has really bad PMS. We have taught her to try and keep track of her cycle on a calendar and to do things like eat more calcium rich foods, do some stress relief etc.. during the bad times. She is almost a different person the day after her period usually starts. I was told that this should settle out during the next few years for her. She started her periods at age 12. My Graves was greatly affected by my cycle. No one seemed to believe me medically until I found a new GYN who said of course it does! It is getting a little better now for me since I am on replacement hormone. Had RAI on May 8th. I am possibly going through menopause too so I am not out of the woods there.

Keep a symptom diary if you can with regard to her cycle and see if you see anything pop up. Also remember that the Graves can make so many things change as her thyroid hormone levels go up and down too. Sometimes she may just need to be crabby or get up and move or scream or whatever.

Remember you know your daughter better than any doctor who sees her for a few minutes.

ewmb

[Bobbi]

#1067350

Whether it would be "true" ADD, or the type of things we suffered from while our thyroid levels were out of balance, it would take a true professional to determine. The fact is that excessive levels of thyroid hormone mimic a lot of other disease conditions. It was thought, for example, that I had a panic disorder for a while prior to my diagnosis of Graves. And once my thyroid hormone levels were controlled and normalized I never had another panic attack (and it’s been 12 years and counting). The fact that the medication that was used prior to her treatment is no longer working well — if at all — should be some type of flag.

[eunah]

#1067351

My daughter was diagnosed at age 10 with ADD after several years of declining school performance and began taking a stimulant. There seemed to be some improvement but then she began having heart palpitations, anxiety and fatigue. We tested her thyroid (at my request) and it turned out she was quite hyperthyroid! We discontinued her ADD meds immediately. Her school work has improved significantly as long as she is euthyroid. But if her levels are out of whack, we see changes in her motivation toward school. Right now, she is taking methotrexate and prednisone in addition to her methimazole because she also has alopecia universalis and wants to try to grow her hair back. This has caused her to swing hypo a bit so I am giving her some slack and having extra patience with her.

She also has a 504 plan which is a school plan for accomodations for her Graves. This means that, in tough times, she can request extra time for assignments and tests, quiet areas for testing and the wearing of a hat if she doesn’t wear her wig (which she always does. She also is considered to be have ADD by the school since that was her first diagnosis. But what really matters is how to help her be sucessful when she is having symptoms

It may help to request an evaluation for a 504 plan. If her work or attendance is determined to be significantly affected by her conditions, she may qualify for one. You would contact her school counselor to get started.

It is difficult to fiqure out sometimes if ADD or thyroid is causing problems. I would guess that if she has had a recent thyroid level and it is normal and she is still having ADD symptoms that she still has it. But I would caution that if she is taking a stimulant , that her thyroid gets tested regualarly to make certain she is not at all hyper as the two are a bad combination.

Good luck – I hope this helps a little.

[jmaller]

#1018827

Does anyone know of a child that has suffered from both Graves Disease and ADD? I am really trying to get some solid and accurate information on the effects and/or results of Graves Disease and ADD? I need some help with deciphering the best medication route (if any besides synthroid) for my daughter.

In a nut shell, my 15 year old daughter had her thyroid surgically removed on 9/30/09, and is currently taking synthroid (0.1) daily and calcitroil (0.5) 3 x a day. Her parathyroids are in tact but she had a pretty extreme drop in her calcium level post op.

Prior to surgery she has been taking concerta (72 mg) daily, as I had mentioned earlier she had problems with school in 6th grade which is how the Graves Disease was originally diagnosed. Her level of concentration and her organization skills were still faltering even when her thyroid levels were stabilized on methomzile, thus the diagnosis of the ADD.

As her mother, I truly never believed that she had ADD prior to the onset of the Graves, but I have no solid or tangible basis for this belief. Honestly an article that I got off of this website was the first time that I saw in print that in rare instances Graves could cause ADD…my daughter’s doctors have never really acknowledged this possibility.

Anyway, after surgery she began to take concerta again and it seemed to have the opposite effects, even slightly manic reactions – like insomnia, mood swings and very hard time concentrating. Under the guidance of her doctor we slowly reduced the dose and then ultimately took her off of the concerta.

She is still not feeling well and she is Hypo now, I am waiting for her endro to call back with the specific numbers from her blood tests today. It was helpful to read the blogs and to know that she in no alone in the continued challenge even post surgery. Really just how long can all this take?

I wanted to know if anyone has any advice or information on ADD & Graves Disease in children. Her doctor was considering putting her on some other types of medications for ADD but I just told him no until we have some of her lab work results back and she has been on synthroid for awhile to get her thyroid levels stabilized. Her doctor was VERY uncertain on what to do at this point and the endocrinologist will NOT treat or consult on the ADD.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

[tlm09]

#1067352

My daughter, age 9, was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago with Graves. Her medical history has been somewhat complicated over the past 2 years. She was diagnosed almost 2 years ago with ADHD and was started on Adderall XR. Her concentration and hyperactivity seemed to get somewhat better. Then this past summer/fall we noticed that it did not seem to be working as well and her sleep was pretty bad and she was becoming more anxious. We took her in and they decided to do a sleep evaluation and she was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to enlarged tonsils. In December we decided to have her tonsils and adeniod removed at the advice of an ENT specialist. It is our understanding that the OSA can also cause symptoms similar to ADHD. During all of this no blood work was ever done. Then, 2 weeks ago, we were in for a regular medication check with the psychiatrist and they discovered that her heart rate was 122 beats per minute. They had us see her pediatrician to have everything checked out. The day we saw the pediatrician her heart rate was 143 beats per minute. The doctor immediately suspected thyroid since I have a strong family history. She ran blood work and an EKG and determined that she was indeed hyperthyroid. She immediately talked with a pediatric endocrinologist and we took her off her Adderall and began atenolol to bring the heart rate down. We then saw the peds. endocrinologist the following week and she was started on methimazole. I have since been trying to find information on ADHD and Graves disease as I wonder if my daughter truly has ADHD at all. I work in a medical facility and have access to all kinds of journals but have not found anything too clear that suggests that children can be misdiagnosed with ADHD when they truly have hyperthyroidism. I empathize with you in trying to get to the bottom of all of this as I am finding that this could take several months/years of treatment as well as my own research to get to the bottom of my daughter’s struggles. One thing for sure that I have learned is that I have to be my daughter’s own advocate in this!

[LaurelM]

#1067353

Hi,

You mention that your daughter is now HYPO which can be affecting her ability to concentrate along with other symptoms. I know that for me, I didn’t feel normal (cognitively, emotionally, physically,) until after several months of being stabilzed in the normal range. It was slow improvement but it did happen.

You will know your daughter best. Trust your gut instinct.

I hope things settle for her soon.

Laurel

[Bobbi]

#1067354

Inability to concentrate is one of the prime aspects of being hyperthyroid. We become "scattererd" in our thoughts, and need to work from lists, because memory suffers for a while. (This can also happen if we are truly hypothyroid, as well. Say, for example, after RAI or surgical removal of the thyroid.) So when a diagnosis of Graves comes in after a child has been diagnosed as ADD or ADHD, that ADD diagnosis should be suspect unless the child was given a battery of blood tests to rule out underlying medical issues. A blood test that included thyroid panels, that is. If the medications for ADD are stimulants, my heart goes out to the child who was put through that.

[Ellen_B]

#1067355

Someone should be able to provide the answers to your questions about a child (your daughter) who has both Graves’ disease and ADD. You wanted to know if your daughter should be put on a new medication for ADD before her thyroid hormone levels are stabilized after a thyroidectomy.

The Graves’ Disease Foundation does have an individual who is an expert in children with Graves’ disease. Her name is Michelle Moraczewski. She has a teenage son with Graves’ disease. The best method to reach her is to send an email directly to her address below.

For Children and Graves’ Help Contact:
Michelle Moraczewski —
Email: michelle.moraczewski@norfolk.gov

I hope Michelle will be able to provide you with useful information
If you have any more questions or would like to just let me know your progress you may drop me a line—using the Graves’ disease email address.

Ellen Brightly
Administrative Assistant
Graves’ Disease Foundation
400 International Drive
Williamsville, NY 14221
Toll-free – (877) 643-3123
Email: Gravesdiseasefd@gmail.com
Website: http://www.NGDF.org

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