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.
