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Thyroid (Expert Forum)
16yr old daughter - huge behavior problems - thyroid related???
Answered by
Mark Lupo, M.D. - Thyroid Nodules, Thyroid Cancer, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, Thyroid Ultrasound
Thyroid & Endocrine Center of Florida
Sarasota - FL
Questions in the Thyroid forum are answered by Dr. Mark Lupo. Topics covered include goiter, graves disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, thyroid cancers, thyroiditis, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
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16yr old daughter - huge behavior problems - thyroid related???
by Ladybug4cs, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
My 16 year old daughter has been on Lexapro since April '05 due to "anxiety" and feeling depressed. She has occasional "fits" where she gets so mad at me (or whatever, but it is usually taken out on "me"), throwing things, breaking things, being generally horrible. I'm a single mom, so there's just us in the house - unfortunately, no dad to call on for help.
She had been a bit better the past few months, with occasional fits. But she had one again this week, and has gone to stay with a friend of hers for a couple of nights. The doctor who prescribed the Lexapro never did a complete workup on her for her thyroid levels, etc., so I'm taking her in for a physical, etc., tomorrow (Saturday) morning, 10/15/05.
I just don't believe that her actions are just "teenager" issues - I've read so much about thyroid problems, and so many of the symptoms sound like it could be due to her thyroid (i.e., wanting to sleep all the time, extremely lazy, poor schoolwork (and she is actually a very smart child), not interested in things she used to be interested in, menstrual issues, bad cramps, muscle cramps (leg), depression, irritability.
What do ya'll think from this brief description? Am I doing right to go and get things checked?
She had been a bit better the past few months, with occasional fits. But she had one again this week, and has gone to stay with a friend of hers for a couple of nights. The doctor who prescribed the Lexapro never did a complete workup on her for her thyroid levels, etc., so I'm taking her in for a physical, etc., tomorrow (Saturday) morning, 10/15/05.
I just don't believe that her actions are just "teenager" issues - I've read so much about thyroid problems, and so many of the symptoms sound like it could be due to her thyroid (i.e., wanting to sleep all the time, extremely lazy, poor schoolwork (and she is actually a very smart child), not interested in things she used to be interested in, menstrual issues, bad cramps, muscle cramps (leg), depression, irritability.
What do ya'll think from this brief description? Am I doing right to go and get things checked?
Doctor's Answer
by Mark Lupo, M.D., Oct 15, 2005 12:00AM
, Oct 15, 2005 12:00AM
Certainly behavioral problems can be thyroid related and this should be checked into -- if the thyroid is normal then it may be wortwhile to see a specialist in adolescent behavior (psychiatrist) who would also evaluate for medical conditions contributing to her symptoms or help sort out non-medical causes for her erratic behavior.
So - to determine if this is the reason for the behavior disorder, etc...have FULL thyroid testing to include:
TSH
Free T4
Free T3
Thyroid Antibodies
Do not let a doc talk you out of any of these tests. They are all important.
Antibodies and low thyroid condition have been associated with just about every psychiatric condition...from borderline personality disorder, bipolar, psychosis, depression and anxiety..everything! I have loads of PubMed studies and other articles about this.
Yes, get her tested! Just to give you an idea of the info on this, here's a list of some PubMed abstracts on the subject:
Psychiatric presentations of hypothyroidism.
Masked “myxedema madness”.
Psychotic manifestations of hypothyroidism.
Psychiatric symptoms in endocrine diseases.
Psychiatric and cognitive aspects of hypothyroidism.
Psychiatric manifestations as the only clinical sign of hypothyroidism.
A case of ‘hallucination of solioquy’ with hypothyroidism induced Hashimoto disease.
“Symptomless” autoimmune thyroiditis in depression.
Myxedematous madness without myxedema.
Hypothyroidism and depression: a therapeutic challenge.
Psychotic states associated with disorders of thyroid function.
The diagnostic dilemma of myxedema and madness, axis I and II.
Thyroid function in clinical subtypes of major depression: an exploratory study
Studies on thyroid therapy and thyroid function in depression patients.
Experiences of fatigue and depression before and after low-dose 1-thyroxine supplementation in
essentially euthyroid individuals.
Thyroid antibodies in depressive disorders.
The presence of antithyroid antibodies in patients with affective and nonaffective psychiatric
disorders.
Antithyroid antibodies in depressed patients.
Brain perfusion abnormalities in patients with euthyroid autoimmune thyroiditis.
Brain metabolism in hypothyroidism studied with 31P magnetic-resonance spectroscopy.Psychoneuroendocinology of mood disorders. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.
You've made me feel a lot better.
Question - how long will it take to get the thyroid test results back? Immediately - or will it take several days?
Just curious so I'll know what to expect/not expect tomorrow.
I understand the behavior you described. If you search "oppositional defiant disorder" if may sound familiar to you. But don't get me wrong, I don't really think it's a disorder at all. But it seems docs get paid if they have a diagnostic code and so everything is getting labeled these days. But my daughter fit the description to a tee when she was 15-16. But we had a lot going on in our lives then, and I think it was just rebellion x 3 plus some losses in her life. She did not take medication for it, and evidently just grew out of it by age 18. Usually the kids are extremely bright, and that can also present its own set of problems. But these kids can NOT be controlled and the more you try, the worse it gets. There's a book about this that I wish I had read at the time. It has some helpful strategies.
So - i just wanted to point this out in case the thyroid labs look normal.
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I am cautious now in posting, as MedHelp has just advised me that my telling you how long thyroid labs to get back, is "medical advice", although I see that as "personal experience". They also told me I'm posting too much, so I will have to lay low I guess.
The book is "The Defiant Child - A Parent's Guide To Oppositional Defiant Disorder" by D. Douglas A. Riley.
Best of luck to you on this situation...I know it can be quite stressful.
Cindi