Childhood Hypothyroidism

[Geodata]

My child has learning disability and at age12. She was diagnosed to have hypothyroidism. She has been facing series of challenges since she started levothyroxin. After about some months on the drug, she had magic attack and sometimes depression. I am thinking of stopping the drug since she has no mental illness before placing her on levothyroxine. Kindly advise on this.

[Marz]

Difficult to advise without some thyroid test results with their ranges. Do you have copies ? What dose is she on and how long has she been on this dose ? Does she have Hashimotos ? Sorry lots of questions Also if she is Hypo she may also have vitamin and mineral deficiencies - so you will also need testing for B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD. When these are low the Levo/T4 your daughter is taking will not convert into the ACTIVE thyroid hormone T3.

Levothyroxine is not a drug - it is replacing a hormone that is missing.

thyroiduk.org

The above website takes you to the main website of this forum - where you can read so much about the Thyroid - testing - vitamins and so on. So much to read and learn I'm afraid.

I would be reluctant to stop the Levo - maybe look into preparing the body well to receive the T4 by optomising the vitamins and minerals.

It can be a long and bumpy road to wellness for many of us so we have to be patient.

[Saggyuk]

The problem is if she needs them, she needs them and won't be able to function properly without if her own body is not making enough. Unlike some meds, thyroid replacement is literally only replacing hormones that our bodies are no longer producing enough of. If you get her blood test results before and after the meds and post them with info such as dosage she's been put on, people here can give better advice.

If she has not had any follow up blood tests, then this is negligent of the doctor and she needs a new GP!

Some people have issues with certain brands of levo - the one mentioned most is Teva?

You might also want to get her thyroid antibodies and T3 levels checked for a more in depth look if not already undertaken. If the doc refuses, you can pay for your own.

Also, I've known quite a few people who's deficiencies seemed to get worse and show up once they had started thyroid replacement so it might be worth getting Iron, Vit B12, Vit D and folate checked also as many of us are deficient in these and can cause a whole heap of symptoms.

Does your daughter have any stomach/digestive issues?

[Saggyuk in reply to Saggyuk]

Oh you can request a copy of all her blood tests from the surgery receptionist. They are not allowed to say no although some try to