Long-term cycling between hypo and hyperthyroidism

[heather1203]

I have an 11 year-old daughter who has been diagnosed with Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.  She possess both types of antibodies, that cause both hypo and hyperthyroidism.  She is seen every three months, alternating between her Pediatrician and her Endocrinologist, with labs drawn for each appointment.  When she was 6 she presented with an unexplained weight gain- she went from the 25% on her weight chart to off the chart ending up at almost 100 pounds.  By the time I was able to get her into the Endo her levels were normal.  After a year she began to lose the weight, we thought she was just going back to her normal body size.  She then began to lose weight too rapidly, she was soon emaciated.  I immediately got her to an Endo.  Her levels indicated she was Hyper.  They wanted to start treatment right then for Hyper.  I was concerned that her earlier weight gain was related and was uncomfortable treating for one. I made an appointment with a different Endo.  This Endo agreed that it appeared that she was cycling between the two conditions and ran more tests that showed the presence of both antibodies.  He concurred that treatment for one could cause problems when she cycled to the other.  We are using a wait and see approach, closely monitoring her levels.  She has been staying within the normal range for over a year, but her last labs indicted she was going Hypo.  I cannot seem to find any information on this condition, is it common?  My questions are... Is there anything else we can be doing?   What is the long-term outcome?  (Her Endo says she will commit to one eventually.)  Are there any studies addressing this condition that I can use for research?  (I want to have a firm grasp of her condition and right now, I don't understand it at all.)  

[mommy2two2008]

bump again

[mommy2two2008]

bump

[Miriam65]

I have had the same thing cycling from Hyper to Hypo. I have antibodies for both Graves Disease and Hashimotos.  The cycling is sometimes called Hashitoxicosis.  The symptoms I had while I was Hyper were so severe that my endo did give me medication for it. I was on a really low dose of PTU for three months.  It really helped my symptoms.  The amount of PTU was 1/3 of what people are normally givenfor Graves Disease. However, I am an adult and I'm not sure how the meds would affect a child.  Maybe you can discuss this with your Endo and see if he'll give her low dose meds when her symptoms are really bad.  

[mommy2two2008]

I wanted to bump you up in the hope that more exerienced people could answer your question.  I know that it is possible to have both Graves (Hper) Disease and Hashimoto's (Hypo) Thyroiditis.  That is, unfortunately, all I know.  Best of luck to you and your child and I will continue to bump you if your post gets lower until someone with more experience has the opportunity to answer.  Also, there is an exper forum Dr. Lupo, that may be able to answer your question.  The link is located on the right margin of this page under the section of "community members" and is marked as Related Expert Forums.