15 yo TSH 6.3 concern

[kcrnk]

My 15 yo son has been treated for ADHD for over 4 years and still continues to struggle and fail at school. Over this past year he has had a growth spurt but no weight gain. He is 5'8 1/2 and 98 pounds. Hes been withdrawn and very sluggish. I took him in to see his Dr and she lowered his ADHD medication and ordered labs. At that point his TSH was 6.08, said to recheck 2 months. I got him back for a second opinon after 2 weeks, and his TSH had gone up to 6.30. More labs have been ordered and just not back yet. What could be causing this and why dont more Drs run the labs before diagnosing with the ADHD?

[artfemme]

Actually, the most current research is pointing towards ADHD being a genetic mutation on a particular allelle in the DNA, and that mutation may be the culprit for propensity to various auto-immune disorders.It manifests as behavioral/psychological but that is not the origin.

I've also read that there is a correlation between ADHD and undiagnosed thyroid disease....certainly many of us have experienced "brain fog" and related inability to focus attention when under-medicated, and there is a well-known connection between hypothyroidism and diabetes because untreated hypothyroidism throws the glucose metabolism off.

I agree, kcmk, that doctors are way too eager to prescribe Ritalin and other medications for ADHD without first looking for any other explanation. It's almost an epidemic in this country to the point where sometimes the medications are unavailable at pharmacies due to a lag in production.

Please post your son's labs including the ranges the labs uses.

[kcrnk]

I know theres not labs for the ADHD but they diagnose without checking anything else. Ive been told that they should run labs before they diagnose for this reason. I dont know how long my sons Thyroid has been out of whack but I know hes struggled even on the ADHD medications. They have run a list of labs and all the results arent in yet. I am hoping they came back through over the weekend...

[Barb135]

Blood labs will not diagnose ADHD; that's a behavioral/psychological issue.  TSH is a test that helps determine thyroid function, but that's not all he needs.  TSH of 6.30 indicates that your son might have hypothyroidism.  He also needs Free T3 and Free T4, which are the actual thyroid hormones. You also need to get antibody tests done, to confirm/rule out Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is a autoimmune disease in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it.

I'd also strongly suggest that you get your son's blood sugar tested.  He should have a fasting glucose, A1c, plus a glucose tolerance test.  With his height/weight, I'd have to wonder if he might have juvenile diabetes, which can present with symptoms of ADHD.

A primary physician is fine, to treat your son, so long as s/he's willing to do adequate testing to find the real issue.

[5higgins]

I'm not sure there are lab tests for ADHD, I've never heard of them.  My son was diagnosed w/ it when he was young but we homeschool and he honestly has grown out of whatever problems he had.  School is still not easy, he works hard but does well.  I'd look into getting better tests for the thyroid concerns, others on here will tell you to have the Free t3 and free t4 checked, that's most important and I'd recommend an endocrinologist over a primary physician too.