Hypothyroidism and emotional maturity

[MikeP5424]

Hello everyone, I'm concern about my son who at age 18 was worried he wasn't maturing like all the other boys. I took him to our primary physician who took xrays and blood samples. The results came back that he hasn't hit his growth spurt yet and his testosterone levels where very low. He the referred us to an ENDO.

The Endo did more blood work and the results where his thyroid wasn't working. He diagnosed him as with hypothyroidism, and put him on a low dose of synthroid, which he has upped to 88mcg. My son has all the symptoms of hypothyroidism including depression, low self esteem, doesn't act his age, doesn't seem to care about his personal appearance, very sensitive to other peoples comments, avoids conflicts at all cost. Has threatened to hurt himself.
His mother and I went through a divorce two years ago which upset him terribly.
I also read and article on line at Stop The Thyroid Madness that states synthroid might not be the best med for him.
I need help to sort through all this info so I can help him. He's about ready to go to college, but I don't think he can handle college, until we find out whats going on with him. BTW I also have been told recently by my doctor that my thyroid levels are low.
Is hypothyroidism a condition or symptom of stress. And is it hereditary?

[Gibbon1]

So um.... I'm here because I had this big cyst on my thyroid, but I also have central hypogonadism. It's my impression that doctors in general for psychological reasons really really want to ignore hypogonadism.  Anything but that.

Also doctors are often very confused and mixed up beliefs. For instance, early pregnancy will stop a young women's growth because of hormones. And vets lop off the manly bits from dogs and cats and they seem 'fine' so they think testosterone is 'optional'  Maybe it is in cats and dogs, but it isn't in people.

That said, I found that when I'm low on testosterone I find it very hard to deal with life. That is some sort of mental symptom that to me is very obvious particularly to me because if I'm off my meds for more than 36-48 hours I can totally feel it.  (Go off my med because I ran out on Thursday and didn't get a refill on Friday, big fight with the wife on Saturday or Sunday because I can't keep up my end of things. She finally understand now, but you know)

Question I have is, is your sons problems related to his pituitary gland?  

Me I'd say post your sons labs, all of them, with ranges.

[Barb135]

What are the reference ranges for the Free T3 and Free T4?  Ranges vary lab to lab, so have to come from your son's own report.

Some of his symptoms do sound hypo. He shouldn't have a lot of muscle soreness after exercise unless he's doing a lot of things he isn't used to. Muscle aches can be another symptom of hypothyroidism.

If his med was just increased 3 days ago, it will take a while for it to have much effect.  It typically takes 4-6 weeks for a med/dosage change to reach full potential in the body, though there might be subtle changes sooner.

I've never heard of iron causing hypothyroidism.  Iron is essential for proper thyroid hormone synthesis; both of my children were put on iron supplements as infants and neither are hypo (yet, though since I am, they may become hypo, at some point).  Low iron/ferritin levels can cause some hypo-like symptoms. He should be tested, if they haven't done so.

It almost sounds like the doctor may be speculating a bit. Have they done current testosterone or growth hormone tests to determine his actual levels?  From my reading, it seems that testosterone only stunts growth if used in excess (as in body building, etc).  Hypothyroidism can cause delayed puberty. It's not unusual for children, especially boys, to have a growth spurt in the late teens.  At 5'11", 220 pounds, your son doesn't seem to be too far behind, at this point.

"The doctor wants to try and get his on body taking care of itself, before putting him on testosterone supplements."  I'm not sure what you mean by this.  

[MikeP5424]

Gage also has slight weight gain. He weighs 220lbs at 5'11".
He tells me that he does have some hair loss, but you cant tell it by looking at him.
He isn't constipated, doesn't have any joint pain. He does have some muscle soreness but I think that's only after excersice. He does have dry skin especially his elbows.
And was told by his ENDO he doesn't have Hashimotos.

[MikeP5424]

Forgot to mention Gage is still growing, so the doctor is reluctant to start him on testosterone supplements, because that will stop his growth spurt.

[MikeP5424]

First of all thank you very much Barb for taking your time to help. You don't know how much I apprecite it.
On 6/22/12 he was diagnosed with Hypogonadism male, Delayed puberty,and hypothyroidism. His Endo put him on 75mcg synthroid.
On 10/5/12 he went back to the ENDO and his medicine was increased to 88mcg. Sorry I don't have the lab results for these first two visits.
Test results:
10/3/2012 1/21/2013 3/18/2013
Free T4 1.1 1.2 1.3
T3 Free 4.44 4.57 4.45
TSH Reflex 3.19 0.0766 2.24
Update, we just went back to the ENDO on 3/22/13 and he increased his meds to 100mcg. The doctor wants to try and get his on body taking care of itself, before putting him on testosterone supplements.
One thing I forgot to mention, when Gage was an infant his pediatrician put him on iron supplements, I started to doubt her so we went to another pediatrician who said he didn't need any iron supplements. I told this to his ENDO, who said that could have caused hypothyroidism he has.

[Barb135]

Forgot to mention that you should both be tested for thyroid antibodies, to determine if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world.  The tests you need are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TGab).  You need them both, since some people have one, others have the other and still others have both. Failure to test them both could result in a false negative result.

[Barb135]

Hypothyroid is a condition and it can be hereditary.

Best way for us to help your son (and you) is if you post actual thyroid test results.  The doctor should be doing TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 on a regular basis, increasing synthroid as needed until labs are stable.

I have to tell you that I've seen a lot of people very disappointed by the web site you mentioned.  They push desiccated hormone therapy and just as synthroid is not for everyone, neither is desiccated.  All options have to be left on the table until the right one is found for the individual.

All the symptoms you mentioned that your son has, are those of depression; does  he have any other thyroid related symptoms, such as weight gain, hair loss, constipation, joint muscle aches/pains, dry skin, etc.

If you'll post his actual thyroid test results, it will be much easier for us to help him.  Be sure to include reference ranges with any results, since ranges vary lab to lab and have to come from his own report.

There are also some vitamin/mineral deficiencies that can cause hypo like symptoms, but let's deal with the thyroid issue first, then we can move on.

As for yourself, it  might be better to start a separate thread and post the same information I asked for, for your son.  It might be less confusing if you keep your labs/symptoms, etc separate from your son's.  If your doctor started you on replacement hormones, be sure to let us know what med/ dosage and for how long you've been on it.  Also symptoms.