a bipolar daughter and the family who loves her: Thyroid Issues, Lithium Related?

About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Thyroid Issues, Lithium Related?

Apparently Caroline has hypothyroidism which is a known side effect of long-term lithium use. We are taking her to a pediatric endocrinologist in a week. Hopefully we can get this straightened out. She has been very sleepy lately, hard to rouse in the morning, more than usual. If it is not one thing, it's another! We probably won't discontinue the lithium, but she may need to start taking medication for the thyroid.

8 comments:

E said...: Hi Megan-
Our doctor has recently mentioned that we may need to add Lithium to my daughters meds- She is 15- diagnosed bipolar 2 within this last year- her current meds include seroquel xr, lamictal and lunesta for sleep but she still struggles with mood swings and difficulty "turning her brain off" to sleep. She was much worse on antidepressants- we tried 4 before taking her off. I would appreciate any insight from you and any of your readers about Lithium and how your children have done with it....

Thanks!!!; January 9, 2011 at 7:53 PM
Seekingsunshine said...: We are undergoing this exact same thing with my 8 year old Elijah who is also on Lithium. We have an appointment for him to see an Endocrinologist on the 23rd.; January 9, 2011 at 9:36 PM
Faith said...: At least thyroid medication is relatively inexpensive and doesn't have any side effects (so long as you find the correct dose which cant take a while). It also shouldn't interact with other drugs...; January 10, 2011 at 6:36 AM
Anonymous said...: My oh my, it seems to never end. I'm so sorry.

We haven't had any side effects from my son's meds yet, but he is still young and hasn't been on them long. I guess I need to prepare myself for this possibility.

Already I worry for his kidneys (one slightly damaged from kidney reflux) because he doesn't drink enough water when taking medication that requires it.; January 10, 2011 at 11:59 AM
Megan said...: We have kidney worries too! She has an ultrasound on Thursday to check for kidney reflux.; January 11, 2011 at 12:43 PM
marythemom said...: It feels so wrong to have to give our kids meds to counteract the side effects of other meds, instead of taking them off of it, but we do what needs to be done. We tried lithium, but it just made my daughter desperately thirsty and wasn't effective. Everyone's chemistry is just soo different.

Mary in TX; January 12, 2011 at 12:04 AM
Smile4532 said...: FYI - speaking from personal experience from Lithium, the thirstiness does go away after a few weeks and it also takes a few weeks to see the affects. :)

Mandy; January 23, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Carolina-Jane said...: Many studies about desiccated bovine health supplements ingredients successfully demonstrate that the main purpose of the product is to improve the overall health of thyroid gland, and at the same time, it promotes weight loss as well as improve your energy levels.; September 17, 2011 at 2:18 AM