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View Poll Results: Along with my ADHD...
I have one or more other physical illnesses/diseases 2 100.00%
I have one or more other physical illnesses/diseases
2 100.00%
I have hypo-/hyperthyroidism, &/or thyroid antibodies 2 100.00%
I have hypo-/hyperthyroidism, &/or thyroid antibodies
2 100.00%
I have (or have had) a nutrient deficiency (such as iron, vitamin D, etc.) 2 100.00%
I have (or have had) a nutrient deficiency (such as iron, vitamin D, etc.)
2 100.00%
I'm not sure but I suspect one or more of these might be the case (explain in thread) 0 0%
I'm not sure but I suspect one or more of these might be the case (explain in thread)
0 0%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 2. You may not vote on this poll

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  #1  
Old Jul 04, 2015, 03:29 PM
kanasi kanasi is offline
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I've seen hypothyroidism's effects on (or possibly as a physical cause for) ADHD mentioned in a few places before (and suspect I'm living it myself). Just recently it also came up again in my Caffeine & Energy Levels thread too, so I'm making a poll. I realize however that thyroid issues specifically are going to be somewhat rare (though I suspect not as rare as in the general population) so I'm expanding this to all physical illnesses with potential to impact brain function.

So the basic question is: Do you happen to have (or suspect you have) physical health issues that impact on your ADHD?

If you're not sure about the other options, then simply don't answer them; just comment here in the thread.

Some interesting reading for those who do have, suspect they have, or just want to learn more about the possible ADHD/hypothyroidism angle:

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  #2  
Old Jul 05, 2015, 12:50 PM
-jimi-'s Avatar
-jimi- -jimi- is offline
Jimi the rat
 
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I have ADD and I've had it long before I developed things like hypothyroid and deficiencies. I can't actually say my ADD got worse with physical illness. I actually think I would be more hyper if I was healthy, now it has to stay inside my head because I'm tired from being ill.

I think there is another type of connection, autoimmunity and neuropsych issues are connected genetically, no doubt about it.
  #3  
Old Jul 05, 2015, 03:58 PM
kanasi kanasi is offline
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I jumped to making this poll way too quickly. I should have included an option for *no* physical illnesses, and an option for knowledge that one's mother has had thyroid health issues in the past...
Quote:
Originally Posted by -jimi- View Post
I have ADD and I've had it long before I developed things like hypothyroid and deficiencies. I can't actually say my ADD got worse with physical illness. I actually think I would be more hyper if I was healthy, now it has to stay inside my head because I'm tired from being ill.

I think there is another type of connection, autoimmunity and neuropsych issues are connected genetically, no doubt about it.
According to what I've read, hypothyroidism is generally a lifelong (progressive) condition. If your hypothyroidism wasn't diagnosed earlier, it might be because your symptoms were either too subtle (only slight hair loss, weight gain, etc.) or your blood tests were within lab reference ranges, which have been widely criticized as having too wide a "normal" range, over the years.

I also suspect the researchers are onto something with looking at thyroid antibodies in expectant and nursing mothers. With TSH they only get part of the picture ("girls" but not "boys" do show a correlation for combined/inattentive type ADHD) but with looking at thyroid antibodies (known as "TPOAbs"), they seem to find a stronger correlation across the board (see quote below).

Remember that in areas of the world where iodine is easy to obtain, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is the number one cause for hypothyroidism, and Graves Disease is the number one cause of hyperthyroidism... and that both are autoimmune disorders. Since so many people are "subclinically" hypothyroid, they rarely get an actual diagnosis. Meanwhile, recent study data seem to show that even subclinical hypothyroidism could be enough to influence child neural development.

I know it's only one study, but just to illustrate what I'm talking about, here's a quote from the 3139 child/parent pair Generation R Study's conclusions:
Quote:
Our findings imply that the elevated titers of TPOAbs during pregnancy impact children's risk of problem behavior, in particular, attention deficit/hyperactivity. The observed effect is only partially explained by maternal TSH levels. These findings may point to a specific mechanism of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in children. Nevertheless, we can only speculate about public health implication of the study, as there is no specific treatment for TPOAb-positive pregnant women with normal thyroid function. Further investigation is needed to explore whether TPOAb-positive pregnant women and their children can benefit from close monitoring and early detection of developmental delay in populations at risk.
Where they say "normal" thyroid function, I think of the thousands of women who have been told their test results are "normal" and so their thyroids/hormone levels can't be imbalanced, even though they have been suffering from numerous symptoms best explained by hypothyroidism, and even though many of them do benefit from T4 &/or T3.

more to say but I have to go!
  #4  
Old Jul 05, 2015, 04:09 PM
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Jimi the rat
 
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Location: Northern Europe
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Well, then my symptoms were so subtle they did not exist. I was not the least overweight as a child, no brittle hair no nothing. I still had ADD. Also I have several friends with OTHER autoimmunity AND ADD/ADHD and they don't have thyroid problems. I think ADD is more complex than thyroid stuff.

My mom, who also has ADD, had hyperthyroid, but she was fine until I was 10 years old.
  #5  
Old Jul 05, 2015, 05:33 PM
kanasi kanasi is offline
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Member Since: Oct 2013
Location: Canada
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ADHD symptoms are far more noticeable (despite being missed as often as they are). *Subclinical* thyroid hormone fluctuations in childhood would lead to symptoms as subtle as crowded teeth, repeated cavities despite good oral care, or a shorter than expected height. Nobody sees these things and thinks "thyroid imbalance!" because it doesn't have an immediate impact on quality of life and so doctors aren't on the watch for it. But since it's a progressive disease, eventually the more well-known symptoms catch up with you as well.

Anyway as the theory goes, it's a person's mother having untreated thyroid disease during pregnancy that would lead to ADHD in those with the genetic predisposition for it. You still have to have the genes for ADHD in the first place, in order for them to be expressed. (Incidentally thyroid hormone is *also* a regulator of gene expression.)

So I'm not trying to say all cases of ADHD are caused by thyroid hormone imbalance or that mothers with untreated thyroid imbalance will always have ADHD kids. Just saying there appears to be quite a case brewing for it to be a significant contributor.
  #6  
Old Jul 06, 2015, 08:21 AM
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Jimi the rat
 
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I was one of the tallest in my class. My friends who have ADHD, their mothers do not have thyroid issues but one has other autoimmunity.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for good thyroid health.
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