smallworld
Moderator
My two daughters started growth hormone therapy for small stature at the end of April. M has been absolutely fine. A, on the other hand, became moody and irritable a couple of weeks into the treatment (she has been stable on her current medications for about 1.5 years). She had difficulty getting her homework done, settling down for sleep and getting up in the morning. She was experiencing periodic headaches, dizziness and stomachaches. She complained that she has no friends (a very common complaint when she was first diagnosed with depression in 4th grade). She told me last Wednesday night that she feels depressed and she doesn't know why.
I wrote a joint email to A's endocrinologist and psychiatrist. Although the endo thought the mood instability was likely related to the onset of puberty (A has just the beginning signs of puberty), she agreed to stop the growth hormone for a few weeks because A has in the past been so sensitive to medications. The endo will also see A June 3 to assess growth and puberty development.
Lo and behold, two days after stopping growth hormone, A's mood returned to baseline. She's her cheerful self again. Her positive mood has remained steady throughout the long weekend. The behavior change was so dramatic that I can't help but think it was related to the growth hormone.
Does anyone have experience with growth hormone or know of any research on a link between growth hormone and mood, particularly depression?
I wrote a joint email to A's endocrinologist and psychiatrist. Although the endo thought the mood instability was likely related to the onset of puberty (A has just the beginning signs of puberty), she agreed to stop the growth hormone for a few weeks because A has in the past been so sensitive to medications. The endo will also see A June 3 to assess growth and puberty development.
Lo and behold, two days after stopping growth hormone, A's mood returned to baseline. She's her cheerful self again. Her positive mood has remained steady throughout the long weekend. The behavior change was so dramatic that I can't help but think it was related to the growth hormone.
Does anyone have experience with growth hormone or know of any research on a link between growth hormone and mood, particularly depression?