Thyroid

[Malika]

A friend has told me about someone she knew (who had thyroid problems herself) whose little boy had all the symptoms of hyperactivity caused by thyroid problems (overactive? underactive? I don't know...) Does anyone know anything about this?

 

[HaoZi]

Overactive thyroid. Not totally out of the question, think that's checked with a blood test.

 

[smallworld]

Yes, a simple blood test will tell you if thyroid issues are affecting your child's behavior. But there are several blood tests that will test thyroid function (for example, TSH, free T3, free T4) so it's helpful to have a doctor involved who understands what various tests need to be administered and what the results mean.

 

[Malika]

Thank you for that info... Another, dentist (so with some medical training), friend I met today told me that children would thyroid problems would also generally lose a lot of weight and have sleep problems... Nonetheless I think it definitely should be ruled out as a cause of hyperactivity and I'm a little surprised no doctor has ever suggested it.