I'm asking this again as I didnt receive much response a few months ago. I cannot find a lot of information about it in children. There's plenty of stories online about adults having issues with the injections. But nearly zero stories of children. I'm desperate to get feedback as my daughter is close to starting this process. She is 8, and having lots of signs of puberty. We aren't seeking help because were scared or don't want to deal with it, we're just committed to making things easy for my daughter. She is socially and developmentally about 5-6 years old. She has no means of being able to understand what is happening to her body, so we simply want to delay it. Our pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist are supportive of this and back us on the decision and say that she's the ideal candidate for the drug.
Please PM me with any advise or success stories. Thank you in advance!
ETA- She isn't mentally handicapped. She has no diagnosis. She is simply young minded and socially younger than her peers.
This post was NOT at all about my daughters developement. It was about a drug and whether anyone else could give me some insight. First, thank you for breaking me down, (love this site!!!!!!) and thank you for questioning my parenting by suggesting I haven't addressed the development issues. OF COURSE I HAVE! Are you kidding me? We've been to the cincinnati children's genetics clinic, we've had neurology consults, MRI's, Etc. Every test is normal. Every lab is normal, every MRI is normal. She hasn't had a single diagnosis. She was premature and is simply delayed. Is that an ok answer for all of you?
She has an IEP, and pt/ot through our fabulous school district. We're doing everything to help our daughter.
Do me a favor ladies. If you aren't going to answer specifically to this post, don't respond. I am asking about Lupron. I didn't ask for the negativity and I just loved being called a "troll". Really?
I googled "Precocious puberty support groups" and there's a zillion options, all of which can likely help you better than anyone here can.
Try it.
:)
I would do a ton more research before I started getting my daughter injected regularly with something I still do not know that much about. What is the rush?
You say she is not handicapped and I have concern with trying to hold off Mother Nature just because she is "simply young minded and socially younger than her peers".
What is the point of subjecting her to this treatment and potential side effects if she is not handicapped in some way. There will be a day when she hits puberty... that is normal. Are you trying to keep her sheltered for some reason?
She is past the age where most parents are communicating about what happens to our bodies as we grow, etc. I would suggest to keep those lines of communication wide open between the 2 of you.
As for the Dr's saying she is a prime candidate... why? Why do they say this? Do they need a test subject so they can pursue other children for this drug?
I have a hard time justifying in my head the reasoning behind such a medical treatment with potential unknowns to my normal child... unless we are not aware of the full story. Now I stand to be corrected if there are medical and mental issues we have not been privy to on this post.
Best wishes and start researching.
ETA: as I expected... Based on a post from 12/13, that H. would flounce once again from the site due to not hearing what she wanted, when she wanted. Previous history on MP proves this point, look for yourself. If you want fairies, butterflies and smoke blown up your pants... Talk to your friends who will lie to you .
Don't put it out here if you can't accept other views.
To me, 8 doesn't seem too young for puberty to start.
Some girls get their period at 9.
She'll understand if you explain it matter of factly.
She won't be scared as long as YOU are not scared.
(What exactly are you scared of anyway?)
I'd be concerned about what the drug would do and what are the long term effects - what will this do to her ovaries/eggs, her future fertility/children/pregnancy, her eventual menopause, etc.
Her body is developing as nature intended.
I'd REALLY think long and hard about messing around with that.
Young minded and socially younger than her peers?
Has she been evaluated?
Maybe she needs to be.
Even if she had a diagnosis of mentally handicapped - they still grow up and get periods and they learn to deal with it.
(I'm not altogether convinced this isn't a troll.)
Have you ever tried, to get your daughter properly evaluated or assessed per a developmental specialist?
Your daughter is 8.
This is the age, when girls start age related changes and develop. Even for boys. Just the need to use deodorant, starts at this age. How are you going to address that, with her?
This seems all wrong... to subject her to Lupron, just to hold off on her physical development.
AND for how LONG... will she be on this drug? Once you start, you may never want to stop because you don't want her to develop.
So what then???
At some point, you all will have to... address and handle, her immature emotional/social development.
How come, that has not been addressed?
What grade is she in?
If she is so... lacking in emotional/social development, then how come she has not been helped for those, things?
Lupron, will not solve that.
And what does being "an ideal candidate" mean, per the reason the Doc's say your daughter should be on this Lupron?
H.
your child is mentally handicapped? And your pediatrician has suggested you give your daughter Lupron to STOP her puberty growth for the time being. Okay.
So you still have questions? Talk to your Pharmacist. Talk to another doctor. I don't have any personal experience with this. If the pediatric endocrinologist is on board and you have questions - go ask him/her. Just because she's an ideal candidate, doesn't mean it will be the right choice for her...make a list of your questions and concerns and make sure each one gets answered. If you don't feel they have answered the question adequately, then seek another opinion.
Good luck!
Why don't you try a forum devoted to that topic, like this one: http://forums.childgrowthfoundation.org/forum_posts.asp?T...
Ditto TF Plano/Allen, well said!
I'm sorry. You didn't get the answers you wanted so you need to be rude to people? You aren't doing yourself any favors by being rude. This is not a site for unicorns and rainbows. You are going to get the opinions of people who are not your friends. So if you don't like it? Skip over it. However, you will be hurting yourself for not wanting to "hear" the truth.
If your daughter is not formally diagnosed with a mental disability, and it sounds like she is delayed and mentally retarded (impaired cognitive abilities) she needs to be formally diagnosed before you put her on any form of medication that will delay her adolescence/puberty.
I only have boys. When i was growing up, I didn't have this problem. it sounds like you are trying to help your daughter but not have her labeled. It would bother me that without a formal diagnosis, doctor's are pushing a serious drug on her at the age of 8.
S.
I had a friend who was in your situation and it worked well. Same age. She had developmental delays. It would have been disastrous for her to get her period so young. By the time she stopped the drug, she was ready for the changes. Good luck.
Another ditto for TF Plano/Allen. 100 percent.
In terms of kids having issues with the injection, really, you have to bring this question to an MD. If you don't feel like the ones you have are fully disclosing the risks, then you need to get a second opinion before starting the injections. Even if you DO get responses from people who have tried this, it'll be such a small sample that statistically it'll be meaningless. Serious things, like medical decisions, they need to be based on a statistically relevant population. Really, really, really, really. That's important as hell.
I also have a suggestion/thought. Rather than making an injection be your response of first resort, can you try something less interventionist, like changing her diet? With precocious puberty (at 8, clinically, your daughter's puberty isn't precious, but it IS on the early side), you may be able to slow the process slightly by really watching her meat and dairy intake. Limit both (I mean, REALLY limit), and make sure any meat/dairy content she gets is organic. This means avoiding processed foods with dairy too. If she's even a teensy bit overweight, this can also trigger precocious puberty, so try really limiting her calorie count and fat intake. NO trans fats, especially. Ever.
I have a young minded child too, so I know what this is like. And I'm not saying you absolutely shouldn't do Lupron. What I'm saying is, slow down. Get 2nd and 3rd opinions. Make sure you've exhausted all the low-intervention, low-risk options first.
Most 8 year old girls show "early signs." I have three daughters, so I know what I'm talking about. 13, 11, and 9. All starting out like your daughter because what you're saying is normal development. That's around when the very beginning hints of hormones start to occur.
It's very unlikely that she'll actually start to menstruate for a few years yet. Her body has a lot of time to get there. She has time cognitively to catch up too. At only 8 years old, I think you could do far more damage to her tiny body and brain than you would do good. It's just too early and she's too young for you to know. So no, I wouldn't do it. I think that because she's only 8 years old, you need to take a wait and see approach. I think you should give your daughter a lot more credit than you seem to be giving her. Even with a cognitive delay, she understands far more than you realize.
My 11 year old has cognitive delays due to her ASD, and she's not interested at all in getting her period or growing breasts. She's diametrically opposed. The idea pisses her off but she understands. And she understands because it's not something that I feel she needs to be protected from. She has had years of open communication and gentle education about this kind of thing, so she does understand. I'm quite nervous about when her period actually starts. I've been nervous about it since she started showing signs around 8 years old. And when she does start her period maybe she won't understand as much as I think... but I'm her mom. I'll help her through it. She's got enough issues to deal with, though, without piling on another medication that could cause far more harm than benefit.
