I believe that there is a connection.  My son Jared has been to both extremes with his medication and condition.  In other words both under and over suppressed the last few years.  I believe that they have and still are doing studies into this and a friend recently sent me a pdf file that is related to depression in children with CAH which is related to their cortisol levels being too high or low.  I don't think it would be advisable to treat a child with CAH or ADD/ADHD with other meds when it is just perhaps a case of adjusting their cortisol dose.  There have I believe been side effects with such medication and these kids get enough in the way of meds as it is.  Also, in the UK where they did these studies, they said that children should not be treated with anti depressants etc but should get help in the way of counselling and from their endocrinologist in adjusting their meds to get closer to their needs.  Recently Jareds meds were increased because he became under suppressed and during the period before the blood test results and the medicine dose change, he was very much displaying ADD like symptoms.  He was not concentrating at school, and distracting others in his class and very boisterous.  I noted this which was a dramatic change from the way he had been prior to a dose drop a few months before where he had been the opposite, over suppressed.  When he was oversuppressed he would be very moody and be reduced to tears and upset over minor small things. I note that since he has been on a more appropriate dose recently he has settled back to a normal plateau with his general day to day handling of things and his attitude is excellent these days.  Infact he is generally good humoured and usually does well at school---and at home with his siblings so when these things don't happen and there is a consistent change in his behaviour over long periods of time now I will know that we need to get him checked if the next appointment with his endo is too far away to wait.  I think it is a good thing when you can be so well tuned into your child that you can pick up a problem from the way they are behaving, especially if it is prolonged and you have seen them as well behaved in the past.   I will send you the pdf file by e mail but you will need acrobat reader to read it.

Regards,

 

JH