8yr old son w/ non classical CAH (June 2003)

I also hate the idea of having to take any more drugs than necessary, but I guess my take on the issue is just slightly different.

Where Lupron is concerned: I don’t think there is any question that Lupron "works," as far as stopping precocious puberty. I think what is more of a question is whether, by stopping the onset of precocious puberty, you end up gaining inches. What research seems to show is that the younger you are when central puberty starts, the more it will help you as far as height. Starting treatment at the age of 8 or 9 may very well only gain you a fraction of an inch, when all is said and done.

However, that is when you are talking about only central precocious puberty. In my opinion, it’s a little bit tougher when you have CAH and precocious puberty, because you end up with sex hormone overproduction, from two places, rather than one.

It’s tough enough trying to stop bone age from advancing when you’ve got excess androgens coming from just the adrenal glands. With the addition of sex hormones from the ovaries or testicles, it becomes almost impossible.

In that way, I see Lupron more as a necessary evil for our kids, when early puberty is also involved. It’s not really a question of how many inches Lupron will gain for us...it’s more a question of how many inches we are less likely to lose!

The growth hormone issue is different: While I consider Lupron a necessity in my son’s case, growth hormone is definitely optional. Mostly because it is still considered experimental, and there is little to no data on final height. It is very tough to make decisions when you have so little concrete information to go by.

The good news is that GH’s have been widely used before in children and are generally considered "safe." The bad news is that after years of treatment, you may find that there is little to no difference. The other bad news is that you only have one chance to make the right decision....try it and hope it works, or forego the opportunity, and hope you didn’t miss out? Not an easy call!

Okay, i’ll get off the soapbox now....besides, I’ve got a gang of 13 year old girls all threatening to come over...please feel free to email me, if you’d like!