Ok... hormone blockers... what are the downsides?

From Medscape reference.medscape.com/drug/lupron-leuprolide-342221 :

Endometriosis
3.75 mg IM monthly for up to 6 months or 11.25 mg IM every 3 months for 2 doses (6 months total)

Recommended duration of treatment is 6 months; may treat again for additional 6 months, but with concomitant administration of norethindrone

Central Precocious Puberty
Indicated when signs of sexual maturity begin to develop in girls

I am not expert on the effects in children, but I have been on GnRH analogues myself as an adult. They're prescribed for endometriosis, as they induce a state of false menopause, which is thought to halt the activity of endometriosis, which is linked to oestrogen levels (it's not effective, but that's another story...)

Hand on heart, these drugs ruined me. The side effects were overwhelmingly horrible.

Night sweats
Hot flushes
Panic attacks
Anxiety
Crying jags
Weight gain
Emotional chaos.

It took me months to recover after I stopped taking them. I would never give these to a child. They're not harmless, we're not sure if they are reversible, they are a HUGE deal. The children who are currently being put on them are being used as guinea pigs.

And all for aesthetic effect! There is no evidence either way if the drugs are an effective treatment for dysphoria. And it is very, very worrying that such tests that are being run show that there is a 100% progression to cross sex hormones. nothing has a 100% "success" rate. There is an iatrogenic mechanism at work here - these drugs aren't treating these children's dysphoria - they're cementing it.

And it's based on a lie - that children denied these drugs will commit suicide.

My main issue with them is that a large amount of brain development is linked to puberty www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3410522/ but we don't know very much about it yet. If these children never go through puberty, are we running the risk that their brains don't develop correctly?

Until more studies are done, the risks can't even be described, let alone tested and I think the use of GNC children as guinea pigs is horrific abuse.

Given on label, puberty blockers are used to delay puberty, not stop it.
When used to transition children they are given beyond the point that natural puberty would occur.
Many developmental stages such as puberty are time sensitive, you don't get a second chance.

Blocking puberty means that the gonads don't develop, the child is left sterile. They cant donate and freeze their eggs or sperm to have children later, as they never develop any.
They also never develop adult sexual desire. The effect is more aesthetically pleasing, they are more likely to 'pass', but they are eunuchs.

Its far better for people to get support to come to terms with their body, the same way most of us do at some point when we face the ageing process, or disability.

Here's a twitter thread which covers pretty much the same ground:

mobile.twitter.com/tessienator/status/965539099930062848

"In the interviews with women who took Lupron to delay puberty or grow taller, most described depression and anxiety. Several recounted their struggles, or a daughter’s, with suicidal urges."

Thought this was interesting, especially considering the trans suicide stats..

Lupron is the brand name - the generic name is GnRH analogues.

The NHS advises that adult women should only take them when all other treatments have failed and for a maximum of six months, due to the serious side effects:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pre-menstrual-syndrome/treatment/

But if you are asking about using them on children for not conforming to gender stereotypes being trans, they are absolutely a-ok, 'fully reversible', just keep taking them, nothing to worry about here:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/treatment/

Do you mean as is puberty blockers?

This is a rather accessible article right here. It's also scary as fuck!

www.statnews.com/2017/02/02/lupron-puberty-children-health-problems/