Anyone Else with a Child with Severe Tics?

Updated on March 08, 2011
M.J. asks from Sacramento, CA
5 answers

Anyone else dealing with severe tics, either due to a medical condition or just a predisposition to having them? Our son has ADHD and has been taking medication for years with no problems at all. Then, all of a sudden, about a month ago, precisely when his best friend starting rejecting him, they started up. Intense tics -- jumping up, hitting his leg, blinking funny. We started Tenex and that helped get rid of them. Then, the day of his birthday party last weekend, back in full force.

The options now aren't great ones. We can either taper off Tenex and try Clonidine, hoping Clonidine works at all and that our son can manage at school with tics getting even worse during the taper off stage. Or boost Tenex, which requires an EKG and constant monitoring. Ugh. Horrible decision to make.

For now, we're waiting to see if the tics are excitement or anxiety-related, in which case they could go down in the next couple days (but we're seeing no signs of that happening). We're hoping for this miracle.

Just wondering how others are helping their children who have severe tics. I realize every child responds differently to medication (which seems to be the only option for controlling tics), but wondered what IS working for others and how they're helping their kids managing the emotions associated with having tics? It's been really h*** o* our eight-year-old son.

Thanks for any personal insights!

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So What Happened?

Thanks for the feedback. It's definitely not PANDAS, as our son is really healthy, despite all of the brain disorders. Knock on wood, I can't even recall the last year he had a cold.

UPDATE 3/7: We met with the psychiatrist and changed our son's ADHD medication instead of the tic one. Made a huge difference with the tics and he's down to just hitting his leg periodically. We can live with that. He's doing great now.

More Answers

A.G.

answers from Dallas on

A close family friend has a son with ADHD and turret's syndrome. He is 13 years old now and has had tics most of his life. He has been on various medications; some work better than others. We carpool, and I pick him up from school, so I see him every day. He has a great attitude about it, and his friends (my son included) don't tease him about it. His tics change from time to time, and sometimes they are worse than others. He seems to do better when he stays busy, so he plays a couple of sports. He isn't particularly good at the sports, but he enjoys them. I hope you find something that works well for your son.

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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

My daughters boyfriend had tics, which were worse when he was anxious or nervous. He had to learn to calm himself and they would go away. He used tic around me all the time =[

Would like a karate class or some sort of meditating music, or palates work for him? Something that would teach and provide him calmness in his life?

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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

Long shot answer here but has he been tested for latent strep? You might want to research PANDAS and see what you think.

It's so hard to sit through school all day with a tic . . . my heart goes out to him. Hopefully you guys can get this under control.

Hang in there.

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L.K.

answers from Dallas on

Please have him tested for strep as it could be he has P.A.N.D.A.S. www.pandas.org The key symptom is sudden onset - like you can remember the day/time it all started.

Also, have you found www.latitudes.org? It's a wonderful site and forum for movement disorders. There is a great book for healthy approaches to tics and tourette's. Our daughter's were triggered by flashing light, such as TV, DS games and flourescent lights. We had her classroom lights changed to broad spectrum lighting.

There is also another book called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies. by Kenneth Bock, MD and Cameron Stauth.

Drugs for our kids can be so scary - and the side effects are often worse than the problem. It's a tough spot to be in, and my heart goes out to you.

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N.A.

answers from San Francisco on

I know this must be frustrating for you. I represent a wellness home company and they may have some non invasive technologies that could help your son balance his body. I work with many children and see positive results with their sleep and behavior. If you would like to learn more email me, ____@____.com
Have a good day.

N. Marie

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