Chemar

400-500mg is what is generally recommended for tics in anyone over 100lb weight and over 12 years age when my son first started on supplements it was recommended he take a combo of mag/cal/zinc, but subsequently he has found it better to take magnesium alone and rely on his diet and multi for the calcium/zinc if your combo is using magnesium oxide, you are likely not getting enough magnesium as that form is very poorly absorbed

hello Jeremy MSG is a big tic trigger for many so you really would be well served to avoid it if possible some have reported success with tic tamer, but it is something you would have to try for yourself to know if it works for you starting with a good magnesium (*not* magnesium oxide!!) and a pure multivitamin/multimineral is a good beginning and then you could gradually add other things that are reported as being helpful, adding them one at a time to be sure you react well to them my son likes the "Natural Calm" brand of ionic magnesium citrate at night, as well as soaking in epsom salts baths (magnesium sulfate) He takes the Jarrow MultiFood powdered multivitamin/mineral and mixes it as a smoothie each morning

Hi Darla my son and husband have both used st John's wort....husband found it more helpful than son, son prefers inositol it does seem to increase photosensitivity especially to sunlight also, it shouldnt be used in conjunction with any SSRI antidepressants or other meds/supps that increase serotonin unless a doctor oks that as too much serotonin stimulation can cause dangerous spiking

we do have some threads here on salicylate intolerance..a search should bring many up Feingold also has asection on it here's the info on webMD http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/salicylate-allergy none of my family appear to be intolerant of salicylates so I dont have personal info on it

welcome Jeremy puberty does seem to be the time when tics are at their highest....appears to be the steroidal hormones that trigger this my son is 19yo now and had very severe TS tics from 10yo till we started following a careful diet (no junk food or additives like food color, artificial flavor, artificial sweeteners like aspartame/nutrasweet or sucralose/splenda, not high fructose corn syrup, no MSG etc) and added supplements known to help with tics, especially magnesium there are lots of other things that can also trigger tics, so attempting to eliminate as many of those as possible is helpful. if you start researching thru the forum here you will find a lot of good info here is a good starting point http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=2459 if you take a look at the link in my signature you will also find the treatments that helped my son http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=687 dont be shy to keep asking questions here, and hope you find answers that can help you

we found hair analysis to have a very close correlation to what the blood/urine tests also showed. where I do feel the hair analysis is more guidelines, for us it was a pretty accurate one I would be cautious tho if they are trying to push their vitamins/supplements on you as that can often be a whole lot more expensive than buying the same things on your own by shopping around for good prices (usually iherb's are lowest) often food restriction is temporary......it's a method of elimination then gradual re introduction to find offending foods. But usually these are done one food group at a time rather than all together thankfully my son is only intolerant to artificial (chemical) food additives and not to whole foods, but when he did food elimination, we were able to substitute goat's milk products for cow's and that made it a lot easier if your child eats a lot of dairy that could also explain the higher calcium levels. Personally I wouldnt stop the magnesium.

good to see you Ronna I posted a PC report on this the other day too...so good it is getting attention! http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=5123 Colleen also posted it to the PANDAS forum here, with a good discussion following http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=5122

I split this off into it's own thread at Buster's request

sparky, my son dare not take any form of fish oil as it sets off tics big time for him. he can eat fish without problem, but just cant tolerate the fish oil supplement He takes flaxseed oil instead

Michael, my husband has had tics/OCD/depression etc all his life. when my son was dx with TS my husband finally found a name for what he had however, he has recently remembered that around age 5 he had severe strep infection sooooooo who knows the ramifications of that! you would be best to ask on the PANDAS forum as parents there are more clued up on the testing etc.

Hi and welcome tho sorry to hear what brigs you here yes, for many of our kids there is a connection between intrusive thoughts and tics...for some they have what is known as co morbid OCD.Obsessive Compulsive Behavior can bring about very scary intrusive thoughts and is usually due to a deficiency in serotonin. It is fairly common to have tourette syndrome with tics and OCD. Usually tho the person knows that these are thoughts, albeit that they seem real. from what you have written it seems your son actually believes he did these things as opposed to admitting that he has been plagued by the thoughts only? there are other disorders that also cause intrusive thoughts(bipolar, schizophrenia etc) and there perhaps the line between what is real and what is imagined may blur more my son has OCD along with his TS tics and the OCD has always been far more bothersome to him thatn the tics. He has it very well under control with supplement/dietary modification hope you find answers to help your son. if you have seen a sudden surge in this,consider looking into PANDAS

Hi Sparky sorry cant post more right now but I did notice the references to strep in your post....have you checked out our PANDAS board as some of what you describe is also seen in kids with PANDAS dx http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=17

I just posted a PsychCentral News review of this work on the TS forum as well http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/08/12/an...r-ocd/7699.html

from PsychCentral news: http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/08/12/an...r-ocd/7699.html

that is such good news Abbe

my son was 10 when diagnosed and we told him immediately. It was actually an enormous relief for him to know what was happening and, as he himself read more about TS, to understand He also did not hesitate in letting his peers know and asked me to inform all his teachers too we found that this upfront approach really was the best way as it helped relieve a lot of his own anxiety about why he ticced so, and brought about overall understanding from his friends & teachers too. however having said all that... if your child is wanting to avoid the subject right now, maybe just be patient and wait till the right moment arises. I do also feel a husband and wife should be in unison on something this important so if your wife doesnt feel the time is right...it mayalso be wiser to wait a while. Also, do be sure of the diagnosis before you are emphatic about it....perhaps a this *may* be TS is a better approach I dont know the book "tic talk", but you could also leave it out and perhaps he will begin reading it on his own all the best as you make this decision

what a relief to hear that those tics she was having were likely allergy triggered Wendy you have used oral claritin before with success yes? it may well be a combination of things that trigger her tics and so the topamax worked for specific reason as did the zithromax for possible infection and now the eye drops for allergy. hope all stays calm and that you have a wonderful vacation

welcome idamom not sure if the pinned thread on finding medical help may assist you http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=565 hopefully other members in the area may be able to help also do check out the main Latitudes website as there may be physicians on the advisory board etc who are near you http://www.latitudes.org

hello idamom and thanks my son always gets the central head needle and then the therapist places in variable spots depending on his specific tics, OCD etc at the time he also does reflexology and chinese cupping during the visit, and as needed incorporates aromatherapy, resonance biofeedback etc so I do feel it is likely the comprehensive treatment having prime effect

Hi and welcome Kids Calm ionic magnesium is a good place to start IMHO. It is usually cheapest at iHerb but the Vitamin Shoppe often has all the Natural Calms on sale too http://www.iherb.com/Peter-Gillham-s-Natur...226-g/5120?at=0 another great way to give magnesium is transdermally via epsom salts baths....for a little one like yours a cup of epsom in a warm tub.we use 2 cups for older kids environmental allergies (as well as food intolerances) can be major tic triggers so getting those tests done and then attempting to eliminate can make a big difference thankfully the neuro is correct in that many young kids do seem to have what are known as transient tics, which do seem to resolve eventually. However, trying to identify triggers and do what you can is always a good idea may I ask if you noticed any increase in tics after vaccinations? dental visits? had you had any new carpeting, painting or woodwork done in the home prior to the tics starting? new car?

sorry that you are having this tic footballguy surprised re the green tea as that has a very calming effect on my son. alcohol is a recognized tic trigger tho also remember that with factors like mercury and especially Lyme disease, you have major triggers in place hope you are getting chiro for the neck (NUCCA chiro especially) Also, soaking a washcloth in warm epsom salts and then resting it on the neck has helped my son in the past with this kind of tic

Hi Jen and thanks so much for sharing we look forward to getting to know you!

Faith as far as I know a chiro would never do adjustments without first taking xrays

how good to see that chiropracty is being used this way! I had not heard of neurologists doing chiro before so that is interesting my son sees a NUCCA chiro and always has tic relief after adustment. his favorite combination is tohave a chiro visit and then go straight for acupuncture, which is still his #1 tic calmer glad it is working so well for your son

Hi movie theaters set my son's tics off because of the combination of flashing light in darkened room and high volume of some of the sounds. we also suspect the pesticides/cleaning fluids and the perfumes that many patrons wear. my son has sensory integration dysfunction, which many kids with neurological issues have, and so he tends to have tics triggered whenever he has sensory overload the L carnitine may be helpful for the vocal, tho some people do not react well to it upping magnesium a bit too, along with epsom salts bath could help my son has always found acupuncture to be especially beneficial when he has been triggered