Chemar

Hi Ang and welcome I have just sent you an Private Message thru the Latitudes/ACN system that I think may be helpful to you

Carolyn I am glad our quirky Florida weather remained good for your visit. sorry re the food allergy stuff do keep us posted on how you are doing on the rest

Hi Lia and welcome it is absolutely ok to get help even tho your symptoms are not severe. If it is bothering you then it is affecting your quality of life. The very best first line of treatment for OCD is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm Here is also a link to the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation website http://www.ocfoundation.org/ remember too that a healthy diet free of artificial ingredients (especially arificial coloring and artificial sweeteners) goes a looooong way to helping with OCD . INOSITOL, a B vitamin is also usually a good supplement to start with

Amy I did reply to you on your thread, but just wanted to highlight this here too I know one of our PANDAS experienced moms will be able to answer you in detail here, but I just wanted to comment on something, from my limited knowledge on the subject A strep culture is NOT always going to reveal the presence of strep. So just because your child's cultures show neg doesn not mean that he doesnt have strep in his system. The fact that his titres are up means his body is forming those strep antibodies. Strep throat is caused by one of the MANY strains of streptococcus and so that is why, in PANDAS dx, it is the strep titres, not just the cultures, that are the main diagnostic criteria The sudden onset of tics and or OCD symptoms is another very relevant pointer toward a PANDAS dx

Hi Amy what a journey you are on! But as you say, at least now you know about the rest of the family being carriers and can treat accordingly I know one of our PANDAS experienced moms will be able to answer you in detail here, but I just wanted to comment on something, from my limited knowledge on the subject A strep culture is NOT always going to reveal the presence of strep. So just because your child's cultures show neg doesn not mean that he doesnt have strep in his system. The fact that his titres are up means his body is forming those strep antibodies. Strep throat is caused by one of the MANY strains of streptococcus and so that is why, in PANDAS dx, it is the strep titres, not just the cultures, that are the main diagnostic criteria The sudden onset of tics and or OCD symptoms is another very relevant pointer toward a PANDAS dx

Hi efgh it is always good to hear from you and I am so glad the tic issues are still under control behaviour and emotions! those are the really difficult issues arent they. when is it the disorder and therefore to be handled with understanding as they cant really help it...and when is it just a discipline need honestly, from reading your examples, i do see a lot of SID issues that may be going on, and there Occupational Therapy with a therapist trained to work with SID is by far the best treatment and yes, TS can come bundled with some mood isuues too and once again, testing for amino acid, neurotransmittor and other deficiencies may be key to supplementing, although Inositol is a good one to try first, being a B vitamin now........... also dont forget HORMONES!!!! he is 12 and you are in for a bumpy ride

hello and welcome

that is well spotted Kim yes, Bonnie has a lot of important info re which amino acids may not be a good idea for TS! again, i think individual reaction on this is important and one should ALWAYS be careful when supplementing with any amino acid as they have extremely powerful effects on neurological functioning my son could cope with D phenylalanine (short term, for endorphin release, when he was having an injurious type of tic/OCD) However, any supplement that increases dopamine should be noted to have a potential for increasing tics

have you tried getting him to take the supps by swallowing them along with liquid thru a straw. for younger kids who have problems swallowing pills and capsules, having the liquid thru a straw seems to really help them get them down. I REALLY wouldnt recommend baking them. Heating could set off chemical changes and have unwanted effects because honey has such a strong taste it is good. Also if he likes applesauce you could even combine some honey into it

Hi applesauce is good, as is yoghurt, tapioca, jello, Boost etc Also, if he likes plain honey that works well too.

hi yes, that sounds like a good plan and especially so if you notice it helping you. Always remember different people have different nutritional and supplemental needs dependent on their own unique body chemistry/metabolism etc I must say I would personally add an omega 3 like flaxseed oil or a flaxseed/borage oil combo to the evening primrose. It is just a good idea to take balanced EFAs

Hi I am honestly not sure about the evening primrose oil doseage as usually it is the Omega 3s that are recommended as tic reducers, and evening primrose is primarily gamma linoleic acid, an Omega 6 (it also has omega 9 in it). I have always heard that it should be taken in 1000mg dose, up to 3X daily for women's health Taurine is usually recommended as 500mg per day, to be taken in conjunction with your magnesium supp HTH

Hi yes OCD is frequently genetic one of the best treatments is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm most people with OCD have too low levels of serotonin. There are medications (tho lots of side effects) and supplements that can help

Hi yes, for those that react to fishoil, nomatter the source, increased ticcing seems to be the result. My son can eat as much fish as he likes and has no reaction to it except "yummy" ....but as soon as he took fishoil supplements, he reacted with dramatically increased tics (and we tried a bunch of different brands and types of fish) so now he gets his omega 3 from flaxseed oil and borage oil

thanks so much for that info Lisa I corrected the title for you

Hi Kim I am a bit biased against naltrexone because it was one of the drugs that my son was tried on for a troublesome aspect of his OCD, also at very low dose. (half of what I think was a 1mg tablet, but as it was 6 years ago, I honestly dont remember the exact dose) He had dreadful side effects and came off it immediately! However I have heard from people who use it for Multiple Sclerosis who feel it has given them a whole new lease on life, altho they admit to some side effects. I would personally suggest a very informed position before using it on a child. edited to add: I recognise that my son does seem tohave a very low tolerance for most prescription meds(? maybe due to chemical sensitivity) and so once again, just because it had bad side effects for him, doesnt mean that I am claiming it would have bad side effects for everyone....just recommending that people read up and ask questions about potential side effects before giving it to a child!

that is really sweet of you both efgh, it is always so nice to see you here. The Tic Code is a really powerful movie and IMHO a "heavy" one too, as the subject matter is pretty serious. I have also heard some parents say that they didnt feel young kids should watch it, while others disagree. We did not feel uncomfortable about our son watching it as he had been through so much intense suffering in the early stages of his TS that we felt he could handle it, and also appreciate it, which he did I would recommend tho that parents watch it first and then make their own judgement as to whether it would be suitable for their children.

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/conten...ract/163/7/1264

hi jenn and welcome yes, picking like you describe is considered a symptom of OCD. I have heard that INOSITOL is very helpful for picking, nail biting etc

Hi there! so pleased you made it here! I have bumped up the thread I have here which is basically the same info that Ihad on BrainTalk here ias the direct link to it as well http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=687 It is very upsetting that BrainTalk is not back up yet. In the meantime, another website known as BrainTalk2 Z(not affiliated with the original but filling rapidly with BT refugees ) is newly open and the TS forum there is at http://forums.braintalk2.org/forumdisplay.php?f=25 dont hesitate to let me know if you need anymore info Cheri

bumping up for Bipolar_Tourette_Warrior

Hi so sorry to hear you have had a hard day PLEASE would you try to talk to one of your relatives about this, or to a counsellor at school, or to some adult that you can trust! When one is stressed it can make OCD and related issues much worse. Do try to breath very slowly and deeply as that also helps you to de-stress It is so unneccessary for you to be suffering like this when finding help for OCD is relatively easy, and the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with a qualified psychologist could really help you so much! (((Hugs))) to you and do send me a message if youwould like to my thoughts and prayers are with you and please do try to talk to someone you can trust. God Bless Cheri

Hi there great discussion taking place! I did just want to give a reminder tho that the article link that I posted is specifically dealing with Tourette Syndrome and to remind anyone reading here that the chemical issues that some of our members and/or their children deal with are Tourettes related while for others, they are dealing with tics that originate from other roots. Also, where many of the underlying issues may overlap, yet there are also divergences and so do just bear that in mind when reading this discussion, and especially in the light of the article's specific referenc to the chemistry underlying Tourette Syndrome. I am posting this as I have heard from some readers who are a bit confused by it all....hope this clarifies things!

Thank you Sunshine! and Irena for your words of wisdom too. Our children are a precious gift, and we so freqently waste our time in worrying about them instead of just enjoying them Here is a quote from something written by a dear mom on BrainTalk, Lara, that really helped me when I was new to all this...........

IMHO glass is always best! for cooking in and eating off and drinking from but then....I am a Glassie at heart http://www.almasattic.net