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I was giving him Kavinace from Neuroscience which had taurine, b6, and some other aminos. I was giving 100 mg of B6 daily and glycine to help with the anxiety. The naturopath had me increase his glycine(just like Carolyn N does) but it didn't seem to help so after a few days he had me back off on it. Instead, I just took him off all his supplements except the vitamin D, vitamin C, and immune boosting supplements. So, the mood and neuro supplements were taken out of the equation for the past few days. He was ticcing like crazy back on Monday and now I have to look watch him for quite a while before I see anything! B

Well, we made it! They leave this AM. Now, I have to get to work and tackle the anxiety that's been bugging ds. I'm actually thinking it may be time to go back to counseling. It's really weird, though, how the anxiety that makes him cry out of the blue only lasts for a few minutes. I swear that if I didn't know he had anxiety, I'd think he was doing it for attention. Because, he'll be sitting down and just start crying and I'll hear him and come into the room and ask him why he's crying and he'll tell me it's the Halloween store or something that his brain decided to drag up to the surface, and then once I talk to him for a minute or 2 and tell him to distract himself or tell him to breathe, etc he seems fine right away. Anyone else have this issue ever???? But, the other anxiety issues were really prevalent this week and it was all about my dad. Even though we had an episode this AM, I'm really hoping to see it waning. Another weird thing this week that happened: his tics are almost nonexistent! I took him off ALL supplements for the past 3 days and his tics are almost completely gone! So, is it coincidence? Does that mean that the supps I was giving him for anxiety made him tic more? And, if so, how do I start giving something for anxiety again without risking more tics? UGH, I'm so confused! Bonnie

That's good to hear! For us, it's the anxiety that is so awful and I wonder if he'll ever be anxiety free. Glad to hear a success story as I really need it this week! B

Thanks for the support! I'm really trying hard to hold it all together this week. The anxiety for ds is all over the place; eating out, random anxiety, early waking, more tics......the poor kid is just so stressed out. I'm changing his supplements, messing around with things, he's eating junk food when I can get him to eat, and I'm just plumb wore out! My dad's presence is stressing me out, too, and I'm sure that ds feels this. It's not just the smoking, it's the foul language, crude jokes, and condescending way he talks to me that's driving us crazy. My dh was biting his tongue pretty good last night b/c he knows they're leaving soon so he didn't want to start something. Again, I think this is all adding to the stress level in the house! Please pray that I can make it through Friday without a breakdown! Bonnie

Ok, so ds has had an increase in tics and anxiety for the past 2 weeks now. What doesn't help is that my dad is visiting and he and his wife are HUGE smokers. They smoke outside on my back porch but they bring it in on their clothes and they bring it into the car and I swear that ds is getting worse with their presence here. Add in the fact that they like to go out to eat and we've been eating all kinds of crappy foods. Ds has at least 2 anxiety episodes a day and his naturopath now wants to remove the glycine and add something new in and I'm just praying that he's got some answers. I think all the smoke exposure is giving us both colds or symptoms of colds and ds has been complaining of stomach issues. UGH! I just can't wait for things to get back to normal with my schedule so I can work on getting ds back in synch and get his tics and anxiety under control. It's just so hard to do when you have family in town, especially family who is VERY different from yours. OK, and here's a funny for y'all: my stepmom doesn't want to litter her cigarette butts so she decided today to put the butt in her pocket before she got into my car. The smell in my car was nauseating! It was the first time in my life when I was thinking that littering a cigarette butt wouldn't be such a bad idea, LOL! And, I'm sitting there driving and wondering if she even put the cig out properly, I swear it was smoldering in her pocket, haha! Bonnie

Good to hear. I'm really hoping we get back to stable sometime soon, too, b/c ds is pretty miserable right now and it's so hard to see him suffering with this anxiety!

So, how's things now Cheri? I saw that the true full moon will be happening tomorrow. Our naturopath has ds on 1gram(10,000mg, I probably did the math on this wrong) of glycine daily right now and I think we're seeing the benefits of it but it's not completely back to normal here yet. We're having at least one anxious issue daily. Guess that's better than it happening morning, noon, and night...right?? LOL! Bonnie

Halloween is a HUGE problem for us. Ds didn't dress up last year b/c he just felt that Halloween was stupid and that he doesn't even eat most of the candy anyway. We drove up north and ate dinner at a restaurant in the mountains and then came home, missing the whole Halloween experience. Things went well. Well, this year my mom took him to the Halloween superstore and ds seemed fine while there, but he started having anxiety issues about some of the masks and displays. He woke up this AM crying at 6 AM b/c of the vision of one of the scary masks! So, Halloween is definitely a problem for us, yes! Bonnie

Just wanted to add that any time my ds has teeth falling out or coming in(erupting) he will wax with his anxiety and tics. We don't have a PANDAs diagnosis, but I've wondered about it b/c of his sudden onset of OCD when he was 9. The dentist threatened us with having to pull 4 teeth last year but the orthodontist(who was aware of our issues) decided it was OK to wait. So, in the last 5 months, he's finally lost those 4 teeth! Ds was so excited that he wouldn't have to get them pulled, he has terrible dentist anxiety and I wasn't looking forward to a flare up of his symptoms, either. Bonnie

Thanks for the cyberhug for Grif! He's still having episodes daily but, again, it's during the afternoon hours and he sometimes just seems to need to cry it out. I can tell he's stressing b/c he's ticcing more, too. What I have been doing with him is I sit down with him, give him a hug, and tell him to practice his breathing. I also tell him to redirect his thinking(which he thinks doesn't work too well when the anxiety is in full swing) and try to focus on something positive. I understand what you're saying about telling them to grow up. I do that, too, but not when he's white as a sheet and scared from his own thoughts that are disturbing him so much. If he cries from scraping his knee and there's no blood, then I tell him to buck up and get over it, LOL. I'm really hoping this moon thing has something to do with this b/c I'm getting really tired of all this anxiety in the house. Did I mention that my dh has been on major anxiety/depression mode, too? I really need to go back on vacation! Bonnie

Oh, that is so cool! It's amazing how our kids grow up and develop their own ideas, goals, and dreams! He's got great parents behind him and that has given him the confidence to do this, congratulations!

Do you think things will settle down after the full moon is over, or do you think it will be a gradual settling down? My ds was up at 6 AM this morning crying about a preview he saw on tv for a new show. I think we were watching DWTS and I figured the previews would be harmless.....guess not???!!! Anyway, he said he's been waking up early every morning for the past week or so so I know his system is definitely off track!

Well, I tried distracting him with chores and that didn't work, LOL! He says he just feels anxious but doesn't know why. Our naturopath thinks that he needs to experience some sort of anxiety so that he can develop coping skills for later in life. Not that he was saying that anxiety and feeling weepy is a good thing, but he was saying that he didn't want us to change any of our supplements or add anything. He wants to see if things level off on their own for now b/c he thinks this is more of a generalized anxiety. He does not think this is OCD b/c the episodes don't seem to last very long and b/c they don't bother him all day long. They seem to strike when he's bored and about the same time everyday(around 3 PM or so). This is exactly the time when I get busy doing housework and preparing dinner and he is left to his own devices. I've taken to letting him watch TV, which he says helps take his mind off it all. Go figure, he's just like his father! Bonnie

What's funny about it is that he had the episode only once yesterday. Most of the day he seems totally fine. My mom said she got him over his 'spells' of anxiety by distracting him with chores, going for a walk, or making him do something other than sit and feel sorry for himself. I did the same thing yesterday and the issue went away and I didn't see it again. When we had our last really bad OCD moments he would do this behavior all day long, not just 1x a day. So, I'm grateful that it doesn't seem as bad as it's been in the past. We'll be getting back to doing school regularly come tomorrow(we homeschool) and back to our normal activities so I'm hoping he can push through this. He really amazes me as a kid b/c he does seem to be able to push through things and he remembers all his relaxation techniques, etc. I've even begun teaching him some yoga( I used to be a yoga instructor) to help him relax, but he just isn't as bendy as me....LOL!!! Bonnie

Thank you, Chris, for the link to facebook! Very helpful!

Hmmm, this would explain the anxiety waxing we're seeing right now, wouldn't it?? Hi CSP, my mom is visiting right now and she says HI!!! Hope things are going well for you guys right now! Bonnie

Ok, so I'm back from vacation and my mom was here watching ds. He had a major anxiety flare up while we were gone. He started with being scared about all the Halloween stuff that was out and then it progressed to being worried about mom and dad on vacation which all seem normal even for average kids, right? Well, today he started crying out of the blue and I asked him what was wrong and he said that his 'mind' doesn't want him to be happy. Apparently, his mind keeps telling him that he shouldn't be happy and is trying steal his happiness. So, is this a depression issue or is this an OCD pattern of anxiety or maybe just anxiety in general. I found it very interesting that Chemar was seeing an increase in OCD w/her son and the moon cycle. We're going to the naturo doctor tomorrow so I'll see what he suggests but I find it all a bit interesting in regards to the timing of everything. I even had my mom 'upp' his supplements while I was gone but we aren't seeing it get better. Thanks, Bonnie

That is freaky b/c we saw the first tics in the first week of November, too, 2 years ago! We are having a bit of anxiety waxing right now and I was wondering the same thing but that is a whole story that I'm too tired to tell as we just got back from Mexico(ds was home with Grandma and hence, the increased anxiety!). Bonnie

Maryann, I saw part of this episode and did see he mentioned this herb. I've never heard of it before and it was never recommended to me from my naturopath. I keep forgetting to look for it at stores b/c I'm interested to see if it's hype or if it works? Bonnie

Hi Faith, When ds had strep 2 years ago he was sick really quick and was diagnosed that afternoon. It started with a headache, progressed to vomiting, and then a sore throat ending with a 104 degree fever at the docs office. He tics like crazy when he has a fever, too. When he has a cold I don't see a change in his tics or anything. Let us know how it goes if you go to the doc's office! Bonnie

(((Melissa))), my son's tics aren't near as bad as what you describe and I get frustrated by them. You are being a great mom by coming here to vent instead of exploding at home(which is probably what I would do at some point!). Are you doing anything to control the tics; meds, natural therapies, supplements, etc? Hang in there! I'll be thinking of you this evening and will send happy thoughts your way, along with some prayer! Bonnie

Patty, I posted about this smelling thing my son has been doing that has been driving all of us crazy. My son was able to stop doing it by himself. I don't know how he does it. He did this, too, when he was making some noises(which I thought were vocal tics) and he was able to stop cold turkey. Again, all we did was ask him if he thinks he can control them and he says, "yeah, I think so" and then he does it. Wish I could pass on his secret, though....LOL! Bonnie

Ok, so we talked to him about it and he said he can stop if he wants to. OI! This kid drives me crazy! Just when I think it's a true tic, he tells me he thinks he can control it. Why is that? Sure enough, we went to tennis 2x yesterday(one private lesson in the AM, and group lessons at night) and I didn't see him sniff his racquet grip once. Is this just unbelievable brain control or is does he just like messing with me? This is the same kid who used to suck his thumb and just decided when he turned 6 that he was OVER all that and that he would stop. And, he did! I remember thinking that I'd love that kind of will power in my efforts to give up carbs and chocolate! LOL! Needless to say, the facial tics frustrate him b/c he can't control them. So, I've determined that some things are within his control, while others are not. My question is: does this come from 2 different issues? Or are they all bundled into the same ball of wax? I guess some things may never get answered, eh?

Well, I was taking it for joint issues which I believe it helped. I never even considered it as a supplement for anything else. It's pretty pricey so you may want to read some reviews online! Bonnie

OT, wow that sounds awful! I've heard from others that this swine flu comes in waves. You'll have a few good hours and think you're on the mend and then WHAM! you get hit with another wave of fever, aches, cough, etc. For most of the people that I know who have had it, the symptoms were severe for about 4 days on average. A friend of mine had it for 6 days of misery and she said it was another week to get back to decent lung capacity with her breathing, etc. We've had MANY cases here in AZ and we've had some schools shut down b/c 40% of the school was out. Most of the kids I know who have had it were relatively mild cases as far as flu goes. Most adults I know were actually hit harder and were down with longer recovery times and secondary infections. Despite the stories I'm hearing about the swine flu, I still don't think we'll be getting vaccinated. With all the neuro. stuff we have going on, I just don't want to mess around with it! Bonnie