ilovedogs

I've not tried it, but I'd love to hear success stories if anyone has them. Of course, if something like this worked for everyone then everyone would be using it so I'm guessing it works for some but not for all. Just a guess, though! Bonnie

Just wanted to add that my ds is on glycine, as well. He takes 4600 mg a day, so that's 4.6 grams a day. I'm not sure it's helping but I know these things take time. The good news is that I have not seen any negative side effects at all. We are supposed to be trying glutamate, as well, but I wanted to try a supplement for about 6 months before I start adding or switching, etc. I have read some of the studies about using glycine for schizoaphrenic disorder and I've read that people have used it successfully in the place of drugs for their disorders. Anyway, I am hoping that our naturopath will continue to help my ds improve. His anxiety is better but his tics have increased this past month or so. Bonnie

Yes, Happy New Year to everyone here! Thanks Char! Bonnie

Carolyn, Griffin's therapist suggested neurofeedback for us but it was more for anxiety and attention issues, but he did warn me that if it has positive effects that they aren't long lasting. In other words, he said you'll probably have to keep doing it to see any benefit from it and he said many times it doesn't work. He's getting certified for neurofeedback and he told me he can run it through insurance and include it in our office visit so we could try it for a nominal fee. He offered us no promises and pretty much said it's hit or miss. Quite frankly, I'm not sure it's worth trying unless you're absolutely desperate and have the money to shell out for it b/c there are no guarantees. If Daniel is doing well now, then I really think you might want to hold off on the neurofeedback and take the wait and see approach. You can always try it in a few years if you think it is necessary. Keep your options open. What does Dr. Proefrock say about neurofeedback? I never asked him about that at our visits. Bonnie

Well, it turns out he has a cold. You know, for the past few years I've noticed that when he gets a fever he vomits. Doesn't matter what type of virus he's coming down with, it makes him throw up! I wonder why that is? B

Amy, last time he had strep he vomited twice. But this time he's had severe abdominal pain and no high fever like last time. I'm just going to keep an eye on him and hope it clears up with time.

Hey Faith, his tics are the same....they haven't been too pronounced, just a mild eye winking. When he had strep his tics increased dramatically especially with his fever but I haven't seen a change either way. His throat is really sore but I think that's b/c he threw up quite a few times last night and it's really irritated. I hope you guys had a nice Christmas and are relaxing this week in preparing for the next year. Bonnie

My ds has only had strep once in his life but it started with a headache, a sore throat, and then vomiting, and then a very high fever. So, I'm wondering now if I should get him checked for strep: Last night he was complaining of a sore throat and that he thought he was getting a cold. He ended up vomiting on and off through the night until about 2 AM and also had a low grade fever. He finally fell asleep and is lethargic but keeping down food today. He's still complaining about a sore throat, though. He also said his ears were clogged? So, I'm totally confused! Can he have a cold with vomiting like that? Are there stomach viruses out there that can also have some common cold symptoms go along with it? Or does it sound at all like strep? I just want to make sure I get him looked at if I have due cause. If it's just a virus, then I need to let it run it's course. Thanks, Bonnie

Sorry, I just checked my earlier posting and the mom who had replied mentioned that it was travacor that did not work well with the kavinace - not calmPRT. I don't know much about the calmPRT, but will read up about it and see if it is something that could be helpful along with the kavinace - but I definitely think the kavinace has got to be the answer - am looking forward to getting it for Gaby. Pat Yep, that was me! We didn't have success with the Travacor! But, we are still on the Kavinace and have been since back in May. Within 2 days I saw a HUGE reduction in his OCD and some of his tics. We just had a followup visit with his naturopath last week and she's pleased that he's doing well with just one capsule a day. In the beginning we were on 2 capsules a day. She had mentioned that she has some children on 3 a day. I have been experimenting with skipping 1 day a week on the Kavinace to see if it's supporting his system well. I've had no flare ups of the OCD. We've been skipping the past few Sundays(obviously, I picked a low stress day to experiment on) so he was going from Sat. AM to Mon AM before he would take the Kavinace again. Anyway, I hope those of you who try the Kavinace find a benefit from it as we have! Bonnie

Thanks for the suggestions of supplements, Char, b/c attention is one of our problems here. As the schoolwork becomes more demanding of him, I find he needs breaks here and there to help him along. Since we homeschool, I make him do one subject for 20 mins and then give him a 10 minute break. It seems to work for him so maybe, Faith, you can try this at home while going over homework, etc. I'm probably going to add in either the Royal jelly or the Gingko in the spring to see if that helps. The spring is when everything seems to flare up on him! I'm sorry you're struggling Faith. I know your son is about the same age as mine and it's a tough age. Praying you find a supplement or a behavior modification that works for you. By the way, there is cognitive behavior therapy for kids with ADD/ADHD and the school may be able to recommend someone for you. I also know some parents who have done neurofeedback and claim it works, for a time. I know the neurofeedback is expensive, though. Hope you'll be getting a much needed break with the holidays coming up. Bonnie

Well, stress does this to my ds and I really can't blame the supplements. I do know that too much magnesium can give you loose bowels so you might want to cut out the mag. Also, a stomach bug may be causing this. I had a bug a few months ago that lasted 2 weeks. I'd be more concerned if it lasts for more than 2 weeks and if it's causing him to become dehydrated, etc. Can the doc run some BM tests to see if it's bacterial or a parasite? I'd start with firming up his diet , the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. I would keep his diet bland b/c his GI system is obviously disrupted and I'd check the bowels myself to make sure there are no worms, etc. I know this all sounds gross but I'm sure we all know someone who had stuff like this and it went undiagnosed by the docs. Also, Vitamin C can make you runny if you take too much so you might want to cut back on that, too, for now. Sorry if I couldn't be of much help. Bonnie

It's funny you brought this up. We don't have a real tree anymore, either, but I noticed my ds is blinking again. I haven't seen this tic in months. I keep wondering if it's the dust from all the Christmas stuff that comes out of the garage. The garland, the stuffed reindeers, etc. that have been boxed in the garage all year. I have noticed the dust settling faster now that the stuff is up and out. Or maybe he's ticcing more b/c of the excitement of the holidays and the weather changes we've been having? We had to stop getting living trees b/c my husband was having allergy problems with them, too.

My son reacts to most chocolate milk. But, I tried giving him the chocolate rice dream milk and he seems fine with this! I use the milk to mix with his Kidz superfoods(from Amazing Grass) and to put his glycine in it. He loves it and I have to admit the extra chocolate from the rice drink makes it even tastier. Is there anyway you can send her to school with a chocolate soy milk or rice milk? Or try it out at home and see if she reacts? I know that the Silk soymilk now makes serving size containers that you can bring to school, etc. Maybe it's the combination of milk with the high fructose corn syrup, and chocolate all together?

This is interesting stuff, Kim. We see the same naturopath as Carolyn N. and he has my son on glycine, as well. He wanted me to try the l-glutamine but I just didn't want to overload ds, so I'm sticking with the glycine for now. I truly can't tell if it's helping but I know Carolyn saw great benefits from it with her son. I had read some articles on glycine and figured it couldn't hurt to give it to him. We use the Carlson powdered form and mix it into drink mixes for him. Thanks for posting this! Bonnie

So, Kim, are they saying that you need glutamine or that you have too much glutamine? I am no good at reading these science type articles!!! I read it and can't really grasp what they are saying. The reason I ask is b/c my son's naturopath has him on L-glutamine for anxiety and b/c it's apparently good for the lining of the intestines, etc. Anyway, if you learned anything in particular here would you mind helping us non-science folks out? Bonnie

Hello Dana! Just wanted to welcome you and let you know that myself and Carolyn are both here in the Phoenix area. We also both see the same naturopathic doctors(I actually got the names from her and started my son down this natural path about 9 months ago). If you have any questions or would like to trade notes, let me know! Bonnie

Good to hear that, Abbe. Praying it all goes well and that you see continued improvement. Do you think the diet helped the most or was it more the supplements? Bonnie

Hi Ashley, welcome to the boards! I would suggest you read the first sticky from Chemar about helpful websites, etc. She also has a link in her signature where you can see what has helped her son. Many of us here can attest to the helpfulness of B vitamins, cleaning up the diet, upping the magnesium intake, and maybe even adding in Omegas in the form of either fish oil or flaxseed oil. But, keep in mind, that every reacts differently to changes in diet and supplementation. I'd recommend trying one thing at a time so you can decide whether it's helping or not. Cleaning up the diet is the easiest thing to start with: remove artificial dyes and additives/preservatives, get rid of MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and nitrated meats. This would be the best starting point. Then maybe add in some magnesium or 25 mg of vitamin b6 and see if that helps. You didn't mention how old your son was or what you may/may not have tried in the past. Also, many of us have found benefits from certain amino acids, acupressure, acupuncture, and epsom salts baths(another form of getting magnesium). So, take it slow, take a deep breath, and ask lots of questions. I'd also suggest finding a good natural/environmental doctor who can make sure you are balancing things correctly, etc. Bonnie

Hey Carolyn, I just wanted to add that we mix Grif's glycine in a supplement called Kidz Superfood by Amazing Grass. It's chocolate flavored mix and doesn't taste at all like the greens that are in it! This is one way that I cut down on the pills and I can mix other supplements in, as well, if needed. Currently, we are using the Kavinace that Dr Orona has him on from Neuroscience, 25 mg of Vitamin B6, 4600 mg of glycine a day, 100 mg of Vitamin C in the form of a proflavanol tablet, and a multi vitamin from Thorne Research. The pills from Thorne are very small and are a childrens formula so it's easier for him to swallow. We just had our follow up with Dr Orona for the NEAT testing. Ds is doing well and has been very mild in his ticcing since August(except when he wore his mouth guard in football which lasted the first few weeks of the season). Dr P. has me trying to give him a liquid supplement of licorice and catmint to help calm his anxiety which is still sky high. I noticed that the kavinace works on his OCD type symptoms but doesn't really work for him in situational anxiety ie. going out to dinner, separation anxiety, and performance anxiety so Dr. P wants me to try this liquid along with the glycine and B6. Also, Dr Orona didn't suggest any other supplements from Neuroscience either, so I guess she's happy with his progress with the NEAT stuff, too. I'm not sure how I got off track here! Anyway, just wanted to update and thought that some folks might find it helpful to see what we're doing, as well. I am trying to add in the PS100(phosphaditylserene) soon and I want to get back on enzymes more regularly, too. Dr. Orona says that she is more and more convinced that these tics and issues are an immune system problem and how the body processes or doesn't process toxins, etc. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you guys are doing better and that he made it through the strep incident without too much reaction, too. Keep in touch! Bonnie

I'm sorry Faith, that your son is blaming you for the tics! It's got to be hard! I had seen a quick clip for the movie while watching football this weekend and I think it's going to be on CBS. We don't watch much CBS and we don't have cable so I'm hoping to avoid the darn thing anyway. The subject makes me leery when I know the media might be portraying something and I know Brad Cohen had some pretty severe tics and was treated poorly when he was a child b/c of them. My ds doesn't even know what Tourette's is yet b/c we don't know if that's his diagnosis yet. So, I certainly wouldn't want to scare him. We control the TV watching here so I'm not concerned about it. Are his tics getting worse this fall? Hang in there! Bonnie

Well, I don't know what real advice to tell you except to say that some folks see tics with Omegas if they are from fish oils. Also, you are detoxing the body and this may be the body's way of releasing the energy, so to speak. I'd give her doc a call and tell them what's going on but I'd probably give it more time, though. As long as the tics are mild, know what I mean? Sorry to hear that you're having new concerns as I think we all know how that goes! Bonnie

Caryn, it's funny that you mentioned the friend thing as he has a nice laid back friend over right now! Yes, he loves sports and he just finished his 3rd season of flag football(even though he gets so worked up about the games that he throws up beforehand), and he plays tennis and golf, as well. He used to take piano lessons but he just didn't care for it and I'm thinking of getting him involved in guitar or drums in the next year or so since we have a drum set and some electric guitars here at home. He is a great kid and has lots of friends, it's just the anxiety sometimes gets in the way for him and I hate to see him struggle. I feel like I keep hitting walls with our therapist and even with our naturopath doctors. Maybe I just need to give things more time? B

We had decided to homeschool when he was 3 on the suggestion of my mother's(of all people). He is involved in a co-op where he takes classes with other children and has a teacher other than me 1 day a week. He also participates in a PE class for homeschool kids where there are about 100 other kids with him. Honestly, we started homeschooling so that we could keep our own schedule as we have family all over the country and we like to travel. It allows us a lot of freedom. Also, I felt that my own public school upbringing was saturated with test taking skills but not with life skills and most of my friends were from relationships outside of school. So, I really didn't think he would be missing out socially b/c I knew I'd keep him busy, which I do. Also, he has LD's where I feel that I can match his lessons to his learning style and I can let him learn at his own pace and gear the lessons to his abilities, yet still challenging him at the same time. I've contemplated school for him and I always tell him that the option is there for the future if he'd ever like to participate in school sports, etc. He's only 10, things can change...right? B

My ds is 10 and is a bundle of nerves. Since we homeschool and he's my only child I think I focus on him too much! How do I pull away and not let his emotions get to me? For example: he was doing one of his nervous things earlier where he gets this look on his face and starts getting fidgety. I automatically know something is bothering him so I ask:" What's wrong?" And, of course, I get the story and sometimes it's as simple as him being disappointed that the Indy Colts are losing right now! UGH! The boy lives on the edge of a breakdown it seems every day. He is sensitive to things he sees on TV, going out to eat sends him into a tizzy b/c he's afraid of food poisoning, he has major fears of death and illness, separation anxiety is a big one, and I know he fears my dh(who, btw, is a great father but is prone to being loud and expecting my ds to 'grow up' when it comes to his fears). We have him in counseling and I am going to a naturopath who is trying to help calm his nervous system, but right now I don't see any of this benefitting him. I keep praying that as he gets older he'll become more equipped to handle anxiety and stress, but I am starting to lose hope! I guess I just don't want him living in fear and living under my roof when he's 27 years old!!! Does anyone have any practical suggestions or supplements to suggest that could benefit us? I will bring them up with our doctors this next month! Thanks! Bonnie

My son is 10 and weighs 65 pounds. He gets one capsule a day of the Kavinace. I don't know about dependence issues and I have tried to do research on it but haven't turned anything up yet. I guess you could ask you DAN dr. to check with Neuroscience about that. About the B6, I don't know about that much. I asked Bonnie Grimaldi about it once(bonnie's vitamins for TS) and she said that 50 mg is the highest recommend RDA. I give my ds 25mg plus the small amount he gets in the Kavinace. B vitamins are water soluble, not fat soluble like Vitamin D, so I think there's less of a risk of toxicity with this vitamin. Hope this helps!