ilovedogs

I'm so tired of my 9 year old son's anxiety! I try to be understanding and I coach him through it but it totally runs every aspect of our lives. I can't even run to the store and leave him home with dad w/o him getting anxious over my return. He hates children's church and cries at the end if I don't pick him up on time(his own time frame, mind you), etc. He has anxiety over his football games and has been throwing up before the games. Once he gets to the field, though, he's fine! He has travel anxiety and he constantly needs to know what we're doing and for how long and what comes next. It's driving me crazy! Most of this has been going on for years(except for the sports stuff, that's new). Hence, me being tired of it! We have him in counseling but he has a hard time applying logic when his anxious brain takes over. He is on B6, magnesium, glycine, and a Neuroscience product that has helped with the OCD. I just want this anxiety to go away. Of course, when the anxiety picks up, so do the tics. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle! I just want to be able to go to tennis class without him or to get my hair done, etc. But, I know that he'll drive my dh crazy with his crying and my dh does not have patience for irrational behavior. So, I end up taking him everywhere with me and I can't break the cycle. So, I know I contribute to the problem but I don't know how to improve it. I keep thinking that things may get better with age, but I'm not so sure anymore. Funny thing is: he can go sleep over at friend's houses and go to the amusement park and pizza places with those families and has no problem. He can go play golf or tennis with dad and he doesn't worry about me then soooooo, I'm so confused!!! Any advice??? Anyone else going through this or have been through this? Thanks, B

Have you seen any improvement with the B6 and magnesium? Have the tics gone away or diminished? How long has your child had these tics? My son also has a lot of OCD type behavior...he can't stay still for a minute. Where can I find a naturapathic doctor and are they expensive? thanks again, D Hi there! I see the B6 helping more than the magnesium(we were using the Kids calm at night). We didn't have OCD behavior but had OCD intrusive thoughts. I found our naturopath from a member here that happens to live in my area, but you can look online or ask friends in your area. Yes, the tics are diminished even without cutting out wheat or being super perfect with the diet restrictions. Every once in a while I allow him to eat some HFCS or some nitrated meats and I don't see him reacting at all to them. I think our problems are more allergy related and sensitivities to environmental things as well as vaccinations.

We have a similar story to Lyn's. I think my ds(9) started tics before I really noticed them. He started with eye blinking and eye winking almost a year ago. We have seen other tics since then but the eye tics seem to stick around. I think you're doing the right thing with the magnesium, etc. I'd add the multivitamin back in and make sure it doesn't have any preservatives or colorings. Try a vitamin B6 tablet, maybe 25 mg to start? We have seen this help quite a bit. My ds had phobias and fears before his tics started. Then after the tics came on he started having more OCD type anxiety. We have found great relief from using a naturopathic doctor and getting him counseling for the anxiety. My ds plays football, tennis, and golf and he is a great kid! We have not done any elimination diets, we just keep things healthy: I buy nitrate free meats, natural sodas, and try to add in lots of fruit and veggies. Many folks here have found dietary changes to be helpful but we have not taken that route yet. As for the sleeping??? Hmmm, my ds was never much of a lengthy sleeper. He gets about 9 hours a night but he seems happy most days and not tired or overstimulated. You'll find lots of information here so I hope you stick around and get your questions answered! B

I can't seem to identify a pattern with the tics, either. We've been in a relatively good phase since early August but there are days where I see an increase. By the next day, though, we're back to just minimal eye winking or a gentle tossing of his hair. I have noticed that my son has a trigger for at least one tic where it will increase during a situation and will disappear by the next day. Wish I had more info for you!

Chemar, I know of a few other people who believe the Maker's Diet healed them of Crohn's. I'll have to look into this vitamin supplement. We are currently on Thorne Research and various other products. Thanks for the heads up about iherb!

Mary, I'm in the same boat as you! I don't see dietary changes affecting his tics. They wax and wane whether he's eating a special diet or not. So, I try to keep things healthy but I'm not vigilant when it comes to HFCS or some nitrated turkey from Subway. My ds started with tics back last November. He has strep in January, went on a 10 day course of amox. and then the OCD started shortly after. The tics were always there during and after the antibiotic. My ds has always been an anxious child and we've had many off and on episodes of separation anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, etc. So, I still wonder if strep could have brought on the OCD or if this was just the natural course of the whole kit and kaboodle we're dealing with!? Maybe I'll just never know or maybe I won't find out until he's 13? I just pray for clarity most days! Hang in there, you know many of us dealing with the same things! Bonnie

Hey CSP, That is a wonderful testimony! I know my ds has 2 friends that stick up for him and it brings me to tears! Thanks for sharing your son's story. I think we all need to hear things like this. Blessings, Bonnie

I'll have to try the B12 b/c the B6 isn't helping. It's weird b/c now the tic is increasing while he eats a lollipop but not while he eats a meal. Before when he got this tic it would be worse when he was eating a meal. He says it actually hurts his throat muscles b/c of how he tightens up the throat to pull the jaw back. Anybody think the mag cream would help with that? Bonnie

I went to their website today(drucker labs) and they now have a disclaimer that you have to get the products from a doctor. I never noticed this before when I was researching the Intrakid. This must be something new for them!

Do you think I could apply it to his face? It seems to be generated in his jaw more than his neck. Just when I thought we were doing better! It just seems like one step forward then a few more backwards!

So, ds has started back with flag football. I noticed last night after practice that his jaw/neck tic was back while wearing his mouthguard. Can I tell you how frustrating this is?! I hate seeing these tics come back and I hate to think that they will be back for the rest of the season. What supplements will help? I never really saw any relief from magnesium and I have him on 25 mg of B6. Of course, the tic sticks after a while and now I'm seeing it creep back in even when the mouthguard isn't in. The coach won't let him play without one, either.

That would explain why I didn't see his jaw tic so much while chewing gum maybe? I saw a drastic reduction in this tic while he chewed gum but I saw it increase while he was eating. I think swallowing food triggered the tic to increase more. Thank goodness for xylitol gum without aspartame, etc. The only reason I was staying away from gum for him was b/c of the additives but we've switched over to xylitol gum.

I use Barleans cinnamon flax oil and I make smoothies with it or blend it into maple yogurt, etc. It isn't that bad tasting at all and my ds loves the cinammon flavor in his smoothies. I guess I could find some capsules but find this is more fun!

We switched to flax seed oil from fish oil b/c of an increase in tics. I just couldn't pinpoint if it was a coincidence or not so we stopped the fish oils. Try switching to flaxseed oil and see if that helps with the attention issues, yet also gives you less ticcing. Bonnie

Well, you'll see here that most people recommend simple diet changes as the first line of assistance. Mainly removing junk from the diet. Not just the food colorings but the high fructose corn syrup, the MSG, the nitrates and nitrites, and artificial sweeteners like equal and splenda, etc. Basically, stay away from anything that's artificial or chemically created. The next step would be to try to be consistent on staying on the multivitamin and make sure it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners, etc. The next thing that has helped some would be to get her on a magnesium supplement. Please do some research on these boards to find information on magnesium. Many people here use a supplement called Kids Calm but there's also a supplement called Natural Calm made by the same company that can be used. We find that the magnesium supplementation helps us all fall asleep and stay asleep most nights. Also, many folks find that they get good advice from natural or environmental doctors but many times they are not covered by insurance. You may want to look into this, as well. I'm sure other folks will come on here with recommendations. Welcome to the boards! Bonnie

Wow! So glad to hear this! So, are you thinking that he was carrying the strep and it was making his tics worse and exasperating the tics and his system? And, I'm so glad you don't have to consider medication for him! Bonnie

Look into Thorne basic childrens multis. They are small, easy to swallow capsules made for kids. My son hates chewables and our dentist frowns on chewables b/c kids don't usually rinse or brush after taking their vitamins. I also have given liquid multis that I found at the local vitamin store but we travel frequently and I like to have capsules on hand if possible.

Kim, what do white spots on the fingernails mean? Just curious! Bonnie

Hi CP, I know my son's tics were more pronounced when he had strep back in January. He had only had antibiotics one other time in his life. He did stop ticcing for a while after the antibiotics but they started back up again slowly in early February. I think the antibiotics helped get them under control even though the tics didn't go away forever, KWIM? I'm still thinking of having him tested soon again b/c I wonder if there is still strep remaining in his body. Praying this helps him and maybe even takes away the severity of his vocal for now. Praying for you guys! Bonnie

I'm sorry he's not doing well, CP. Hopefully things will wane for you guys soon! Glad to hear the Intramax was worth it, though. I keep thinking about giving it to ds.

I tried 5-HTP on my son and it made him insanely OCD. It just exacerbated our problems and at first I couldn't figure out why he had been better for so long and then worse. I realized it was the 5-HTP and I took him off. Within 36 hrs he was back to normal(well, as normal as he can be with all of his issues). I still don't know why he reacted so poorly to it.

I've never heard of it so let us know how it does for you! I do know that NAC(N-acetyl cysteine) is a precursor to glutathione in the body and many of the parents here give NAC as a supplement. It's actually the next one on schedule for my son. Please keep us updated! Bonnie

Did you use a doctor to help determine any supplements? Did you do any allergy testing etc..? Sorry for so many questions but I am curious how people began their journey. We just used the boards here for advice. I started with Magnesium(quite frankly I haven't seen any change with it, but I know many people are deficient in mag so we continue with it). Then I added a good multi vitamin. Then I added 25 mg of B6. That's where we're at now. I may start adding in N Acetyl Cysteine and L-carnitine eventually. None of these things came from a recommendation from a doctor, just from what I read on the board. I, too, suggest going to Bonnie's vitamins website and seeing what the doses are. Also, I give Vitamin C...forgot to add that one! I think alot of this is trial and error and what works for one person may not work for another. ie. My son reacted poorly to 5-HTP where some people find it to relieve their anxiety/OCD. This supplement made my sons' OCD worse(much worse). I suggest you also start writing in a journal and keeping track of what you're feeding your child, what the tics look like that day, what supplements you're giving, and behavior issues you see that day. This may give you a clue as to what some triggers may be. Mostly my son's triggers are stress, both good and bad stress! So, I try to keep a predictable routine and make sure that he knows what's expected of him on a day to day basis. Hope this helps! Bonnie S

Oh, wow! So good to hear about our children's successes despite the challenges they've been given. My ds was crying yesterday while I was taking a private tennis lesson to work on my serve. He was hitting against the wall and I left my lesson, saw him crying, and immediately thought the OCD was back. It wasn't, he was upset that his serve 'sucks' and he wants to get better so he can play some junior tournaments. I was laughing in relief but told him that if he wanted to take tennis seriously that he must start practicing. He agreed and seems really determined to succeed. It was also fun to watch him last flag football season score 2 winning touchdowns on the day of a tournament when he was ticcing so badly that I was wondering how he could even see!!! It made those touchdowns so much sweeter to us b/c we knew how hard it was for him to focus on the goal line. Congrats to your son!! I, too, feel the way you do when I see him ticcing around his friends and wondering what they might be thinking. Turns out that most kids really are accepting of other's differences after all! B

Hi Juls, this does sound like it falls into the obsessive thought patterns. I guess you could say it's a mental tic in some way. My son was experiencing some religious scrupulosity OCD back in May. His main thing was that his mind would repeat: Am I really a Christian? Is God real? How do I know I'm going to Heaven? Then, he had some other intrusive thoughts that came about when I put him on 5-HTP. Many folks have said that the 5-HTP works for them, though. I know Chemar has used inositol in her regimen for her son and the OCD. I'm not really sure what to tell you except that if the thoughts interfere with your son's day, you should probably find a supplement to help. If he's not bothered by them too much, then I wouldn't worry about it and just tell him it will pass(b/c they always do eventually). Just keep communicating with him so you know if things start changing and so that you can be prepared. HTH Bonnie