[How do we upload attachments on this forum?]

Hello Guy

 

we are primarily a site for alternative methods, not pharmaceuticals, so we dont have a meds database here

 

I know. I was doing this research for my own benefit and there were a few people here who seemed interested so I thought I would upload it to share it anyone here who was interested.

 

I've included a side-effect profile for many of those drugs which could help people here decide which medications they don't want to pursue, which is often more helpful than deciding which they want to try.

 

I'm sure I can find a free hosting location (even if it might be temporary) and I'll send a link here.

[How do we upload attachments on this forum?]

I don't seen an option to upload attachments on this forum. perhaps I'm missing it.

 

It's a .doc file. I tried saving it as a .jpg and uploading it to my photobucket account and was just going to tell you guys to save it as a .doc, but photobucket was too smart for that and wouldn't accept the upload despite it being saved with an image extension.

 

I don't want to use an anonymous uploader.

 

This is just a big document full of various medications and their effects/side-effects on TS/tics and various notes about their usage.

 

Thanks.

 

No one knows?

 

Here's what I have research on so far:

 

Anti-psychotics/Neuroleptics

Pimozide

Haloperidol

Fluphenazine

Supiride

Thioridazine

 

Atypical Neuroleptics

Risperidone

Olanzapine

Thiothixene

Clozapine

Quetiapine

Ziprasidone

Aripiprazole

 

SSRIs

Sertraline

Fluoxetine

Paroxetine

Fluvoxamine

Citalopram

Escitalopram

 

Non-SSRI Antidepressants

Nefazodone

Clomipramine

Nortriptyline

Imipramine

Bupropion

 

Blood Pressure medication

Clonidine

Guanfacine

 

Dopamine inhibitors/blockers

Tetrabenazine

Supliride

 

Dopamine agonists

Pergolide

 

Dopamine autoagonist

Talipexole

 

Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors

Atomoxetine

( R)- (-)-N-methyl-3-(2-methylphenoxy)-3-phenylpropylamine

Reboxetine

Desipramine

 

Marijuana

Marijuana

Marinol

 

Benzodiazepine derivative

Clonazepam

 

 

Anticonvulsant

Levetiracetam

Topiramate

Lamotrigine

 

Antiepileptic

Carbamazepine

 

Opoids

Propoxyphene

Naltrexone

 

Muscle Relaxant

Carisoprodol

 

Anti-hypertensive

Propranolol

 

Unclassified so far:

Supiride

tiapride

metoclopramide

piquindone

Ondansteron

Baclofen

Donepezil

Finasteride (yes, the baldness treatment )

 

Botox Injections

 

Deep Brain Stimulation

[When exactly do your (or your kids') tics start?]

have you tried L-carnitine?

 

I don't think so. Can I please get some more information on this and the method by which it can reduce tics?

 

bump

[Has anyone see this guy's "How to Eliminate Tics" book?]

"Eliminate tics naturally, blah blah blah, pay me $40."

 

http://www.tourettes-tic.co.uk/?gclid=CN6y...CFQZlswodt12brg

 

Has anyone read it? It is just "eat a clean diet and stay away from stims and artificial flavors and colors"?

[How do we upload attachments on this forum?]

I don't seen an option to upload attachments on this forum. perhaps I'm missing it.

 

It's a .doc file. I tried saving it as a .jpg and uploading it to my photobucket account and was just going to tell you guys to save it as a .doc, but photobucket was too smart for that and wouldn't accept the upload despite it being saved with an image extension.

 

I don't want to use an anonymous uploader.

 

This is just a big document full of various medications and their effects/side-effects on TS/tics and various notes about their usage.

 

Thanks.

[Supplements and Tics]

Your eye blinking tics, do you just blink frequently or is it a hard blink in which your eyebrows come down and your eyes scrunch up a bit? Is it preceded by a sensation in the eye that is only resolved by performing a very hard blink?

 

Cuz that's what I have. It started when I was 17 (I'm 27 now). It used to be REALLY bad and now is only just pretty bad. I'm currently researching medications and treatments and will post everything here when I'm done.

[Any new Tourettes research?]

just an FYI that PWP (people with Parkinson's Disease) have the OPPOSITE from those with TS....TS do *NOT* want elevated dopamine as it is that which triggers the tics. People with Parkinson's *DO* want extra dopamine as they are deficient in it and that is what causes their neuromuscular tremors etc

 

so a drug helpful for Parkinson's is unlikely to be beneficial for TS tics, but I giess one would need more info on this to know for sure

 

Very good info, Chemar. Thanks.

 

Is it possible to have a brain scan or something and find out what chemicals you're high/low in?

[Any new Tourettes research?]

Hi again. No I didn't catch the name. Apparently some people with parkinsons have trialed it and they said it could be on sale before 4 yrs. {which is still good if it works} As I said it was mainly about parkinsons, however when it said about stopping the tics and saying it could help people with other disordersI really took notice. I even tried to google it but didn't get much. I might hear it on the news tonight and I'll post again. I'm in Australia and I'm not sure where this was "discovered" but with something like that it is usually world news.

 

No problem. Feel free to post it here if you find out, tho

 

I think we need people like you who are dedicated to finding relief/cure. Who knows what can be uncovered by looking into it?

 

Thanks. Too bad I'm not a scientist or biochemist. But if it's out there on the internet I will find it (except for those medical study sites where they want you to pay to read their articles. No thanks).

 

 

Here's some good info I found on traditional treatments with mention of cannabinoids.

 

Go here (google books online) and read pages 368, 369, and 370. It should take you to page 368 when you click this link:

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=0XijYbEuo...esult#PPA367,M1

 

 

Oh yeah, one other treatment I didn't mention in my initial reply but that is mentioned in that link is Botox injections.

 

Now at first I was thinking "NO WAY." Botox freezes the muscle. I was imagining if I had the urge to blink hard but was unable to. I would probably go crazy in less than 30 seconds. But then they said that it is also effective in relieving the premonitory sensation that precedes the tic. THAT is surprising. But consider if it didn't do that... Botox injections least for 3-4 months... it would be absolute hell during that time which would almost make me not consider it.

[Define a tic for me]

and then gave me some Clonidine for the tics. We gave him one tiny dose, hated the results and stopped.

 

Hi,

 

What dosage did you give him? What were the results that you "hated?" Did it have any effect on the tics?

 

Thanks.

[Any new Tourettes research?]

Thanks for that. Looks like you've been very busy!!

 

I have been. My motivation comes from the fact that I am annoyed as heck (I originally said something else but the forum replaced it with #s, lol oops!) with this blinking tic. I do not accept my present state as an acceptable way to go through life and therefore will find whatever it takes to get rid of it. Part of my OCD is perfectionism (my mom says it started when I was a little kid; if I couldn't do something perfectly I didn't want to do it at all, lol) which has also manifested itself in other ways (body dysmorphic disorder - I constantly see myself as too skinny and weak-looking, hence my interest in bodybuilding and diet), but sometimes it can have beneficial effects such as when I'm interested in something I will go crazy studying until I understand everything about it. In this case I have a vested interest (ie. fixing myself) so I'm interested in learning everything about tics up to and including finding an effective cure with acceptable or no side effects. For the record I don't consider tardive dyskinesia (anti-psychotics/neuroleptics) or loss of sex drive (SSRIs) to be "acceptable" side effects. Having to take a pill every day for the rest of my life to prevent tics is acceptable. Taking a pill for a finite amount of time until it "corrects" whatever is wrong in my brain and then not having to take it anymore for the rest of my life is preferable however probably less likely.

 

Honestly, I should've majored in biochem

 

Do you know what the medical researchers are doing? In any country is there funding for this research?

Not sure.

 

I heard today that they've found new hope in a drug to treat Parkinsons... I heard them say "it can stop the tics" so ofcourse my ears pricked up... I missed a lot of it but I did hear them say it could help other disorders, and I thought it may be Tourettes.

 

Did you hear the name of this drug?

[Nitrous Oxide Question (Again)]

For what it's worth, my tic seems to disappear when I go to the dentist or the doctor. I've read about this happening A LOT, too. Parents get annoyed because they bring their ticcing child to the doctor and the child stops ticcing.

 

(if someone could figure out what is going on in the brain during these times and make a pill out of it I would definitely buy it )

 

It's strange tho because tics are supposed to increase when you're anxious or stressed, and I always get super nervous before I go to the doctor or the dentist, yet my tic seems to reduce often when I'm there.

 

Weird.

[Any new Tourettes research?]

HI everyone.

I've been trying to find what research is currently under way to find relief/cure for TS. Everything seems to be outdated. I am hoping that TS is on a high priority list and not just lost somewhere.

I'd appreciate any info on this. Thanks, Lyn.

 

Hi,

 

I've been doing a ton of research on medications that may help to alleviate my hard blinking tic. It seems that most medications fall into one of a few categories, each of which have their own drawbacks. I am compiling all my research into a big document which I will post here when I am done. Basically the classifications of medications are as follows:

 

Anti-psychotics/neuroleptics - seem to be effective at reducing tics but have the potential for horrible, irreversable side-effects

 

SSRIs - may help OCD-based tics but have their own host of terrible side-effects (altho not irreversable; they stop when you come off the medication)

 

High blood pressure medication - such as Guanfacine (Tenex). Seems to also reduce tics in some people. Can have bad rebound effects if you stop using abruptly

 

Dopamine inhibitors/blockers - may work on tics (I just found out about these and am still researching)

 

Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (I also just found out about these and am still researching). Note however that some studies I've found suggest that the reason SSRIs may be effective in reducing tics is because they reduce the amount of norepinephrine available, so it sounds like it may be a similar mechanism to how norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors may work.

 

Marinol - a THC derivative. THC is found in Marijuana. Depending on your views on this drug you may have a preconception of using it as a medicine. Marinol is available in pill form and doesn't require smoking or inhaling anything. There are studies suggesting that Marinol and Marijuana have extremely beneficial results for sufferers of TS and tics.

 

Natural treatments - there is a lot of information here about vitamin/mineral/amino acid supplements and combinations that seem to be effective for sufferers of TS.

[When exactly do your (or your kids') tics start?]

Guy, if the blinking is the only tic you have and especially as it started so much later in life for you, I would really wonder if this is TS. the diagnostic criteria for TS are motor AND vocal tics for 1+ years

 

I have extremely minor vocal tics if you could even call them that. By "extremely minor" I mean like maybe it happens 3 or 4 times a day and it's just a tiny little glottal-stop clicking noise I make in the back of my throat before acquiring new information (like if I sit down to read something informational). I am fairly certain that this is OCD-based.

 

I've also heard that "breathing" tics can be considered vocal tics. I would estimate that at least 50% of the time my hard blinking is accompanied by a synchronized exhalation pattern. Sometimes the blinking doesn't "feel right" (meaning it doesn't relieve the uncomfortable sensation in my eyes) if I don't exhale a certain way when I do it.

 

Wow that sounds crazy...

 

eye blinking tics can be caused by many other things including food, environmental and pet dander allergens, candida infection, photosensitivity etc

I've heard that before. I've been exposed to many different environments (on vacation, at school, relatives, outside, etc.) and I've never noticed any correlation with my blinking.

 

I usually eat a lot (I have a fast metabolism and am a weightlifter) but my blinking started before I got into all that. Before then my diet was normal. I didn't use any supplements, vitamins, and I never ate anything with nutrasweet or anything in it. During periods where I don't eat (like if I'm sick) I don't notice any decrease in blinking.

 

I have supplemented with high dose multivitamins. I've read that high doses of certain B-vitamins can reduce tics. One of my vitamins has very high doses of the B (and other water-soluble vitamins) and there was no decrease or increase in tics.

 

I also haven't noticed any change in the frequency or intensity of my blinking tics while using the following substances:

 

- caffeine

- alcohol

- benzodiazepines

- muscle relaxers

- sulbutiamine (nootropic)

- phenibut (anxiolytic, and a fantastic one at that, but be careful because tolerance builds quickly and it's extremely addictive. It's OTC altho you won't find it in stores. Prescribed for depression in Russia)

- antibiotics (forgot which ones I was on)

 

I believe my tic is brain chemistry based and not a result of my environment/diet/etc.

 

have you tried L-carnitine?

 

I don't think so. Can I please get some more information on this and the method by which it can reduce tics?

 

my son's tics also start at variable times but are always lowest when he is most relaxed and he never tics while asleep

 

I did notice the other day when I took half a lorazepam (ativan) that in the 10 minutes before I fell asleep and after I woke up that I didn't tic. I know I just said that benzos didn't have any affect on my tics, but I mean when I take them and stay awake. I attribute the decline in my tic that I just mentioned to the fact that I was entering "sleep mode" and not to the fact that I took a small dose of lorazepam.

 

 

Ok this next part might sound just a tad crazy.

 

I've always been interested in martial arts and qigong/tai chi. I've studied them in one form or another since I was a young teenager. I've always heard tales of people "going crazy" or messing themselves up from incorrect qigong practice but I always assumed it was meant to scare students into proper practice. I mean let's be honest... all you're really doing is holding certain postures and breathing a certain way... but in the back of my mind sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong and inadvertently messed up part of my brain. I mean it's probably like less than 1% chance that that's the case... but you never know.

[When exactly do your (or your kids') tics start?]

I noticed over the last few weeks that my tic (hard blinking caused by an uncomfortable sensation in my eyes) doesn't really start until I get out of bed in the morning. If I wake up and just lay there (with my eyes closed) where I'm not totally awake but in a very relaxed state, I don't really get the urge to blink. Honestly it's kind of nice, and I've been sleeping in a bit recently just to experience being conscious and not having the urge to blink. It reminds me of being a teenager before this whole ticcing thing started (it started randomly one day when I was 17. I'm 27 now).

 

But as soon as I get out of bed and begin my day, it hits me within a few seconds and then it's on for the rest of the day.

 

Any thoughts on this? Does dopamine production not begin until you're fully awake or something?

[MARINOL ANYONE?]

Hello Guy

I believe Marinol is only available by rx in certain areas, but it is a legitimate medication, not an illegal drug.

 

the Tourette Syndrome Association has also sponsored some pioneering work on the benefits of cannnabis to TS sufferers. You can request info on the various studies etc from the at http://www.tsa-usa.org

 

I think it's available around here as one of my sister's friends is on it (for appetite stimulation due to a wasting condition).

 

I would just feel like the doctor would automatically say no cuz it'd be like I'm asking for weed.

 

Really tho my doctor only wanted to put me on Zoloft for my eye blinking tic. After my bad experience I don't want to try any more SSRIs. Hopefully he'll be open to trying non-SSRI treatments and of course non-neuroleptic treatments.

 

Otherwise... do I go find a new doctor?

[MARINOL ANYONE?]

Sorry to bump this old thread.

 

I am very interested in this. I've been reading some studies online suggesting that Marinol may help reduce tics and cause further reduction as treatment continues.

 

I would think you would need to go to a very liberal doctor to get this prescription, however. How did you obtain it?

 

My doctor wanted to put me on Zoloft for my eye blinking tics but I had a bad reaction after only 1 pill so I'm hesitant to try SSRIs again (especially considering the sexual side effects... and I don't think my gf would be very happy about that, either).

 

So my research has basically lead me to the following conclusions:

 

- Antipsychotics/Neuroleptics - can help reduce tics but can cause TARDIVE DYSKINESIA. For that reason I don't even want to try any of them.

 

- SSRIs - some can work, but there are reports of them also making tics worse. And a horrible list of side effects (sexual/zombie/etc.)

 

- Guanfacine (probably spelled wrong) aka. Tenex (or was it Tennex?) - a blood pressure medication that seems to lesses tics in some individuals. I wanted to try this but my doctor said no, in favor of Zoloft.

 

- Marinol - sounds awesome, I heard it increases your appetite, too (I've got a very fast metabolism so this might help), and now the studies I'm reading suggest it might work on tics as well.

 

But like I said, I'd feel like I was asking my doctor for pot if I were to ask for that, so how does one obtain it?

[I developed a blinking tic at 17... do I have TS or something else?]

Just an update:

 

I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday who said I had developed a tic but didn't have TS. I told him about some of the research I've done and the different medications I've found and said I didn't want to use an anti-psychotics because of the side-effects (Tardive Dyskenesia), that I was interested in some of the blood pressure medications that can reduce tics (guancafine and something else... probably spelled wrong), and that I had heard that SSRIs can help tics AND cause new ones so I was unsure.

 

I also told him that I've been having anxiety issues recently, and that I have OCD.

 

He decided to write me prescription for Zoloft 50mg, and Lorazepam for acute panic attacks. I've used Lorazepam before so I know what it's like (and how dangerous it can be).

 

He told me that I would probably be on Zoloft for 12-18 months, during which it would correct the chemical imbalances in my head, and then I could come off of it and I wouldn't tic anymore.

 

So I took my first pill last night, and within 1 hour I was feeling kind of dizzy. 3-4 hours later I was nauseous and ended up throwing up and having diarrhea. At night I was unable to sleep, my pulse was racing, my room was spinning, and I was in a horrible mental haze. This morning I had diarrhea some more and dry heaves. I called the doctors office and told them what was going on and they told me to not take any more until Monday, and then only take half a pill, and if I have those symptoms or anything like it to call them and let them know. It wasn't until about 18 or 20 hours after I had taken the pill that the fog in my head started to clear (Zoloft's halflife is 26 hours I think).

 

I don't know that. Last night was one of the worst feelings of my life. I'm honestly not sure if I want to risk feeling that way again.

 

My mom was put on Paxil, which after 4 days gave her a seizure, so she switched to Zoloft and she's been on that for a few years. She says it saved her life.

 

I was looking into non-SSRI medications to control OCD, but it doesn't seem like there are any. As a 27 year old male I'm also quite concerned about the sexual side effects of SSRIs that just about everyone seems to get. Wellbutrin (non-SSRI) seems to be effective and not have as many side effects, but I've heard it can make OCD worse.

 

I'm not really depressed. I mean, I'm not like super happy or anything, but I'm not suicidal. I'm just kinda unmotivated. The only reason I agreed to try an anti-depressant was because of the OCD/tic benefits it supposedly offers.

 

Anyway, just thought I'd update you guys.

[B1 Dosage]

Aren't B vitamins water-soluble anyway so even if you were to take an excess you would just pee it out, just like with vitamin C?

 

(I mean compared with vitamins like A, D, E, K, etc. that are fat soluble and excess is stored in fat and can possibly be toxic).

 

I've seen sport drinks/multi-vitamins that have doses of B vitamins in the 1000s of RDA % (altho the really high ones are usually B6 and/or B12 if I remember). I think the reason it's safe to go that high with B vitamins is because they are water soluble.

[I developed a blinking tic at 17... do I have TS or something else?]

Have you looked into benign essential blasphorospasm???

 

No. Well, yes, but from what I read I thought it dealt with tics/twitches of the eyes themselves. I wasn't aware that hard blinking was part of that.

[I developed a blinking tic at 17... do I have TS or something else?]

hello Guy and welcome

 

it sounds to me like your tics were triggered by something in the "allergy shots" or by the Epstein Barr viral infection that causes mono or a combo of both.

 

do you have a record of what was in these shots?

 

No I don't.

 

You dont seem to have any vocal tics from what I understand? or any other tics?? just the blinking, yes?

My only real other "tic" could be chewing on/biting my tongue... but I think that's more of a nervous habit.

 

As for vocal tics... not really... if I do it's very rare. Sometimes I feel the need to exhale a certain way before I begin something (such a reading a new webpage, or entering data into a computer program)... but that's almost more like a compulsion than a tic. I'd say it's an OCD thing.

 

I don't think it's a "tic" because it is localized by only happening before I begin something new.

 

we found L-carnitine (an amino acid) helpful for TS related eye tics

 

I will look into that. What dosage? There's probably already some in one of my multivitamins but I will check.

[I developed a blinking tic at 17... do I have TS or something else?]

Interesting. I've never even heard of Celiac before. Time to do research.

 

Oh but I've always been thin no matter what I ate, even before I ever had mono.

 

edit - I read the wikipedia page on Celiac (Coeliac) and I saw no mention of tics.

[I developed a blinking tic at 17... do I have TS or something else?]

Hi,

 

I just thought of some more info that might be relevant:

 

My blinking tic seems to go away when I'm in important medical situations. When I go to the dentist, for example, I don't blink much when I'm being worked on.

 

I went to the hospital a few months ago with the stomach flu (severe dehydration: I lost 14 pounds in two days and I'm skinny to begin with), and pretty much the whole time I was there I didn't notice any hard blinking at all.

 

I've read about similar situations involving kids who go to the doctor for tics and the tics "mysteriously disappear" while they're in the office (which annoys the parents because they doctors can't see the problem).

 

Other info about me:

 

I'm naturally thin and have a high metabolism. I'm also a weightlifter and have to eat around 4,000 calories a day just to maintain my weight. The doctor has tested my thyroid and everything and it came out fine. I have taken various multivitamins throughout the years and none really seemed to make a difference in my blinking (I've seen some posts about increasing certain vitamins and/or minerals and it having an effect). Note that the blinking tic started before I ever started eating a lot or lifting weights or taking vitamins or anything. I just figured I'd mention this since it kinds of separates my lifestyle from that of regular people (the high metabolism and high caloric intake).

 

 

Also, if all you have is a very stable eye-blinking tic, you may be an ideal candidate for botox treatment.

 

You know, I was thinking about that. But my tic is like this need I have to contract the muscles (blink). Doesn't botox paralyze muscles? So wouldn't that prevent me from being able to contract it? I can imagine that increasing anxiety by about a billion percent! And I'd also be afraid my body would compensate in some other way (developing other, worse tics).

 

Oh, and I didn't even know what PANDAS was before I came here, but now that I think about it, I had mono around the time that this whole thing started. Could mono cause PANDAS or is it only strep?

 

Oh and for what it's worth I've never really struggled in school. I graduated from high school a semester early and in elementary school I was always in advanced groups. College was fine. Just thinking about the ADD/ADHD stuff I'm reading.

[Sports Anxiety]

I played hockey when I was in school and for what it's worth, I had horrible Sports Anxiety (I guess you could call it that) in that I was sick to my stomach before every game. It was probably just nerves, as I'm very high strung. Of course once I was at the game it was all gone and I was ready to rock.

 

What year is she in high school? If she in a senior I would encourage her to get "senioritis" about her sport and just have fun and stop caring. Exceptions to this would be if she plans to continue to play this sport in college and needs a letter of recommendation or something from her current coach. What sport is it, btw?

 

Does she do any other extra-curricular activities? My sister was in a similar situation in high school; she was captain of the Drill Team (think like dancing/gymnastics team), and in like 50 other clubs, and she loved them all, but she would come home and lose it from all the added stress. I think in her situation it was just an issue of too much stress and not a specific coach problem or anything, altho I remember she did clash with some other girls on the drill team (basically my sister was awesome but some other girls were jealous that she was captain and they were not, and they were trying to "influence" her behavior as captain). So in the end, she ended up quitting most of the clubs she was in and just focusing on one or two things that she liked the best. I'm not sure how applicable this is to your daughter's situation as it seems kind of different, but I thought it might be useful.

 

Maybe the coach is just a "screamer." My band director was like that. It was alarming at first and freaked some kids out, but then we just stopped caring because where a normal person would say like "Hey, flutes, you missed your entrance again; it's one, two, three AND and THEN you come in. Ok let's try again" he might be like "DAMMIT! What did we practice last time? You better not embarrass me at the concert next week!" A couple times that was followed up by a "oh, you think that's funny? Get the ###### out, then!" Well that sounds lame when I type it out, but the point is the coach just might suck at communicating and "screaming" or being an ###### might just be his "way."

 

And if he makes team members sit out because their parents talk to him, it sounds like he has passive aggressive issues or something.

 

Maybe talk to all the other parents on the team and organize a strike or something

 

btw you're a totally cool mom for coming online to try and find ways to help your daughter

 

edit - I see that this forum replaces profanity with ####s. Hehe.

[I developed a blinking tic at 17... do I have TS or something else?]

(Sorry if this is long)

 

When I was 17 I decided to get allergy shots because one of my friends had used them with great success. Shortly after I got all the testing and started getting the shots, I noticed that I started blinking a lot. They were hard blinks, like a blinking tic (you know where the eyebrows come down hard in addition to the blink). It felt to me like I had something in my eyes and blinking hard was the only way to "relieve it." The allergy doctor didn't know what was going on. I went to see an eye doctor who said I had rosacea in my eyes and gave me some eye drops, but that didn't relieve the sensation I was feeling. The timing of all this could just be a coincidence, tho. I never finished my course of allergy shots.

 

Fast forward to today... I'm 27 (so 10 years later basically) and I still have it. Over the years I have become fairly good at masking it. I have found that, instead of doing the hard blink (which obviously draws attention to me and therefore is undesirable), I can close my eyes normally and roll my eyes up into my head (while my eyes are closed) and that relieves the sensation almost as much as doing a hard blink. This is what I try to do at work, in public, etc.

 

I guess during the last few years I've just stopped caring. Occasionally people ask me "are your contacts bothering you?" (I don't wear contacts), and I take this as an indication that I'm blinking harder than normal and need to become more aware of it, and I reply to them "yeah... they're so dry I hate it!"

 

I notice that some days it's much worse, and other days it's a bit better.

 

Recently tho I've just started to become annoyed with this. So I started doing some research and you know how that goes... you start freaking out that you have all of the conditions that you're reading about.

 

I was almost positive that I had an "eye problem" and not a tic or TS because I felt a sensation in my eyes, like there was dust in them or something. But then I read that TS sufferers and people with tics describe their blinking as "to relieve an unpleasant sensation in the eyes," and that made me start to worry that I might have TS. Then I read that TS is usually diagnosed young, and often times the tics go away when the frontal lobe closes. So I thought it was weird that mine began when I was 17.

 

I've also noticed that I have another bad "nervous habit;" I chew on my tongue. But I've become aware recently that when I find myself doing this, the need to blink is reduced. Let me clarify here: I can't consciously decide to chew my tongue and have that reduce the blinking; it only reduces the blinking when I find that I am unconsciously chewing on my tongue. Like "oh, I've been chewing my tongue for a while... and I haven't blinked in a while." I've experimented when consciously chewing it when I feel the urge to blink and it doesn't help. This makes me wonder if maybe it's an anxiety-related thing. I'm very high-strung in general.

 

I've read that TS tics seem to come and go... one will come for a while, and then be replaced by something else, and then that one will be replaced by something else, etc. This makes me curious because all I've ever had is blinking. This also makes me terrified because what if one day my blinking, which is somewhat possible to control/make excuses for (allergies/contacts), is replaced by something much worse (like shoulder shrugging)? I literally had a mini anxiety attack from thinking about that today... and worrying about stuff doesn't make it better.

 

I've also read that tics which persist into adulthood usually become permanent.

 

And I've read a lot about how there's not really any medication for tics, and some of the anti-psychotics result in TD (Tardive Dyskenesia) which is possibly worse than the original tic.

 

So I've finally decided to make a doctor's appointment and talk to him about what's going on.

 

Before I wanted a cure for this blinking (I have crow's feet wrinkles at 27 years old from blinking so hard for the last 10 years). Now, I've decided that if I have to live with it it wouldn't be so bad, I just don't want it to manifest itself as another, worse tic (like shrugging). I am seriously terrified of that. I've been worrying about that a lot today and I keep feeling this pressure in my trapezius muscles (the shrug muscles) and feeling like I need to shrug but I'm afraid to because I don't want that to trigger a tic. I'm sure it's just in my head because of all the research I've been doing recently tho.

 

Like I said, sometimes the sensation to blink is reduced, but it never "goes away." I have a video of myself in college where we had to videotape ourselves being interviewed (it was to practice for real job interviews) and I am blinking like crazy in that video

 

I can't pinpoint any triggers for it. I know some people say cigarette smoke makes theirs worse, or stress, or certain foods, or whatever, but I haven't noticed any correlation between my blinking and external or internal stimuli.

 

I did notice that it may have been slightly reduced when I take Zyrtec, but after reading about all these side effects with Zyrtec on the web, I'm afraid of taking that anymore, too.

 

Oh, I also have (self-diagnosed) OCD. Compulsions that I have to do something a certain way or bad things will happen. However, in the last few months, I've made some behavior modifications to help eliminate this... basically when I feel the need to do something I know is stupid, I forcibly prevent myself from doing it. Like for the longest time when I was washing my hands I had to pump the soap 3 times. So I would force myself to do it 1 or 2 or 4 times. I've read that OCD can sometimes be accompanied by tics so I'm just throwing this out there.

 

So what do you think I have? A nervous/anxiety tic? TS? Something else?

 

Thanks

 

edit - sorry, one more thing I just thought of that might be relevant. Sometimes when I'm resting or about to go to sleep, I'll have my eyes closed, but I'll still feel the discomfort in my eyes/eye muscles, so even tho my eyes are already closed, I still "blink" (squeeze them tighter causing my eyebrows to come down) to relieve it. That makes me worry that it is a tic and not some eye condition.