ldjsue

You're right it's called habit reversal and what I've been told, when you become aware of the urge to tic you do some competing sensation that then diminishes the urge. Actually, the doc said it does give people with tics some control over what seems uncontrollable. It has been studied with fairly good results. I was just curious if anyone has tried it or heard of it. Certainly to try and have some control over our bodies is what we all want, the fact that it's not drug is awesome!!

Has anyone tried habit reveresal? It is touted as a sucessful, non drug approach to controlling tics.

As you must realize I'm new to this site and I am so grateful for all the information I am receiving. It's a scary road to walk alone when your child has a medical problem and you're not sure how to get help. I read with interest about the vitamins and today I went out and bought a multivit. with no additives, colors, etc. and gave it to my kids. I pick up the latest Oprah magazine and see an article all about vitamins. Lo and behold the vitamin I gave them Little Critters Gummy Vitamins are cited for excess lead!! I feel at aloss to know what to do. There is a lab called consumerlab.com that has this info and I subscribed to it tonight. Now I'm all worried that even the one dos of the vitamin I gave will make him worse! Also, how do you know the right dosage for a child? Since my son began ticcing after I gave him melatonin (as per the MD) - I worry about how to know the right things to give him. I plan to wean him off all junk foods but the trouble will be giving up computer?tV without him feeling he's being punished. Any suggestions. MUCH,MUCH THANKS - this site is AMAZING!!

Thank you for your response. It was very helpful. I haven't quite known how to explain the tics to him without making him feel uncomfortable. I haven't wanted to draw more attention to it. Any suggestions? Much thanks.

Hi , This is the article I found on melatonin and TS. Check out the last sentence. My son has ADD and a movement disorder called shudderring attacks since infancy with a new onset of tics which began 2 weeks after starting the melatonin (which by the way worked beautifully for sleep). He has been taking Concerta 27mg. for 3 years with great results except the rebound and insomnia. I suspect he may have TS but of course the MD wants him off stimulants and said we'll see. It may resolve quickly or take months or not at all. I realize the likelyhood of TS is high given the comorbidity of other issues. He is sniffing his fingers alot and it looks so uncomfortable, my heart breaks for him. The relationship of pineal calcification and melatonin secretion to the pathophysiology of tardive dyskinesia and Tourette's syndrome. Sandyk R, Kay SR. Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461. Despite current intensive research, the pathophysiology of tardive dyskinesia (TD), a serious neurological side effect of neuroleptic treatment, is poorly understood. Prompted by the observation of an increased incidence and severity of abnormal perioral movements in neuroleptic-treated pinealectomized, as compared to intact rats, we suggested that the pineal gland exerts a protective effect which mitigates against the development of TD and, by inference, that reduced melatonin secretion may be related to the pathophysiology of TD. To investigate this proposition further, we studied the association of TD with pineal calcification (PC) on CT scan in chronic schizophrenic patients. Our findings revealed a significant association between TD and PC and suggest, furthermore, that PC may be a neuroradiological marker of TD. Since PC may reflect diminished secretory activity of the gland, these findings support the hypothesis that the pathophysiology of TD is linked to disturbances of melatonin secretion. The clinical and therapeutic implications of these novel findings are discussed. In the following communication, in which we introduce the hypothesis that disturbances of 5-HT and melatonin secretion are related to the pathophysiology of TD. Subsequently, we present a series of studies which relate to the association of TD with PC. We conclude by presenting the hypothesis that disturbances in melatonin secretion may also be relevant to the pathophysiology of Tourette's syndrome. Publication Types: · Case Reports · Clinical Trial · Randomized Controlled Trial · Review · Review, Tutorial PMID: 1365044 [PubMed]

How do people help their children prepare for potential teasing or questions?

Thanks for the responses. My son had trouble falling asleep - he'd be up till 11:00pm and then up at 6:30 -7:00am. I thought 10 hours is ideal for 7-8 year olds and that the stimulant was surely causing insomnia.

My son 8 yrs. old was taking Concerta for ADD but having much trouble sleeping at night. He has been on the same dose for 3 years and the rebound was awful with him getting only 7-8 hrs. sleep at night. The neurologist suggested melatonin 2-3mg. and within a few weeks he developed a finger sniffing tic. In doing research I found an article suggesting that melatonin is implicated in tics and Tourettes disorder. Has anyone had an experience with this? Much thanks, Ldjsue