jeanchan

Gina *hugs* long time no see too. My son had TS when he was 11, had quite a bad case of head and neck tics. That was in year 2004. At that time, I have absolutely no idea what TS is all about until the neurologist announced that my son has TS, and he put it simply, meaning extra chemicals in his brain thereby causing the tics. My son was prescribed halo and was taking it regularly. I did not feel comfortable with my son taking it since it’s a form of drug and one of its side effects is tardiv, another kind of permanent tics. Me and my husband surfed through the web for more information on TS and by chance stumpled on A C N, and Thank God we were so glad we did. I am very grateful and indebted to all the members, and especially to Chemar and Claire who were all so ready to share their knowledge and experience on supplementation and ways to provide relief to my son. My son is doing quite well today as compared to 3 years ago. Today he still does tic but so much milder, about 80% less. He used to tic so much he could not even have his meals properly. Me and my husband used to be so very upset for the pain we saw in our child. The sharing by the members here eased me with a lot of encouragement and relief. A big Thank You! If not for you folks here, imagine my son will still be on halo! Till today I am still kind of trial and error on his supplements, hoping to find answers for the other 20% tic. But there are two main ingredients that I will never take away from his diet – B Complex 50 and Calcium Magnesium 2:1. These are the two main supplements that I first started my son on and at the same time gradually weaned him off halo. His tics were reduced substantially after taking the B Complex and Calcium Magnesium. Gina I would strongly recommend them to your son too, check out on Chemar’s thread on Supplement Treatment for Tics, I follow closely to her recommendations. In fact I find it so useful and work wonders for my son, I had it saved in word format so I can refer to it anytime. And here is another extract I think I copied from Mayo Clinic Specialists into a word document.. would like to share the info here too for your easy reference, I am not sure if you have read it before.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supplements and herbs The Minerals magnesium and potassium are vital for neuromuscular function and muscle control. A deficiency causes tics, trembling or cramping. The B vitamins help calm the nervous system, reducing symptoms of trembling brought on by stress. Vitamins B12, B6 and niacinamide are particularly important. Tics and tremors have been stopped with vitamin B6 and magnesium supplements combined with a healthy diet The B vitamins are best taken together to prevent any imbalances. Niacinamide and vitamin B6 are available in many B-complex combinations. However, vitamin B12 is often poorly absorbed through the intestinal tract and should be taken in a sublingual form. Calcium is also important for muscle control and proves helpful when taken with the above vitamins and minerals. Evening primrose oil is also beneficial for alleviating all kinds of tremors. The essential fatty acids in evening primrose oil are vital for normal nervous system function. Herbs are virtually free of side-effects and help make living with Tourette's syndrome more bearable. • Take chamomile, hops, lady's slipper, passion flower, skullcap, wood betony, St. John's wort or valerian in tea, capsule or tincture form. These herbs provide vitamins and minerals, and relax muscles and nerves. For tea, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 tsp. of herbs; steep for fifteen minutes; strain and drink three times daily. For tinctures, add 20 drops of extract to a glass of water daily. How much to take • Magnesium, 500 mg • Vitamin B complex, 100 mg twice daily or pyridoxal-5-phosphate, 50 mg daily • Vitamin B12 sublingual tablet, 100 mcg • Calcium, 1,000 mg • Evening primrose oil, two 500 mg tablets three times daily • Niacin, 1,000 mg --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The above is just a reference and the dosages may be quite high for a young child, so always check with your doctor first. My son is not taking all the above. He is currently taking B Complex 50, niacin, Calcium Magnesium, Lecithin. He has mild vocal tics, usually happens in the evening when he is using his computer, so I just started him on L-Carnitine too. I hope I am right on this one, that L-Carnitine works for vocal tics?

Welcome on board. Hope to hear from you soon.

My son has negative impact on fish oil and taurine, he tics more when he takes these. But will let him try on borage and flaxseed oil instead. Yes I should resume the calcium/mag with zinc for him too.. Never tried carnitine and carnosine before, no harm trying, one at a time. Thanks Chemar, for the details.

Hello Chemar and Claire. Thanks for bumping up the threads again. You know all who have contributed to this forum are like angels to me, because if not for your helpful tips and advise, my son will still be on medication - haldol. My son Jon is doing fine today, he still tics, but not as severe and frequent like before. At least now I dont have to worry and concern about him develope tardiv tics due to medication. I can never thank all of you enough.. My son is today a happier kid, although he doesnt like us to comment too much about his tics. So life is pretty normal for us. There is only one thing that is still bothering me. Jon has this habit of turning around whenever he is walking, like he is looking for something behind him. And sometimes he will just stare at an open space for a seconds, then look left to right a few times, before back to normal. It is quite a concern because he usually does this when we are outside the house, in the public. I am worried that he may bump into anyone, or injuries.. If I am not wrong, these actions are complex tics and I have been reading and researching a good supplement that is good for complex tics. Jon is currently taking a multi-gel, lecithin, primrose evening oil, vit B complex and magnesium. The previous hair analysis showed him quite high on calcium, but low on magnesium, so I did not follow the 2:1 calcium / magnesium - I hope I am doing this right. However I think there must be something missing because his complex tics does not seem to decrease.. I will be grateful if anyone can share any information pertaining to supplements for complex tics. Thanks! jeanchan

Hi.. does anyone know if blue green algae is also known as spirulina?

Dear Carolyn Thank you so much for sharing this amazing video and report. The surgery (although it has not been officially approved by the health authorities) gives hope to those with very severe motor tics. I was so touched after watching the before and after surgery performed on Jeff because it works! And i just felt SO happy for him i swear my eyes moistened. The surgery is a trial but i sincerely hope he is doing fine and the surgery has no side-effects or consequences like drug medication.. i have copied the link and forward it to my local TS support group. Cheers!

From my experience, sometimes it is the supplements that trigger the tics. My son reacted to taurine the last time we had him on "supplements trial." I also understand that some people do have allergies to fish oil too.. probably you can look into having your child be tested on these supplements too... Take Care. -jeanchan

Okie, Chemar, I will spread the words here in my home town too.

Hi Mommy11 Dear Mommy11, i know how you feel, i was like that when my son just had his first head shaking tic last year in May. Me and my husband were so distraughted when our son had to spend three days in hospital under observation. Probably he started with eye tic but i did not notice or think it was serious. Just have faith and continue the supplements that Chemar has earlier recommended - she has a wonderful thread for newbies here on the supplements that helps TS. Try them as recommended. I follow the program faithfully, and my son has stopped medication (haloperidol) since last year (i cant remember the exact date - was it july or december last year)? Go thru all the old threads here from the very beginning for reference. In addition, the information and articles posted by parents with TS kids in Latitudes magazines/newsletters are very helpful too. You can order them thru Sheila. My son used to have the head shaking tic too, but now he is completely out of it. His tics are now so mild and only come probably a few times a day that we or anyone hardly notice them. Just an update to those who remember me from Singapore, nowadays the tics my son display are mainly "checking on his fingers", "checking who is behind him when he is walking", or simply staring at space. But these are done only in seconds, when he is free from any activity and only once in a while in a day. I guess these tics are known as complex tics if i am not wrong. Chemar and all the others here, i want to thank you all too for all your valuable advise. I dont exactly know which supplement is the one that really helps, but my son is now taking calcium magnesium (the amino acid type), lecithin (1200mg), chlorella, vit E (400iu), vit B Complex (50mg) , niacin and vit B6 and primrose evening oil. Oh yes he is also sleeping on magnetic mattress. Cheer up. Mommy11, your son will get better.