deagar

Thanks so much for everyone's comments. There has been a lot of great info given and I will soak it all in! Thank You!

How does everyone handle seeing your child go through the tuff stages and not being able to "fix it"? I am really having a hard time with this. I always want to make things better and this time I can't. It is so frustrating and stressful. Since my son is 11 1/2, I am hoping we are near the end of the worse stuff. It breaks my heart to see him go through this and I know I am not alone. I have gotten massages, tried meditation etc., etc. My husband handles things very well and says "he'll be fine" and I know he will but I just can't let it go. I am also frustrated because I try to eliminate screens for 1 week and what does my husband do but ask him if he wants to watch a movie...or I try to eliminate high fructose corn syrup and then my husband buys something with it in there. I feel so alone. I know we will get through this but does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it a little easier to deal with?

Does it help to hold your child during the tics to help so the movements aren't so severe or wouldn't that help? Another words, do the movements "have to be" severe in order to get them out?

I was wondering if someone can help me understand some things my son is going through since I have never had tics. First off, do tics have a tendancy to be strong in the morning since they have lay dormant throughout the night? Also, if my son is able to somehow delay some tics at school, will they be stronger as soon as they get home? I am assuming that is the case so if that is true, is there anything he can do to lighten the burst? It is the head shakes and inturn upper body jerk that is the CURRENT problem. I want to suggest things to him but since I have never experienced them, I am not really in that position. I don't want to keep asking him questions and dwelling on it if at that moment, things are OK. Please help me understand?

My son's head shaking is very hard to watch, not because it doesn't look "normal" but because it causes him pain. I am considering a medication but am not convinced this is the route to go although I am running out of options. The medications that have been suggested were Risperdal (will NEVER go there), Tenex and Topamax. I am pretty sure that Tenex works on the line of Clonidine, which never worked for my son so I don't really know if this would be an option. I read that some people have had some relief with Topamax but didn't have time to really check into all the threads. If anyone has any comments, good or bad, I'd love to hear them and weigh things out.

One more thing...is it OK to soak the towel in the epsom salt and save the water/epsom salt so when needed again, it can be re-heated? I don't know if heating the water/epsom salt will change the effect.

I have tried the epsom salt bath but not soaking the towel. I will give that a try. I have tried the Bach's Rescue Remedy for my stress dealing with this and it didn't really help me. I can always try it on him. The magnesium oil seems "pure". I have included the link about it. http://www.ancient-minerals.com/#magnesium_oil At times he shakes about every 5 seconds. Did your son ever have to stay home from school due to his tics. I have read so many threads and can't remember if you ended up home schooling at all. I am pretty sure I read that your son's tics etc. increased when he was around 10. Out of curiousity, when can I hope for a downward swing? I know everyone is different.

Is anyone familar with Ancient Minerals - Magnesium Oil? If so, is it safe for children? Any ideas on how to get comfort for a child with severe head shaking tics? I've done a number of tests, have him on some of the supplements suggested here and just this week, his tics went CRAZY. He is 11 1/2 and has never had tics flare up this bad, so quickly before. We just had the ASO and DNase B antibodies blood test drawn today but won't find out results for a while. I don't know how he actually makes it through a full day of school. Please help, I am SO STRESSED!

I finally found an integrative doctor...yeh! Anyways, I asked her about my son being photosensitive and she didn't think he was because his 8 hour sleep deprived EEG came out fine. Does anyone know if this would rule out being photosensitive? I can't really eliminate screens for a whole week without my son feeling like he is being punished or something. All his friends and his father love screens so I haven't been able to try the "true test". Thanks!

I mix 1 t. per 1 oz. of water. Of course, I boiling the water first and then mix it together and put it in the refrigerator. That way I have it pre-made and pour the appropriate amount in a glass and add my juice. I think it helps to have it cold.

Chemar: Do you have a "recipe" for your mosquito spray? I don't know what oils are beneficial and which ones to stay away from. Do you add NEEM to yours? Where would I find this? Thanks - Deanna

Which test is that again? That is, what supplements etc. he needs? I did some testing a while back and was quite overwhelmed and disappointed when we followed what was recommended with no success...IgG, pyroluria (neg) and strep titers...so I took a step back. Now I am ready to hit the pavement again. By the way, he is on Kids Calm, Taurine, Zinc, B6, Inositol. Thanks!

I tried giving my son 250mg of L-Carnitine along with 500mg. vitamin C and had not seen any decrease in his vocal tic. I stopped it a week and a half or so ago and recently I think it has gotten even worse. I don't know if I should try 500mg L-Carnitine or not. It is very frustrating that I can't find anything to help him. Any other thoughts?

I just called the company today and they said it is fine to mix it ahead of time. You just need the hot water to dissolve the powder. You can mix as much as you want ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator if you like. That will make things a lot easier. Deanna

We are having a babysitter and I was wondering if you can mix the Kids Calm with the hot water to dissolve it and then put it in the refrigerator to use it before bed? Thanks!

Does is matter if you give the L-Carnitine and Vitamin C in the morning or before bed? Also for a 90lb. child, would you give 250 or 500mg of L-Carnitine? I want to try it out for his vocal tics. Thanks - Deanna

Mosquitos are usually pretty bad in Wisconsin and I would like to use some safe, alternative repellant this summer. Does anyone have any advise? Thanks - Deanna

Do you know what the magnesium ascorbate in the Vitamin C means? Is that more magnesium that counts as part of the magnesium dose or is that something else. I am confused?

Can anyone recommend a good Integrative Doctor in Wisconsin?

I just received my Kid's Calm (natural orange) and have a question on the dose. My son currently takes 300mg. Magnesium Chelate. He weighs 89# and is 8 years old. I am confused on the supplement facts because it states that 1/2 t. has 85mg. Magnesium citrate and then for Vitamin C it has 200mg (as magnesium ascorbate). So does that mean he would be gettin 285mg. magnesium in a 1/2 t. or just 85mg? I don't understand the Vitamin C as magnesium ascorbate. I am assuming that I should keep him on a similar dose to what he has been taking. The only reason I am changing is to try to decrease his number of pills. Thanks! Deanna

Lulu: Can I ask where you get your magnesium taurate and how many mg./pill? Thanks - Deanna

I want to try to decrease the number of pills I give my son and want to try Natural Calm. My son is 8 and about 89 pounds. For those of you who are familar with Natural Calm, would you use the Kids Calm or Natural Calm. Also, any flavor recommendations? Thanks - Deanna

Chemar: I noticed on a previous thread on what helped your son, you stated the vitamins etc. that he took. I noticed that it listed (1) mag/cal/zinc. I want to lower the number of pills that my son takes and was wondering what brand you are getting for your son that just 1 pill will give him the dose he needs? Also, am I right in assuming this is a large pill? If so, that could be a problem. Thanks - Deanna

Is magnesium chelate or magnesium citrate better to use? I thought I read the chelate version was best but I noticed that the natural calm is in citrate form. Question about Bach's Rescue Calm - Can you take this on a regular basis meaning daily and for months like a supplement/vitamin? Thanks!

I am having a difficult time finding "inner peace" etc. with my son's tics. I am trying a lot of things like counseling, mindful meditation class and stress reduction class. I am on a good multi vitamin that has 300 mg. of magnesium and was wondering if I can take an additional dose or so of magnesium to help myself relax and if so, how many mg. would be suggested? I currently give my 8 years old son 300mg. of chelated magnesium so I am assuming that I could probably add additional magnesium to my current multi-vitamin but don't know how much. Thanks!