houston

How many if any of you have tried Bonnie Grimaldi's vitamins for your child's tics? I don't see them mentioned very often on this forum. My 10 year old daughters tics seem to be worsening over the summer, and I'm seeing what I think is some OCD type behavior. Up to this point, her tics have been fairly under the radar at school, etc. so we just follow a very clean diet. I tried Kirkman Complete in the past and didn't see any significant change, and it was difficult to get her to continue taking it due to the bad taste of the powder and her inability to swallow pills at this point. Also, is it normal to see an increase in symptoms at this age? and when do most people see an improvement age-wise? It seems like most the posts here are for 5-11 year old children though perhaps that's because those are the years when all of this typically starts.

Chris, I find this post interesting because I noticed a definite positive effect after a week or so of the Spectrum Complete this summer. When I reordered after using 2 or 3 trial sizes, I had to get the new formulation. I then noticed the tics returning to previous levels and thought that perhaps the initial improvement was just coincidental. Now I'm wondering if it was the change in formula. At the time, I also became concerned that maybe it was the manganese because I have read that that can be a problem with tics in some cases. I'm currently not giving any multivitamin trying to decide which one to try next. Thanks for taking the time to post your update.

Kevin, Did your son's nutritionist do any kind of allergy testing to use as a guideline before deciding which foods to eliminate? What types of supplements is he taking and have those changed throughout the year? Still trying to decide which direction to take with my daughter's tics other than eliminating the artificial and most processed stuff. I wish I knew of someone here in Houston who had experience with natural treatments for tics, but that has been a challenge to locate so far.

Do you mind my asking who the doctor is that you have seen in Texas? Would you recommend him/her?

Has anyone noticed that their child's tics started or significantly increased after using Miralax? Two years ago my daughter caught a nasty gut infection while we were on a cruise. After symptoms continued for several weeks and all stool tests were negative, we took her to see a pedi Gi doc. He felt that there was a possibility that she could have chronic constipation and suggested that she start on Miralax. After a couple of months and an improvement in belly pain (though I don't actually think due to constipation) we weaned her off of the Miralax. Her tics started at some point during that time around when I was weaning her off. Several months later, she developed intermittent nausea and was treated with Zantac and Prevacid until her symptoms resolved approximately 4 months later. Now, one year later, the intermittent nausea has returned. We are scheduled to see the GI doc tomorrow, so I was doing some research on the internet trying to come up with some connection btwn the initial gut infection and the recurring nausea. It occurred to me to google Miralax/children/side effects. I found nothing about nausea, but to my horror, discovered that there are a several cases of children who developed neurologic sxs (particularly tics) while on Miralax. From what I read, the assumption is that although the Miralax should not be absorbed, in some cases it actually is (possibly related to leaky gut). Has anyone had this experience with Miralax or heard anything like it? There is no worse feeling than thinking that you were unknowingly giving your child something that could have such a devastating consequence.

It's interesting that you noticed an increase in tics in your son following carpet removal and hardwood installation. I have been so conflicted about getting rid of our carpet. I can't decide if it will help or hurt to replace it with wood. Now I am even more concerned. I haven't made a decision on air filters yet. We have gotten a quote for an IQ air perfect 16 which is a whole house filter. It is quite expensive particularly because we have 2 AC units (about 5000+). Obviously, if I knew it would make a difference, I wouldn't mind the cost, but what if it has no effect whatsoever? I have also considered trying a room air purifier for her bedroom (I've heard Austin air purifiers are good), but my husband is of the opinion that with the AC/heater constantly running that the air purifier wouldn't be able to keep up with the constant influx of circulating air from the rest of the house. Honestly, most of the time, I am so confused about what to do next, I can't do anything at all. I would love any input from others with personal experience in this area.

We have had positive results recently with Kirkman Spectrum Complete. I have noticed an improvement, but I definitely still see tics. Good luck to you. I look forward to following your progress.

Chris, Thanks so much for your reply. The SC is the first thing that I've done that seems to have somewhat of a positive effect on my daughter's tics, so I was disappointed to see it changed already. Hopefully, it will still work the same. I haven't actually tried a full dose for her yet as some of the vitamin levels seem so high for a child particularly. Do you supplement magnesium as well?

It is always so encouraging to see positive outcomes as this journey can be discouraging at times with all of the unknowns. Those of you who mentioned that your kids are on Topamax - are you seeing many side effects from the medication?

I recently started my daughter on Kirkman Spectrum Complete vitamins. I am trying to remain very cautiously optimistic, but I really think I'm seeing a definite reduction in her tics since starting the vitamin. When I returned to the Kirkman website, I was unable to order any of the spectrum complete. I ordered a trial size of Spectrum Complete II. Does anyone have anyone have any experience with the new formulation? I hate to have to make changes when I actually think I may be seeing some results.

I really appreciate your response. Why did you choose the Rabbit air purifier over some of the other brands? We are also considering a whole house air purifier. Does anyone have any experience with IQ Air 16? I would like to have all of our carpeting removed and replaced with hardwood flooring although I'm a little nervous because some people report an increase in tics secondary to having flooring replaced.

Haven't seen an update in a while. I'm hoping that means all is well with your son. It is always inspiring to see something that is working.

Has anyone seen any positive changes in tics after trying allergy controls in their home such as adding an air purifier, organic mattress, removing carpeting, etc.? My daughter's tics are definitely worse during the fall allergy season, so I'm wondering if there is any justification in spending the money to do any of the above in our home. Also, she has been using Rhinocort nasal spray for the last few years for allergies. I have seen several posts concerning an increase in tics with oral corticosteroids - has anyone seen any effect on tics using a nasal steroid spray?

O Water makes a sports drink that tastes exactly like gatorade without all of the artificial colors, etc.

Can anyone recommend a doctor in the Houston area? My 9 year old daughter has both motor and vocal tics which began 1 1/2 yrs ago. We have been to a pediatric neurologist, but I'm interested in some type of environmental medicine approach. She has allergies to pollen, etc., and tics seem to be consistently worse at particular times of the year.