Is this OCD? Need Advice

[JosyJoy]

Hi,

 

My son always has strong urge to touch things, see things that are curious to him, and so he needs to put down him work, and runs to the objects which he wants to explore. Is this OCD? He has Tourette. Once he learns a silly or funny words, he will keep using it without getting tired about it. Is this OCD too? I found out from this forum learning the Inositol can help OCD and stablize the Serotonin. However, he is very high on Serotonin, Glutamate, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Epinephrine, and above normal on Histamine. He has been having these symptoms for many years, and his diet and supplement cannot help him about this. He cannot take fish oil and plain magnesium (except multivitamin with magnesium included). He is constantly taking multivitamin, probiotic and taurine.

 

Thank you! Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

 

 

[MomWithOCDSon]

Yes, it sounds as though it might be an OCD behavior. If he's high on serotonin, then you don't want to use inositol or an SSRI. But if he's high in glutamate and histamine, you could try some supplements to modulate those levels, which we've found to be helpful in curbing OCD and some of the anxiety behind OCD behaviors. N-acetylceistein (NAC) helps modulate glutamate, and quercitin is a natural antihistamine that prevents histamine production at the T-cell level. We also use a regular old, over-the-counter- H1 inhibitor (Pepcid), which has done truly wonderful things for our DS.

 

And finally, not to sound like one of those people who thinks every case of Tourette's or OCD is actually mis-diagnosed PANDAS/PANS, but have you ruled out underlying infection and/or an autoimmune reaction to an underlying infection as a root cause behind your DS's condition(s)? I only ask because, if infection or autoimmune ARE at the root of his issues, then all the supplements and/or medicines may do is help manage things or reduce them. But if you can get to the root, you may be able to eliminate many, if not all, of the issues, over time.

 

Good luck!

[Sheila]

Hi JosyJoy, I just posted a note to you in the Tourettes forum, where you had started a thread. It is related to food allergy and other allergens, and how they can cross react. Not sure if you will find that a match for your son. http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=19978

 

We do know from reports we receive that OCD behaviors can be triggered by foods and allergens, though of course there can be other factors playing a role, as Nancy has pointed out. Hope you will keep us posted on how things work out for you and your son. Sheila

[JosyJoy]

Thank you so much Nancy and Sheila.

 

I have 2 questions for both of you.

 

(1) For Nancy: My son is taking a multivitamin supplement which included 50mg inositol. Since he is so high on Serotonin. Is it okay for him to have the supplement?

 

(2) For Sheila: If my son does have allergy, then will the NAET eliminate those inhalant allergens as well as food sensitive? If so, will his tics, ocd and hyperactive be eliminiated as well because of elimininating the inhalant allergens and food sensitive?

 

Thank you very much for both of you for the very useful information which my nutrition doctors never told me about that before.

[Sheila]

Hi -- again, have a related comment under your Tourettes forum thread.

 

NAET is difficult for me to respond on. Some people find it helpful and some reputable practitioners endorse energy medicine like NAET and similar approaches; other families report it was not useful. It may depend both on the the individual health circumstances and the person doing the testing.(If NAET treatments were going to clear the food allergies, shouldn't your son be able to tolerate the foods better and not need the strict elimination diet? Or did you just use it for identifying troublesome foods?)

 

I can say that OCD, tics and hyperactivity can all be affected by foods, allergens, and chemical exposures. I personally would explore more traditional testing for inhalants (as mentioned in Tourette forum). Not sure if that is feasible for you.

 

It's not possible to predict whether managing allergies will completely eliminate symptoms, but it should help. If there is an unidentified exposure or infection that is creating an underlying immune hypersensitivity, it could be difficult to completely heal until those factors are under control.

 

These are just general comments, naturally can't be sure about your particular situation. You son sounds like a real trooper though, having cooperated with your efforts -- and fortunately finding some success. Sheila

[JosyJoy]

Thank you very much Sheila. I will definitely look into the Modified Quantitative Testing and schedule an appointment for my son.

 

As you mentioned, "If there is an unidentified exposure or infection that is creating an underlying immune hypersensitivity, it could be difficult to completely heal until those factors are under control." I was not sure if he really got an infection. As I remember when he was 5 months old, he got some kinds of virus causing him to have fever. When he was about 2 years old, he got cold, then fever, then ear infection (but not sure, subtitue doctor said it), then had knees problem (not sure why) causing him not able to walk like having pain. He also took antibiotics first then was admitted to the hospital, and had MRI done in hospital because of the knees problem. Once a while in a year, he caught cold and got fever. As I remember, he never took any antibiotics after ages of 2. Were these infection? If so, it has been long time, and suppose to clear off. Do you mean there are still some bad bacterial in his body? He was tested for food sensitive at ages of 7, the nutrition doctor told me he had Candida because of the number of food sensitive that shown. The infection you mention, does it related to Candida, or the illness he had had before?

 

Thank you for telling me that the disorders can be affected by food, allergens and chemical exposures. Because I have been focusing the food and supplement alot neglecting the allergens and chemical exposures.

[Sheila]

Good luck with looking into allergens and chemical exposures. Am not sure if you have seen this article on triggers on our site. It is expanded in our book (the book is featured on the website where those worksheets are provided); the article gives you a quick start. http://latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm

 

The comment about infection was just a general one, am not implying that one exists. It's good he hasn't been on a lot of antibiotics.

 

For sure it could be a good idea to look into candida, especially since this was mentioned to you already. Many with tics report a reaction to sugary and yeasty foods, and this is sometimes connected with candida.

[MomWithOCDSon]

I don't know that the 50 mg. of inositol in his multivitamin is enough to make a difference, but you might see if you can find another supplement that has all the same ingredients except for the inositol, and see if his behavior improves at all. If he's high in serotonin naturally, then I suppose it's possible that the 50 mg. of inositol could be "activating" him, i.e., increasing anxious behaviors.

[JosyJoy]

Okay, thank you!