Puberty

[MLee]

Does puberty help tics lessen?

[Conanjaguar]

@MLee

Unfortunately, no. I speak from experience...

[Chemar]

Welcome to the forum @Conanjaguar

I agree that our experience with my son was that his tics were at their worst in the period just pre and during puberty.

General consensus also seems to agree with this, and it seems it may be related to increased dopamine

[Conanjaguar]

On 7/27/2022 at 3:26 PM, Chemar said:

Welcome to the forum @Conanjaguar

I agree that our experience with my son was that his tics were at their worst in the period just pre and during puberty.

General consensus also seems to agree with this, and it seems it may be related to increased dopamine

I am by no means a biochemist or doctor. Could you elaborate a bit, or attach a more detailed study?

[Chemar]

The Dopamine connection in TS tics has been known for a long time - I am heading out so not time to post more now - but if you do an internet search for dopamine and Tourette tics, you will find many research reports, articles etc

Dopamine levels increase during puberty.

[Conanjaguar]

On 7/30/2022 at 9:43 AM, Chemar said:

The Dopamine connection in TS tics has been known for a long time - I am heading out so not time to post more now - but if you do an internet search for dopamine and Tourette tics, you will find many research reports, articles etc

Dopamine levels increase during puberty.

Ah, yes. I see.

Thanks, I will do some research on the subject.

[MLee]

And then do people see that it settles more after puberty is over?

[MLee]

Chemar did the supplements help during puberty?

[Katreya]

Actually that's interesting as intense games (like first person shooter) also mess with those same hormones - cortisol while playing, then the dopamine release after when they win or succeed. It's like playing yo-yo with their minds. Our son started at 10 - he's potentially a little early on the puberty scale (a few thickened hairs growing, that sort of thing), so that aligns too... 

I would mention getting vitamins/supplements from bone broths and their natural sources will far outweigh store-bought supplements! Some supplements have gone through things like formaldehyde to become the vitamins we eat, and they're so far stripped of their other proteins that the body doesn't always do much/absorb them. Whole organic foods where possible... friggin' hard in this day and age though, I know.

[Conanjaguar]

3 hours ago, Katreya said:

Actually that's interesting as intense games (like first person shooter) also mess with those same hormones - cortisol while playing, then the dopamine release after when they win or succeed. It's like playing yo-yo with their minds.

Now THAT is interesting. I don’t care much for shooters these days, and I have noticed a reduction in the frequency of tics.

[Katreya]

Yes, and for us, those pathways are also affected by excitotoxins (the worst for us was MSG) -- have a quick gander at some of the obvious foods you might eat, like noodles, chicken-flavoured potato chips, soups (anything beef/chicken/veggie flavour) it literally has like 50+ alternative names to hide it:

 

• Flavour enhancer 621,
• monosodium salt,
• monohydrate,
• monosodium glutamate,
• monosodium glutamate monohydrate,
• monosodium L-glutamate monohydrate,
• MSG monohydrate,
• sodium glutamate monohydrate,
• UNII-W81N5U6R6U,
• L-Glutamic acid,
• glutamic acid,
• monosodium salt, and
• monohydrate.

and if you think it could be a cause, check out the actual only scientific article that comes up on Google (after the 20:1 saying MSG is 'totally fine and safe').

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5938543