Omnicef

[ButterflyKisses]

I'm new and searching for information to help my 4 y.o. daughter who is having tics. Could someone please explain to me why Omnicef is prescribed as a treatment for PANDAS when it can cause tics? I looked into Omnicef's adverse reactions and saw Hyperkinesia (abnormal increase in muscular activity) occurs in <1% of pediatric patients....shouldn't this type of antibiotic be avoided in a population with tics or who have a predisposition for TS? My daughter took this medication a month before the onset of her tics could there be any connection?

 

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Hope

[peglem]

Omnicef gives my daughter tummy aches, so we don't use it. I can't, of course, give you any absolute answers, but, my opinion:

 

I think its unlikely that the omnicef was a direct cause of tics, because it would have been completely out of her system 4 weeks later. Also, I believe that hyperkinesia is not the same thing as tics. I think it means hyperactive, but I didn't look it up- so grain of salt that one.

 

How it may have caused tics, indirectly, is like any antibiotic, killing off good gut bacteria, which would encourage yeast overgrowth, which could cause tics.

 

Or, I don't know what she was taking the omnicef for, but infections can cause tic exacerbations...too many variables here to find a definite culprit, I think.

[michele]

We have been on omnicef for about eight months as a prophylaxis antibiotic for PANDAS. First we tried pen vk liquid 250 mg. It was a red liquid and made him more hyper. Then we tried it as a pill. After awhile it lost its effectiveness. Then we tried augmentin 250 mg. After awhile on it he had a return of symptoms. Finally we went on omnicef 250mg. It seemed to work best for the ocd, urination frequency and tics. He has recently had a slight increase in symptoms after exposure to strep and the stress of school changes. I would like to try Azith but have yet to find a local Dr. who would prescribe it long term. I would think your ds tics came on from the infection and not from the meds. Did she have a fever? My sons symptoms began after a high fever and strep infection. It is very hard to pinpoint what causes tics. Could she have a genetic pedisposition to tics? Looking back now my husbands family had several who have had movement disorders of some sort. It must have been the combination of shots, high fevers and strep that brought it out in my son.

 

Michele

 

I'm new and searching for information to help my 4 y.o. daughter who is having tics. Could someone please explain to me why Omnicef is prescribed as a treatment for PANDAS when it can cause tics? I looked into Omnicef's adverse reactions and saw Hyperkinesia (abnormal increase in muscular activity) occurs in <1% of pediatric patients....shouldn't this type of antibiotic be avoided in a population with tics or who have a predisposition for TS? My daughter took this medication a month before the onset of her tics could there be any connection?

 

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Hope

[ButterflyKisses]

Thank you for your responses to my question. At the beginning of June my daughter had the flu followed by the next week of strep throat. She was treated with Omnicef and this is where my concerns about this medication began. After her first dose she had white stool which terrified me. I immediately called the on call doctor who believed this was due to a lack of bile from throwing up 2 days before. He told me to wait and see if she is back to normal in a day or two. It did get better...thankfully. When I spoke to her pediatrician about this, she told me it would be best to avoid this medication in the future not really knowing if it was a reaction to the medication or simply from lack of bile.

 

Then over the month of June we noticed every now and then my daughter was smelling her fingers and we didn't think anything of it as it was probably just a funny little thing kids do. Life changed after the 4th of July, where my daughter began smelling her fingers up to 4 times a minute and my husband and I began to get worried. My husband has mild TS (never used treatments) so we always knew it could be passed on to our children, but nothing could have prepared me for seeing my little sweetheart displaying tics. I began nonstop research on how to help my daughter, bought Sheila Rogers book, and have been reading the archives from this website (what a lifesaver). Our pediatrician said to wait and see if the tics pass, but I couldn't just sit back and watch.

 

We've been an GF/DF diet with no preservatives/ food colorings for one month and the results have been amazing. Her tics went from atleast 4 times a minutes to one tic every 5 minutes...wow, that is a significant difference! We're sticking with this diet! Now, I'm going to add a multiviatmin and possibly other supplements one by one to gauge the difference.

 

So, back to my original comments about Omnicef...my real concern is should I avoid giving this medication to my other younger children if it could have been a part of the problem in the onset of my oldest daughter's tics? I agree that there are many variables here: my husband with TS, strep, fireworks with the 4th of July, clorine in our pool...I just want to find the trigger as prevention for my other children (if this is even possible). I know I probably won't find the answer, but I'm sure you all can relate to having the feeling of wanting answers.

 

My last questions, do you think I should also pursue a PANDAS diagnosis? She has another case of strep this week! Could my husband have PANDAS instead of TS? He had several episodes of strep as a child. Lastly, what are your thoughts on Celiac Disease and tics? Because in my research I found that a white stool is a symptom of Celiac...should I look into this too?

 

Sorry for being long in my response...I'd love any feedback in my pursuit to finding answers.

 

Thanks.

Hope

[peglem]

I think I'd avoid the omnicef. There are plenty of other antibiotics you can use. I'd also look into celiacs. PANDAS tends to be difficult to get doctors to look at, but if you think the strep is a factor in the tics, I'd persue that as well. Both the celiacs and PANDAS would be immune system issues, so could be related.