Anxiety runs our life......

[ilovedogs]

Wow, Cheri,

Thanks for the link. I remember reading it a long time ago-- you must have linked it before. I had forgotten the info it contained and really enjoyed the refresher. We started using Tryptophan again after the eye blinking fiasco this fall and found it to be a great symptom reliever. We originally tried it after our Dan doc suggested it as one of several options for reducing tics. We eventually went with GABA instead. I just want to note that tryptophan is known to suppress appetite and we did see some of that. We compensated by giving it after a very big breakfast and then offering our ds his favorite 'can't resist' foods for lunch, and feeding him dinner when he came home from school at 3 p.m.

Caryn

Caryn,

How's it going with the GABA instead of the tryptophan? I'm looking for supplements to help with tics as I don't think magnesium helps us much. I think B6 works a little, though.

[Caryn]

We did GABA last year and were told to use it at night before bed 6 days a week. Back then he was very symptomatic and the diet, etc.... was all new for him. I felt it was working to help him fall asleep at night and to cut down his anxiety.

I did a little research on GABA and it is basically a tranquilizer-- has nothing to do with seratonin levels.

We eventually phased it out when he started to fall asleep okay without it on the few nights I'd forget to give it.

Fast forward to the start of kindy this year. We saw a major tic episode after the teacher accidentally gave him three freeze pops on the first two days of school (for those not familiar, they contain corn and he has a major corn allergy). He blinked nonstop during waking hours for 7 days and didn't start to taper off until after 10 days. I began supplementing with tryptophan at that point because he had some serious anxiety what with the blinking and all the adjustments to school. (One night he asked me how long would he have to go to school all day every day. I told him it was going to last about 12 more years. He says to me, "Then what?" And I answer, then you go to college and you get to pick what classes you want and what days you want to go to school. So he says, well, I want to go to college right now!")

Anyway, the tryptophan raises seratonin levels and as a result lowers dopamine. For stress related ticcing I think the tryptophan is great. He has been so great to be around, mister congeniality. The ticcing has been gone now for a while but I am still supplementing the tryptophan each morning after breakfast.

[ilovedogs]

Caryn, How much tryptophan are you giving? I know your son is in K so I'm assuming it's not a high dosage? I'm trying to come up with a list of supplements to ask my naturopath about.

Thanks,

Bonnie