ADD medication

[guy123]

Does anyone have any experience with ADD or ADHD medication being given to someone with tics?

 

Please discuss the medication that was used, whether it was used for ADD or ADHD, and if it had any effect on tics. If it exacerbated them, did they return to normal when the medication was discontinued.

 

Thanks.

[Chemar]

The stimulant meds rx for ADHD are known to trigger tics in some people even those who have no prior history of tics

[ilovedogs]

I have a friend who put her son on strattera and he developed a tic disorder. She took him off the meds but the tics stayed around. That was about 1 year ago, so I don't know if the tics will stop or not but I do know that ADD meds can exacerbate or trigger tics.

[Chemar]

my son's friend had the same problem with Ritalin

 

he had no tics prior. was put on ritalin for adhd in elementary school and developed eye scrunching tic

 

last time we saw him was in high school a few years ago and he still had the eye tic even tho he apparently stopped the ritalin a while back. no family history of tics or TS

 

before my son was dx with TS, he had problems with his ADD and the school tried to bully us into ritalin use

 

thankfully we had scheduled additional educational testing to get his IEP and the savvy ed psych suspected TS and strongly advised us to stay away from ritalin

 

a few months later we had the TS dx

[guy123]

The stimulant meds rx for ADHD are known to trigger tics in some people even those who have no prior history of tics

 

I wonder if these people were like just on the borderline of having tics and the meds pushed them over the threshold (dopamine modulation?).

 

Hmm.

 

Alright, I was interested in Ritalin or Adderall but after reading these replies, sounds like I might want to avoid them since they might (permanently) make things worse.

[Chemar]

I have knowledge of 3 different situations where use of adderall for adhd triggered bipolar disorder

 

there are also some alarming studies related to ritalin and cardiac problems apart from the other warnings

 

they now carry FDA "black box" warnings

http://newideas.net/adhd/medication/FDA-warnings

[flower]

I took Wellbutrin the other week (more for anxiety/depression) and boy, did it exasperate the tics!!!! I've never ticced (all vocal) that much .. EVER!! I was ticcing all day, non stop, continuous and loud. Thank goodness i did not get fired! I would not have been surprised if they did.

 

I spoke to my doc and he said "possible" (because it is an activator - activates the brain vs sedating it) so got off it immediately. Whew... I got so upset and depressed because it was so bad. Went back to normal in 1.5 day. (normal - lots of tics but not THAT bad.)

[guy123]

I took Wellbutrin the other week (more for anxiety/depression) and boy, did it exasperate the tics!!!! I've never ticced (all vocal) that much .. EVER!! I was ticcing all day, non stop, continuous and loud. Thank goodness i did not get fired! I would not have been surprised if they did.

 

I spoke to my doc and he said "possible" (because it is an activator - activates the brain vs sedating it) so got off it immediately. Whew... I got so upset and depressed because it was so bad. Went back to normal in 1.5 day. (normal - lots of tics but not THAT bad.)

 

I've read a lot of reports of Wellbutrin causing/exacerbating tics. Is it used for ADD/ADHD a lot? I've only heard of it being used for anxiety and depression and stuff.

 

I can understand why it may exacerbate tics because, among other things, it's a dopamine reuptake inhibitor (so there's more dopamine floating around in your brain for longer periods of time). Increasing dopamine is commonly thought to increase tics (which is why cocaine exacerbates them, and neuroleptics tend to reduce them).

[mom2ck]

My son was already ticcing before starting any adhd medicine. We tried focalin xr and his tics worsened. We then tried straterra because his ped. said it was the only med. for adhd that wasnt suppose to make tics worse. I can say they didnt really worsen, but didn't get better either.

[faith]

My son was already ticcing before starting any adhd medicine. We tried focalin xr and his tics worsened. We then tried straterra because his ped. said it was the only med. for adhd that wasnt suppose to make tics worse. I can say they didnt really worsen, but didn't get better either.

 

 

Did it help with the ADD? focus/attention/getting things done? are you still giving that? or no?

 

We struggle with alot of attention/time management problems here. not clear if it is a separate thing or due to tics and ocd. (we've not used any meds at all.)

 

thanks.

[guy123]

Did it help with the ADD? focus/attention/getting things done? are you still giving that? or no?

 

That's what I'm curious about. I feel like I'm getting adult-onset ADD (is that even a real thing?). I'd like something to supercharge my performance every once in a while but not if it's going to worsen my tic.