The Treatments that have Helped My Son

[Chemar]

bumping up for Mary and other interested newcomers

[Chemar]

bumping this up for mommy11 and other interested newcomers.

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bumping up for the person who contacted me

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bumping up for newcomers seeking info

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bumping up for "carolina"

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bumping up for our new members

[Jim B]

WOW,

 

I have found a place where people can understand what we are going through!

 

My son is 12 and has had Tics since he was around 6. It started with facial grimaces and hand twitches that seemed mild and it didn't interrupt his life. When he was around 7 his allergies were so bad, an allergist put him on allergy shots. We continued them for about a year and weened him off of them, His allergies seemed to be tolerable, so we never put him back on them.

 

Though his tics always seeemd to be worse in the spring when baseball season started, we thought it was stress related due to the competition.

 

We finally took him to a neurologist about two years ago and he was put on all of the typical anti-sych drugs. They were absolutely no help. He just gained a bunch of weight and was constantly depressed. The doctor finally told us he did not have Tourettes because the med's he prescribed didn't help! Idiot!

 

Since then, we have tried to identify what the triggers were. We have taken him off of dairy, sugar, bread and others. Each seemed to help the tics, but they always seemed to creep back in, almost as if the tics were finding a new reason to flare up.

 

This spring he did not play baseball for the first time since he was 4 and the tics came with an added vengence. I believe we may be dealing with allergies and have an appt with the same Allergist in two weeks and a different nuerologist in June.

 

He is in the 7th grade and the kids at school are teasing him beyond belief.

 

Has anyone seen help using the allergy shots with the tics. The tics were so mild back when he was on them that he may not have had them at all.

 

We feel so helpless.

 

All we want is for him to be as normal and happy as possible.

 

Jim

[Chemar]

Hi Jim and welcome

 

we have numerous members here who have seen dramatic improvement in the frequency and intensity of tics once allergies have been addressed.

 

Have you read the Tic Triggers article?

http://latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm

 

So sorry that your son is having to experience teasing etc as well...dealing with tics is hard enough!

My son has always been real proactive about confronting people who spitefully make fun of others, and has actually "educated" a lot of kids about tics and Tourettes and now even has some friends who used to once be very intolerant!!

Middle school really is hard as the maturity is still very lacking and also, for the kids who tic, those hormonal years really do seem to be the prime tic time.

 

If it is any consolation, my son's tics are now so mild as to be barely noticeable(he is 16 now) where once they were severe enough to impair his normal functioning.

 

Do also consider getting Sheila's excellent book as there is soooo much great information in it on natural treatments

http://www.latitudes.org/book.html

 

You will also find a wealth of information by reading through the many threads here on the forum as well as in the "read only" archives and of course on the main website.

 

we are so pleased you have found this haven too

[mich]

Looking for help...

My son is almost 12 and was diagnosed with TS around 6 years old. He has been on Clonidine for most of the last 6 years. His tics have come and gone over the years, but what we're dealing with right now is cheek biting. He's a wonderful, straight A student, has good friends, and is a really good kid...he doesn't get into trouble!!

 

The cheek biting has been pretty much constant for over a year and it's not going away. It brings him to the point of tears, but he NEVER complains. I see the pain in his eyes and want to help him. He was in a school play back in December and it broke my heart to see him on stage with his cheek up against his shoulder (this means the pain is bad). We tried mouth guards (SleepRight), work pretty good, but he eventually bites through them and they are expensive.

 

Any help or advice would really be appreciated. I'm losing sleep and want desperatly to see the sparkle back in my sons eyes.

 

Thank You!!

Mich

[Chemar]

Hi Mich

 

has your son also been diagnosed with OCD? My son had a similar cheek biting "tic" at one point and our psychiatrist explained that this was more an OCD induced tic that his others. It was likely related to my son having reduced serotonin levels and also needing endorphins. The pain resulting from this action stimulates natural endorphins which in turn brings a "feel good" sensation. it is a complex condition but once we understood and treated it, my son never had another OCD induced injurious tic. (and he had experienced a number of different ones before this)

 

there are supplements that can help with this, but it is not generally advisable to take them with medications.

In fact, my son's injurious tics became far worse when he was on prescription meds!

 

Perhaps you could talk to your doctor about this and see if it would be ok to give DL-phenylalanine to help. It is an amino acid. It MUST be the D-L form to be effective.

 

all the best to you

[mich]

Chemar,

 

Thank you so much for your reply. I was also in Braintalk this morning and couldn't find where I had made my posting...well, that's because it was actually posted here in latitudes!!

 

No, my son has not been diagnosed with OCD. He does not appear to have any other compulsions. When his tics started around 5 years old, it was eye twitching, jumping, clearing the throat. They were mild and the doctor said that he had a very mild case. He told me to not read too much on the internet because it can be frightening and my son didn't fit in to these extreme cases.

 

We've had to change insurance and the new neurologist said to continue the medicine and had blood work done, with everything coming back in the normal range. I don't want him to be on medication anymore, but I'm also afraid that if he stops taking them, things are going to get bad. Maybe I should at least wait until summer break from school so that we can see how it goes.

 

Thank you so much for listening. I'm going to make an appointment with his doctor to ask about the supplement you suggested (sorry, I don't have the message in front of me so I don't remember what it's called). Thanks again. Mich

[Chemar]

Mich

I would agree that it is best to wait until the summer if you want to try him off the meds, and also then remember that the dose should be titrated down gradually till he is off, so that you dont get withdrawal problems. Always best to work with your doctor when withdrawing meds

 

There are some very good over the counter oral antiseptics, and even dilute peroxide can speed oral healing.

 

As a point of interest, has he had any recent dental work or does he have orthodontics?Dental work has always been a major tic trigger for my son.

[Chemar]

bumping up for Simon

[Chemar]

bumping up for Jennifer

 

and also to recommend that anyone searching for info on natural ways to help with tics and Tourettes may want to consider getting Sheila Rogers' excellent new book on this subject. It is by far the most comprehensive resource on these treatments.

here is a link for more information on the book

http://www.latitudes.org/book.html

 

[Angela]

We believe that my nephew has tourettes. He's 15 and has never been tested and probably never will. His parents don't want him on medicine and don't want to believe there's anything WRONG. As long as they can "give" him vitamins (which they don't enforce) they think he will be fine. They've just recently figured it out as the tics have gotten worse. They've told him he has a med. condition and it will get worse. So, they're not trying to get him better. I feel bad for him. They've taken him out of school and plan on homeschooling this year, but it's alot left undone and unattended, and now I fear it's too late! I want to help b/c they will listen to me on occation. I want him to believe he is in control. Like with cancer. Sometimes when people find out they have it they go down hill, but if he believes there's something HE can control, I believe with encouragement that he can over come some of it. He says he can control it when he goes hunting and playing with his dogs. I want to encourage him as much as possible b/c he lacks that at home spiritually and emotionally. We've been praying for him and I was hoping that you might know where I could begin to help them while also praying. What vitamins are the best and should they consider allergy testing?