5 year old son with tics, don't know what to do

[michiganmom]

Hi all,

 

My son's tics began at 2 1/2 with eye blinking and have progressed to several different vocal tics. He saw a neurologist when we first noticed the tics. The doctor said it would go away, they haven't. Maybe for a short time but always comes back with a new tic. We just had blood work done, in hopes to find what could be triggering these tics, but everything came back normal.

 

Now I'm not sure what to do since I was kind of expecting an allergy to something. I can't seem to pin point a trigger(s). Sometimes he tics more when tired, in a car, watching a movie, eating or reading a book, but they also happen during other activites and throughout the day.

 

I was trying to figure out what types of suppliments to put him on or thought about a gluten free diet, but he doesn't have an allergy to it.

 

Any advice??

[Chemar]

Hi

 

do you have any family history of tics or Tourette Syndrome?

 

can you remember if he had been ill prior to when the tics began? any history of strep infections? any vaccinations just prior to the tics?

 

when you had the bloodwork done, was it only to check for allergies, or did they also test other things?

 

many of us have found magnesium to be very helpful in calming tics. a lot of the parents use the Natural Calm or Kids Calm magnesium powder that gets mixed into a drink

 

also soaking in a warm tub of magnesium sulfate (epsom salts) can be helpful. 2 cups epsom salts in a tub of warm water and soak for 20 minutes before bed

 

even tho he didnt show any food allergies, it can be helpful to clean out as much chemical/artificial food additives as possible too

 

hope you find the answers you need to start effective treatment

[michiganmom]

The doctor checked mainly for allergies but also looked at his Iga levels, which came back normal.

 

My brother and brother in law seem to have a tic, but nothing like what my son has.

 

He did have strep awhile back...I'm trying to remember if it was before the on-set of the tics. I've read a bit about PANDAS......

 

I have tried epsom salt and that didn't seem to work, but will try the Natural Calm.

 

I'm a pretty healthy eater and don't really buy things with artifical additives. Every so often he'll eat something at a party, with grandparents or if we are out and about with additivies....can the additives stick around in your system? Do they need to be flushed out somehow?

[Chemar]

Hi

yes the additives can stick around a while. we have noticed that even a little deviation from a pure diet can cause quite an upswing in tics for my son. he has also been diagnosed with MCS=multiple chemical sensitivity so he reacts to them in foods as well as the environment (eg perfumes, cleaning solutions, chlorine, pesticides etc)

 

if you son has had strep it really would be wise to consider having further investigation re possible PANDAS

 

not every child who has a strep infection is going to have PANDAS, but for many with either genetic or other susceptibilities, it is a very real possible cause of tics and other neurological stuff, especially if you are also noting volatile moods/behavior

 

we have a separate PANDAS forum here too http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=17

 

I have a link in my signature on what we did to help my son

[michiganmom]

Thank you so much for your help, by the way, but I guess I'm a bit confused about PANDAS. The bit of searching on the PANDAS forum I did really didn't answer my questions....unless I didn't look hard enough.

 

What does it matter if he has PANDAS? Is it treatable? Would the tics go away for good? Is the treatment for tics brought on by PANDAS different then what people do for tics brought on by allergies?

 

My son's doctor said that if he had done the bloodwork for PANDAS it wouldn't have said much other than my son had a strep infection. I got the feeling he wasn't sure about the whole PANDAS thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Chemar]

Hi

 

yes untreated PANDAS can be very serious, depending on the severity of the symptoms etc

 

 

The strep causes inflammation in the basal ganglia of the brain, amongst other things and some kids can have very extreme symptoms from that. It is treatable, initially usually antibiotics and sometimes also IVIG or PEX

 

most conventional Doctors know virtually nothing about PANDAS and those that do know a little, often discount it.

 

I would suggest you copy your last post here over onto the PANDAS forum for input from parents there

 

here is a good site to learn more about PANDAS

http://www.pandasnetwork.org