tics/not smoking

[Guest buddy]

Hi , have any adults (obviously ) quit smoking and noticed if their tics got any worse? I have been reading on this website (which is the best thing that could of happened to me,besides getting rid of these darn tics ) and I have read about allergies, vitamins etc. but I can't help wondering if my tics got worse when I quit smoking about a year ago. I am a nervous person in general, and when most people quit smoking they develop habits like drumming fingers, chewing gum, twirling their hair etc. well I started doing all that but I think my tics got worse. For example, before I would have vocal tics, like sniffing etc, and rapid eye blinking and tensing my stomach etc , now I am more aware every minute of the day that I am doing more things. Now I tense my face which must look odd, I am constantly frowning ( I need botox now, ) I grind my teeth, I just tense everything up and it makes feel achy all the time. Even when I feel like someone is looking at me I try to control my tics, but sometimes that makes it worse. Even when I am in bed I do the tensing/ breathing thing and it feels like there is an earthquake and the bed shakes, this actually gets worse if I am thinking about stressful things/finances etc. Anyway, I am going to start the vitamin regime that Cheri / chemar suggested , so I am hoping that that will at least calm me down a bit......thanks for listening.

[Guest mommy2111]

I actually read a book not very long ago, of a man who had tics/OCD his whole childhood, until college, when he began smoking...Never had a tic again. I found that interesting and makes me believe that smoking can effect ticcing. However, being a mom of a son with tourettes, I wouldn't want to encourage smoking to stop tics

[Guest Guest_B_N123]

so you hate it wen people just sit n stare!

i hate it,,,it gets me down so much

i actually dread getting on the train i really do

at home every1 fine, no1 says anything bt i think i prefer them 2 say something than just stare

it really hurts , i dont know if anyone feels the same but its horrible (

[Chemar]

Hi

just a quick post from me as we are under a new hurricane warning....

 

the Tourette Syndrome Association is funding research on the observations that nicotine and THC seem to reduce tics.

 

Some people use nicotine patches to help with tics.

 

I would never want to encourage anyone to smoke as the inhaling of the smoke does so much harm. But if you do smoke and want to quit, yet have noticed that nicotine calms your tics...maybe consider nicotine patch.

 

Guest_B_N123 I know EXACTLY what you mean about the pain of having people stare when you tic.......I dont have TS, but my 15yo son does and I know how it hurts him.

But, you just have to remember that you are very special and unique and blessed with many talents and abilities........use them to the fullest and you will find ways to overcome the hurts because you will be happy and fulfilled.

 

[Guest mommy2111]

so you hate it wen people just sit n stare!

i hate it,,,it gets me down so much

i actually dread getting on the train i really do

at home every1 fine, no1 says anything bt i think i prefer them 2 say something than just stare

it really hurts , i dont know if anyone feels the same but its horrible (

My son has tourettes. It does hurt when people stare. I just want to grab my son and hold him tight and protect him from any pain that can be caused to him. I am sorry that you experience this. Please know that there are some people out there that do understand why you are ticcing. I have also met quite a few people with tourettes all who are wonderful, writers, doctors, artists. My son is the most gentle soul I know. Your tics or tourettes are just one small part of you that make you unique and compassionate. Hang in there.

[Guest Guest]

I have read that nicotine helps with tics. I don not know why though. I just met a young man in college that has TS and said that smoking helps his tics...

[Eric_LordTwitchAlot]

I got ripped off-

 

I nearly chained smoked for 10 years--

 

little did I know I was keeping the majority of my tics down by smoking...

 

PLUS!!--it also treated my ADHD--and calmed my OCD tendencies....

 

well, it is certainly a logical theory---

 

1. when I finally quit smoking---I had to re-learn how to deal with stress----

 

2.plus--I was nolonger was treating the hyperactivity(ADHD) I had--so, when the hyperactivity fired up--soo, did my tics naturally!

 

3. smoking was the way I treated my stress also of course....

 

soooooo, little did I know.... that smoking was self-medicating alot of the TS/ADHD/OCD

 

whose to say--I may have saved myself some trouble smoking all those years(of course It caused alot of other problems)--

 

but---I had to test this theory!! I have been cigarrete free for 1-1/2 year---however--I wanted to see if I was right--

 

sure enough---(not a moment of weakness) I took 4 drags (of course now that I did not have a ten year tolerance, nicotine effected me a lot more effenciently) off my friends cigarrete--

 

I was almost tic free for an hour or sooooo---within that time I must have sighed 367 times---again, when I had a HUGE tolerance I was probally getting 15-20% desirable effects for my tics---but--this time of course I got to see how much it worked---without a tolerance-sooooo, it was a better representation of what it does---

 

my hyperactivity went away, and my tics really calmed down---of course(Curse the irony--lol!!)

 

again, I truely believe --combined with the natural progession of my TS---(which was well on it's way ---well before I quit smoking) and quiting smoking---contributed to the intensity it is now today---

 

SIGH, I have not/nor will I every smoke again---it was almost as horrific of an experience as my disorders(lol!!) to quit----but---I just lost my girlfriend, my mother was on her 3rd bout of cancer(it was also mother's day and her birthday that week), I lost my job(due to TS interfering) and had to drop out of college(due to my TS being soo bad)

 

so, I thought what better time to "take it to the hilt"(which I did mostly for my mother's birthday/mother's day gift)--and quit a drug harder to quit than most streetdrugs--in the middle of very unpleasent times(after all I wanted to add insult to injury--lol)--ha ha---man---if I with TS,ADHD,OCD can quit---ANYONE can!!!--man---my friends all know they have no excuses around me--about them not being able to quit, or "its not the right time" thing.... well, I did it at a time I needed to the most( the worst time)---ha ha---anyway---IT will be the one of the most/or the most hard things you(I) ever had to do--and not a single second of it was easy to deal with--and--still is hard to deal with--

 

anyway--what a darn shame--my doctor even asked --if I would consider smoking again---to help with the tics---I said--I consider it everyday, but I wont------good for me my TS---tends to teach on lots of willpower--lol---sure quiting was pure trama--but--I had 100000 tics a day to distract me--

 

anyway---TO answer the question--IN my non-professional expert opinion---smoking does help!!--to bad--it kills you......ha ha ha--going back to it would be like going back to a abusive relationship---that you think is heathy for you..... ha ha --

 

Eric-

[Guest buddy]

Hey Eric..... I love your attitude !!!! You have been through alot and still you come through it laughing... I guess it's true : when life sends you lemons....make lemonade I really admire your honesty and your confidence. You see, I am a closet ticcer I pretend that I don't do the things I do, even though you would have to be blind not to notice, and I think that people just don't know what to say....which is fine with me because I am in denial But reading your note put a on my face...thankyou.

[Guest Jeff]

Buddy, When you quit smoking, did you happen to start eating more of anything with artificial colors and/or flavors? Like chewing more gum, eating more colored candy, etc? In my family, those additives definitely affect our tics.

Just a thought... Jeff

[Guest buddy]

Hi Jeff,

I did start chewing more gum but not so much candy as I've never really had a sweet tooth. Saying that though, I did start eating more savoury snacks which of course are probably loaded with artificial stuff. You know what I find amazing though? That there isn't more public "knowledge" on tics etc. I honestly wasn't aware that sooo many people suffered from this until I discovered this site a couple of weeks ago. I wish they would make an amazing miraculous cure for tics/TS. Maybe they think we can just learn to live with it and accept it, which ultimately we have to do but I don't think they realise how it affects us mentally, physically and emotionally.... anyway, I am expecting my vitamins today via UPS and I am going to try what chemar recommended. I found a great vitamin/mineral company called Puritan's Pride ,which sell for up to 70%off. ( am I allowed to "advertise" on here?....oops ) So, I will try that and hopefully diminish some of the tics.....

Buddy.

[Guest buddy]

Jeff, I forgot to ask.... does your whole family have tics? And if so, are some alot worse than others?

Buddy

[Guest Jeff]

Buddy, My 2 daughters and I do, my wife does not. The only other family member that I know of is my nephew, who was diagnosed with TS. When they diagnosed him, the light went off for me (at age 40) - that's what I've had all my life!! My daughters and I have never been diagnosed. They each started to tic at about age 6-7. We were heart-broken to see my oldest going through it and not knowing what we could do to help. We were fortunate enough to hear about the Feingold program, which eliminates artificial colors, flavors, and some preservatives from the diet. It was developed primarily to control ADD and ADHD, but is also effective for tics. Once we began on that, we saw immediate results, and we've been on it ever since (about 5 years now). Our tics are not an issue any more as long as we stay "clean". When we cheat too much, the tics return, so there is a definite relationship there.

Basically, we read labels and stay away from anything like "Red 40", Yellow 5, etc. The preservatives we avoid are BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. We also avoid "artificial flavors" including "vanillin". The Feingold program provides a catalog of thousands of products that they have researched and deemed "safe" for us to eat. That's extremely helpful.

Well, I could go on forever about this. Suffice it to say that this has made a huge difference in our tic'ing. It's not always easy to avoid these things, and we make a lot of sacrifices, but it's worth it for us.

If you want any more info, I'm happy to share.

Jeff

[Guest buddy]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the info. Where can i get the catalog from? It sounds like it might have a positive effect.Also, do you and your daughters take any vitamins?Buddy.

[Claire]

Buddy,

 

Please do publish the link for Puritan's supply--we all spend a lot of $$ on vitamins.

 

I was calling NEEDS, and they were 25% off and I was impressed. I would like to compare prices.

 

Thanks,

Claire

[Guest Jeff]

Buddy, Check out Feingold.org for more info. If you want to become a "member", and therefore benefit from their Food Guide, Internet Bulletin Board (which is extremely active and helpful), and regular newsletters (product updates, articles, etc), then you'll have to pay an initial membership fee of ~$70.00. After that, annual renewal is about $40. They have to charge something in order to do all their research, etc.

 

We don't do any vitamins right now, but we should....

 

Jeff