EEG questions & Tic worries | ADHD Information

Mariaven- Yes, stress (good and bad), fatigue, and excitement will often cause an increase in tics.

Susieb-  Unfortuantely, the media likes to focus on copralalia (Inapropriate words, but doesn't HAVE to be profanity.)  In reality, only a very small percentage of people with Tourette's have this.  I think the figure is like 8%-15%.  You do have to have at least one vocal tic (along with the 2 motor tics) to meet the criteria for Tourette's, but for most, the vocals are milder...sniffing, throat clearing, etc.

Cameronsmummy-  What a great choice of words.."Unmasked tics in him"  Years ago, people believed the stimulants "caused" the tics.  It is now known that they do not, but they can "unmask" or "bring them out" if the person was predispositioned to have tics.  If your son's tics are getting worse, you could try the Stattera alone, especially since the Ritalin alone wasn't very succesful.  Strattera may be enough to treat the ADHD?  Also, you could speak to your Doctor about adding Tenex or Clonidine (the two mildest medications used to treat TS) to help reduce the tics.  My DD takes Tenex (generic is Guanfacine) and has had great results.  A few mild side effects initially (tired & upset stomach), but everything subsided within 2-4 weeks.

MamaBear

My son has been on adhd meds since 8th may this year as they wont give them meds here under 6 years of age.I was asked to keep a diary of his behaviour and we found that the stimulants have unmasked tics in him..his main ones are eye rolling opening and shutting his mouth and a throat clearing vocal noise.Have started to nitice tics in his hands now and things he does with his feet.My ped didnt take him off stimulants he just comind them with strattera as we have had little sucess with the ritalin alone.My son is 6 will be 7 in may and tics are getting worse by the day

It sounds like you got a lot of advise. I will just throw in my two cents..

My son got an EEG (age 5) in Jun.  He went to be at normal time around 8 or 9pm and I woke him up at 3am. The appointment was at 8 am. I first gave him a bath (to wake him up) then we went downstairs (in a hotel) and played games, colored and talked it was really boaring and more hard on me than him.  He didn't fall asleep during the testing but he was really tired.  Everything came back normal (thank god). So its okay if they don't sleep as long as they are tired. Its a strange room and weird wires off your head.  They try to relax you as best as they can but it just didn't work for my kid. Of course he was out about 20 mins later in the car. Figures!

My son didn't have tics although that is what we called them. He only did it when he was excited. I was told he would grow out of it. Its been 6 months and it already seems like he doesn't do it as much as he used too.  Good Luck!

 

So, I don't know if to conclude, according to what you all say, that then the majority of tic issues in adhdrs are Tourettes???? I am starting to grow very confused bcause my son's neurologist told me that he didn't meet all the criteria for Tourettes as well as my husband's case. Probably the doc is wrong. According to what I read in this thread and some of the information mamabear offered in the link she gave I think that probably my son, my husband , and my father in law are mild cases of Tourette (undiagnosed). What scares me a little is that severerity of tics is not inherited, only the Tourettes factor, and probably at 6 years old is probably early to say if my son's tics are going to worsen (well, I don't know...??????)

When my son started with these tics I started to read alot (in the internet) about this and I was convinced that my son had Tourettes. In the appointment(with the previous doc) I was scared to mentioned it at first and the doctor didn't mentioned it at all (eventhough he saw his tics right in the appointment when my son was in a stressful situation). When I mentioned it the doc said that it was out of the question. But now I am starting to think that he is probably not well informed about Tourettes. I also mantioned it to this new doc, but he didn't gave it too much importance, he just told me about Strattera as the best option for his adhd and the good news he told me is that there is a new med that will probably be in the market next year that is also for adhd and doesn't alter tics. This is good if we have to think about another option of med in the future.

Sorry, I am just giving you my thoughts in all, I have nobody else to talk about this right here. Usually my family members say that there is nothing wrong with my child and that I am too obsessed. That is not true. My feet are on the ground and they can't understand this. At the end of the day, he is my son and I would give my life for him.

Thank you all so much for all of your advice.  This is such a scary time right now.  It seems that I can't think about anything else.  The saddest part is that his friends (the few he has) have started to notice that he is different and have started distancing themselves.  His closest friend has started hiding from him at recess.  My son is very sweet and naive and he thinks it is all a game.  It breaks my heart. 

I agreee that his tics get worse with stress.  Third grade has been a rough year for him and they are supposed to be much more responsible.  My son is clearly the kid with the messiest desk and locker.  I have tried going in on a Monday or Friday to help him get organized but his teacher wants him to handle it on his own.  Poor guy got invited to a birthday party but didn't know he was given an invitation until 4 weeks later when I found it in the bottom of his cubby.  He thought he wasn't invited.

We have tried Concerta & Adderall for him.  Both seem to work for a week or two and then stop.  We increase the dose and they work a week and stop.  We started Straterra but only made it two weeks (I know you are supposed to give it at least 4).  He was so weepy and completely out of it.  Worse than he has ever been.  We had to take him off of it.  So currently, he is med free.  His grades are sinking fast and he isn't getting anything done in class.  I am hoping the eeg will give us some more insight.

Thanks for listening!  Stacey

Stacey,

Does your son have a 504 or IEP?  His teacher saying she wants him to handle the organizational skills on his own, sounds obsurd to me.  ADHD kids NEED help with organizational skills...They need years of help and instruction to learn HOW to be organized.  My DD didn't qualify for an IEP or a 504 plan, but her principle still put some informal accommodations in place and told the teacher's she expected them to be followed.  Most pertained to help with organizational skills...Teacher checking assignment book daily for accuracy & signing.  Parents checking at night and signing off on it as well.  Teacher or a peer buddy making sure DD had all worksheets and books packed to go home that were needed for homework.  She did this because she knew how important it is to help/teach ADHD kids organizational skills, so that they too can succeed.

Marie,

I'm sorry.  I certainly didn't want to confuse you more.  I'm not a Doctor, so I can't Dx your son.  All I can do is tell you what the Diagnostic Manual says for TS.  There are other diseases/disorders that have tics for symptoms.  What I did was read up on all of those "other" things, realized my DD didn't have any of the other symptoms of any of the "other" things, and concluded it was probably TS.  Then I took her to her pediatrician, who said to me, "Well Mom, if you have access to the internet, I'm sure you've done some reading.  Is it looking like TS?"  I told him I felt it was, so he referred us to a Neurologist who confirmed her Dx.  Not all Neurologists specialize in TS, so I would find out how much experience your Doctor has.  Some specialize in Epilepsy, or other Neurological disorders.  I would suggest finding the official criteria from the DSM, printing it out and taking it to the Doctor and asking him, "OK, what criteria DOESN'T my child meet?" and then make him discuss it further with you.  Make him explain why he says it isn't.  Don't ever be afraid to ask questions, even with a Doctor! 

 I also want to point out that the good thing about TS is, there is usually no urgency in Dx'ing it.  It sounds like your husband is doing fine with his life and he was never Dx'd, how about your FIL?  If your son is doing OK, doesn't need medication or an IEP at school, you may not even want to get an offical Dx.  Here in the U.S. at least, it can pose some problems w/ private insurance companies, as well as life insurance, so check into that first!  If the tics are so bad they are causing him discomfort or interfering with his life and you do want to try medication, then you will have to get the Dx.

Also, you are correct, there is no way to predict how mild/severe your DS's tics will be in the future.  How they are now is no indicator of how they may be 10 yrs. from now.  Just stay calm, remember your DS is the same great kid he's always been, remember to enjoy each day, and remember that the statistics are on his side....Many, many kids have a great reduction in tics as they head into there mid-late teens and early twenties.

Best of Luck!

MamaBear39048.006087963

I am going through the same type thing with my 9 yr old son.  He started Medadate CD 10mg about a year ago.  It seemed to work really well for him- other than it wore off around 4pm.  No side effects & it seemed to be helping.  We took him off of it for 2 months during the summer since he was not in school.  During the first few weeks of school we decided to put him back on it.  (Same med. & dosage).  About a month ago we started noticing that he was blinking his eyes alot.  The past couple of weeks it’s gotten worse & has also started to do this thing were he will open his mouth & roll his eyes upward, looking to the right.