so my sons teacher called today to tell me that ds is getting sick. she said he kept sniffing all day and she was giving him tissues but it didnt seem to help. well i am pretty sure he has a sniffing tic. i have noticed it since he has been on meds. he also did it a few months before meds but not very much. everyday though. since he started meds it has been way more. almost all day. then some days he barely does it. when he switched from concerta to vyvanse it slowed way down for the 1st 2 weeks. we acually thought it was going to stop. well the last 3 days he has done it alot. so no sign of it letting up. i really would hate to take him off of this med for sniffing. it works very good for him. the teacher has seen no signs of hyperness and has no problem getting him to stay on task. its almost like a dream. she did say he seems kind of nervous or anxious at times and wondered if its from his meds and just wanted to let me know about it. i have noticed that sometimes he does seem shy or nervous. i do have to add that he hasnt been in school since last oct. we had to pull him from kindergarten for the teacher and schools reaction to his behavoir and adhd. long story. so i think he needs a little bit of time to get used to being back in school and being around all these other kids. it has been almost a year for him. once in awhile when we are out somewhere he will kind of act like that, but i wouldnt necessarily say its a problem yet or if it will become one. also she seems to have a problem with him asking to do things like switching activities or getting up to get a drink. she says she has told him its ok to do these things and yet he still asks if he can. i honestly think its way better for him to ask than to get into trouble for doing something he is not allowed to do. or just getting into everything and not asking for anything. i dont understand why this is such a big deal to her but she has brought it up the 3 times i have talked to her about him. she says he seems unsure of himself but i see it as getting used to being back in school. she said she hasnt noticed the sniffing until today which is good b/c i notice it everyday and its really getting to me. but she says if its a tic then when am i going to do something about it. is there any options other than switching him off of vyvanse?? im worried we wont have any luck with any of the other meds. concerta and adderall werent helping at all and too many side effects. ppl that use tenex does that help with tics or is this just used by itself? anything to help with anxiety besides and antidepressant? i would rather him not take those. i honestly dont want to put him on other meds to deal with side effects from this med but i just hate to switch him when its working good. please help us! and thank u for taking time to read this!
kim
The decision to start our son on meds was pretty difficult because he already showed simple tics. The Dr wanted to be cautious and put him on Strattera; it was a miracle for the tics, but it was a nightmare for his temper; after waiting several weeks we found that it was not helping in managing his adhd symptoms so the Dr. decided to try Concerta. Concerta does manage his adhd symptoms pretty well, but the tics came back; now, the Dr. told us that if the tics weren't too obvious or nothing that would interfere with an adequate performance, it wouldn't be too much of a problem. My son has been on Concerta for almost two years and simple tics come and go. I always worry, but I am putting the weight on the balance and I really see that it is helping him manage school a lot. I just pray that his tics won't become a major problem later on. Currently we are on a meds break, and his tics stopped completely; his most usual one is making a noise with his throat; upping his shoulders is another one.
I know I am not beingof any help here; but I just wanted to give you my support.
Mariaven39688.6974074074Hi. My son is now 15 and has both generalized anxiety and ADHD (primary innattentive), plus he tests gifted. Over the years he has had sporadic mild tics. He is on a combo of Zoloft/Concerta/Guanfacine (generic Tenex). What I've learned from my experiences over the years is: 1. tics are worsened by anxiety 2. tics are sometimes "unmasked" by stimulant medications, and 3. Tics oftentimes work themselves out if you are patient and wait them out a little. You might talk to your son's doctor who prescribed the stimulant to see if you can add a small dose of Tenex. From what our doctor told us (and I found to work in our case), tenex acts to augment the ADHD meds and help with impulsivity and tics. Your son definately sounds like he has some anxiety similar to my son's back at that age. In my son's case........ the anxiety was a bigger problem than the adhd symptoms, and the anxiety peaked about 4th grade. At this point, the pressure was so great on him, the anxiety was taking the form of anger, a lot of crying, oversensitivity, agitation, stomach problems, extreme self criticisim, etc. Once we started the Zoloft....it helped tremendously. I'm not saying you need to start an antidepressant.........just realize that the anxiety is separate from the ADHD, and must be treated separately. Anxiety sometimes responds well to CBT....cognitive behavioral therapy. A lot of ADHD kids have anxiety...... and it's hard to sometimes figure out if its the struggles over the ADHD symptoms CAUSING the anxiety, or if the anxiety was already present. In our case.......my son was definately hardwired for anxiety at birth I feel, but the ADHD struggles definately amplify the anxiety. And if your son is gifted and very intelligent, the ADHD struggles ramp up the anxiety even more because the child has the cognitive skills to do just about anything, but their executive function deficits hold them back academically. Its a vicious cycle.thank u for the advice. he has always been pretty outspoken and def not ever shy, not quiet, and of course has to be the center of attention. with this med he has gotten pretty quiet. sometimes he is like that at home but not everyday. i feel like when ppl put all the attention on him he kinda backs away a little or gets shy. he does cry more now but its not everyday. he has always had a problem expressing himself or telling ppl what he is thinking b/c he has some sort of problem with that. i cant remember what its called. its when u have to remember something and repeat it back or tell a story. so when he is telling us something that happened that day or what is wrong or what happened in the book we read he stutters alot and kinda gets off track. i think this does make him feel embarrassed at times. it takes quite awhile for him to get things out sometimes. the teacher was also telling me how long it took him today to tell her something and told me maybe its from his meds but i had to tell her he has always been this way. i feel like he will get frustrated eventually with this since he is so smart and has so many great ideas but wont be able to get them out fast enough. i have heard about the anxiety making the tics worse. i dont notice him being anxious while he is sniffing alot. he will just be doing his normal activities. of course none of this can be simple. when he wasnt on meds i didnt see him at all as being anxious or nervous about things. i dont think i like the idea of giving him antidepressants b/c a med is making him anxious. it really bothers me! i have heard of ppl using tenex and lowering the stim that the kids are on and it helping with tics and anxiety but im not so sure even about using that. i think i will have to know more about it. i have heard it also makes some kids tired and ds already gets tired taking the vyvanse. why cant the tics just go away and everything work out perfect?! we actually thought they were stopping when we switched meds but then slowly it started happening more and more. ppl notice it b/c they will ask me if he is sick or if he has allergies. i dont want kids to start making fun of him or him getting nose bleeds b/c he does sniff pretty hard. he said he got dizzy earlier today and im almost sure it was b/c he kept sniffing over and over. i would love if anyone had more info on tenex or tenex with vyvanse. my ds is adhd combined type. main prob is hyper and impulsive though but i know we would still need some thing to help him focus on work or he will be lost.
kim
my daughter also has tics that are casued by/exacerbated by stimulants. Strattera worked great for her for both mood and no tics, but wasnt quite enough for focu although it helped and was better than NO meds. We added a low dose of Methylin ER and it seems a good combination. We still have days (like yesterday) where she seems she's not even on meds, significant ADHD symptoms present and tics, but overall she has few to no tics and her symptoms are quite manageable. No one wants to use two meds, hey no one wants to use one med right? I think you have three options, wait it out, they may pass, but will probably wax and wane, add something like Tenex or Strattera, or try a different stimulant altogether. I'm srry you are going through this, we have been doing this for years and definitely know how you feel.My dtr who is 10 also has verbal ticks - kind of a nervous stutter. Almost always worse at school. (She also has prblems w/expressive language.) I did not notice them at first, almost never does this at home. She sees a speech therapist at school. Anxiety plays a lot into this. Spoke w/psychologist/phys and discussed options re: meds, etc. I have talked w/teacher/school to minimize the times she has to read in front of others. Also working w/school on how to provide support during times of increased anxiety instead of critisizing or pointing out behaviors has been helpfull. Check w/teacher to see when sniffling increases and see if there might be something you can address that way.
my ds is turning 7 at the end of sept. overall this teacher is pretty good for him but i honestly dont know why she worries so much about the questions. maybe she is keeping a close eye on him b/c he just started meds i dont know. u should have seen the teacher last yr at the old school!! what a monster. i'll bet she is the main reason that he asks questions to this new nicer teacher. i will get annpyed pretty quickly if she continues to tell me about him asking her things. not a problem in my eyes. i kind of just wanted to let him go to school without meds for a day and then say sooo...which do u prefer?? but that wouldnt be fair to my ds! anyways the sniffing is very loud and he sniffs really hard. just in one minute he will do it about 30 times and im not exaggerating. at first i thought anxiety but he does this non-stop at home at all different times of the day. not a pattern that i can see. the last 2 days he has been coughing in between the sniffs. i dont know if he is coughing b/c of dry mouth or throat or if he is getting another tic. i tried to call his dr today but she had already left her office for the long weekend. i wont be bale to get ahold of anyone until tuesday now. uugghh!!! i should have called yesterday esp since we have this long weekend i could have used it to adjust his meds! im thinking of two things: get him on tenex by itself or get him on tenex and lower vyvanse and use them together. its so sad to me that he had to get tics with this med b/c it works so good for him. honestly i feel like i cant stand another day with this sniffing and now coughing! i am worried the kids will start mocking him or that he will start to feel bad about doing it. he says he cant help it and tries hard not to do it but it just does it. anyone tried tenex with vyvanse? i also wanted to start lowering his dose this weekend to maybe 15mg or 20mg. our pill is 30mg. i have heard that ppl can empty it into water? is this ok to do? im thinking maybe it will lessent the tics until we get to the dr. im not sure if they offer the 20mg around here. they just started us with 30 mg and i learned later that some ppl have had the 20. anyone have any luck with tenex by itself?? he is adhd combined. lots of hyper and impulsiveness and also attention. sorry these posts are so long but now im trying to do my best until we get to the dr and trying to be informed before i go so i can go the best route. dont like to make decisions in the dr office b/c i feel i havent had enough time for things to sink in and make sense. thank u everyone for your replies they are really helping us through this!
kim
Hi Rosalie- I am sorry to be a b%$#@ here but I have a real problem with this teacher's attitude. What is the big deal that he asks to get a drink? So what if the other kids already know they don't need permission and your son will figure it out later than the rest. That is not a problem behavior. Especially considering you are still in back to school transition- AND he hasn't even had the benefit of Kindergarten experience like the other kids. Shhesh- give the kid some time, teacher! I have a son with tics and many other issues (no meds). The tics are the least of my worries and I feel no need to do anything about it unless he feels bad because of or if it is very disruptive. Why does the teacher think you have to DO something about it, I wonder. Sniffing is not that disruptive.
If the Vyvannce is working but causing tics- it is up to you if you want to take a gamble and see if something else will work as well without tics- or leave the situation as is. My personal opinion would be that frequent sniffing would be preferrable over ADHD symptons that led you down the medication road in the first place.
I wonder if this teacher is stressing him out more than necessary and making his tics even worse. The last thing a kid with GAD needs is a micro-managing, worry-wart of a teacher.
RANT OVER- GOOD LUCK
ps: how old is your son?
KidsInSpace39689.6549652778Oh I am sorry, you didn't say he had G.A.D., but my point remains the same.if it's THAT bad, you could stop the Vyvanse since there's no school.
yah he really has been awesome at school. i cant beleive it!! he is very well behaved and does what he is suppsoed to do. thats why i am so worried about switching meds. i do not want to go back to how everything has been for the last 3 yrs in school. he had headstart for 2 yrs b/c of a late bday and kindergarten and i swear i got so much negativity from teachers. it seemed like they all question my parenting skills or think there is some magic word i can say to make him behave. i couldnt even handle him at home. now there has been such a turn around and he has been so helpful for me at home and so good in school. please pray that the tenex helps him!! i really dont think waiting it out will make the tics stop. this is the 3rd week that he has been on it. i do think i will wait until i tak to his dr before i do anything with the vyvanse b/c if i take him off now then he will be at school on tues without any meds. i dont want the new teacher to see him off of meds b/c he has started this yr so good. also i dont know if i can handle him off of the meds! esp with the rebound they get for the first few days off of a med. i did think about lowering the dose but now i have decided to wait for the dr and see what she thinks of all of this. and just when i thought things were perfect!! u are all a huge help to us!!
kim
not that this helps your situation, but my daughter who has been tic free for MONTHS has really started with the tics lately. Today was particularly bad. It seems to really be when her meds are wearing off. So it may not help you, but misery lvoes company, we're living it too..........this shall pass whether we adjust meds or wait it out........................unfortunately we've been through this SO many times, I just get a littel discouraged now I try not to freak anymore .it's only a few days, try to wait it out until you talk to the doctor. I know, I know, easy to say, but I really have been there................i think i will need to borrow ear plugs for me and a nose plug for ds LOL. i'll prob just wait until tuesday then. i just wish i could do somthing now! stupid 4 day weekend!! so for now i will just gather all the info i can on tenex with or with out vyvanse!
kim
Awww, that is a really frequent tic. I think I would probably give a little time and if it is still that bad after a couple weeks I would ask the doctor about options. They will probably say tenex. Since the vyvance is so helpful I would try it first as an addition to- not replacement of the vyvance. Just my opinion.
BTW- my son has the snorting and a throaty tic too- mostly sounds lke throat clearing, sometimes sounds like a low growl or quiet cough- so the nosey-throaty tics do go together sometimes. Maybe that is what that little cough is- not sure though.
Best of luck- and by the way- I know we are discussing troubles- but cograts are in order for the excellent behavior improvement. Really sounds like he has made great strides.
ok so i called the dr today about my ds. we got the prescription for tenex (gaunfacine) and we tried to get the 20mg of vyvanse but they wouldve been out of it for 2 weeks or more so we just stuck with the 30mg for now. i guess i called just in time b/c ds teacher was waiting outside with him when i picked him up. i had already told her that he has a few tics and that we were getting different meds this morning when i dropped him off. she was asking if he had allergies b/c its a cough and sniff tic but i told her again it was from his meds. so she told me after school that he did it all day in class and it disrupted the class and kids were saying things to him. he will start the tenex tonight and after a week we have to give it to him in the morning too. im hoping it starts to work fairly soon b/c i dont want kids being mean to him. please cross your fingers for us!
kim
My ds son also has tics. Was on concerta 54 mg for 2years, but the tics got so bad we had to stop. We tried vyvanse, but his reboud was just awful on it. Went back on concerta 45 mg with 2 mg of tenex. Still had tics so we tried focalin xr 15 mg 2 times a day...still tics and bad rebound and only lasted 4 hours each dosage. Okay, we are now trying 27 mg of concerta, 2 mg of tenex and 40 mg of strattera. Been on this combo for about 4 weeks and until today, there were no tics at all! I think for my ds it has to do with stress...this was the first real day of school with homework and all. I noticed the tics when he was doing homework and I was discussing and issue he had at school with a friend of his. But Diane might be right as it was towards the end of his concerta time...then he got his strattera and another 1 mg of tenex...by bedtime...no more tics.
I know three meds seem like a lot and it has bothered me, but when we just went to the ped I told him I was concerned and he said look at it this way...if he had another illness that required 3 different meds to control it, you wouldn't think twice about it. Which is true because my dd has asthma and gets two different meds for that.
As for the tenex, our psy said that sometimes it doesn't help some kids but he felt clonadin (spelling..sorry) would be better. We might try it in October in place of the tenex. I guess it is a little stronger for controlling the tics. My ds can also go up a little on the strattera. Still not sure if it is working since school just started, but I know today his friend (who also is ADHD) told me he kept talking to him and disturbing him. Not sure though who was bother who since the friend is not medicated and cannot keep focused very long.
Anyway, hope my story helps. It is very hard to keep switching meds especially when they don't work the way we hope they do. It is hard on the kids too, my ds hates every time we have to switch meds. But it is his choice to try and control the tics so that kids stop teasing him! Good luck
mars