Adhd meds cause tics?

So I'm wondering if anyone has ever experienced their children developing tics, such as muscle twitches or noises, when taking a stimulant medication for ADHD. My son has taken Concerta, Ritalin, and now is on Focalin and with all of them, especially Concerta, he has these facial tics that are extremely noticeable to others, although they don't seem to bother him. The Focalin works fairly well, but the tics freak me out a little. Any advice? Mine had horrible tics with adderral but is better with ritalin. He has tics even off meds though, it is just what exaserbates and what doesnt with him.

You have two choices..take him off the meds or get him started on Cogentin (Benztropine). I'm really surprised that your doctor hasn't already prescribed it since it reduces/eliminates those particular side effects.

Paul

Paul thank you for that information. I am going to ask my doctor about that. I always thought tics refered to what I now now are motor tics. My understanding is that tics are simply uncontrolable movements or sounds. My DD has always made odd sounds-- squirting noises, clicking her tongue in addition to humming, whisling, and singing and uttering the same words or phrases-- all so called uncontolably. I read that these are refered to as phonic tics. They have come and gone and stopped and changed over the years (she's 10 now)
We started her on stimiulents a little over over a year ago after a dx of ad/hd-inattentive, axiety,ODD. At first the tics increased when meds started, but have returned to thier normal state. She's got some minor ridicule from kids at school about some of them at times. I found the squirting sound to very annoying-- it lasted about two monthes, thank god she grew out of that one.
So, a third choice is wait and see...
You can also try Tenex or Clonidine for tic management. We currently use Tenex and it has helped reduce my daughter's tics but not eliminate them.
my daughter also suffers from tics to different degrees while on stimulant meds. We've used several non stim methods over the years (none working as well as stimulants for her symptoms). Last year we switched to Strattera which was great. No tics, appetite and sleep were normal, but it didn't quite "cut it" for focus for school so we added a low dose stimulant (10mg Methylin ER). By using the Strattera we can keep the stim dose low and her side effects at bay for the most part. The tics have resurfaced with the stim, but it is infrequent and generally during times of high anxiety. We now use the 10mg of Methlyin twice a day and the Strattera and ti is the BEST med combo we've ever used (and we've used a lot). BTW, for HER (everyone is different), Concerta and Focalin were the worst for tics.Thanks so much for the advice; I will talk to our doctor about something for the tics because the Focalin is working quite well for his ADHD symptoms.

< =text/>_popupControl(); We were told that the meds uncover or exacerbate the tendency for tics that already existed. When my son was small, we took him to see his ped because he had this wierd little growl-cough. I, being a reactionary hypochondriac !!, had visions of throat cancer or something equally horrible. No, he'd just developed this "habit" after a bad cold. It eventually went away, but when we started the stims, it came back, along with a parade of other things. His tics seem to go in waves. One thing will start (like a grunt-cough vocalization), peak at a distractingly annoying level, and then go away only to be followed by some other kind of vocalization (like the little "ha" laugh that makes me crazy!). Our psych assures me that these things peak at about 10 or 11 and usually subside from there.

I have to admit that if his tics turned into something physical that the other kids could really see, like a head snap or facial grimace, I would have to stop the meds. From what I understand, these things can become permanent, even after stopping the meds.

BPQW,
We are considering stopping the meds because his tics have gotten more noticeable. Do you mean the tics can become permanent as a result of the meds? That's scary! My ds had the cough!!! It was awful, no one understood he wasnt sick. It did eventually go away but so did some of my sanity.mine had a sniff that started a few months before meds. with meds it became very frequent very forceful and very annoying. then the last 2 weeks he had a cough. we are not sure if this cough is a tic or if he has allergies or a cold. everyone thinks he is sick b/c its sniffing and a cough. i think im going crazy. we started tenex and were waiting to see if it works but we have to start slow and it take a while to work so until then we are hoping these go away. i do agree though about a more serious tic, i would stop the meds immediatly. cant deal with twitches or muscle spasms. it does seem as though the sniffing is going away and the cough is more frequent.

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