Help my kid has a lot of tics

amother

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 1:33 am

help my 8 yr old has tics. I've heard of NAC and magnesium. I will be calling the pediatrician to test strep titers. If I mention NAC and magnesium, will he think I'm way out there, or would a regular pediatrician know about those supplements and know dosing for tics? Also can it be pandas if I've noticed a bit of tics in the past, but now its constant and a bunch of different ones? I've read pandas is sudden tics. This isnt sudden, but its much much worse recently.

paperflowers

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 8:46 am

I don’t know about supplements so I can’t advise there. You said he has had milder tics in the past and 8 years is the age when symptoms of a tic disorder start getting worse, so I think that is more likely than PANDAS. What kind of tics does he have- vocal, motor, or both?

amother

Silver

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 11:50 am

Is he on any medication ? My son is on adhd medication , started having facial tics and I think this causes it.

amother

Plum

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 2:03 pm

If it comes and goes every few months it can be an allergy.
Try giving Claritin daily for 2 weeks or so and see if there is a difference.

amother

Mint

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 3:46 pm

My DS8 has had various tics on and of since the age of 2.5.
A few months ago, he started a new set of very annoying tics. He was constantly humming in a strange way and also twisting his lips.
I usually dont say anything, because I know its not his fault. But one or twice his humming got on my nerves so much, I just told him to stop.
Well, a few weeks later, he comes up to me and very proudly asks if I noticed that he doesnt twist his lips anymore. Its been over 2 months and he is still good. He told me that every time he felt himself starting to do it, he quickly caught himself and stopped.

amother

Natural

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 4:01 pm

It’s most likely pandas. It’s normal for them to come and go and change. An ibuprophen trial can tell you if there is an inflammatory component to the tics. Most pediatricians will not be able to help you with supplements like magnesium or NAC. The active ingredient in many cough medicines like robittussin, dextromethorpan, is also very helpful in managing tics. But it’s not a root cause treatment.

amother

Smokey

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 4:30 pm

Trauma. Look into what might have happened when the tics started and if they are exacerbated by stress.

DH started ticing when he was sxually abused as a teen by a girl in the community (younger but more powerful than him, daughter of the local rav). When s1 started flirting with him at work he started ticing again; we worked thru the emotions and memories and tried to empower him to tell her off and it stopped. If he tics now I know he is either v. v. v. exhausted or v. v. v. stressed or s/t happened at work to set it off, so we find a solution.

Initially his diagnosis was Tourette's (he doesn't have it).

amother

Natural

Wed, Jan 20 2021, 8:24 pm

amother [ Smokey ] wrote:

Even tics that are triggered by trauma, stress, fatigue have a neurobiological pathway via which they occur.

amother

Smokey

Mon, Jan 25 2021, 2:08 am

amother [ Natural ] wrote:

Even tics that are triggered by trauma, stress, fatigue have a neurobiological pathway via which they occur.

Obv.....not sure what your point is....

amother

Crimson

Mon, Jan 25 2021, 8:22 am

You need to check for Lyme. Can go on for years if not treated. It’s a special test sent to California. A local bloodwork won’t show you that. My son just got diagnosed with Lyme and within a week of taking the herbal drops his annoying cough disappeared

amother

Natural

Mon, Jan 25 2021, 11:56 am

amother [ Puce ] wrote:

I noticed that one of the major triggers for my son was food coloring...

Yes, food dyes are known excitotoxins.

amother

Sapphire

Thu, Dec 30 2021, 10:12 am

I'm going nuts... my son has it for more than two years!! He had short periods where it stops, and then it is full blown again. He has throat clearing, noise twisting, humming, and opening his nose, eye squinting, it keeps on changing!!!

I took him to a bunch of times to
Pediatrician
ENT
Allergist
Bloodwork

I can't anymore!

amother

Natural

Sat, Jan 01 2022, 10:14 pm

amother [ Sapphire ] wrote:

Has he been treated for pandas? Have you tried an ibuprophen trial? There are 3 over the counter meds you can pick up yourself at the pharmacy that very much lessen my child’s tics, both frequency and severity. Motrin, zyrtec and robitussin. I try to get dye free because the dye can make things worse. This is not a long term solution but can be a short term fix, and if it helps, can tell you a lot about what’s causing the tics.

Rachel8177

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 12:13 am

My 3 year old developed a stutter from one day to the next. I took him to the doctor where he tested positive for strep. The stutter went away while he was on the medication, but 2 weeks later it started again. I took him back to my pediatrician where he again tested positive for strep and he prescribed him a double dose of Zithromax. Bh I took him back to get retested and do blood work and the numbers came back normal. I'm so grateful my doctor didn't think I'm strange when I complained that my soms only symptom at the time was a sudden stutter

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 2:03 am

amother [ Natural ] wrote:

I asked pediatrician to check for Pandas. He keeps brushing it away. How would they treat ot anyway?
He just finished antibiotics for strep.
Im going to insist bloodwork.. He is seriously suffering..Its literally happening every 3 seconds. Loud noises.

amother

Broom

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 2:10 am

amother [ Cappuccino ] wrote:

A new release from Sara chana Radcliffe called No More tics! Available on Amazon.

Thanks for this. I ordered it. Can you tell me what it says in it? What kind of guidance does it give?

amother

Natural

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 8:50 am

amother [ Sapphire ] wrote:

I asked pediatrician to check for Pandas. He keeps brushing it away. How would they treat ot anyway?
He just finished antibiotics for strept.
Im going to insist bloodwork.. He is seriously suffering..Its literally happening every 3 seconds. Loud noises.

If he just had strep and the tics got worse is without a doubt pandas. I would beg the dr for more antibiotics. At least a month for starters. You don’t need bloodwork to confirm a pandas diagnosis though it could be helpful. If the pediatrician doesn’t listen, get a new one. Seriously. Or a specialist. Also, try those over the counter meds, they really really help.

If you want to go a different route, a homeopath can really help with this. There is a practice that’s entirely virtual that specializes in pandas and pans.