ADHD and Tourette’s

[Luluisaac15]

Anyone with both, or have children with both diagnosis?I’m starting to think my 7 year old son has Tourette’s .

Just wanting to hear about your personal experiences with this. We have an appointment in a couple of weeks. Hopefully I’ll get some answers then. I’ve been telling my son’s NP about his tics, but was told it’s “normal”.

Thanks !

[Pennywink]

Hello!

My son (just turned 7) was diagnosed with ADHD & Tourette last year.

Your NP is correct - having transient tics is actually more common than people realize, especially in boys age 4-12.

Probably the best thing to do is to keep a log of tics - when they start, how many months they last, etc, to bring to your NP. Video taping the tics can also be helpful if your child doesn’t happen to be doing them during the appointment. Also write down any family history of tic disorders. Finally, ask his teacher if he/she is seeing anything (I didn’t realize my son had three tics going on until the teacher, my mom & I all put our heads together - we were each noticing a different tic.)

Most NPs will want tics to have been happening at least a year for a diagnosis of a tic disorder (hence the log.) A Tourette diagnosis requires at least two motor tics and one vocal tic, and can have a family history, however there are other tic disorders (only vocal, only motor.) My son was demonstrating all three during our visit, I had been monitoring tics since he was 4, and I have two cousins with TS, so my son got diagnosed at the first appointment (though I’m not sure if that is typical.)

That being said, unless the tics are bothersome for your child or are causing him social issues (bullying / peer rejection), the best treatment for tics is to just accept & ignore them. Many people find the comorbidities (ADHD, OCD, anxiety) much more problematic than the tics. Tics typically fade over time and many people eventually grow out of them. Habit Reversal Therapy is also an option when a child gets older.

Tourette Association of America has loads of great information in thier website! HBO also made a wonderful documentary “I Have Tourette’s, but Tourette’s Doesn’t Have Me” - But be sure to have your tissues for that one!

Best of luck!

[anirush]

My adult daughter and each of her 2 sons have had tics its one time or another. She years to make a clicking sound with her mouth, one grandson used to whistle under his breath.

The psychiatrist says ADHD and tourette's often go together

[VolcanoMom]

Ha! My son does not have tourette’s, but he has similar symptoms. He’s loud, verbal, sings, talks gibberish, has a long vocal list of things that come out of his mouth. I was really worried about it, until I realized it was happening around the same time med’s were wearing off and his ADHD was going back into overdrive! My kid is LOUD!

[3withADHD]

Did the tics start before or after ADHD meds? Sometimes some meds act like a switch to turn on the tics. My daughter developed a vocal tic on Vyvanse, but when we switched meds she didn't have it.

[Hidden]

My 14 yr old is on Guanfacine (sp?) the generic of intuniv. She is on it because she has ADHD and tics but only physical ones. Nothing verbal. This medication is supposed to ease the tics. I believe it because every time we try to take her off of it, her tics get worse. Her Neurologist says that she has to have both to have Tourette’s. Does your son have both? Good luck!

[Ocjd]

Hello, I've posted about this before but my now DS15 had a brief spate of motor tics (eye widening) in 7th grade during a particularly stressful time. The summer before high school he was dx with ADHD (combined but mostly inattentive) and went on a relatively low dose of Concerta during day and short acting small dose of Ritalin for homework due to his work load. Midway during freshman year, he developed multiple motor tics in a sequence, which again was during a particularly stressful time. We saw a neuro who said that the meds don't cause tics but if there is a predisposition to them, the chemical process of the meds with the neurotransmitters can produce a situation in the brain that leads to them (meds help produce dopamine paths but those paths also open up the tic pathway that preexists the meds-but don't quote me, I'm not a physician obviously). This happened again during an entirely stressful time at school. They faded away during summer break and now approaching finals his sophomore year, he's developed one again. The neuro also said they are more common than one thinks and sure enough when I look around including at work, there are people who have them that i'd never noticed. The neuro said, unless they were bothering him socially, it was not worth medicating him just for the tics. I think they do bother him but not to the point where it affects him or that kids make fun of him (at least to his face). It may be wishful thinking but I think the prominence of the singer Billie Eilish's admission that she has Tourette's has made such conditions more socially acceptable.