tics and jerky movements

[Pinkandredflowers]

my 9 yo son with adhd has terrible tics that change from eye blinking to head jerking, sniffing, to sometimes slamming his legs together. He has bruises all over his inner thighs. What helps! Guanfacine didn’t help. He’s on 25 of sertraline which calms him a little bit but I’m worried! It’s been years!

[Onthemove1971]

I would recommend your son seeing a child psycharitist. They are the most skilled at knowing what is the best medication to help him. This will be a long journey and he will changes that will need medication adjustments along the way

[TouretteADHDMamaBear]

Hello, my daughter has Tourette Syndrome/ADHD/OCD. She has some tics that are troublesome as well. So when treating the tics you want to keep in mind that medication/therapy will help manage but will not make the tics go away. The gold standard for tic treatment is CBIT. My daughter saw an OT for this and it helped her a lot! Especially with her complex tics. I’m not sure if this is available where you live. Like I said before, there isn’t a “cure” but it does help manage/control the tics better. There is a ton of information on Tourette.org that I’m sure you will find very helpful. The Tourette Association of America is a great resource.

Hope this helps!

[Mamamichl]

both my kids got tics from their medication for adhd. My older ones tics went away after a couple years, and my younger has been doing them for about 6 months. Mind you, they are mild to yours comparatively, but the worst thing for ours was to point them out because it created anxiety, no matter how gentle it was brought up.

[anirush]

Both of my grandsons had ticks at one time or another. Medication usually made them go away but it takes trial and error to find what works. Both eventually were on Guanfacine with an additional medication.

[Megnett]

My 9 year old developed tics about 7 months after starting a stimulant. Each tic lasts about 3 weeks and he seems to move on to a new one while the last one disappears. We’ve seen eye squinting, head nodding, neck stretching, and shoulder shrugging so far. We were alarmed and stopped the stimulant the week after school was out. His behavior is very easy to manage during the summer without necessarily things to accomplish like when he was in school. The last tic, shoulder shrugging, is still hanging on 2 weeks after stopping meds but it went from happening every minute, to happening here and there while he is talking to someone or focusing on something.

[Bootsie1]

I Would ask your son’s psychiatrist about trying Clonidine (Catapres).

cincinnatichildrens.org/hea...

[Lanego]

Many kids have a tic disorder that will last up to a year and then resolve. After a year of both vocal and motor tics it could be diagnosed as Tourette’s. Our daughter had both types of tics and after about 6 months we asked for a referral to a pediatric neurologist (our pediatrician was sure it would resolve and we didn’t need to see a neurologist). she started cbit with an OT and that has helped tremendously. I would bring up the tics to your pediatrician. It could be medication but also a tic disorder.

[Aspectmom]

Hi. My son had neck twitches and eye rolling. What helped was Topamax

[Aspectmom]

Also, we saw a neurologist who prescribed this

[Knitting20projects]

Please make an appointment with your child’s doctor who is prescribing these medications and have a discussion so you understand the diagnosis and treatment plan. I would ask exactly what he/she thinks is the cause for the tics, as there are different possibilities. If your child has not seen either a child psychiatrist or a pediatric neurologist, he should (Eg a pediatrician should be referring you to 1 of those specialists). Or, if you feel you aren’t getting clear answers from your current doctor, consider a second opinion from another specialist of the kind above.