Transient Tics

mitpatsmom · 06-29-2005, 12:12 PM

Hello, all.

I'm new to the board and am looking for advice on Tenex.

My 10-year-old son was recently dx with transient tics by his pediatrician and we were refered to a neurologist. The tics are pretty bad at times and increase with anxiety. He doesn't have the vocal tics, just eye and mouth movements. He does well in school and we've never had behavoiral/ agression problems. The neurologist prescribed Tenex, a blood-pressure medication. I'm concerned about the dosage.

We are to start at 1/2 mg a day and work up to 2mg a day, which is the normal dosage for an adult with BP issues. Most internet sites don't list a normal dosage for kids. He's not a big kid, and I'm scared to death to give him that much. I don't know this new doctor, but my pediatrician has complete confidence in him. My pharmacist suggested trying the lower dose for a few weeks and not upping it if the tics are better, but when I called the neurologist yesterday to ask if this was OK he didn't call me back. (Which didn't instill a whole lot of confidence in my mind.)

We've never had to give our kids (we have a 15-year-old son, also) anything other than antibiotics for ear infections and acne medication in the past, so we aren't used to medicating the kids.

Does anyone out there have any experience with this drug? I would appreciate any advice you can give.

Thanks to you all for listening.

flintrock · 06-30-2005, 05:51 PM

mY SON HAS MINIMAL TICS...HE'S 15. Doctor said they were so minimal and does well in school, they don't really affect him at all...recommended no meds. She said unless they get worse, or he becomes self conscieous about them. He doesn't want to take meds either.............We just got used to him moving his eyes a little more than normal, or clearing his throat...and that's it...............We don't even notice it anymore...it's just him.................

mitpatsmom · 07-01-2005, 10:10 AM

To Flintrock:

My doc said that tics usually get worse during puberty. If that's the case, I wouldn't imagine your son will get worse, most likely he'll improve as he gets older. Unfortunately, my Patrick still has a ways to go (including Middle School, which I dread.)

I did speak with the doctor's office and they said it would be OK to keep the dosage low if I felt more comfortable, so we started him on 1/2 a pill two nights ago. I haven't seen any negative side effects so far, but it will be a few weeks before we see any signs of improvement.

Oddly enough, my mother-in-law has similar facial twitches (it's usually seen in boys) and she's almost 80-years-old. Hopefully Patrick won't have to live his life like this.