Tourettes & ADD - Tourette Syndrome Message Board

fedupmom2470 · 11-21-2003, 07:56 AM

My son was recently ( Tuesday) diagnosed with Tourettes and inatentive ADHD. He is to start on Strattera Saturday. We thought it best to do this because he'll have 9 days before going back to school to deal with ( if any) side effects. He has both motor and verbal tics so really Strattera was the only option. Does anyone else have a child with similar problems that can ease my worries about beginning this roller coaster. it would be greatly appriciated.

vrie · 11-21-2003, 08:46 PM

My daughter is 10yo ADHD, OCD, Tourette's, etc. Her diagnoses have been ongoing since 3 yo.
Her tics are primarily verbal and facial, and the TS is the mildest problem. She takes Concerta and clonidine. The clonidine at a very low dose helps to reduce the tics and somewhat to break the OC fixations. She has not taken strattera, as concerta does not have a major effect on her tics. Other stimulants have though, especially dexedrine. That is an individual thing. If the strattera doesn't work, you may not want to completely rule out stimulants.
Also a thing to remember is that the tics "wax and wane" so that if they get worse or better on a med change, it may not even be the med. For example, my daughter always gets worse every spring with what is most likely allergies. We don't change meds then usually, or we make a temporary adjustment.
It is a good idea to start meds or change doses on weekends or school breaks. I do that with my daughter so that I can report first-hand on the effects. I also do that with my 10yo step- daughter who is ADD only. I do this with any medications or vitamins or supplements that any of my 5 children start- even OTC cold meds.
Good luck with the strattera. I understand it takes some patience getting started. Keep us posted!

Tyler's Mom · 11-22-2003, 10:33 AM

My 13 y/o son was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten and we reluctantly started him on meds. He's always had OCD traits: smelling his food, his socks have to be just right, ect. The tics started in 3rd grade with squinting. They have come and gone and changed many times. The tics increase with stimulant type meds, but other meds do not work for the ADHD. Strattera alone did not work for him. HE is now on Strattera 60 mg and Concerta 27 mg ( a really low dose) and for the tics he is on clonodine .1mg at bedtime and .05 mg in the morning. The Strattera makes the Concerta work better, that's why the Concerta dose is so low. This doesn't "fix" everything, but that's not going to happen. My son can function pretty well at school. He has quite a few male friends and is really popular with the girls. He wants something different that will work better on the tics. I guess I will be talking with the Dr. again soon.

There are some really good Tourette's sites out there, they will give you good information. The teachers probably don't know much about Tourette's so you may have to show the some "accomodations" to put in place at school to help your child. Try the "virtual hospital" site to access these.

This is a continuous struggle for us, but my wonderful son is worth every minute of this. Good luck on this long journey.