Hey to everyone, I'm new. Joined to find answers and peace of mind. My 7 year old son was recently diagnosed with ADHD in Dec. 2005. The doc put him on Adderall XR. It was working great and really helped him stay focused and controlled his impulsivness. But.... he developed this habit of clearing his throat. I mean it IS constant. So, the doc took him off of the Adderall XR and all #&^% broke loose ever since. Not only has his behavior suffered, but, his ablilty to stay focused in school is completely gone. He is constantly in trouble at school. Wait, that's another subject........Anyway, my question is, "Do these ticks go away?" The doc says they can. She has ruled out Tourette's Syndrome. He's been off the med since Feb.2006 and the Noises seem to be getting worse. Especially if he is excited or nervous. Anyone familiar with these symptoms or what can be done to help my little boy?

The tics could be a manifestation of anxiety. Anxiety disorders often accompany adhd, and stimulants like Adderall can exacerbate it to some extent. If your son is completely off of meds for adhd, you might suggest to his doctor trying some other medication. Also, perhaps he has an anxiety disorder along with the adhd (a common thing), and the stimulants worsened it, so now maybe the anxiety AND the adhd needs to be addressed.


good luck

ME :D

And now that he's developed the habit, just ceasing what caused it to begin might not make it disappear. He has to "unlearn" the habit.
My sons have gone through tics like that too - neck cracking, sniffing, stretching mouth open wide, uttering tiny repetitive sounds.
With them it was definately a "nervous" tic following a stressful event.

Speedo,
Thanks for you input. I didn't realize that the two accompany each other. So, exactly how do they treat the anxiety along with the adhd? I'm really not into giving my son a lot of medications. Is there a single medication that can help both conditions? Mamason

Sometimes the ADHD meds help anxiety and sometimes they don't if it's a seperately occuring condition. Tic and ADD are non uncommon companions. I have both and stress and tiredness definatly makes them worse. There are meds that are sometimes helpful, but that's definately a question for a doctor or psychologist familiar with this. John Ratey's book Shadow Syndromes does a good job of explaining anxiety, ADD, depression, and other co occuring condition both from a genetic perspective and a treatment perspective -- both lifestyle and medication. You might also check www.addwarehouse.com (http://www.addwarehouse.com) for other books on anxiety or tics.

Scattered

mamason

I am not a psycopharmacologist. However, the latest trend in medication seems to be the use of a coctail of 2-3 medications to get the desired effect.

Anxiety is usually treated with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. ADHD is typically treated with medication as the first line therapy. In some cases cognitive therapy is also helpful as an aid in learning to cope with ADHD and the problems it causes.

In general, the most effective treatment for ADHD is medication.

Exactly how the doctor choses to treat a patient varies, depending on the patient, and the doctors style of treatment.

ME :D

Speedo,
Thanks for you input. I didn't realize that the two accompany each other. So, exactly how do they treat the anxiety along with the adhd? I'm really not into giving my son a lot of medications. Is there a single medication that can help both conditions? Mamason

Chameleon,
thank you for your input. I wish I could explain the circumstances without sounding like I'm a whiny butt. What I'm most concerned about is.... everyone is constantly on him to tell him to stop making these noises. I feel he doesn't realize he's making these noises most of the time. I'm really worried about his self esteem. What can I do?

It's pretty irritating when you make the throat noises and people get on you -- that's the tic I have (so does my aunt and a brother which helps to not be the only one). The immediately family, close friends, and teachers can be educated not to make a big deal about it, but unfortunately you can't control the wider public. A lot of times learning to laugh it off or make a light joke of ADD traits of any kind will lessen the "picking on you" response of others.

Scattered

Developing motor and/or vocal tics is most often a side effect of the stimulant.

Correct me if I'm wrong McTavish, but I thought I read that in some cases stimulent medication makes tics worse and in some cases it improves tics. Mine are actually worse when I go off meds for a few days. Obviously in mamason's son's case, if the tics started soon after the medication, they would seem to be the cause or at least an exaserbation of a preexisiting tendency.

Scattered

Mctavish23 and Scattered,
My son has gotten into trouble at school for making the noises. He has lost recess and made to write sentences for making noise during class time. I have addressed these issues with the principle on numerous occasions and to no avail, nothing is done about it. In my son's case I thought that the med made his tick worse, but, the med is discontinued and the tick still remains and seems to be getting worse. It seems to get worse when he is at school. He is now home and in his room playing and I don't seem to hear the noise at all or at least not as often.

Scattered,

I've seen it go both ways.

Scattered,
I'm not sure if my son had a preexisiting tendency or not. I need to think on that for a moment. Yes, it is true that stimulant medication can make ticks worse, which is why his doc took him off the AdderallXR. But, the ticks are the same and at times are getting worse. I personally feel it has to do with school and his teacher. But that's a mother talking. Right?

Some people notice an association between stimulant medication and tics.

Similarly, some people who have the gene can get an onset of psychosis (schizophrenia, bipolar, or 'not otherwise specified') from stimulants or smoking marijuana.

You might want to ask to see a Neurologist. I would if it were my kid.

QueensU girl,
Thanks for the input. I'll bring that up when we visit with the doc. I think that would be a good idea.
I really do appreciate all the suggestions and opinions. It has been reallly helpful and I don't feel so isolated dealing with these problems. No one in my family has ever had these problems. So, it is very new and very scary at times.