My 7 year old just started dexedrine. It's helped him focus so much. But now he's developed a dry, hacking cough. Even when the drug wears off. Can this be a tic? The coughing is the loud, unproductive, hacking kind. And he does it a lot. Doc thinks maybe allergies. It is spring, after all. But they don't run in my family.

P.S. Cough suppressant helped his cough. But does this mean anything?

Hmmmm....... could be a tic. I now I get a cough like your discribe when I'm very stressed out.

I've been taking Dexedrine for a year or so. I do have a nervous thing I do. I have been noticing it has been with me more sense I've been taking the med. It's hard to discribe what I do, it's kinda like picking at the sides of your finger nails... The skin ends up peeling away. I do this with my thumb and my index finger on the same hand...... Not a good description, sorry....

If your child isn't being bothered by it see if it gets better as spring goes by........Maybe do some searching of your own about tics and dex. ? Let me know what you find......

Paula

Stimulants can cause dryness in the mouth and throat. That might cause a dry cough. If the cough was actually a tic, I wonder if cough syrup would help?
I'd at wait until alergy season is over and see if it gets better? What did the Dr recommend?
If it is the dexadrine that's causing the cough, it still might go away over time, as most side effects do get better after a few weeks - so you may not know for sure what is causing it.
Good luck,
Greg

Thanks, I appreciate all the feedback and support. We took him off the meds today, and he's still coughing. And predictably, he had a bad day in school. This is pretty frustrating.

My pediatrician says he's definately sure my son's cough is tic-related. We took him off the dexedrine, and the cough started to subside, but it's still there. Guess the only other option is Strattera, but he has terrible trouble swallowing pills. If one stimulant causes tics, wouldn't they all?

A different stimulant wouldn't necessarily cause tics too - side effects do differ - but I would think it would be more likely to do so.
Did your pediatrician say why he thinks the coughing is a tic and not just a cough? I am curious how a tic is diagnosed (I think I used to have a "sniffling" tic - the noise you make if your nose is running - but it was not diagnosed as a tic and I had a very unpleasant operation to open up my nasal passages instead!)

The pediatrician says the cough sounds "too forced." But, there is no rhythm to it, nor does he cough the exact same way the same time.
Also, if it was allergies or cold, doc says he would cough in his sleep. And he doesn't do that. But he does cough as soon as he wakes up! He still has that damn cough. Still waiting for it to go away.