Uncontrollable tics and twitches

[CharlieBoy11]

I wonder if anyone could offer some advice? My eldest son has just turned 11 and since about the age of 5 he has suffered with quite severe tics. These have ranged from vocal habits, such as constantly coughing or clearing his throat, to physical twitches such as facial tics or looking over his tight shoulder. For several months now he has not been able to stop sniffing. These tics and habits are completely out of his control but cause him a great deal of distress. Some of the physical movements cause him pain. We have tried everything from cranial osteopathy, to acupuncture, Chinese medicine, NLP (tapping) and homeopathy but nothing works. We are desperate to do something to help him and make these tics and habits stop but have run out of ideas. Has anyone else had a similar experience or can anyone offer any further advice or suggestions? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks

My brother had (still has) this. They tried all sorts, one doctor gave him epilepsy medicine even though he wasn't epileptic! It gets worse when he's stressed and he's never been diagnosed with anything as he hasn't followed it up. It seemed to get better when he started playing a keyboard.

I'm not saying this is what it is, but have you looked into tourettes? It's a sudden surge of energy which is released vocally or physically, like in twitches or body jerks.

You mention lots of alternative therapies that you have tried but has he been seen by an actual doctor?
Have all medical possibilities been ruled out?
Can you link them to anything? Stress?

My ds (9) has had tics since very young. Blinking, opening mouth, shoulder shrugs, nodding. Worse and better periodically.

You are making me feel bad that I've not even attempted to do anything to cure them. The description of Tourette's fitted the last time I googled and it said most people stop when they teach adulthood so I left it there......

My brother's 30 something. He still has the ticks (more like full body jerks. If he's sitting on the floor next to the sofa, his jerks will move the sofa) and he makes sounds. It's a lot less when he's not stressed, but the jerking makes him stressed as he's ashamed, so it's a cycle. I think he should have been diagnosed with Tourettes but he won't go back to see anyone incase they medicate him again. He lost 2 years of his life due to the medication

It's worth seeing your GP.

Sorry, just to emphasise, he was medicated with Epilepsy medicine, even though he wasn't epileptic. It was a wrong diagnosis. I don't think they medicate for tourettes.

You need to have your child assessed by a doctor to see what treatment options there are available to you. There are many types of tic disorder (tourettes being the best known). The fact your child has had this on going for years suggests it is not a transient tic disorder, but something which needs proper investigation, like Tourettes. Most TTDs go after a year.

There are medication options available, including for Tourettes; for example medications - neuroleptics - which affect dopamine levels in the brain.

Some 'tics' are actually complext partial and simple partial epileptic seizures; so you should not ignore tics and simply treat with homeophathic remedies but have a doctor see your child.

Cognitive behaviour therapy has some success in helping children minimise their tics.

I agree that you need to see your GP.