Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 My son, , was officially diagnosed with OCD/TS a little over a year ago. Since then, he's been on Prozac. The Prozac has helped tremendously with his depression...but did little for his tics. The most troubling are his vocal tics. Some of you might remember me talking about 's " Screech Owl " tic. Its a ear shattering, high pitched, squeak...sometimes quiet...but, when he gets excited, its horrendously loud. He doesn't always realize when he's about to do it, so sometimes he'll be right next to me when he does it. Its enough to scare the bejeezus out of a person! Anyway, new doctor (got tired of non-action of the last) put him on Clonidine about a week and a half ago. Guess what????? ALMOST NO TICS!!!!!!!!! First time in about 2 years that he hasn't had hardly any tics at all. I'm extremely happy with Clonidine, at this point, obviously. :-) Just wondering if there are any side-effects or anything I should know about, with Cloniding? As always, the doctor gave me a generic list of " nausea, headaches, blah, blah " list. However, I always seem to get a more accurate description of med's side-effects from this group! You know, its been about a week with no tics...and it still seems eerily quiet in the house now!!! Almost un-nerving at first...I had to keep checking to make sure was okay!!! rotfl! :-D --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 Hi Tina-So glad the clonidine is working,and the screech owl is asleep!!lol-Remember-I have with the tree frog..........geodon puts it to sleep here...but I have noticed when she gets overtired /edgy,we hear mild humming,snorts,etc.Our problem right now is the fresh 14yo mouth!!!!! Good luck-Sue -- --------- Original Message --------- DATE: Sun, 3 Aug 2003 07:24:49 To: < > Cc: My son, , was officially diagnosed with OCD/TS a little over a year ago. Since then, he's been on Prozac. The Prozac has helped tremendously with his depression...but did little for his tics. The most troubling are his vocal tics. Some of you might remember me talking about 's " Screech Owl " tic. Its a ear shattering, high pitched, squeak...sometimes quiet...but, when he gets excited, its horrendously loud. He doesn't always realize when he's about to do it, so sometimes he'll be right next to me when he does it. Its enough to scare the bejeezus out of a person! Anyway, new doctor (got tired of non-action of the last) put him on Clonidine about a week and a half ago. Guess what????? ALMOST NO TICS!!!!!!!!! First time in about 2 years that he hasn't had hardly any tics at all. I'm extremely happy with Clonidine, at this point, obviously. :-) Just wondering if there are any side-effects or anything I should know about, with Cloniding? As always, the doctor gave me a generic list of " nausea, headaches, blah, blah " list. However, I always seem to get a more accurate description of med's side-effects from this group! You know, its been about a week with no tics...and it still seems eerily quiet in the house now!!! Almost un-nerving at first...I had to keep checking to make sure was okay!!! rotfl! :-D --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 > Hi Tina-So glad the clonidine is working,and the screech owl is asleep!!lol-Remember-I have with the tree frog. Yes! I told about , when you and I were comparing notes. That made him feel SOOO happy. Not that someone else was suffering, but that he was not a " freak " . handles his OCD/TS pretty well, but sometimes its good to know that someone else can truly relate. >Our problem right now is the fresh 14yo mouth!!!!! Good luck-Sue Tell me about it. When are they gonna invent a pill for THAT?!? --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 .....and it still seems eerily quiet in the house now!!! Almost un-nerving at first...I had to keep checking to make sure was okay!!! TINA, you just can't win, huh?!? That is so great about the Clonidine helping the tics and so fast! How's feeling? I wish the Celexa could help OCD that fast. Only 2 doses of 10 mg so far and I'm wanting a miracle NOW! By the way, I'm already grinning as 's not too fond of the taste of Celexa so I'm giving him 1/2 the dose at a time about 30 min apart. He's just gonna love it as we go up on the dosages each week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 My daughter (now 15) has been on clonidine off and on since age 6. She has OCD and TS. We really didn't see many side effects to the clonidine that were negative. It seemed to lose effectiveness after a couple of years and we had to give her a clonidine " holiday " of six months, then the effectiveness returned when she went back on it. She is on the skin patch because the pill seemed to have too many " peaks and valleys " where she would be either maniacal or depressed depending on the timing of the dose. The skin patch delivers a more even dose, although we had to end up putting the patch between her shoulder blades because of sensory integration problems she would obsess about the patch if she could see it or reach it to pick at it. She is on the same dose now as she was at age 6, despite her weight gain and puberty and body changes since age 6. She doesn't seem to need as powerful a dose. She is also on zoloft for the OCD. Hope this helps. Jay W. > >Reply-To: >To: < > >Subject: Clonidine >Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2003 07:24:49 -0400 > >My son, , was officially diagnosed with OCD/TS a little over a year >ago. >Since then, he's been on Prozac. The Prozac has helped tremendously with >his depression...but did little for his tics. The most troubling are his >vocal tics. Some of you might remember me talking about 's " Screech >Owl " tic. Its a ear shattering, high pitched, squeak...sometimes >quiet...but, when he gets excited, its horrendously loud. He doesn't >always >realize when he's about to do it, so sometimes he'll be right next to me >when he does it. Its enough to scare the bejeezus out of a person! > >Anyway, new doctor (got tired of non-action of the last) put him on >Clonidine about a week and a half ago. Guess what????? ALMOST NO >TICS!!!!!!!!! First time in about 2 years that he hasn't had hardly any >tics at all. I'm extremely happy with Clonidine, at this point, obviously. >:-) > >Just wondering if there are any side-effects or anything I should know >about, with Cloniding? As always, the doctor gave me a generic list of > " nausea, headaches, blah, blah " list. However, I always seem to get a more >accurate description of med's side-effects from this group! > >You know, its been about a week with no tics...and it still seems eerily >quiet in the house now!!! Almost un-nerving at first...I had to keep >checking to make sure was okay!!! rotfl! :-D > >--Tina > _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 Hi, Tina. I am so glad that your are having some relief from tics! How wonderful for ! My youngest daughter has taken Clonidine for awhile now and when her doctor gave it to her, he said that it is considered to be quite safe for children and that they have been using it for years on them without problems. We have never experienced side effects from it and love how it helps her sleep at night! Kelley in NV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 Hi Tina, We put Annie on Clonidine this spring for her tics. It helped a bit - the noise level went down at least - but the HUGE PLUS in my book was that she was out cold by 9 p.m. every single night. Sadly, her new pdoc took her off it because she said the small dose wasn't doing anything and to have it really work we'd have to dose her every four hours and then she'd sleep through school. Her Risperdal was increased instead, and her tics have gotten better. I may ask for it back just to get her to sleep again though. The only side effect I've heard of (other than the sleepiness) is that it loses its effectiveness over time. How much is he taking? I'm so glad for you and . Tics are really cruel things to have to live through just at adolescence. Best wishes, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 There are so many OCD tendancies, that I never knew existed before I read this group. has always had trouble sleeping. Off meds, he often stays up until 1 am on a school night. Not by my choice, but because he just can't get settled. Since starting Clonidine, he's been going to sleep around 10 or 11 at night. I have a feeling, once school starts, we may be able to get a consistent 10 o'clock bedtime *crosses fingers* You know, I don't think Clonidine is really working as a sedative...I think it just calms all the OCD stuff down enough so that he can go to sleep 'normally'. BTW - I hate to start blaming all sorts of behavior on OCD, but I recently read that OCD kids sometimes are sensitive to touch/smell/taste. has always been a really picky eater. He would be happy to eat just peanut butter and jelly for all 3 meals a day...365 days a year. Whenever we would make him try a new food, he would gag. All this time I thought he was just being dramatic and would force the issue...now I feel like a witch! --Tina > Hi, Tina. I am so glad that your are having some relief from tics! How > wonderful for ! My youngest daughter has taken Clonidine for awhile now and > when her doctor gave it to her, he said that it is considered to be quite safe > for children and that they have been using it for years on them without > problems. We have never experienced side effects from it and love how it helps her > sleep at night! Kelley in NV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 Hi, Tina. I think that the OCD definetely makes people sensitive to things. My sense of smell is very keen (as is my dad's) and my oldest daughter has a terrible gag reflex. I am sensitive to consistencies too (mushy stuff makes me gag) and both of my girls have had problems with clothes not feeling right. As far as the Clonidine is concerned, the doctor told us that it is a medication given to adults for high blood pressure and that it lowers a child's blood pressure slightly which makes them sleepy. That's why we get that lovely " puts them to sleep " benefit. I love Clonidine. Kelley in NV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 We never tried clonidine, but did try Tenex (guafacine) which is in the same family...unfortunately it didn't do anything for our son. His tics were on a major wane when we tried it out, so I don't know if it would have helped them. It was the hyperactivity & impulsiveness we tried it for. Anyway, the major side effect for these two drugs is blood pressure...it lowers it. You need to be very careful if you take your child off the medication, because then their blood pressure can " rebound " and shoot up suddenly. So it is important to go off it gradually, reducing the amounts given over a week or so. I wish Strattera was available in a patch! We're still working on swallowing pills...Dan is getting better, but I think we're still a few weeks from getting the Strattera capsules inside his body. I think I'm going to call them and ask why the capsules can't be opened, since they are time-release or anything like that. Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 > We never tried clonidine, but did try Tenex (guafacine) Ugh! was on Tenex for about 3 days, about a year ago...it was a disaster. It did NOTHING for his tics and gave him a major headache and constant nausea and dizziness. I'm used to dealing with various side effects from meds, but this was extreme. was terrified to try clonidine. I still can't believe I was able to talk him into it...but glad I did. --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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