11-year-old with OCD

[Guest guest]

Our 11-year-old has always been very head strong, trouble with

socialization.... very smart but challenging. We always thought that

he would grow out of the problems with good parenting techniques and

perseverance. Two years ago, we noticed that he started to have some

tics, constant clearing of throat, licking his chin and others. After

a few months, he stopped most of the repetitive behaviors and settled

in on pulling his eyelashes and eyebrows out.

He has been diagnosed OCD (anxiety-based) with trichotillomania

(eyebrows, eyelashes, arm and leg hair. He also exhibts some ASD or

Aspergers-like characteristics (very smart, socialization issues). We

had him on nutrients last year (inositol, choline, fish oil and 5-

htp) and in January of this year started him on Zoloft. He had gastro

discomfort, so we stoped the Zoloft and 5-htp in May or June. A month

or so later, he started getting very severe SSS, mostly related to

saliva sounds when I talk, but also when his mother and brother talk.

Certain words set him off badly (e.g. the word " something " ) as well

as swallowing. The sounds make him quite angry and self injurious

(hits his head, or butts it against at hard object once causing

bleeding). He is currently on Depakote and and back on Zoloft along

with the nutrients (minus the 5-htp due to gastritus), but he still

has the SSS.

His suffering with SSS is a nightmare for him and us. I can barely

talk to him without setting him off, let along help him with his

other problems. His self-injurious behavior is so bad now that his

doctor, actually two psychiatrists, want to start him on risperidone,

which has some nasty side-effects. Here are my questions -

1) Could the Zoloft have caused his SSS hyperacusis? I noticed that

hyperacusis is cited as a zoloft side effect, but I don't know

whether they mean SSS or tinnitus.

2) Anyone have any SSS success with risperidone?

3) Help! (OK, that's not a question, but please advise.)

MBdad123