Tics and Triggers
 

Hi
over the 7 years since realising my son has Tourette Syndrome, we have also come to understand that, whereas genetic TS waxes and wanes characteristically and sometimes without any obvious indication of why....yet, there are certain things that, without fail, will trigger a waxing phase of tics for my son

a few years ago, Sheila Rogers at Latitudes/ACN did a survey on Tic Triggers which, although not a scientific study, yielded some very interesting results

I thought it may be interesting to open up a discussion here on this subject

here is a link to the article written by Ms Rogers
http://www.latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm

For my son, his biggest tic triggers are stress, illness, teeth issues, chemicals (chlorine, artificial air fresheners,pesticides,perfume, strong smelling household cleaners, fresh paint, new carpets=formaldehyde etc), artificial colouring(especially the reds), MSG, becoming overheated. He also reacts to artificial sweeteners(aspartame/Nutrasweet and sucralose/Splenda, and also to high fructose corn syrup. There are others that we have noticed too

Hard subject for me to post about really, because as everyone probably knows by now, I don't necessarily see tics as being the result of only negative influences. My son always ticced more when he was relaxed, in a safe and comfortable environment. Most of what I've read about over the years relating to tic triggers tends to focus on negative effects, whereas I know that being excited and happy and relaxed or dancing can illicit more tics.

My son did have what was called a "plateau" with his tics for a few years, where they stayed pretty stable at the waxing end of the scale, rather than the typical waxing and waning cycle. In hindsight I believe that had more to do with his other conditions compounding his level of tics.

Now, pain. That's always a trigger for more tics. The vicious cycle of a tic causing pain and setting of more tics and causing more pain etc.. Cold or viral infections that caused runny eyes, or a cold in the nose... things like that set of more tics in those particular areas in both my children. Twisted ankles... arrggggggggh.

Red 40..... oh man..... that one is a bad trigger for Scott. Lara, i find it interesting that relaxation causes tics for your kids. One of Scotts peak time of ticcing is right before he goes to bed. When hes trying to relax and fall asleep. The dr wanted to put him on something to make him go to sleep, but Scott didn't want to go on another medication and i respect that. I've noticed when hes reading he does stuff he doenst even realize hes doing. I copied the article and put it in my files. Thanks for the info Chemar
vicky

Hi Lara

yes, you are right that the trigger aspect often is viewed with negativity, when excitement and happy anticipation etc can also bring on an increase of tics!

interestingly, although many people do find they have a photosensitive tic trigger, my son hardly tics at all when he is absorbed in a video or computer game, yet going to the cinema is a big tic trigger for him..........but he really loves movies and going with his friends and so that is one trigger we just let be. He has learned to supress the vocals while at the movies but sure lets them out here afterward! :D:

in our family, we are very accepting of the tics (husband and son have TS) and we sure dont obsess about trying to stop them. However, some of the known tic triggers can make my son's tics become injurious or debilitating, and so my focus on avoiding those as much as possible is more protective rather than obsessive:o

I have actually just linked to your It's OK to Tic post here on the Latitudes Forum in the hope of helping a very worried mom get a fresh perspective.
i know when I first read it back on the old MGH board, it sure helped me:)

Can you say "STRESS!"

Here that is the MAJOR trigger! Something as small as being in trouble for not doing a chore can set my son's facial tics off.

As for my daughter, being without her ADD meds sets her off vocally (grunts) due to the stress of trying to control her voice volume. It does sound strange that NOT taking stimulants will increase tics, but it is on account of the stress!

Oh and I nearly forgot- my son tics ALOT less when he's had an hour or so of activity- wrestling practice, basketball or the dog outside. All that reduces the stress!

Foods with a higher acidity level - peppers, citrus fruits (including juices) and tomatoes... especially tomatoes, all seem to intensify my tics, especially for the first few hours after ingesting them.

Certain sounds - alarm clock beeping, fire engine/police/ambulance sirens, someone scratching dry skin will set off lots of facial and eye tics for me as well as certain vocal beeping

tags on clothes, and the toe line on socks (thankfully lots of clothes now have the label just printed on the clothing)

Being in a place where i know you are supposed to be quite (movie theatres, musuems, church, my univ classes)

i think i have touretts because i tic quiet alot, i swear by accident and i get angry really easy can someone help ne with this

Hi Luke.
I'm not sure how old you are, but am thinking it would be good idea to talk to your mum or dad if you are concerned. How long have you had these tics?

Hi Luke and welcome :)

has a doctor ever diagnosed you with Tourette Syndrome, or do you have any family members who do have it?

There are other tic disorders that may not be TS, and so it is a good idea to have a clear diagnosis before beginning any form of treatment

if you read through the list of things that others have reported as tic triggers for them, you may find things that affect you too
here is the link again
http://www.latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm

there are both natural and pharmaceutical ways that one can try to minimise the impact of severe tics and other TS symptoms, but until you have a clear diagnosis, it is best to just try to eat healthily, avoid artificial coloring and artificial sweeteners, MSG etc and try to keep yourself as unstressed as possible.

My son and husband both have TS and have found that the natural forms of treatment work best for them

Let us know if you have any specific questions and we can try to answer them for you

hi im 15 but i say im 16 because my birthday is only a week and a half lol any way i will tell you what i do i swear when i dont mean to i find it really hard to consantrate {especially at school} lol my jaw tics quiet alot and i get angry quiet easaly:( and it is so hard not to get streesed out at school the teachers are so annoying lol

Luke
have you asked your parents to take you in for an evaluation by a neurologist?
Coprolalia (swearing unintentionally) and tics can be manifestations of Tourette Syndrome and their are also some peoppe who have anger/rage disorders along with this

but honestly, where we can give general info and share our experiences, only a qualified docotr can diagnose what is causing these tics and behaviours in you

once you have a diagnosis, then we can maybe point you to some helpful information. It would be irresponsible of us though to try to recommend things to help you when you dont yet know for sure what is underlying these things

Just know that you can always come here if you need to talk......I sure no how hard this can be as my own son has had a TS diagnosis since he was 10 (He is now 17)

my mum said shall we go to the doctors so we mite be going soon and how do they check for touretes

Luke
neurologists are usually the best to diagnose TS

they know exactly what questions to ask and observations to make

before you go. be sure to write down the things that are bothering you so you can tell the doc

let us know how it goes!

in the meantime, try to eat healthy and stay as unstressed as possible..:)

i find it hard to stay unstresed at school the teachers are so annoying so they just ask questions at the doctors

Luke,

Maybe you can tell us why your teachers are so annoying? Some may have some suggestions for you.

In addition to the questions, the doctor may run some tests like MRI's, etc. to rule out other issues such as seizures. There is no test for tics or tourette syndrome. Basically they'll look at how long you've had these tics for and whether you've had both motor and vocal tics. They'll also look at family history although many cannot connect any family history of tics.

Carolyn

hi the reason my teachers are so annoying because they are always telling me what to do all the time they treat me like im a f***ing baby and it really p**ses me of getting streesed out just writting about it lol

Hey Luke,
Are you frustrated that the teachers are not understanding that you have these tics or are you feeling frustrated because they're telling you off about some things with your schoolwork that you are finding difficult or are they just frustrating generally because they're teachers? How do you get along with the other people at school? In your class I mean.

You said you tic a lot. What other sort of tics do you have besides the jaw tic? Are any tics worse lately with all the other stress you're having with school?

Some Tips for High School Students - from TS plus

Diagnostic criteria for 307.23 Tourette's Disorder DSM IV-TR

Keep talking, Luke.
It's difficult to give you any real suggestions without knowing exactly what's up, you know what I mean?

[sections underlined and bolded are links to more information]

hi lara thats the only ticking i do i do swere quiet a lot by accident the teachers tell me of for lack of work my swearing and there allways in my face that is so annoying

Hi Luke.
I had a feeling that was what you meant but I'm a little confused 'cause in one of your posts you said that "my jaw tics quiet alot".

That's why I posted all that info. about what tics are etc..

If you're swearing 'cause you're upset or frustrated with someone then that's something totally different from the tics of Tourette Syndrome.

Unfortunately TS has been called all sorts of things over the years that are incorrect... including things like "the swearing disease". This hasn't helped people at all because although a very small minority of people with Tourette Syndrome do have tics that may involve swear words or other words, it is not voluntary behaviour spoken out of anger or frustration.

An actual tic that involves swearing is a part of what is called Coprolalia. It's actually a complex phonic or vocal tic. Things like eye blinking are simple motor tics.

Coprolalia is the term for words or phrases spoken out of context. Swearing when it is not a tic is not out of context. It's out of anger or frustration and is a voluntary action although I can understand totally how feeling frustrated and upset is out of our control at times. However, displaying that frustration with anger and swear words is something that we all can control or at least learn to control over time. People who don't have tics, like I described in my other post, don't have Tourette Syndrome.

If you have other tics and are having out of context episodes of swearing or other words or phrases, anger issues and other things, then it would be worth talking to a doctor about all this, Luke.

With the struggling with the teachers in class, or maybe with family at home, or even finding the work too difficult or having problems with any of your classmates etc., then I would suggest that you should maybe be asking for some guidance through this difficult time. If you're 16 then you're in the upper grades and probably got a really heavy workload with homework and all of that. If you have guidance counsellors in your school that you trust then it might be helpful to get in to see one of them. They aren't a bad thing, you know... they're there to help, although not all experiences with teachers and guidance counsellors are always positive, it can just take time to find the right person.

Sometimes it helps all of us to learn a little anger management techniques as well. I'm not you, but if I was, I'd try to think about why you're actually feeling so frustrated in class and work on that if you can. Sometimes the only way to do that though, is to ask for help. If you do have tics, like the ones posted in the other message, then do go talk to your doctor.

Good luck with it all.

yea i mite be going to doctors after christmas and i will keep you informed on what happens thanks

Hi Luke and everyone else-
getting back to the subject of triggers- for my son these are sugar, dairy. also, i notice they are worse if he has a cold, virus , bacteria-not certain which, however, since home from college i noticed bad tics and a deep cough, both of which he didnt have when i visited him in college on several ocassions.

Lack of sleep.