[Chemar]

very interesting article on ferritin levels (ie stored iron) in people with TS

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/...act/163/7/1264

My son has iron deficiency plus low MCV/hematocrit and anaemia which we were told was due to his recently dx crohn's disease, but reading this article has made me realise that the TS likely is at the root of this....

[mrsD]

does not work for me? Is it correct?

[Chemar]

That should work now MrsD!

I had copied the link direct from my post at Latitudes forgetting that that longer links get compacted there

[mrsD]

I thought it was ME since I can't read updates at you know where either....
one gets rather paranoid on the internet sometimes.

And I sure know about those "abbreviated" links!

You know, low iron is also found in ADHD... it is a rather significant
finding, and part of the ADHD mimicry diagnoses! Interesting that it is found
in TS as well, since some places link them on a continuum.(is that spelled right?)..sorry.

[Lara]

This older one at the top of the list goes along with that newer one you posted, Chemar. I'm really interested in this ferritin issue. I also have RLS so have been trying to follow the connections. Somewhere or other on my computer I have some concise information that talks about differences between stored ferritin levels, iron deficiency, anaemia and the like. I'll try to find it. It's important that people just don't go on a iron overload regime thinking it'll help. It's more complex than that and for some people, taking Iron can be harmful.

PubMed Abstract
Psychiatry Res. 1994 Dec;55(4):205-21.
Abnormal magnetic resonance imaging T2 relaxation time asymmetries in Tourette's syndrome.
Peterson BS,Gore JC,Riddle MA,Cohen DJ,Leckman JF.

Department of Child Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-7900, USA
__________

Mov Disord. 2004 Sep;19(9):1084-7.
Restless legs in Tourette syndrome
Lesperance P, Djerroud N, Diaz Anzaldua A, Rouleau GA, Chouinard S, Richer F; Montreal Tourette Study Group.

"Restless legs in Tourette syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) and Tourette's syndrome (TS) share some common features, including the phenomenology of sensations relieved by movements, but few studies have examined the links between RLS and TS. We examined RLS and other TS comorbidities in 144 probands with TS or chronic tics and their parents. RLS was present in 10% of probands and 23% of parents with no gender differences. RLS in probands was linked significantly to maternal RLS but not paternal RLS, suggesting that a maternal RLS factor may contribute to the variable expression of TS.

PMID: 15372602"
__________

PubMed Abstract
J Lab Clin Med. 2006 Feb;147(2):67-73.
Ferritin subunits in CSF are decreased in restless legs syndrome.
Clardy SL,Earley CJ,Allen RP,Beard JL,Connor JR.

Department of Neurosurgery, M.S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA.
__________

PubMed Abstract
Sleep. 2004 Dec 15;27(8):1499-504.
Symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults with restless legs syndrome.
Wagner ML, Walters AS, Fisher BC
__________

PubMed Abstract
Sleep. 2005 Aug 1;28(8):1007-13.
Restless legs syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a review of the literature.
Cortese S,Konofal E,Lecendreux M,Arnulf I,Mouren MC,Darra F,Dalla Bernardina B.

Service de Psychopathologie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Hopital Robert Debre, Paris, France.

[Chemar]

Originally Posted by Lara

It's important that people just don't go on a iron overload regime thinking it'll help. It's more complex than that and for some people, taking Iron can be harmful.

.

very valid warning Lara!

even when people are iron deficient (as my son is ) one has to be sooo careful with supplementing it.
We have him on a gentle iron for the anaemia, and it is real low dose and chelated so as to minimise the digestive distress that iron supps can cause.
well, he does ok on it tho he says he doesnt like it...........however, the other day he needed more, and they didnt have the Solgar brand that he uses, so I bought a different brand (same iron dose, also called Gentle Iron) and he had an awful reaction to it! The doc says it was probably a differently produced form of iron. we took him off it immediately, and now have the original brand back in...........
But it sure made me aware again of just how sensitive the body is to iron!!

[Lara]

Yes, brands are not all the same even if the ingredient seems the same on the package. I found that with SAMe a long time back and have also read about quality differences especially with Melatonin. Years back I was taking a B-complex that had Niacin in it. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong with me everytime I took it. Ended up talking to my gastroenterologist who told me to change the type of Niacin I was taking because my liver wasn't dealing with it well. Ended up changing to niacinamide instead of the nicotinic acid. Gosh, I think I got that the right way around. Long time ago.

[cassandra]

Hi - I'm new here - I found this site by googling tourette's and anemia. I have suspected that my ten year old daughter has TS (I know the condition well as I have lived with it since the age of 5 - of course back then you only had TS if you swore a lot so I was labeled hyperactive). I took her to her pediatrician and he ordered a blood work up and tested her thyroid levels (I'm not sure why). He then referred us to a pediatrician specializing in tic disorders. (of course a waiting list - I won't get in to see her for months) We returned to receive the follow up to the blood work and found that she has low iron levels. He said she was anemic. He prescribed iron pills "ferrous sulphate" 300 mg. which she is to take once a day. What sort of concerns should I have with her taking this level? Is it at all possible that the severity of her tics will diminish once her iron levels have improved? I am a desperate mom with a beautiful daughter who is suffering greatly because of her motor and vocal tics. I don't want false hope and yet still hoping!

[mrsD]

so your daughter must not be very anemic.

The amount of iron in a typical 325mg ferrous sulfate is 27mg elemental.
And not all of this is absorbed either. Use of vitamin C with the iron increases absorption success.

So while 300 seems high, it is not "real". Most iron therapies use 3 tablets daily.

You will just have to wait and see..regarding effects. Each person is
different. And it takes TIME to build iron levels. It will not happen "over night".
Expect at least 2 months. If the diet is low in folic acid, there will be little improvement.

The most common side effects are constipation, or GI upset. But at one a day..this is less likely.

[Chemar]

Hi Cassandra and welcome

my son is anaemic (not related to his TS, but to his Crohn's disease) and the only iron supplement that he seems able to tolerate is Solgar's Gentle Iron...this may be because of his sensitive GIT system related to the Crohn's...

We have had tremendous success with a natural treatment protocol that my son has been following for 6 years now. He did have very severe TS and OCD, but things are now really mild and manageable. I have written about it here http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1144

There is also a lot of useful info on TS in our useful websites link above
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=681

hope you find the answers you are seeking