hi 3beans

when you say your nephew had a strep test...was this just a throat culture or was this the comprehensive blood titration (ASO) to detect any possible strep antibodies that is done to dx PANDAS. For PITANDS, a viral profile is run to determine if any other viral agents are present, most often with Epstein Barr virus being the culprit

Sudden onset of OCD, motor and vocal tics is frequently a result of PANDAS or PITANDS

Then docotrs who are knowledgable in this area are sadly still few and far between, but are growing

You may also want to recommend that he be evaluated by a DAN doctor as they are really up on most of this. Although they specialise in autism, yet they do a lot of work with kids who have all kinds of neuro stuff, and with Aspergers having been mentioned...a DAN doctor really may be the way to go

Here is a helpful thread at Latitudes for finding medical help, including a directory of DAN docs

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=565

HTH

Just so you know, that's a really common scenario for tics to come out in an explosion at home after school. It's a safe environment plus even children as young as your nephew will suppress tics in the presence of strangers, or their peers or even in the doctor's office. A tic is a little like a sneeze, it builts up tension and if you hold that sneeze in and in and in and in and in and it builds up... in the end comes a really big explosion of a sneeze.

Tics can occur in a number of conditions. My opinion differs from some, but I suggest that his parents and everyone just absolutely and totally ignore the tics. If they continue, then there are some things that can make it easier to sustain a day in a classroom, like taking short breaks, having some energetic exercize time to enable the child to "let them out" etc.. that way supressing them doesn't leave the child in a state of exhaustion or distraction when they're trying to learn. If the weather is good/ or when it does get good, spending some time out in the yard or on a trampoline or swings or something like that is an excellent way of allowing a child some space and during the period of physical movement the child can actually let out some tics if they need to without feeing under scrutiny.

The almost perfect scenario for my son years ago in school would have been for everyone to just ignore his tics and he'd have not spent all day suppressing them to the point of exhaustion but life isn't like that unfortunately.

Actually quite a significent number of young children between the ages of about 3 and 7 get transient tics, which remit on their own very quickly. It's much more common than people think. As I said earlier, tics can occur in a number of conditions. Not all that tics is connected to Tourette Syndrome or PANDAS I mean. Even with Tourette syndrome, and I'm not saying your nephew has Tourette Syndrome at all, but the prognosis and chance of a child growing out of their multiple tics is very good indeed.

Some children on autism spectrum also have some tics, motor or vocal/phonic or both... plus children on autism spectrum can have stereotypies.

The number one thing I would consider at this point is that your nephew knows that he's going to be OK. Little children hide a lot of fears in their heads, especially clever little heads that might not be as communicative as others. Sometimes children can become frightened when they're being scrutinized for tics or behaviours that are different from the expected and especially so like my son who was having to have lots of tests and proceedures that were invasive, like all the blood tests, and MRI's etc..

That's actually one part of the whole process to diagnoses that I wish I could change a LOT because it was all pretty frightening to my son as well as me, thinking there was something really seriously "wrong" with him. If I'd known then what I know now, I'd have approached a lot of things very differently. Sometimes though one has to explore with certain proceedures to eliminate certain serious illnesses or conditions which might have similar symptoms. When that does happen, it's just so important for a child to be aware of what's happening (age appropriately) and get lots and lots of love and reassurance.

all the best.
Lara

My daughter (8 years old), stated exhibiting OCD symptoms about almost 3 months. We both knew that she was a little OCD since she was about 3 because of some very minor symptoms we saw then. However, recently her hording got worse. She would plead and beg us to please allow her to rummage thru the garbage bags to look at item that had being thrown out. She wanted to keep everything from pieces of scrap papers, straws rappers, even tissue paper that she used to blow her noise. She walked around with her hands closed because she did not want the air/dust to escape from her hands (yes, it is that bad). She was also depressed, constantly crying and was refusing to eat (she lost 6 lbs in less than 2 weeks).

Once we realize that we needed help my husband started searching for it and we came across several forums that talked about OCD being linked to Inocitol (part of Vitamin B Complex) deficiency. Once we started discussing the forums, we realized that we had not being given her a kids vitamin (since the bottle ran out) and it coincided around the same time her first symptom started, not to mention that she had also had Strep ( Strep has also being linked to OCD). I rushed to GNC and bought it in powder form and started given her ½ a teaspoon, twice a day for 2 days and then dropped to ¼ teaspoon for 3 days (she got a little hyper). Because her levels were low we had to bring them up to gradually to her bodies normal. The only thing you must know is that Inocitol is very expensive ($49 for a 2 oz bottle - $129 for 1 lb bottle) and it works better in powder form and with fewer additives, which is why I when to GNC, but it can also be purchase on line or in other stores.

Since the 6th day we have only being giving her ¼ teaspoon once a day in the am with her juice and in addition we are giving her a kid’s vitamin. There are some days were we have had to give her an additional dose in the afternoon/pm based on how she was doing, but that has only happened twice in the past month since we started this treatment. Our daughter started showing sign that the treatment was working on the 2nd day in the evening, she was already about 30% better. She was happy and talking and she threw a cup in the trash with us just asking her to do so. Even thou every day is a battle she is doing so much better. We have our happy-go-lucky daughter back and best of all she knows that she is getting better.
Although we have made an appointment with a therapist to start Cognitive-behavioral therapy involving exposure and response prevention (ERP) to our current treatment; I have to say that the Inocitol treatment has worked for us and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. Research it and see if it may work for your nephew.

Best wishes,
Jenny

Hi Jenny
my son uses high dose inositol powder for OCD and we get ours at iherb.com which is *much* cheaper than the prices you mention

we use either the Jarrow or NOW brand

my son likes the Jarrow best

Inositol does not have to be expensive.

We buy ours online for 11.98 for 8 oz of Jarrow pharmaceutical grade. My husband and son have been using it for over 2 yrs.
mixes into juice with no taste.

We also get ours at www.iherb.com

(locally the same bottle is over $67.00 !!)

Vitacost online also has it for a bit more $14.72 / 8oz.

I just did a search for it, and there are other places in the same price range. You don't have to pay GNC prices...they are always sky high IMO.

WOW

The 2nd day?

I know it can be helpful for some, but that really is miraculous.

Edited later to add the url for the Tourette's Syndrome Forum here at NeuroTalk.
Tourette Syndrome Forum

I read that OCD is no longer considered to be a mental illness, but rather, a neurological disorder. Is this because Inositol (a non-psychiatric medication) was found to be so helpful? Or were there other reasons?

There is a link between inositol and lithium.

If you put those keywords into Google search you will see alot of pages on it.

Inositol is a metabolic enhancer...it helps cells produce energy.
It helps insulin get glucose into cells somehow.

A form of inositol called d-chiro inositol can help reverse insulin resistance, help diabetes and it somehow lowers androgens and enables fertility to resume in women with PCOS.

In the brain it helps glucose work as well.

This is what one researcher has to say:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...y/ai_87720062/

So yes, I expect it to work quickly. (perhaps not fully, but some effects early on).

I will add that I found high dose inositol upsetting after a couple of months. I tried it for insulin resistance and became very emotional --weepy and reactive-- on it. But my husband and son use it without that effect. (2 grams daily)

I am now using the d-chiro inositol. I don't get those effects at all.
It is lowering my androgens nicely... no more postmenopausal facial hair for me! LOL