Best drugs to treat Tourettes

[ualdep]

Hi, My 13yr old son has mod-severe ADHD + OCD + Tourettes. In 2006 he showed a normal EKG.  He has been taking Concerta ( 126 mg ), Abilify ( 6mg ), Prozac ( 40mg), Intuniv ( 4mg ), & clonidine at bedtime (.15mg). Since the last EKG he has tried diff SSRI's & SNRI's with some pos results. He is coming off the Abilify to try Haldol. His tics are very bad & last from 3pm after school until bedtime. We tried Risperdal yrs ago, but he wet the bed.  After the last dose of Abilify, we had a new EKG & it showed left ventricular hypertrophy with shortened pr intervals! BP & pulse normal.  I think he is asymptomatic for WPW; not sure. He has never fainted! He is a little overweight & sweats easily; probably due to his drugs. So, we will visit the Ped Card. today for consult. What further tests should he have? & if we continue with Haldol or Orap, how often should he have an EKG? What drug(s) would U recommend in order of safety for the heart & most effective? note: the Intuniv & Clonidine have not helped for tics.

[rebbecca]

hello my son is 11 he also has tourettes. he also has aniexty,adhd,speration disorder,depression. he is on cetirizine 4 allergys,clonidine 4 tourettes, intuniv 4 adhd, mirtazapine 4 depression. did u no that allergys can mak outburst of tourettes worse.  my son also has trouble n school, he has an IEP, that helps him. ask 4 an IEP meetin at ur sons school. it helps with longer testn time, breaks durin class, and someone comes n an help with my child bc he has a hard time with get his words on paper, somethin 2 look n2. i would never put my son n alter school jus remember he doesnt want 2 act or feel this way even though at times it can drive u crazy. mayb he is on 2 much meds, r any of them seemn 2 work? it is also a good thing 4 him 2 get a good amount of sleep. does ur son c a neuro 4 his tourettes if not mak any appt.  my son neuro has been a blessn.  keep n touch, i wish u & ur son the best

[ualdep]

Hi, A new special school resulted in less anxiety & less tics;

The Haldol knocked the tics WAY dwn for awhile, then they came back

somewhat, but not nearly as bad.

[hopeshell]

I am so sorry to hear about your son!  I don't have any answers about the meds.  My daughter is almost 12 and has had tics since she was 4...Tourette's since 5.  Getting enough sleep is the number one help in keeping her tics to a minimum.   It sounds like your son is on the max of drugs that is possible at this point in time.  If you can find an alternative school system for him (some days homeschool, others at school), then it may may help him be able to have less tics.  This is what worked for my daughter!  Best of luck to you!

Shelly