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focalin tics list

My 6 yr. old son started focalin 5 days ago and has since started wetting his pants and blinking his eyes. I looked for a list of tics and I was amazed at the movements that fall under tics. He has been on Adderal, Metadate, and Ritalin so far. I was very unaware of what behaviors are considered tics so I am not sure which behaviors were present with which meds. He has seen many Drs. and no one has ever mentioned tics. I figured I would post a list for others to view. Does anyone no of any other meds that might work for extreme ADHD?

MOTOR TICS

Abdominal jerking, abdominal tensing
Adjusting crotch area, adjusting wedgie
Ankle flexing
Arm extending, arm flapping, arm rotating, arm touching, arm flailing,
                           arm flexing, arm jerking, arm squeezing
Banging things, banging parts of the body against something else
Bending at the waist, bending at the knees, bending
Bite mouth, bite arm
Biting self or biting others, biting nails
Bladder tics
Blinking eyes
Blocking, Freezing (on movement)
Body jerking, body slamming
Bowel tics
Brushing hair out of eyes
Bulging eyes
Chewing clothes, chewing fingers, chewing fingernails, chewing toes, chewing things
Chin touching
Clapping
Clicking teeth
Clothes pulling, clothes tearing, clothes chewing
Copropraxia
Cracking knuckles, cracking jaw
Crotch adjusting
Cuticle picking, cuticle chewing
Dragging feet
Echopraxia
Elbow – touching together behind back
Extending arms, extending neck
Eye blinking, eye rolling, eyes toward ceiling, eyes bulging, eye squinting, winking
Facial grimaces, facial contortions, facial grimacing
Finger smelling, finger pulling, finger snapping, finger movements
Flapping arms
Flexing ankles, flexing wrists, flexing arms, flexing knees, flexing toes
Foot dragging, foot flexing, foot tapping, foot shaking
Glutial tensing
Grimacing – mouth, facial
Groin thrusting
Gyrating
Hair brushing out of eyes, hair tossing, hair twisting, hair pulling
Hand fiddling, hand flexing, hand snapping
Head toss, head jerk, head turn, head shaking, head banging
Hitting self or hitting others
Hopping
Jabbing
Jaw snapping, jaw thrusting, jaw cracking
Jerking head, jerking neck, jerking body
Jumping
Kicking
Kissing
Knee bending, deep knee bends, knee knocking, knee extending
Knocking things, knocking body parts
Knuckle cracking
Leg tensing, leg jerking, leg extending
Licking lips
Lifting shoulders
Lip-licking, lip popping, lip smacking, lip pouting
Mouth opening, mouth pouting, mouth grimacing
Nail biting
Neck twisting, neck extending, neck pulling, neck stretching
Nose twitching, nose touching
Opening mouth, opening eyes
Palm touching
Picking skin, picking scabs, picking at lint, picking lips, picking cuticles
Pinching
Poking
Popping lips
Pouting mouth
Pulling clothes, pulling fingers, pulling hair
Punching
Rolling eyes, rolling shoulders
Scratching
Shaking head, shaking feet, shaking arms, shaking legs, shaking hands
Shivering
Shoulder shrugs, shoulder lifts, shoulder rolls
Shrugging shoulders
Skin picking
Skipping
Smacking lips
Smelling fingers, smelling objects, smelling hands
Snapping fingers, snapping jaw
Somersaulting
Squatting
Squinting eyes
Stepping Backwards
Stomping
Stooping
Stretching neck
Tearing clothes, tearing things
Tensing abdominals, tensing gluts, tensing legs, tensing muscle groups
Throwing
Thrusting movements, thrusting tongue, thrusting jaw
Toe walking, toe flexing, toe scrunching
Tooth clicking
Tongue thrusting
Torso thrusting, torso twisting
Tossing hair out of eyes, tossing head
Touching elbows behind back, touching palms, touching chin,
                 touching nose, touching people, touching objects (haphemania)
Turning head
Twirling, Twirling around, Twirling hair
Twisting neck, twisting torso
Walking on toes, walking backwards
Wedgie adjustment
Winking



VOCAL TICS, PHONIC TICS, or VERBAL TICS

Air swallowing
Animal sounds, animal noises, animal-like sounds
             (dog, cow, cat, pig, duck, frog,
               barking, chirping, quacking, meowing, oinking, braying)
Barking
Belching
Blocking tic (unable to get sound out)
Blowing on fingers, self, objects, others
Blowing sounds
Braying
Breath holding
Breathing tics
Burping
Calling out
Chirping
Clacking
Clearing throat
Clicking
Coprolalia - speaking obscenities or socially taboo or inappropriate phrases
Coughing
Echolalia - repeating other's words
Gasping
Groaning
Grunting
Gurgling
Guttural sounds from back of throat
Hiccups, hiccupping
Hissing
Holding breath
Honking
Humming
Laughing
Making unintelligible noises
Meowing
Moaning
Muttering
Noisy breathing
Oinking
Palilalia - repeating one's own words
Puffing expirations
Quacking
Repeating phrases, repeating words, repeating parts of words
Screaming
Shouting
Sniffing
Sniffling
Snorting
Spitting
Squeaking
Squealing
Stammering
Stuttering
Sucking inspirations
Swallowing air
Talking to oneself
Throat clearing, throat clicking, guttural sounds in back of throat
Voice – change in pitch, change in volume, change in intonation
Wheezing
Whistling
Yelling
Yelping
8 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hi, so they told me I had ADHD about 11 or 12 years ago and Ive been taking focalin for it ever since (or some type of it). Reading off the lists of things all I can really say to you is to remember he is 6 years old boy, adjusting himself is natural, blinking is normal, moving his hair of his face is normal , clapping (kids dont like sitting still), dragging his feet is normal, somersaults (remember he is 6), twirling (again he is a kid), wedgie adjustment (seriously, dude if you have a wedgie you got to pick it), belching is normal, clearing your thirst is normal, seriousliously coughing?, hiccups, ok? Basically what Im getting to is a lot of those things you called tics are from the kid just being a kid. Seriously I dont know any 6 year old who doesnt burp or twirl or randomly yell. If you still feel that there is a problem though, go to the person that prescribed the meds.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My 13 yo son been on 5mg Focalin for few years. Had throat clearing tic early on but it went away. Recently up to 10mg. My son stopped taking it recently since it makes him feel "dead" inside. Claims he doesn't need it to focus...

Lately I have seen him with head jerking to the right side. I thought maybe he was clearing his bang from his glasses. But tonight I watched him got up and while he was walking, I  saw the head shake n body jerking to the right. I was concerned to witness this. I asked him why he walked like that and his response was "what movement??"  I'll call the pediatric Doctor come Monday.

Here I am looking for advice. I didn't realized how many parents have noticed tics n bad side effects.
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
   If the focalin made him feel "dead" inside - that's a pretty good sign that amount is an over dose!   And, that might be what kicked off the tics.  Typically, tics will go away many times.  But, as I said, I don't like his comment about the way he felt.
   What was the reason for the increase in the medication?
Totally get what he is saying, with the meds it's like taking away all that fun and exciting stuff that normally goes on in our heads. Without my meds it's like a freaking candy universe up there but with them it's a lot more contained. Basically it's a lot more boring. What I ended up doing was lowering my dosage and only taking during the school week. Over weekends I wouldn't take it and see how'd it go. Going off of it completely I wouldn't really recommend based off experience. When I went off my grades plummeted and I spent a good amount of time in the hallway for goofing off in class aka being my ADHD self
189897 tn?1441126518
COMMUNITY LEADER
     I have never had anyone report back here that they found a natural med that worked.  Hopefully, you will be the first!
    However, do talk to your doc.  For all of these meds, it is a trial and error process.  Its always possible that he started out on too high a dose or the wrong kind.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My 8 year old son just started taking focalin .......and i hate it. his mouth twitches.  I looked up natural ways to deal with ADHD in children and found Focus Formaul with also taking BrightSpark.  Those go together.  And also I found Synaptol.These were the 2 that first came up.  There also have been studies of certain vitamins that they need, like magnesium B6 Vitamin C.  I plan on going to my local vitamin shop and talking to someone to see if they can help.  I want to take him off all these medications hopefully and just all natual
Helpful - 0
4419587 tn?1354299179
STOP GIVING HIM THE FOCLIN!!!!! I know some kids are more difficult then others, and I'm not saying I don't believe in this type of medication. I have a son on adderal however "Foclin" is NO JOKE! It is Ritalin only more then twice as strong! rit= (Methilphenodate) Foclin=(DiMethilphenodate) those 2 letters at the beginning of the word MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE! it means "twice" as much of the drug is attaching to its corresponding area of the brain. Meaning 20Mg's of Foclin is = to More the 40Mg's of rit. Think of like tape. "regular duct tape is sticky in one side placed in betwine 2 objects one of the objects will stick wile the other wont. if the tape is double sided then both objects will remain in place with out using more tape. Foclin is DOUBLE BONDED RIT!! and a 6 year old HAS BUSINESS TAKING A DRUG LIKE THIS!! Your doc should be ASHAMED. Your child Will be at risk for SO MANY physical and worse psychological dissorders caused by this drug. PLEASE SEEK A SECOND OPINION!!!!! on this matter.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You need to get your son to a Neurologist right away and have them do a EEG and run blood work on your son.And they should also so a MRI.Also make sure your son Doctor doesn't blow things off and just change the Medicine.And push to see a   Neurologist even if he doesn't think you need to take your son to see one.

I am sorry your little son is going threw this,my son started the twitching of legs and arms along with feet and shoulders ,after being on Adderall, The side effect of Adderall is Seizures.And My son was also on Concerta after Teacher called a lot and said she didn't think the adderall was working so Doctor put him on the Concerta and it can also cause Seizures.  And even after finding out by Doctor when he was in the hospital to do a video EEG that the Adderall and Concerta can  have the side effect of Seizure.I took my son off the Drugs and he is still having Seizures.

I regret every day putting him on drugs for ADD and ADHD  because the School Teacher thou he should be and pushed us to do so. I wish I new more about everything that is out there that looks like add and adhd and even bipolar. It seems now days that more children are being put on drugs for add and adhd  as if these drugs are like candy and will make everything better and make the perfect child for Teachers and Parents and children are not aloud to be kids any more.  With no thou about side effects from thous who push for the drugs and how many people want there children on drugs so they get A' s in School and Teachers don't have to work so hard at doing there jobs and children to act like adults and people not remembering what it was like to be a child when they where young. Also  how things have changed  in School  and family's are not like they use to be and the one thing that still seems to be the same is how mean children can be to each other and what it dose to a children.

If your son is having Seizures like I think he might be from what you have wrote ,they can be very hard to controls and have to try different Medicines to try and see if they can get them under control.I don't mean to scare you ,but hope to help you threw this and give you some helpful information.

When you take him to the Doctors have everything written down that he does and how often you see these different things and how long they last for.This will help the Doctors no more about what is going on.Start writing down the time and what he was doing at the time it happen and what he was doing before it happen and what he was like after words..

Also please look up the different kind of Seizures there are .There is a lot of info on line. goggle seizures and read as much as you can to see if anything fits your son.

also know that there are thinks that look like one thing and be many things.

also look up  Lennox Gastaut Syndrome.

I hope I am wrong about what could be going on with your son.

If you need to talk I am here for you ,just send me a message.And stay Strong .

god bless and take care.  

God please be with this little boy and his family and help them  deal with everything that is going on with him . And be with the Doctors to do what is right for this little boy's health ,Amen.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My 9 year daughter had the skin picking and developed a stutter from taking Focalin.  As soon as we stopped the medication, the behavoirs stopped,  She has had a severe problem with every ADHD medication.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
If your son is having tics, please, please call your doctor right away. The doctor will tell you, hopefully, to take him off that medicine. There are a lot of medicines that can cause tics. please research all the ADD/ADHD medicines before going to the doctors. There are other medicines for
ADHD. Copy and paste the following link to read more about these medicines.

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/drugs/ritalin.html

I hope this is helpful.
Helpful - 0
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