benign throat clearing tic

[brenrun4]

My daughter is 31/2 years old.  About a month ago, she developed what her pediatrician calls a benign tic.  He checked her out and decided it wasn't an allergy or a breathing problem.  Sometimes it sounds like she's clearing her throat loudly, other times it sounds like a loud hiccup - which is what lead me to believe she might be having a breathing problem.  I do believe she does this involuntarily because she is not interrupted when she is talking and when she sleeps at night, she is silent the entire night - I know this because I slept in the same room with her for two weeks.  Also, she didn't make the sound when the pediatrician was checking her, which he said convinced him more that it was a tic.  Her pediatrician says it could last a few weeks to 6 months.  He also said that it could be form of terets syndrome but that can't be diagnosed until she's at least six.  I'm starting to get use to the sound she makes, but it definitely attracts attention when we are in public, which reminds me how "unusual" the sound she makes is.

I want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything.  Should I have her looked at by a pediatric neurologist?  Or should I just let it run it's course, although I'm getting quite tired of strangers and friends "suggestions" as to what it is and what I should do.

Please advise!
Thanks.....


This discussion is related to neurological ticks.

[JusMeNdHim]

Hi everyone. My son is 41/2 and I'm noticing that when he's relaxed he's starting to make a slight grunting like noise everytime he breathes out and it has me worried. He says he can't help it when I ask him why he's doing it. He also is showing signs of OCD (like his shoe laces and clothes need to be tied and fitted a certain way). Any feedback would be appreciated!!

[dsm704]

Heads-up on OCD:  a 'disorder' (per the DSM) is not a "condition", just a label for a group of symptoms.  So don't get concerned if your throat-clearing is labeled OCD.  The psych folks aren't saying that you have some underlying condition which causes throat-clearing, they're just saying "yes, you clear your throat a lot ... the fancy term for that is an obsessive compulsion."  They can't legally charge you for their time unless they give you a diagnosis, so if you go to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, they *must* describe your identified symptoms "e.g. I clear my throat all the time" using a standard term, in this case OCD.

[tahoegl]

curious about your son, what happened?  My son is 5 1/2 and that exact thing is going on.  He too gets upset when we ask him about it.

Any answers would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Worried mom

[clairebooth]

Hi, please could you tell me which antibiotic and steriod your child was prescribed. I would love to think there is some medication that could help. thanks in advance.

[bonnie0]

TRY ALMOND MILK EVERY DAY!! The magnesium in this milk can make all the difference:)  It solved our problem COMPLETELY after 1 year and a half of going through the throat clearing with our daughter.  I would love to hear updates if this works for others!

[tkageler]

My 11 year old son has been having problems with throat clearing and making noises in his throat when eating.  His began last fall after a throat infection.  He had repeated tonsillitis over the next few months and the throat noises were constant.  We had his tonsils out in December and the throat clearing and noises stopped instantly.  

He then got sick and had a sore throat at the end of Feb and within a couple weeks started clearing his throat again and making noises when he eats (almost like a growling sound).  This is not something he can control and I'm sure it is a tic behavior, but we have not been able to completely figure it out.  He is on antibiotics because we did find Strep in his gut and he also started having joint pains and eye inflammation after getting sick.  My younger son has a disorder called PANDAS and it is caused by strep antibodies attacking his brain and causes neurological problems.  My 7 year old son has been diagnosed by neurologists and pediatricians with everything from ADHD, severe Anxiety, Epilepsy, OCD, Tourrettes and ODD.  His symptoms and diagnosis' kept changing and I was told to treat him with medications and accept it....I didn't.  We waited 4 months and met with a specialist in January and after treating him with antibiotics and steroids my sons tics are gone.  His OCS and ADHD are gone, his anxiety is reduced, his bedwetting has stopped, his behaviors and emotions are better.  Infections can cause neurological problems and tics, but it is really hard to find a Dr. who believes this and knows how to treat it.  My son had multiple tics (eye blinking, sniffing, throat clearing, tongue clicking and licking) and OCD habits like chewing.  These are all completely gone and he has had no seizures since doing the steroid treatment.