Son's frequent bathroom trips

[Christine115]

My son is 10.  He was diagnosed with moderate to severe ADHD when he was 5.  We tried the usual medicines.  Ritalin, Strattera, Adderall, Concerta, etc...nothing seemed to work but when all was said and done, my son developed vocal tics.  These haven't gone away for the last couple of years.

He is now on Tenex, and Clonidine, for both the ADHD and the tics.

We've noticed that when he's getting sick, the tics are at it full force.  And within the last 3 months he's had to obsessively go to the bathroom.  It doesn't matter where he is, (school, swim, clarinet lessons)  He has to go...immediately.  

We brought him to a pediatric urologist who did a UA/CS and it came back negative, and then we did a voiding sonogram of the bladder and kidney sonograms...all negative.  We put him on Ditropan 10mg. for a month and it didn't help with the frequency or urgency.

Is this new symptom falling into what would be considered Tourette's, or OCD, or Pulchuria (probably spelt it wrong)  or
maybe something else?

If anyone has any information to share, I would really appreciate it.

[Christine115]

Thank you so much for the response.

We had informed our son's teacher, and he's been reporting to us how frequently he asks to go to the bathroom.  It seems like it's been 7-8 times a day in some cases.

We've tried to explain to our son that it's a tic and not to get excited, but of course, knowing children they do.

We've also discussed it with the doctor, and they also seem to think it's tied into tics...I'm just concerned it may be something underlying.

I appreciate the advice.

Thanks for your time.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for the post!

ADHD, tics and obsessive compulsive disorders are known to co-exist. They need to be managed with patience and empathy. Environmental and genetic factors should be looked into. The bathroom visits could be an OCD. However this needs a more broader approach.

Here are a few recommendations for teachers, which can be followed otherwise too. http://books.google.com/books?id=rZ-qKfBhQvIC&pg=PA367&lpg=PA367&dq=obsessive+trips+to+the+bathroom&source=web&ots=S5RHwB2qcc&sig=jfEQjiRLDDL73z1aFoTg2AchPPo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA360,M1

Hope this helps. I think you should discuss this with your son’s doctor. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!