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17218185 tn?1454677673

Risperdal vs Guanfacine for tics & OCD

Please give me some advice about these 2 treatments for Tourettes.  My 12 yr old son has Tourette's, was diagnosed when he was 5.  At that time, he was having lots of verbal tics, strange behavior, slow language development, and obsessive scribbling on paper then waddling it up and throwing on floor (he started kindergarten, and I got impression he was stressed about learning to write), he did this for hours at a time! So, a very renowned neurologist put him on a low dose of Guanfacine that worked like a charm! The tics disappeared totally! My son was finally able to sleep well at night, take naps, and his school work was great. We continued this treatment for 2 years to get him thru First Grade and the stress of being in school. There was never intention to use meds permanently. Over Summer vacation we stopped treatment and he did just fine, only a few lite facial tics remained. NOW, since October, my son has gotten worse (puberty probably?)...started as OCD and more tics resulted with each "bad" thought. Since we moved to another country, the new doc (a Child Psychiatrist) put him on Risperdal, assuring me it was much better than Guanfacine. Well, at 0,5mg he had NO improvement, he just got insomnia and nitely rages/crying. Doc increased dose to 1mg and the tics exploded!, insomnia worsened.  This was after 3 months treatment, so we weaned him off slowly this past month. He nows sleeps normally, but tics are still bad. We were very disappointed to discover that Guanfacine is still not available in FR and BEL, so I refuse to try any other neuroleptics because of their bad side effects. I've learned that Risperdal has potentially VERY bad side effects like a 1 in 10 risk of Diabetes! The doc said Guanfacine was worthless anyways, but it worked for us...we'll keep waiting for it to be released here in Belgium. Oh, by the way, my eldest son has Tourettes, too, but I didn't know meds existed for it back then.  My little brother had TS also, so I am overly familiar with this illness.  Are there any "natural" treatments that you can personally say have worked for you?
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Avatar universal
Im so sorry your son is going through this. Im 25 year old pre-med student who has had TS since 7 years old with slight increases like in puberty, the same increase in tics around age 11-12. Risperidal ruined my middle school years, I gained 50+ pounds no matter the amount of exercise and possibly minor gynocomastia. The weight plus the tics. Bullying was bad (at least in the US) guanfacine is much safer as side effects go. I should also note that the Pharmaceutical company that makes Risperidone are being sued by many people here. Personally if the guanfacine was helping more than hurting then I say go for it. Im not advocating illegal activities but people in need can get the medication for their disorder if they really want to. Youll see over time if youre practicing polypharmacy or even single drug treatments. my experience of trying many different drugs of the same classes was tough and finally was able to gauge which one was less bad. BUT I would NOT recommend that.the advice I would give is to find a drug that has a positive benefit:side effect ratio that makes living with TS *manageable* at least but do talk to your pych MD but theres not many commonly accepted ways to treat TS other than atypical antipsychotics. All bodies are different and have different chemistry. I hope your son fights through this tough time and I have much empathy for him. If you have any questions on TS Please DM me :) unfortunately ive found that accupuncture didnt work for me. there is a drug, however they prescription, and for some reason is tightly controlled that has been developed for movement disorders such as TS its called Tetrabenezine. I dont know about thae availability of that med in the EU but its definitely worth a shot if all esle has failed. Hope this helps! Much Love
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Im so sorry your son is going through this. Im 25 year old pre-med student who has had TS since 7 years old with slight increases like in puberty, the same increase in tics around age 11-12. Risperidal ruined my middle school years, I gained 50+ pounds no matter the amount of exercise and possibly minor gynocomastia. The weight plus the tics. Bullying was bad (at least in the US) guanfacine is much safer as side effects go. I should also note that the Pharmaceutical company that makes Risperidone are being sued by many people here. Personally if the guanfacine was helping more than hurting then I say go for it. Im not advocating illegal activities but people in need can get the medication for their disorder if they really want to. Youll see over time if youre practicing polypharmacy or even single drug treatments. my experience of trying many different drugs of the same classes was tough and finally was able to gauge which one was less bad. BUT I would NOT recommend that.the advice I would give is to find a drug that has a positive benefit:side effect ratio that makes living with TS *manageable* at least but do talk to your pych MD but theres not many commonly accepted ways to treat TS other than atypical antipsychotics. All bodies are different and have different chemistry. I hope your son fights through this tough time and have much empathy for him. If you have any questions on TS Please DM me :) unfortunately ive found that accupuncture doesnt work they are prescription, and for some reason is tightly controlled. Hope this helps!
Helpful - 0
17218185 tn?1454677673
Oh, thank you so much for telling me that! I already felt so scared and guilty about him taking Risperdal, but the doc just kept telling me we needed to increase the dose!!!  Fortunately, I am a native english speaker and have access to much more info than francophones do-- the drug here in europe is being strongly pushed by docs. My son only took it for 2 months , but he's worse now than before. I'm part of the Tourettes Association in France and I want to warn them of the bad reputation Risperdal has in US, but they seem to find it helps folks....maybe in 10 years from now they will regret it.
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
Johns Hopkins had a seminar at Mount Sinai several years ago listing respirdal as a so-called "blacklisted drug" because of the dangerous and irreversible side effects. Use of the drug in children was specifically contraindicated in the seminar.
Helpful - 0
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