Side Effects

Well, we've had some side effects pop up for son#2. We were confused for awhile about where the cause of the effects were coming from. Was it the old meds he was on for three years or was it the new meds meeting some of the old in his body & having a reaction. He's ticing his head to the side & rolling his neck so violently & so often, that there was a point where we were worried he'd have convulsions or a seizure. Easter weekend it was happening every 2 seconds literally. Poor kid was smart enough to figure out if he laid down in bed, the gravity would hold his head back. He didn't even sit at the dinner table, his favorite place. When he would sit there for 5 minutes, he'd hold his head in his hand. It was horrible to watch as a parent & nto be able to help.We couldn't even demonstrate it to someone without getting dizzy after a couple of throws of the head. And we weren't doing it nearly as hard. Not to mention I'm sure he had a headache but couldn't tell us. We were afraid to leave him alone in a room or give him a bath or shower, in case he fell & hurt himself.

After seeing the doctor yesterday, she is afraid he has Dystonia Movement Disorder. We are to see a psychiatrist because they are more familiar with seeing this and can tell the difference between that & just tics. It really isn't too promising considering that it's a vicious cycle. If son#2 doesn't take the meds, he hurts himself. When he takes the meds, he ticcing and that could lead to permanent ticcing or paralysis in the neck.

We are trying to be patient & wait but as a parent, that's not what I want to do, nor is it what's the easiest thing to do. He is making tons of strides at school and is really maturing in many ways. The ticcing has lessened, but he walks around with his arm over his head, holding his head still. As the doctor said, "Like the poor kid needs one more thing to work through." Hopefully we'll have answers soon, but in the meantime, we wait.