Oliver Sacks has an essay called "Witty Ticcy Ray" in which he describes a man with Tourette whose tics were controlled with medication. But he felt that the medication took away a vital part of his personality, and he decided to stop taking the meds and live with the tics.

Misinformation abounds concerning this condition. For example, "everybody knows" that all people with Tourette syndrome have an uncontrollable urge to say dirty words. Well, only a small percentage of people with Tourette have coprolalia as a part of their disorder. Vocal tics are usually nonverbal sounds.

It's also not true that medication for ADHD, such as Ritalin, causes Tourette syndrome.   TS is a genetically determined disorder that is not caused by any external factor, though the onset and severity of symptoms can be affected by factors such as anxiety. The relationship of ADHD, Tourette disorder, simple motor tics, and stimulant medication is complex. In SOME children, stimulant medication appears to trigger tics, which may or may not resolve when the medication is discontinued. But it does NOT trigger Tourette Syndrome. Also, many school-aged children who do not have ADHD develop simple motor tics, which last about 6-12 months and then go away on their own. Some studies even show a beneficial effect of stimulant medication on tic frequency in children with tic disorders.

Most medical experts do not recommend medication for simple tics. For Tourette, it's very true that the available medications can have significant side effects, and many patients and their families prefer to live with the tics. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms commonly occur in TS, and these may respond to medication if they are disabling. There are some newer medications for tics in Tourette that may have fewer side effects, but I don't know the specifics offhand.

The best recommendation is to find an experienced and kind-hearted pediatric neurologist who has experience in treating children with TS, gather as much information as you can, and then sit down with your child and the doctor together to weigh the ins and outs and come up with a decision.

One of the best sources of information is the Tourette Syndrome Association. Also, since it sounds like you're on the eastern side of the pond, you might check out this site: Tourette Syndrome Support in the UK, which I found on the excellent website on Tourette found at Family Village. I'd pay more attention to their recommendations, and the thoughts of the experienced neurologist, than to those of well-meaning friends and Mudcatters...including me! Which is not to discount all the well-meaning friends and Mudcatters, who sympathize and truly want to help.

I wish you well. Feel free to send me a personal message if you have specific questions. (I'm a developmental pediatrician as well as a mediocre guitarist and songwriter.)

Aloha,
Mark