ADHD Medications and Scary Side Effects
Elaine Taylor-Klaus's daughter developed facial tics not long after starting medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The tics came on suddenly while she was performing in a school play and were noticeable even from the back of the auditorium, where her mother was watching. They frightened Taylor-Klaus.
"I thought, oh my gosh, what's going on?" Taylor-Klaus remembers. "I started to cry."
Fortunately, Taylor-Klaus got reassurance quickly. A friend at the same play told her the tics were probably due to the medication her daughter had just started taking for ADHD.
A quick call to the doctor confirmed this. Her daughter stopped the medication and the tics went away.
Though tics can be scary to have or watch, they don't harm the brain. There are physical tics, such as repeatedly blinking or twitching your eye, and verbal tics, such as repeated throat-clearing, belching, sniffing, or even barking.
Hallucinations such as seeing snakes, insects, or worms that aren't there are another rare side effect of some ADHD medications. And some kids have dramatic behavior changes, ranging from extremely angry, aggressive, anxious, or manic to emotionally flat and unresponsive.
These side effects are rarely dangerous, but they are unsettling. Knowing how to respond will ease your mind.
ADHD in Children
The tics came on suddenly while she was performing in a school play and were noticeable even from the back of the auditorium, where her mother was watching. They frightened Taylor-Klaus.
"I thought, oh my gosh, what's going on?" Taylor-Klaus remembers. "I started to cry."
Fortunately, Taylor-Klaus got reassurance quickly. A friend at the same play told her the tics were probably due to the medication her daughter had just started taking for ADHD.
A quick call to the doctor confirmed this. Her daughter stopped the medication and the tics went away.
Though tics can be scary to have or watch, they don't harm the brain. There are physical tics, such as repeatedly blinking or twitching your eye, and verbal tics, such as repeated throat-clearing, belching, sniffing, or even barking.
Hallucinations such as seeing snakes, insects, or worms that aren't there are another rare side effect of some ADHD medications. And some kids have dramatic behavior changes, ranging from extremely angry, aggressive, anxious, or manic to emotionally flat and unresponsive.
These side effects are rarely dangerous, but they are unsettling. Knowing how to respond will ease your mind.
ADHD in Children
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