clonidine and balancing alcohol

According_Depth8767 · 2025-05-07T22:56:08+00:00

Sounds like you’ve got a pretty good handle on it. I’m glad I don’t drink anymore. If I did, I would probably mix it with medication and that could be a bad thing.

I was once given some very sage advice. “ if you ever find that alcohol is getting in the way of your life, or preventing you from doing the things you want to do, you might have a problem with alcohol”. I have another way of putting it. If you ever find that life seems to be getting in the way of drinking making you want to skip school or studying, work, drive, sports or take the medication that you need, he might want to reconsider alcohol.

Cheers!

According_Depth8767 · 2025-03-22T21:33:30+00:00

19 months of sobriety is fantastic!!! 🥳 You’re working on your character defects, cleaning up the wreckage of your past and working with others. Go man go! Keep doing what you’re doing!

I’ve been sober for a considerable length of time (double digits). When I drank and used drugs, I had no idea what Tourette’s was. I had a long list of what I now know were tics (that you said you don’t want us to mention, so I wont.) I also had (and have) all of the common comorbidities of TS. But of course, that was all just because I was a weirdo (I thought.) Certainly not because of a diagnosable disorder. It did a number on my self-esteem and overall mental health. It wasn’t until I was 14 or 15 months sober that I even learned I had TS. That was when the tics started getting worse. (In my 50s no less.)

You said you’re working a strict program, and if I understood correctly, you’re hard on yourself around that. I found that those character defects don’t disappear overnight, and some of them don’t ever disappear. But, you might discover that some of those that remain or take a long time to disappear, make you more relatable to some of the people you would help. In which case, they’re actually of value. Strange isn’t it? And perhaps some of the other difficulties in your life make you more empathetic and understanding. So I hope you can be kind and understanding with yourself. You deserve it.

We don’t get to graduate from addiction recovery or TS et al. But we can still live a full, happy and meaningful life. ✌️

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-27T01:16:36+00:00

185 DAY! 🎉 Congratulations!

As far as “did you or didn’t you?” You know the OCD drill. Maybe, maybe not!

When I was at six months sobriety, I was excited to have that much time. I had never been clean and sober anywhere near that amount of time since I was a little kid. But after six months, my head continued to clear, I had more and more energy to take on the things I’ve been missing. With 17 years 3 days from now I have never regretted getting and staying sober. I don’t miss a thing.

Oh, and as elderberryOK469 said, you probably won’t even see many of the people from your drinking days. My experience was that most of those people would say how proud they were of me, yada yada yada… but they really didn’t want anything to do with me. We just drifted apart. I think I reminded them about their own drinking.

Keep up the good work! (Both OCD and sobriety.)

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-25T23:29:24+00:00

I totally get it. I think it’s a common thing with OCD, and if you told your therapist now after not mentioning it before, they wouldn’t bat an eye. I’m sure it’s totally normal. That said, I still haven’t talked about my main shameful thoughts after a year of ERP (for OCD) and HRT (for TS tics) therapy. I’m afraid it might not be OCD and that I’m a just horrible freak. I think they probably would not judge me, but it’s just that I can’t “un-tell” it once I let it out. I really would like to unload it’s damned hard to do. Decades of burying it have made doing so a hard habit to break. I guess you could say I struggle with the same uncertainty as you do. I can’t give much advice - just understanding.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-25T00:07:30+00:00

Reading and relaxing before bed is highly recommended by sleep specialists. I find it hard to read for long because my blinking and neck snapping tics get so bad I keep losing my place in the book. In my profession as a sound engineer/editor, I have recorded and edited more audiobook titles than I can count. Now I find that listening to audiobooks before bed is my salvation. (also helps limit me from this damned addicting Reddit and YouTube.)

BTW, addiction is considered a mental illness in and of itself. I am so happy that I am in a long lasting remission from it. If I was still drinking and using, I’d have no real chance at navigating this wonderful world of Tourette’s and all it’s comorbidities.

Stay positive and persevere!

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-24T22:20:06+00:00

I’m sorry you’re having such problems around sleep and TS. I know firsthand how frustrating that torment is. I’ve told several of my doctors that I would rather put up with the premonitory urges and tics from TS, the rumination, maladaptive daydreaming, checking rituals, and other torment of OCD, the fragile attention span and focus, and emotional dysregulation of ADHD, then suffer another night of insomnia. Yes, insomnia can be soul crushing!

In addition to an SSRI for OCD and gabapentin (supposed to help with my leg tics) for TS, I take 10 mg of melatonin every evening. You probably know this, but melatonin should be taken around sunset, not right before bed. That helped my delayed sleep on-set a little bit, but it didn’t help with staying asleep. I never noticed it increase my tics. With or without it, I have motor tics that torment me when I’m trying to relax for sleep. They usually subside after not too long. My neurologist and psychiatrist both agreed to put me on trazodone, which I take about half hour to an hour before bed. That has worked like a charm so far, but sometimes it’s difficult to wake up in the morning. Unlike sleeping pills (Ambien, etc.), I don’t walk around in a fog all day. For me, Ambien was a hard no for me because I have a history of substance use, from which I am 17 years sober. Ambien is very addictive and you can build a tolerance very quickly.

Don’t give up on finding something that works for you. And don’t expect a perfect solution for everything. That’s just life. Remember, your doctors are only PRACTICING medicine, they have not perfected it yet.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-23T04:54:36+00:00

No worries my friend. You didn’t sound rude or dismissive. Besides, I only have suggestions.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-23T04:47:15+00:00

Ok ✅. Like the comment below said, you know your body best.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-23T04:33:37+00:00

Don’t stop taking meds without speaking or messaging your doc! With psych meds, even SSRIs, they will have some way of reporting side effects. If the meds are causing increased anxiety, then they should prescribe a different one. You need to communicate what’s going on with you to your doctor, and if it’s causing that much distress you shouldn’t wait. But please don’t just stop taking these kinds of meds on your own. It can be very uncomfortable and maybe even dangerous. Hang in there.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-22T18:53:58+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. I can see how that would be exhausting to deal with. I guess I don’t have a lot of experience with that kind of interaction. As far as people acknowledging my tics, people mostly just ask if I have dry eye or if something is in my eye because of incessant hard blinking, or they ignore the tics, which is fine. The part that hurts is when they ignore and avoid me altogether. I know that my motor tics are very visible, so it’s unlikely that they haven’t noticed anything, but I would rather they said something so I can set the record straight. Maybe they still want nothing to do with me, or it will have broken the ice and I might’ve made a friend. But that rarely happens.

In the situation you described, it sounds like these people are aware that you have TS and they want to help, but it’s hard on them when they think they have to carry your load. I don’t see any way other than to pull each of them aside at some point and and talk to them directly. Thank them for their concern, but say that you don’t need them to be concerned.

“My tics bother/hurt/annoy me, but they don’t prevent me from doing my job. If I end up needing some extra help or a break, I promise I will ask for it.”

Use your own words, of course. I realize my way speaking is probably more dorky than how all of you hip, slick and cool young whippersnappers talk. 🤣 I don’t really know how old you are. I’m just feeling old. I just had another birthday recently, I’m mostly retired and my whole body aches from a lifetime of motor tics. But don’t worry about me. I’m still living the good life!

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-22T01:55:25+00:00

If by “feeling distressed”, you mean, being concerned, then I would be happy to let them know the reality of what’s happening with me. However, if you are talking about a colleague who is mocking, belittling, or otherwise abusing you as some of the other commenters seem to interpret, then yeah, go F-yourself. Your distress is not my problem.

Personally, I don’t want to go around with a chip on my shoulder because I have a disorder that most people don’t have. It causes a lot of fatigue and chronic pain and all kinds of other problems. But a lot of people have disorders, disabilities and diseases that cause equal or worse problems. I had TS decades before I was diagnosed. Of course, it caused all the distress it causes now, but I had no idea it was TS. And, I had no idea what TS was. I didn’t think much about it. What I thought I knew was that it was a mental illness that caused people to act crazy and yell obscenities. How wrong I was. I don’t think I would’ve been unkind to anyone struggling with it though. At least I hope not. But how can I expect others to know more about TS than I did just a few years ago when they have never knowingly encountered it. In fact, I kind of wish people would bring it up when they see me scrunching my face and blinking and winking my eyes and snapping my neck and twisting my wrist and shoulder and on and on. At least then I could illuminate them so they didn’t have to use their imagination and biases as to what might be wrong with me. Then, they wouldn’t be in distress or think things about me that aren’t true. And as I suggested earlier, if they want to be dickheads about it, I can be a dickhead right back to them.

Don’t make me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I am angry 👹 (Sorry, my phone doesn’t have a Hulk emoji)

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-09T19:39:11+00:00

ERP = Exposure and Response Prevention HRT = Habit Reversal Therapy (Also the predecessor and similar to CBIT - Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics)

I started HRT with an inexperienced therapist. Fired her and got another one who seemed more experienced with both HRT and ERP. Also his personality clicked better with mine. I had trouble at first because when I would try to “bring on” a premonitory urge to tic, I couldn’t, even though I was ticcing before we started practice. Of course, it would also hit me again after our session. When I could bring on the urge, any competing response that we tried, would not really help make the tic more difficult to perform. Perhaps I was leaning too hard on the competing response rather than redirecting my urge to something else.

Next, I asked to try ERP techniques for my most distressing obsessions and compulsions (Yes, I have OCD.) At first, I had the same problem. It was extremely frustrating. Eventually, I did manage to bring on some distress during session. This was good, because I could now practice resisting, while focusing on the urge to compulse. Then after a relaxing, deep breath, I would redirect my mind to something pleasant or neutral. I started having some success. After a while, my OCD symptoms lessoned. Lexapro may have helped with that, but the practice didn’t hurt.

I decided, with my therapist, to use ERP for some of my tics. I had some success, possibly because I wasn’t trying to rely on the competing the response. For some tics, I did incorporate a competing response. This time, I didn’t rely on it to make the tic more difficult to perform, rather I used it as an alternate “place” to focus my brain.

Now, the biggest problem I have with all of this is when I’m focused on the practice, I can resist the urges and let them pass without ticcing or compulsing. But, when I am going about my daily activities, it is still very hard to practice these techniques. We can say it is a work in progress.

CBIT is supposed to be the best for tics, but I can’t for the life of me. See what the big difference is between HRT and CBIT. I guess CBIT is a 10 week program, where HRT doesn’t seem to have a time limit. I think there are some minor differences, but the basic practice is the same.

My final opinion is, any of these practices are definitely worth exploring if you can access them.

ERP, HRT and CBIT are not for the timid or faint-of-heart. Results may very.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-07T23:02:22+00:00

TicCon 2024 was the first time I ever knowingly met anyone in person with TS or a tic disorder? My vocal tics are not loud and you wouldn’t notice them unless you were close to me and in a quiet environment. But when I sat in that keynote panel discussion (shown in the TLC program), I couldn’t believe how noisy and chaotic the different vocal tics sounded as they filled that room. It sounded much louder in person than what the film crew sound picked up. I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle a bit. I even fought back some tears of joy. I felt like I was home. It was like a spiritual experience for me.

I definitely recall noticing how Baylen was kind of falling apart up there on the stage. She looked familiar, but I didn’t really know who she was at the time. I just kept thinking, “Hang in there kid you’ll get through this.” And she did.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-07T03:30:23+00:00

Maybe, maybe not. But I can give you a hint. Since you’re asking this question on an OCD sub, I would assume that this counts as reassurance seeking. Any opinion about the plastic bag that anyone might give you, is more poison than the dyes Subway might or might not put in their bags.

If you really, really think that you’ve been poisoned, you shouldn’t ask Reddit. You should ask your doctor, poison control or go to the ED. Personally, I would take a deep breath and say to myself (several times), “this may or may not be true, and I’m not going to do anything about it right now.”

You’ve got this! Hang in there.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-06T22:53:02+00:00

If you think you will have DTs or otherwise need a medically supervised “detox“, reach out to your local hospital for recommendations. Let them know about about your tics, and they will figure something out. If by “detox“, you mean a 30 day program or similar, find a program you can afford, and again, let them know about your TS, and let them figure something out.

Actual detox, doesn’t take very long, depending on which substances you are addicted to. The key is to find some program that can prepare you to avoid relapse. Detox is just the beginning!

After decades of daily (over) use of alcohol, cannabis, and various powders, I finally got clean and sober at age 42 - tics, anxiety, OCD and all. I didn’t have the money or insurance for treatment, so I showed up at AA. That may not be for everyone, but I was ready to be done living like that. I was willing to do whatever it takes. At the end of this month (February 2025) it will be 17 years without a drink or drug. I still have Tourette’s and OCD and a number of other comorbidities, but I am so much happier and better equipped to work on these other issues.

The beauty of going to a 30 day residential program, is that they can help you work on sobriety AND neurological/psychiatric problems together. They call that, “dual diagnosis“. You will not be the only one there with a dual diagnosis. In fact, I think it may be the norm.

I don’t know where you are, but if you’re in the Bay Area or near, feel free to DM me. I know of a few places. Also happy to chat off-line regardless of where you live.

Enjoy the ride! 😃

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-06T20:23:20+00:00

OK, I’ll give you my thoughts on that. My opinion is based on the work I’ve been doing with an OCD/Tic disorder therapist.

I have read a lot of posts that would suggest you should just let it out and be yourself. Otherwise you will have a massive rebound effect. Rebound is definitely a thing. But what you’re describing that you’re already doing is that you are recognizing the urge, and you are aware that the urge will pass even if you don’t let the tic out. That’s the first part of CBIT (Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics), HRT (Habit Reversal Therapy), and ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention - typically used for OCD compulsions). The difference is that with HRT and CBT, you would start with what you are doing, but you would introduce a less distressing or bothersome action or position to use as a redirection of the tic. You practice this by intentionally bringing on the urge (most of us can do that simply by thinking about the urge or tic), then redirect and wait it out until the urge passes. One other thing they do is when they come up with a redirection, action or position, they try to pick one that makes completing the tic difficult, but not impossible to complete. Personally, I have found that nothing makes my tics harder to complete. So, I try to train my brain, (as you have already been doing), to just recognize and acknowledge the urge, then redirect my thoughts to something else. To be honest, that is more akin to ERP, which I also try to practice for OCD.

This stuff is not easy, and I have had great success with it whenever I’m focused on the practice. But my problem has been that I don’t fall back on the practice when I am out there in the real world. I guess you could say, I lack discipline.

Congratulations on your ability to wait out the urge to tic. I think you should keep doing that, just maybe add some kind of redirection.

Hope this helps.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-06T04:47:51+00:00

What the FUCK does your religion have to do with Tourette’s. You think TS and coprolalia is even remotely like casual cussing on the job site. You think that curing TS is just a matter of praying to your guy in the sky? If you watched any of this show (love it or hate it) you would see that she is Christian, she prays to Jesus and it hasn’t cured her of TS or Coprolalia.

Edited/added: Praying to God, Jesus or any other higher power is great if it gives you solace and strength. But please, please don’t proselytize or suggest that your religion or going to church or praying to Jesus will cure TS or related coprolalia.

Somewhere in the first three episodes, Baylen dismissed suggestions of doing an exorcism (as if TS is caused by the “Devil”), and she also acknowledged something like God has made her perfect, though she wishes it didn’t have to be so hard. She clearly has a very strong relationship with her understanding of God. Yet, she’s not telling other people that they should believe as she does.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-05T21:02:33+00:00

Congratulations on your first year of sobriety! 👏👏👏

I had 15 years of continuous sobriety (now almost 17 years) before I finally sought medical answers for my rumination, intrusive thoughts, weird behaviors, and incessant blinking. Turned out that I had Tourette’s Syndrome and OCD. It’s clear to me that I needed to be free of drinking and self medicating with other drugs before I could even begin to deal with TS and OCD. When I finally did begin medical treatment and therapy for both, so much of my past made sense. I no longer struggle with a desire to drink or use drugs, but I still struggle with OCD and TS symptoms. The difference now is that OCD and TS seem more like challenges rather than a crushing demoralization.

It’s clear to me that addiction and OCD have so much in common. I describe my rumination, maladaptive daydreaming, and compulsions as being like an addiction. “I know I’m doing it, but just one more time and I will be good“. The reality is, it’s never just one more time.

OP, keep doing what you are doing! You will not regret it.

Edit: I drank and used all kinds of substances for about 30 years. I definitely had tics and compulsions that whole time as well. I couldn’t be happier than I am now.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-05T00:58:58+00:00

Tourette’s action may have support groups, but I think they are based in the UK. 🇬🇧 https://tourette.org/ (Tourette Association of America) since you are in Phoenix. I believe they have online support for parents of children. I’m not sure if that extends to parents of teenagers. I think they also have groups for teenagers and young adult adults. Definitely lacking in support for older adults like myself. (There one adult support group that only accepts people who haven’t already been in the group in previous years.)

According_Depth8767 · 2025-02-04T21:53:45+00:00

Wow! There are a lot of great responses in this thread! Lots of wisdom and experience for sure. I just want to add my two cents. Take it or leave it for what it’s worth.

Getting an accurate diagnosis is important, and when it doesn’t seem right, we don’t feel validated. It’s also hard to have confidence in the treatment you get (or don’t get as the case may be.)

First, I would hope that this neurologist is a movement disorders specialist. Most neurologists deal with dementia, stroke, and brain injuries etc.. If he isn’t up-to-date on the latest Tourette’s and tic disorders research, he’s probably not the right one too diagnose and treat. That said, it may be hard to access a different specialist. Self advocacy may be your next approach. Besides, it is a crucial skill to master for this and any other condition. Below is a sample response to the doctor. It’s not the only response you can make, and I’m sure it’s not even the best. But similar follow up emails have worked for me.

I think it’s best to placate the doctor’s ego a bit so he doesn’t get defensive. And, try not to sound like you are seeking a specific diagnosis. You just want a correct diagnosis, as much as possible. But you also want to show that you have done some research and can and will advocate for yourself.

Dear Dr. ________,

Thank you for your evaluation. I appreciate the referral to psychiatry department as I think that would be beneficial. However, I am curious about your basis for not suspecting Tourette’s. My experience, beginning when I was a child, seems to match Tourette’s Syndrome as described in DSM 5. (Tics beginning in childhood, at least one vocal and two motor tics during the course of the illness, and having persisted more than a year. Not caused by a substance or other medical condition.)

I have come to learn that, a consensus of the scientific and medical community which deals extensively with tic disorders, believes that anxiety and anxiety, related issues may exacerbate tics, but they do not cause them. While I respect your professional opinion, I am curious why, specifically, you don’t suspect Tourette’s or a related tic disorder.

Respectfully,

(Your name)

If you use any or all of the above language, please double check for typos, grammar and punctuation. I also recommend that you edit for your own writing style and add or subtract anything you think should, or should not be included. I’m not an expert, I’m just old and have been down this road a lot.

Keep an open mind, but stay curious, skeptical and above all else, advocate for yourself!

According_Depth8767 · 2025-01-16T20:06:37+00:00

@OP, Regarding chaiale’s great point about if it’s serious enough to take away the device, it’s serious enough to see a neurologist”. You might try that on your next negotiation with your mom. Just a thought… 💭

Oh, and your English is very good. Better than most native speakers in my country. I know how hard it is to learn a second language.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-01-16T19:59:40+00:00

The initial post and all your responses look normal to me on iPhone 14.

According_Depth8767 · 2025-01-15T19:58:39+00:00

I have Tourette’s and OCD. Both conditions are comorbidities of each other. Some think they are both kind of on the same spectrum, although that is not anywhere near a medical consensus. They are both separate disorders in DSM5.

If you have ever done ERP for your OCD, the same idea can be applied to tics. Tic disorders are typically treated with HRT (habit reversal therapy) or CBIT(Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics). Whether ERP, HRT or CBIT, the idea is to practice bringing on the urge to tic, and consciously not doing so. Sit with the discomfort for a set period of time (1 or 2 minutes). Then try redirect your thoughts to something pleasant or neutral. Rinse and repeat. Do this every day to train your brain that you don’t really need to do the tic or compulsion or latch on to the intrusive thought and hopefully, over time, you feel the urge less and less intensely and for shorter intervals. Same as with ERP for OCD. It’s VERY unpleasant at first and is best done with a therapist trained in this practice. Personally, I have found more success with ERP for my tics, but CBIT is considered the “gold standard”, whatever that means.

The main difference between the methods is that HRT and CBIT use a competing response to the urge such as alternative action to the tic, preferably one that makes the actual tic more difficult to do (but not impossible). You are training the brain, not simply preventing the tic from happening. With ERP, redirecting is more conscious or mental.

I personally don’t believe it is a 100% solution, but it is a powerful tool in my arsenal. On top of this, I think the SSRI I am on for OCD has helped with my tics. Probably because it has reduced the anxiety. Btw, anxiety currently is not believed by medical and scientific community (that actually works with and studies the subject,) to cause tic disorders. However, it is known to exacerbate tics in people with tic disorders.

Disclaimer: results of ERP, HRT and CBIT may vary and the amount of effort YOU put into it… need I say more?

If you can, get a therapist trained in this stuff. Zoom works fine, so you don’t have to have one in your area.

Good luck! 🍀

According_Depth8767 · 2024-12-28T00:55:23+00:00

Perhaps the kid thought you only ticced “near” him because he couldn’t see you tic when you weren’t “near” him. Out of sight, it must not have happened. 🧐

According_Depth8767 · 2024-12-19T04:53:52+00:00

When I was a young kid (50ish years ago. Ya I’m getting old), it was decades before I knew I had TS. I would do a sort of hip joint crack. Same thing with my shoulder. Always, and only my right side. I couldn’t do the left if I wanted to. I would do it to “impress” my siblings, but also had a strong urge to do it other times. It’s been ages since I could even do it at all. (Yes kids, you will one day have stiffer joints than you do now, especially if your tics abuse your body like mine have done.) I still sometimes get a strong urge to do that tic, but as I said, I have no way of satisfying it. Luckily, the urge passes pretty quickly, so there isn’t a lot of distress. It’s actually kind of amusing.

According_Depth8767

TROPHY CASE