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What is Tourette syndrome?

What medications do people take for Tourette syndrome?

  • And what side affects are occurring?

  • Answer:

    Any derivative of a benzodiazepine works, such as clonazepam, as the drug functions to increase the affinity of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (informally, GABA) within neurons. Since GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, any signal sent using GABA has a longer hold - higher affinity = longer hold of the substrate - meaning the despressed cells stay inhibited longer. [1] Note: Above graph shows increase in GABA affinity for a given GABA receptor in the brain. The open circles are wild-type (normal) cells, and the filled-in circles represent cells treated with flunitrazepam (a benzo derivative). [2] This can be effective in preventing the brain from being hyperactive, which is one theory behind the workings of Tourette's. It's important to note that benzos are used primarily in mild cases of the disorder, as they an accrue rapidly in the bloodstream, and their half-life varies wildly (anywhere from 6-24 hours). Also, benzos are a common aid in treating people with epilepsy, which makes sense; in either case you want to depress the central nervous system to prevent involuntary movements. A few warnings: 1) for anyone taking any Tourette's medication, be careful not to mix with too much alcohol: the effects are synergistic and you are liable to pass out, on top of incurring some minor nerve damage. With continued mixing of alcohol and benzos you risk numbing your CNS, thereby weaking your responses to all stimuli from the outside world. 2) It can be easy to overdose on benzos, as many people who have Tourette's can easily forget when the last time was they took the drug. It's rare that any serious damage is caused by this, but be careful. 3) As stated on the label, don't take the medication and drive until you know how it affects you - it usually takes about 30minutes to set in, depending on the drug, and the drowsiness can peak after about 2 hours. Note: This answer is meant to augment Sara Serbin's answer; she has already listed most of the commonly used drugs. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine [2] http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/54/1/33.full

Kyle Brubaker at Quora Visit the source

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I was given Clonidine as a child and had good results

Ben Mordecai

Tourette's syndrome is most commonly treated with the anti-psychotic drug haloperidol. This drug works by blocking the D2 class of dopamine receptors in the dorsal and ventral striatum of the basal ganglia. This drug is also used to treat schizophrenia, although a much lower dose is used to treat TS. Apomorphine, a D2 dopamine agonist, can also be effective. At low doses, this drug binds to autoreceptors (or, receptors located on the cell body of dopamine neurons) to block them from firing. So, both drugs function to block the effects of dopamine. Clonidine can also be taken to reduce norephineprine (noradrenaline) levels, which reduces anxiety.This answer is not a substitute for professional medical advic...

Sara Serbin

Tourette's is thought to be related to OCD, and as such is related to anxiety. A researcher at NIH shared that while interviewing study subjects, most reported benzodiazepines helped during an exacerbation, particularly Valium, which has a long half life;that said, benzos are highly addictive, and the key is to take as needed, which works for me.

Karen B. Shackelford

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