We've got tics in our family. That's part of my username. Many, many kids have transient tics and they don't mean anything. They'll go away on their own and that's it. So, there are three levels like this:
1. Transient tics
2. Chronic Motor Tics or Chronic Vocal Tics (have to have been present for one year to diagnose)
3. Tourette (must have both motor and vocal tics for a long time; at this point the tics are kind of problematic, too, like cursing)
Many doctors don't prescribe stimulant meds for comorbid AD/HD and tics because many people find that stims worsen tics. There are other drug options.
I think that it would be a good idea to look up lists of tics and see if your kid has some other tics that are often not recognized. There are tics like uh-huh, throat clearing, sniffing, all manner of things. The doctors can read a lot into the specific tics to determine how severe the case is, so make as complete a list as possible of tics to present to the doctor and let them figure out whether a change in meds is indicated.
Tics and AD/HD do present together a lot and some people even think that they are one gene, together with OCD. The doctor knows this and should have ruled out tics when prescribing meds. If the doctor didn't see significant tics in the office, then the doctor thought stims would be fine. Or, the doctor may believe that stims don't cause tics. So, that's why it's up to you to put together that list and discuss your concern with your doc. HTH!
