Hello
there N!
It's very
nice to meet you! I'm glad to hear things are going well, except for
the fact that you get tired so easily. Unfortunately that is a well
known side effect of Orap, and as long as you are taking this medication
it will probably have this effect on you. Usually the higher the dose
of Orap, the more tired you feel.
Something
you'll have to think about (and YOU are the only person you can answer
this question) is whether being tired sometimes is WORTH the "good
stuff" that Orap has given you (getting things under control).
If it is, then the answer is simple: continue the way you are now, and
do your best to ignore/get used to/get around the fact that you don't
have the same energy you used to. If you decide that being this tired
ISN'T worth the benefits that Orap has given you, though, then you have
some decisions to make..............
-one choice
you might make is to get your parents to help you to make an appointment
with your TS doctor and ask him or her about other medications you could
try. There are a lot more out there that treat tics. None of them are
perfect, though, N -- each of them will have some side effects that
you will have to get used to or live with -- some have less than others
(and less than Orap). But ask your doctor about what those side effects
are: maybe you'll decide that THOSE side effects aren't as bad as being
tired all the time.
-another
choice you may make is to not treat your tics with medications, but
instead to learn some different "Tic Management" skills (the Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics or CBIT) for dealing with your tics -- making them less when you need them to
be less, getting rid of tics that are unacceptable, modifying tics that
wouldn't be too bad if they were just changed a little, and becoming
comfortable with the fact that you DO tic, you DO have TS, and that's
not such a big deal. Some of these different "T(r)IC(k)S"
can be found throughout my website and are all bundled together in my book..........including a LOT on learning
how to be happy with yourself just the way you are!
-some
people, rather than making a choice, do a bit of both.........they take
LESS medication, so they don't have as many side-effects, and they learn
some Tic Management skills to help also. Again, it is important
for you to know that NO ONE -- not your doctor, not your parents, not
your teachers, not me -- knows the best and right answer to these questions
EXCEPT YOU.
Good luck
N! I'm sure that whatever you decide will be the best thing for you...........I'm
rooting for you!
Dr. Dunc.
p.s. the
new Ford Thunderbirds are MUCH nicer than that clunky old Mazda Protege
5........... ;-)
