5 year old; tic disorder; vaccine reaction question

[jdc]

Last August, my son received a rubella vaccine (we separated the MMR). About 3 hours later, he became withdrawn, agitated, hyperactive and began echolalia, hard blinking and very uncharacteristic behavior. These symptoms faded, but over the next few months he had recurring episodes of facial tics and blinking. He had light and motion sensitivity and both agitation and depression. We saw a neurologist and there was nothing diagnosed other than "transient tic disorder." A partial sleep deprived EEG was normal. In investigating this, I found that the vaccine was part of a "hot lot" and other recipients had experienced problems following the shot. The others were all adults, and had these symptoms: adult female was dx with Bell's Palsy and swelling; adult male was dx with rash; 4 yo male dx with injection site erythema pyrexia; adult female dx with painful joints and swelling of extremities---to twice their size. It seems that everyone in the VAERS report, (including my son) has improved.

Are there any connections to these symptoms that everyone had? Does it sound like a viral contaminant or an OD of the virus component? Aren't most of these "neurological" reactions? What could have been the problem with the vaccine that would have caused these reactions? And of course my next question will be popular. He will need two Hep B vaccines before school starts. Is this a bad idea right now? Is it likely to aggravate his tics again, or is likely to be benign to the nervous system?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[MG (Admin)]

Thanks for your question,

It is possible that some instances of tic disorders are due to an immunological reaction, however 3 hours is a bit soon for this.
It may be that he had a tendency towards tics in any case which (as do all tics) may get worse whilst under stress / pain...in other words the tics may be a reaction to the stress of having the shot just like any other stress.
I am not sure there is a link to the other cases, though it is impossible to prove either way.

Does anyone in the family suffer from tics?
Was an anti-streptolysin (ASOT) test done?

Is he completely fine now?

Why does he need Hep B in any case?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[jdc]

Thanks for your reply. He is not completely fine--still has some tics (mostly mouth stretching) and anxiety. My father who is 78 has some tics and the hereditary component was explained to us as well. However, the vaccine was bad and the neurological symptoms (whether he was prone or not) suddenly appeared following the bad vax. (Just wondering if there is a different protocol when one realizes the vax was bad). Regretfully, no ASO test was done at the time. NC law requires Hep B vaccines before entering K. Since he's a drug user and popular with the girls, it's important, you know.

[clinicalguru3]

I see

Well, I think that theoretically be a connection with the vaccine although it seems unlikely and we shall probably never know for sure. In terms of future vaccines I would say the following:-

1) If the problem was a reaction of the immune system to the vaccine, then there is no reason to think that a different vaccine would have the same effect as it would stimulate the immune system in a different way.

2) If it was a general reaction to having a shot / pain etc then of course this could happen again but is not dangerous.

3) Practically I would advise you mention this before any future vaccines so that the treating physician can have it on record. I would also advise seeing a child neurologist (if possible, one specializing in movement disorders) and i would assume they would want to investigate the issues on the assumption they are not connected to the vaccine..it may be worth testing the ASO levels even now and it will be important to describe any similar issues in the family....not just tics but also OCD, ADHD, other movement issues and Tourette's.

Hope that helps and keep us updated.

Most importantly, I wish your son better!