I have just received custody of my 3 year old grandson. I have had him for almost all three years he has tics daily, I do believe he has touretts syndrome but because his doctor, who has seen the tics, said it was a behavior disorder. Touretts is a behavior disorder. I am in the process of changing doctors and I live in Michigan City Indiana. Does anyone have any suggestions about where to start? I can't tell you how exhausting this is on him, he tics constantly while playing and worse if he is hungry or tired.

Apparently, doctors are very cautious about giving meds to Tourette's patients. First, your grandson needs to be evaluated and diagnosed. Check with your county human/health services for guidance, or call/visit your local library (reference dept.) which should have information on area physicians who specialize in behavior disorders. If those two ideas don't work, please return to this thread and tell us, so we can help you figure out other avenues.

Here's what Wikipedia says about meds --

Medication is available to help when symptoms interfere with functioning. The classes of medication with the most proven efficacy in treating tics—typical and atypical neuroleptics including risperidone (trade name Risperdal), ziprasidone (Geodon), haloperidol (Haldol), pimozide (Orap) and fluphenazine (Prolixin)—can have long-term and short-term adverse effects. The antihypertensive agents clonidine (trade name Catapres) and guanfacine (Tenex) are also used to treat tics; studies show variable efficacy, but a lower side effect profile than the neuroleptics. Stimulants and other medications may be useful in treating ADHD when it co-occurs with tic disorders. Drugs from several other classes of medications can be used when stimulant trials fail, including guanfacine (trade name Tenex), atomoxetine (Strattera) and tricyclics. Clomipramine (Anafranil), a tricyclic antidepressant, and SSRIs—a class of antidepressants including fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and fluvoxamine (Luvox)—may be prescribed when a Tourette's patient also has symptoms of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Several other medications have been tried, including nicotine patches, but evidence to support their use is unconvincing.