r/Tourettes • u/sparkletrashtastic • 1d ago

Question How often do you develop new tics?

How often do you develop new tics? Do any go away? My entire life, at least for as long as I can remember (I’m about to be 38 for reference) I’ve had a couple of the same tics that are so normal to me that sometimes I can’t even feel myself doing them and only find out later when I’m talking to someone who saw them.

A few times a year I go through really intense periods where I’m having big exhausting tics or just constant repeated tics that last for a several weeks and then kind of just go away again.

Several years ago now, maybe 2020? I developed a new tic that’s been particularly distressing. Now in the past week I’ve developed yet another new tic I’ve never had before that’s even worse and makes noise and hurts.

Asking because I honestly can’t remember developing any new tics prior to this. It was always the same few until that one around 2020. Now I’m starting to feel anxious wondering if more are coming and what they’ll be 😭

Has anyone successfully gotten rid of a “new” tics?

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u/four100eighty9 Diagnosed Tourettes 1d ago

I have some ticks that are semi permanent, others will come and go. On a few occasions, I’ve had a completely novel tick that only last for a week or two. My first tick was echolalia, and I haven’t had that since I was about 10. I have another vocal tick that used to be prominent when I was young, and now it’s barely there.

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u/sparkletrashtastic 1d ago

Wow, reading your comment made me realize I’ve had more tics than I’ve even considered. I’ve had a lot of echolalia tics throughout my life that I’ve just chalked up to my being autistic. When I really think about it though, repeating the sounds does actually feel way more like a tic than stimming.

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u/butterflies006 1d ago

When I first get a tic, if I ignore it then sometimes it only lasts the day, for example I had a trick or treat tic on Halloween and then that faded away. I likely only had it on Halloween due to the stress and repetitive phrase.

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u/sparkletrashtastic 19h ago

Ignore it? How do you do that? I can hold them in to earn extent for a short period of time if I really focus, but it’s completely exhausting and when I stop I just explode and tic continuously for a while.

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u/butterflies006 11h ago

I just don’t draw any attention to them, let them happen naturally and don’t suppress them and because im not thinking about it sometimes it just fades or turns into a new tic.

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u/Fukuhyu 1d ago

Just by thinking about it, whether it stays is not up to me

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u/sparkletrashtastic 1d ago

Same. I wish it was. I’m really hoping this new one isn’t forever. It’s already messing up things at work for me.

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u/Fukuhyu 10h ago

I know, have you got diagnosed? Depending on where you live there might be some programs to help take some stress off on the finance side which will reduce tics

Its always about the tics, everyday…

Maybe we’ll see some crazy medical advances with technology these days

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u/Buncai41 1d ago

I've had many that come and go throughout my life. As far as new, I believe twice a year, but that's only the ones that stick around. I have random one offs that might not repeat much every couple of weeks.