Vitex (chaste tree) supplements for tic suppression?

Hi,

I recently stumbled upon a discovery I want to share with the TS community. I'm an adult with mild Tourette's. While trying to become pregnant, I started taking a supplement called FertilityBlend after reading about it on forums. The active ingredient in FertilityBlend is Vitex from the Chaste Berry tree. Curious about the mechanism of Vitex, I looked it up online & found that it has dopaminergic effects and is believed to inhibit D-2 domapine receptors in the brain, thereby reducing the amount of prolactin produced.

A little lightbulb went off in my brain after reading this. I had read years ago that Tourette's is believed to be related to an abnormality with the D-2 dopamine receptors. Now, this may just be placebo effect, but I started thinking that my tics have all but subsided for the past couple weeks & I have been taking the Vitex for a month now. My tics were never so bad... some whistling sounds under my tongue, neck stretching, and the occasional long eye blink. But they do seem to have gone away and I wonder if it could be related to the Vitex.

So I was wondering if anyone else with Tourett'es has tried Vitex? And if so, maybe you should try it and then reply to this post and weigh in. It seems not enough research is being done in the scientific community since there is no cure and really no medications that work for TS without having horrible side effects. Why not start our own medication trial here?

Hi, irishitaliangirl! Thanks for sharing your experience with the posters of this forum I hope you have fun here.

Everyone, please remember to check with your doctor before taking a med, though.