A bit weirded out today ... Re: muscle spasms and tics

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Well friends, where do I start. None of what I’m about to say happens with any of the TN pain necessarily.

As far back as I can remember I’ve always had mild muscle spasms and tics, facial tics and so on …

This past week or so, these are increasing in frequency and severity.

My upper left arm, keeps spasming the muscles in there, almost all the time these days and it’s driving me luny. My right foot AND ankle does the same thing when it’s not in contact with the ground. Plus my right hand (writing hand), will show an obvious “shake” when I try and use it when hand writing, after only a few minutes.

I’ve had other muscular jerks in respect to it starts in my face. In successive though fast motion, it would begin from my eye that spasms closed then open again, moves down my arm, wrist, hand, thigh knee, ankle and foot. These I describe as “whole” body spasms, they more often occur when I’m reclining on the lounge - time of day is irrelevant to the action itself. In other words, any time of the day.

I used to happily ignore this behaviour - but these days it’s much more frequent and more pronounced.

I am wondering if it is maybe exacerbated by my medications, though ironically one of my meds is an anti-spasmodic (baclofen)…

My main meds are: Tegretol (TN), Gabapentin (TN), Endep (TN), Xanax (TN), Baclofen (TN) & Lippitor (statin for high blood cholesterol).

What do you all think of this - should I bring ‘these’ symptoms up to my GP or Neuro or ask the chemist / pharmacy what they think. Keeping in mind I used to get these symptoms much milder prior to being on ANY meds at all…

Cheers ~ Kerry.

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Absolutely go to your Neurologist. Even if this is not related to TN, he or she will be able to help you. I have had some strange tics since starting meds and my Neurologist was going to do some additional testing on me, but they have lessened greatly since I switched meds. I tell my mine about anything out of the norm, just for my own peace of mind. But as Ro said, yours sounds like it could be something more so the Neurologist is the person to ask. Good luck and please keep us updated.

XOXO
Debbie

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I would tell the doc also. You noted you had them before the meds. I also had a period of spasms, weak and stiff muscles, and prickling pain in spots all over my body before the TN. My GP sent me to a neuro for tests because he primarily found hyperreflexes. But I have never been diagnosed with anything. So I was already seeing a neuro when the TN hit. I was diagnosed with TN quickly since the tegretol stopped the TN pain in hours. I don’t have any of the neuro problems except continuing hyperreflexia.

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You sound very similar to the problems I have had. My doctor said I had and essential tremor in my hands and a tic disorder and the only thing they could do for it was to treat it with klonopin or medicines like it. The klonopin worked for a couple of years and then it became less effective and I had to go up on the medicine. Eventually all the medicines I was taking made me sleep from two to eight hours a day as well as night time sleeping. I was sleeping my life away.
An unfortunate incident ended up finding me something that really helps. I had a radio frequency rhyzotomy in November 2007 and afterwards I could not open my mouth very far. When it did not get better I consulted the dentist who sent me to a TMJ specialist who put me in a splint. My jaw is better now and as a secondary effect the muscle tics, hand tremors and weakness, and facial twitches are almost completely gone and I hope with more jaw adjustment they will be gone completely. They had been under control at times. It is wierd, when I take the splint out the tremor and tics start getting worse right away again. My neurologists are perplexed that this should help but the TMJ doctors say it is not uncommon. Try biting on about 6 popcycle sticks piled up and jutting your lower jaw a little forward. If it helps, jaw adjustment could help you. My son started having the beginings of the same tics I have in the last six months and he has been wearing his splint two months and already they are almost gone. Weird but true. It also took away some of the pain that I thought was TN. Yeah, less pain. I hope this gives you some hope. Let me know how you are doing.
Anna

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I know different things can trigger TN pain. Don’t do anything that would aggrevate your pain. I only suggested biting down on the popcycle sticks with my back teeth because it really showed me that the tremors stopped when my jaw was in a different position. But I tell you that I did it very, slowly and gingerly and luckily it did not set me off. I know how frustrating and incompasitating it can be to have the tremor and tics which can be really bad for me and I hope you can get them under control. Medicines I have taken have made it worse and I have had to stop them. Klonopin was the best to control it for me.