16 Years of Twitching... Second Opinion?

[Pinion00]

I am getting this looked at in a few weeks, but given the number of opinions I have already gained I thought a few more ideas may not hurt to walk into my Dr.'s office with...

Since I experianced a family member's death at age 8, I have had twitches brought on primarily by stress. Through middle school they were simply head twitches (side to side) that came and went with time. Through high school they were less noticable, but remained and developed into minor facial twitches on rare occasions. Within the last 6 years or so, the twitches have become more severe and much more noticable. They have developed into more diverse twitches. The major ones still currently affecting me are facial twitching (mostly corners of my mouth -- no particular order, side, or sequence, just random) and quick, sudden head jerks (up and down). These are the two that begin causing muscle tightness and are clearly the most evident. During these 6 years, I have also been known to experiance jaw opening and clenching, eye and cheek movements, and some other random muscle twtiches for extended periods of time, as well.

Generally the bouts of twitching come abruptly and remain for days or weeks at a time, and seem to be caused by stress and become intensified by stimulants (ie, caffine). In the past months though, they seem to be coming on more violently and far more frequently. For weeks the twitches and head jerks have been causing me pain in  my neck and jaw, and there seems to be no end. Sometimes I have sudden blinding flashes of constant, unending twitching for several minutes. Aside from the pain, anyone spending enough time around me begins to question if I am on speed because the reflexes are so similar.

No history of anything that would cause this in my family. Was given Halidol once by my shrink when I was on mood stablizers, but he never actually diagnosed the twitching (more like shoved pills down my throat, which worked for a while -- my insurance eventually changed and now I have had no meds for anything in over a year).

So, any thoughts?

Thanks for your time.

[Pinion00]

No problem. I actually quit smoking about 7 weeks ago and caffine/nicotine intake is already limited. As for sleep disturbances, I have always been extremely "nocturnal", but I doubt that could be construed as a symptom. I also used to have vivid night terrors, but they seem to have ceased in recent years.

Thanks!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for keeping me posted!
Testing for Vit B and D deficiencies, parathyroid and adrenal gland function and at times electrolytes do not form part of the routine testing. Please discuss with your doctor regarding what all has been tested. Also restrict alcohol, wine and caffeine intake. If you smoke this should also be stopped. Sleep disturbances that persist since childhood can also be a problem. Take care!

[Pinion00]

I've actually had my blood taken twice in the last 6 weeks. Kidney function is fine, I know. Would they have not checked anything else or would those things have been part of a routine blood test? Thank you.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the forum!
Well twitches can be caused by stress and strain. However they can also be due to several other causes. I would suggest you get the blood levels of the following checked if they have not already been checked: potassium, calcium, sodium, vitamin B complex, or vitamins B1, B3, or B6 and Vitamin D. Generally deficiencies of any of the above can cause muscle twitching in localized or generalized areas of the body. Get your kidney function, parathyroid gland function and adrenal function tests done because these affect the electrolyte balance in the body. Stress, alcohol, caffeine and fatigue all cause similar symptoms. Peripheral neuropathies as in diabetes too should be looked at.
Hope this helps