Posted by Fionamck on June 9, 2005, at 22:39:26
In reply to Re: Nervous twitches - causes?? » Fionamck, posted by Larry Hoover on June 8, 2005, at 12:01:22
Lar, thank you very much for getting back to me on this. I had looked at Tourettes before and several things rang bells, particularly the link with low serotonin levels. Thanks also for the link. I read through it and things do seem to click. If it is Tourettes, it is probably mild as the tics are not always there; mostly when I am tired or stressed, and they seem to go when I am absorbed in something.
I'll certainly look into it more. Don't really want to take more meds. Stress reduction makes a lot of sense, but will take some time to work out. Worth it, though.
Thanks again.> > The twitches seem to be getting worse. They involve hunching and tensing my neck down into my shoulders, clenching my hands into fists and, recently, tensing up my upper stomach muscles. It's somewhere between voluntary and involuntary; i know it's coming and I try to relax, but feel a great compulsion to twitch and often have to stop what I am doing so that I can tense my hands etc.
>
> You're almost perfectly describing a tic, one of the diagnostic features of Tourette's syndrome.
>
> Stress is indeed a factor. And many years can pass between episodes.
>
> http://www.healthieryou.com/tourfact.html
>
> The "cause" has recently been linked to the dopamine D2 receptor, but meds that hit that receptor can have some significant side effects.
>
> The first thing you need to do is come to a better understanding of what you have to manage. A proper diagnosis, a little education, some stress management, perhaps some meds. There are also alternative strategies being used for symptom reduction.
>
> Best,
> Lar
poster:Fionamck
thread:509633
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050603/msgs/510319.html