Twitching eyelid and lip

[monkfishjoe]

For the past 3 weeks my right eyelid has been twitching. It started as a very occasional thing, but the past few days it's been very regularly. It feels like something passing through my eyelid. I can see my eyelid twitch when it's happening (as in, my eye closes enough for me to be able to see it).

Also, my top lip has started twitching too. It's on the left side and when it twitches it hurts and then feels numb.

Does this sound like anxiety or something more sinister. Any help would be welcomed.

Thanks

Joe

[countrygirl]

HI Joe - twitching is almost always a side effect of anxiety, with me it usually comes on about 4-5 days after I have been very stressed not at the time of the stress. I get the twitching lips as well and its really weird. In fact I can get twitching almost anywhere on my body and if you get it in the abdomen its really strange. The more you focus on it the longer it lasts sorry to say.

Try to remember it may be really annoying but its not a sign of any nasty neuro disease.

By all means if you still have in in another few weeks go and see your Dr for reassurance from a medical person.

don't whatever you do google it unless you add the word anxiety after it or you will get all the sites for motor neurone disease etc but this is a different type of twitching to what you have got and does not happen until other very obvious serious symptoms are already there.

[monkfishjoe]

Hi Countrygirl. Thanks for your quick and reassuring response.

I'm afraid my mind had jumped to a nuero nasty (as it always does). I haven't googled yet, so i'm quite proud of that!

Hopefully this will go soon as i can do nothing but notice it now.

[debs71]

Hi Joe,

Just to add my experience to your thread, my lower left eyelid started twitching 6 weeks ago. It was unlike twitching I had had before, which was every now and again for a day at the most, and then would go. This was all day, every day twitching. I also experienced a crawling/numb sensation across my cheek.

I saw a locum GP who frankly, was not much help, and referred me to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. I was diagnosed with myokymia - chronic eye twitching with nerve involvement which was causing the cheek sensations. The doctor, nice as he was, could only tell me it would 'go in time' but if it didn't, I could return for neuro tests. I am aware of certain drugs that can help calm twitching down and mentioned these to him, but he said that the chances of them helping were 'wishy washy' (I didn't care as by that time it was driving me INSANE).

Three days later I woke up and my whole left side face felt like it was dragging, and the twitch was manic, so in desperation I took a carbamazepine tablet (my Mum takes them for trigeminal neuralgia, one of the drugs I heard could assist twitches) and....it worked!

I saw my GP again a few days later, told him the whole story, he immediately prescribed more for me and so far, the twitch has been surpressed.

The only problem with this is, I do not know whether the twitch has gone, or is just being masked. I missed a couple of tablets 2 weeks ago, and the twitch restarted. When this course has finished I will wait and see. If it hasn't stopped, neuro tests for me. Although this is a nervous prospect, frankly I would rather know something is up neurologically than not!

Don't suffer in silence with this, and don't be fobbed off by anyone. Yes, anxiety can cause twitches, which may come and go, but after 3 weeks personally speaking, I was at the end of my tether.

Do seek advice if it continues hun.xxx:hugs:

[monkfishjoe]

Hi debs71,

Thank you for your contribution - it has been a few weeks now and it is starting to get to me. My cheek has also felt numb (as has my foot, but that could be entirely unrelated)!

I just think that if I go to the docs I will be told that it's just anxiety, which is what I'm always told.

Hope you feel better soon and there is nothing wrong with you neurologically.

[flobrien]

Hey Joe,

as everyone else has stated twitches are a huge symptom of anxiety, I get them often!

I had a twitch in my eyelid not too long ago lasted for almost 6weeks!! drove me mad, the more I worried about it the twitchier I got! I get twitches all over my body, at least once a day somewhere, most of it is because I hold my muscles so tight. Facial twitches can also be from TMJ (teeth grinding/clenching).

Sorry not much help I know, but very common indeed.

Fi x

[selphie]

ive also had a horrible twitch in my laft eyelid at first it dident bother me but then when it started to happen everyday i started to worry and it got worse come to think bout it i cant remember when it stopped i guess when i found something else to worry bout! i when i got it i thought all nasty things that maybe there was something crawling around in my eyelid:ohmy:

[monkfishjoe]

Flobrien and Selphie
Thanks for your comments. I'm sure this will go when I think of something else to focus my attention on!

As for TMJ or jaw clenching that could have something do do with it. I do clench my jaw a lot. It aches horribly most of the time, as does my neck from sitting hunched up...