Anyone else with similar jaw pains?

[Forrest Gump]

I'm getting a very disturbing jaw pain, mostly in my left jaw and sometimes around the teeth. It's not constant, it comes and goes, and is mostly stabbing or kind of nibbling.

I started getting panic attacks about three months ago. Full blown with accompanying chest pain, shortness of breath and stabbing pains in various places. They gave me Xanax (benzodiazepine) at the hospital, 0.25 mg two, to three times daily. They relived many of the panic attacks and most of the pains. After some time I learned that Xanax is highly addictive, so I tried to quit them, but that gave me a complete hell of panic attacks and pains. Since then I've learned that the right way is to taper them down slowly, and that's what I've been doing. I've been taking them now for a total of about two months and now I'm down to 0.06 mg daily. I'm also on heart medication (Bisoprol beta blocker and Moduretic (a diuretic) for a minor heart problem). But my heart doctor says that my pains are not heart related. None of the doctors that I've spoken to seems to know why I have these pains. My EKG is fine and everything else checks out fine.

Most of my panic attacks are gone by now. I only rarely get a feeling that a panic attack is on it's way, but if it comes then it's comparatively very mild and passes withing minutes. However, I still have occasional slight chest pains, palpitations, weird sensations in my chest and most disturbingly the stabbing, nibbling pains in my jaw. It comes and goes, and it's really driving me nuts as many times I get scared it's something serious.

Could this be from tapering down the Xanax or some kind of remnant from the panic attacks? Does anyone else have similar jaw pains?
As far as I know, I don't grind my teeth during sleep. My gums are not sore or tired in any way.

Any input would be much appreciated. Cheers

[Wee-Mee]

I've had siliar things.. It kinda feels wobbly if that makes sense.

I tend to clench my teeth when I sleep so I think it's that though you say you don't clench or anything so I dunno!

Why don't you maybe go to the dentist? And explain and see if they can maybe figure it out?

xxx

[Forrest Gump]

Thanks Wee-Mee, I don't think it's my teeth, it kind of doesn't feel like toothache or similar. But of course I can't be certain, so I might as well go check it up when I have the money to (dental care is terribly expensive here). Cheers

[Wee-Mee]

I'm really sorry you feel so crap *hugs*

It could be a thing called neuralgia. Which basicaaly IS a certain pain but you can't pinpoint where exactly it is.

Like headache,toothache,earache etc. It's usually head related in that it's somewhere on your,head,eyes,teeth etc. But it's a weird one. It's like phantom pain almost but it's not.

xx

[suzy-sue]

Hi Forrest ,i get the jaw ache and intermitent pains in my gums and teeth,every time i have increased my medication.I suspect it could be also caused when you come off meds as well.Glad to hear your panic attacks are under control,well done!.Hope you feel better soon . Sue

[nickieb]

TMJ??

[Forrest Gump]

Wee-Mee and nickieb: Thanks, I looked those up and it might be the cause, although from what I read the symptoms are slightly different. But then again I'm not qualified to be my own doctor, so who knows.

suzy-sue: Thanks, I'm hoping that it's the coming off the meds that is causing it, it would somehow be a relief. My concern about that though is that I was never up at any high doses of Xanax, only 0.25 mg twice daily for perhaps two weeks and then most of the time 0.12 mg twice daily. But maybe it could cause this anyway.

I also often have numbness in my fingers nowadays and tinnitus, mostly constant but also a scarier version that suddenly comes with an increasing ring until it's quite loud and then goes away again, all lasting for about 10 seconds. Also, sometimess I get twitching in my left eye.

I've never had any of these symptoms before I got my first panic attack, at least not as far as I can remember. Altough the panic attacks are almost gone now, which is a big relief, these frequent weird symptoms are really getting the best of me.

[nickieb]

You can get tinnitis with TMJ as the joint is all connected. Just my view of course having had all the symptoms myself x

[valleybear]

I have TMJ and get niggly, and sometimes more severe, pain in my jaw and around ears, tinnitus and an ache/pain at base of tongue when I wiggle it about( i understand that this is caused by a muscle that originates in the jaw bone. XX)

[Forrest Gump]

Thanks nickieb and mmac43. It might be TMJ, it just feels so weird that I would get something all new that I've never even heard about in the midst of dealing with panic attacks, a minor heart problem and the meds for all of it.
How and why does one get TMJ and can it be cured?

[Utility]

Hi

Anxiety can cause this and nothing more sinister. It can come and go for, what seems like, no reason but you have probably tuned your senses into being over sensitive in noticing it.

Don't worry.

[Forrest Gump]

Thanks Utitlity, yes, I've noticed that anxiety can really play tricks with my mind regarding pains. The jaw thing though seems to come and go regardless of my mood state. But then again it's difficult to tell 'cos I'm not exactly happy go lucky these days. It's very difficult to ignore something, the pains, that is normally part of a warning system that something is wrong... :wacko:

[valleybear]

Mine is muscular TMJD. Got a long title ..Tempero Mandibular Joint Dysfunction. Mine is a symptom of fibromyalgia and affects muscles used to chew and to move the face, scalp neck etc. Can be caused by trauma,stress, sleep deprivation. Sometimes I get tinnitus, painful ears, shoulders and neck. Safe one to research on the web as not life threatening! Hope you feeling better. XX

[Forrest Gump]

Thanks mmac43, I'll do some research. Gonna see a psychiatrist today also, see what he says.

[MikeH]

Hi Forest,

Muscle and nerve related symptoms can definitely be part of long term withdrawal especially from Xanax (a nasty, highly potent benzo with an extremely short half-life). How long ago did you quit? I was put on Klonopin for a short time and tried to quit but couldnt (at least not safely). It was only with the help of the good people at Benzo Island that I tapered over a long period. Did you know that depenging on the type of tissue, traces of the benzo can remain in the body for as long a two years or longer especially in muscular and neural tissue! All of us react differently to those drugs. The good news is that you seem to be over the worst. If it is protracted benzo withdrawal then time will eventlually heal. Watch that the Psych says and be wary of benzos.

For more information on benzos, please go to: benzoisland.org there are many good people there (like here).

[wiskersonkittens]

Do you by chance suffer from TMJ??? When I was under intense anxiety about a year ago, I suffered from jaw pain. I was diagnosed with TMJ. I do clench my teeth all the time most of the time without realizing it and it is giving me all sorts of strange symptoms in my face, jaw and neck regions -- even numbness in my arm, which is also a symptom! Anyway, just something to consider. :)

[wiskersonkittens]

Ha! I guess I should read all posts before posting -- seems someone else suffers from TMJ and brought this to your attention. My apologies . . :)

[Forrest Gump]

Thank you so much everyone for all your replies and suggestions:hugs:

I think I'm really getting better now. I've tapered down the Xanax and quit them totally two days ago. The jaw pains only come once in a while and not as strong now, and the same goes for the rest of the pains.

I think it's been close to four months of fighting now. Not ignoring the pains and going to the hospital when the chest pains etc got too severe really helped, I think. You eventually start to realize that the pains are not dangerous and accept the situation and the panic attacks. I think that helped me a lot.
The Xanax probably helped a bit in the beginning as well, but I'm suspecting that they at the same time are to blame for some of the issues, as tapering them down slowly made things better along with everything else. I would not recommend using Xanax or similar benzos for other than very short term relief, no more than a couple of days.

All the best