samth3king
New member
Hi Everyone,
Don't know if this is the website to be posting this question, but BFS is the only condition that is close to what I've been experencing. I have twitching and a sensation of facial tightness (though I am able to freely move my muscles). Wanted to know if anyone else has experienced the tightness.
First off, my mom has MS, as does her bro. I'm one of those in the family line that has bipolar disorder.....not that MS and bipolar are related, but my bipolar has come into play since the onset of my symptoms, simply because we've considered that the meds I take may have been causing my symptoms.
Years ago, before the docs recognized me as bipolar, they were throwing antidepressants at me, and that's when I first started having facial twitching. Mainly under the eye and on the nose. I believe I was on Zoloft at the time. It's interesting, because I've read that often BFSers are given Paxil or other anti's to relieve the twitching.
Well, eventually, with much research and evidence, I was put on meds appropriate for bipolar (yeah!). Lithium really saved me, but caused headaches....so the pdoc (psychiatrist) switched me to Trileptal (another anti-epileptic). I was also on Geodon (an antipsyh) in low doses as an adjunct to the Trileptal. I was on these meds for several months, feeling better than I ever have, just great in fact, and then I started having numbness in my face that moved around, plus facial twitching. My pdoc told me to take Vit. E for the numbness (1000 IU/day) and Vit B6 (100mg/day) for the twitching. The problems went away in a couple of weeks.
But then, after a few more weeks/months, I started having a strange feeling of tightness, like a clay mask had dried over my skin, on my face, and sometimes the top of my head and on my chest...but mainly in the face. Eventually, I had numbness as well, in my throat, on my tongue, on my lips and chin. That really scared me. I can't remember if the twitching had started up again by this time...but the tightness has often been a precursor or has happened along with the twitching. I also had (still do) a strange sensation of cramping or tightness in my right index finger.
So I've had an MRI, which was clean. Once the neurologist ruled out MS, he sent me on my way. I wish I had known more about EMGs and other tests so I could have insisted on taking them....but from what I'm reading about BFS, they often don't show much.
Anyway, thinking that my problems were medicine-related (which they may still be...perhaps the meds are causing a vit. deficiency, despite the vites I continue to take), I've changed the meds several times. The numbness went away after stopping the Geodon (antipsych), which I, happily, do not seem to require anyway. The pdoc switched me to mood stabilizers such as Topomax (which caused severe pins and needles feelings in my hands, feet and face, among other things), then to Neurontin, which caused MAJOR twitching in my face (oddly, since that seems to be a med for BFS), and we also tried combining different meds. I went through a period where I was so affected by the bipolar disorder from all the meds changes, that I just went back to Trileptal (which had done wonders for me). At some point, I was symptom-free. But recently the facial tightness and finger cramping has returned.
My pdoc put me back on lithium, and we supplemented with another anticonvulsant, Keppra. Face just got worse. I'm at the point now...after trying all these meds that have completely different molecular structures and deal with different neurotransmitters and receptor sites in the brain... that I'm thinking that this isn't meds-related, at least not strictly. Like I said, perhaps a vit. deficiency brought on by the drugs. Why else would my pdoc have me take Vit B6 and E if deficiencies couldn't occur?
Anway...if you've managed to read through all of this, thanks a bunch. Just really wondering if this sounds like BFS? Is facial tightness a symptom? I have had a cold for the past two days and the tightness is worse, and I can feel twitching in my nose (although it isn't yet visible). I hear stress and illness can worsen the condition. Also seems worse when I'm overheated. My mom's MS is really beginning to disable her, and my grandmother has been diagnosed with breast cancer...so things are a bit stressful for the family. I know this stress could be worsening the condition, plus my insecurity about what's really going on.
Thanks again for reading, and if you know or have had this "tightness" sensation, please let me know. Also, if you've noticed that symptoms seem to appear with the use of psychiatric meds, that would be good to hear about too. Oh, and if anyone has also had severe muscle spasms in other areas of the body....I've seen chiropractors and acupuncturists and physical therapists for spasms in my neck and shoulders. These painful knots are there for months on end, and then I wake up one day, and I'm okay...no neck/shoulder pain. It's very strange, and I'm not sure if it's connected to the other stuff or not.
Good luck to all of you!
Take it easy,
Nova
Don't know if this is the website to be posting this question, but BFS is the only condition that is close to what I've been experencing. I have twitching and a sensation of facial tightness (though I am able to freely move my muscles). Wanted to know if anyone else has experienced the tightness.
First off, my mom has MS, as does her bro. I'm one of those in the family line that has bipolar disorder.....not that MS and bipolar are related, but my bipolar has come into play since the onset of my symptoms, simply because we've considered that the meds I take may have been causing my symptoms.
Years ago, before the docs recognized me as bipolar, they were throwing antidepressants at me, and that's when I first started having facial twitching. Mainly under the eye and on the nose. I believe I was on Zoloft at the time. It's interesting, because I've read that often BFSers are given Paxil or other anti's to relieve the twitching.
Well, eventually, with much research and evidence, I was put on meds appropriate for bipolar (yeah!). Lithium really saved me, but caused headaches....so the pdoc (psychiatrist) switched me to Trileptal (another anti-epileptic). I was also on Geodon (an antipsyh) in low doses as an adjunct to the Trileptal. I was on these meds for several months, feeling better than I ever have, just great in fact, and then I started having numbness in my face that moved around, plus facial twitching. My pdoc told me to take Vit. E for the numbness (1000 IU/day) and Vit B6 (100mg/day) for the twitching. The problems went away in a couple of weeks.
But then, after a few more weeks/months, I started having a strange feeling of tightness, like a clay mask had dried over my skin, on my face, and sometimes the top of my head and on my chest...but mainly in the face. Eventually, I had numbness as well, in my throat, on my tongue, on my lips and chin. That really scared me. I can't remember if the twitching had started up again by this time...but the tightness has often been a precursor or has happened along with the twitching. I also had (still do) a strange sensation of cramping or tightness in my right index finger.
So I've had an MRI, which was clean. Once the neurologist ruled out MS, he sent me on my way. I wish I had known more about EMGs and other tests so I could have insisted on taking them....but from what I'm reading about BFS, they often don't show much.
Anyway, thinking that my problems were medicine-related (which they may still be...perhaps the meds are causing a vit. deficiency, despite the vites I continue to take), I've changed the meds several times. The numbness went away after stopping the Geodon (antipsych), which I, happily, do not seem to require anyway. The pdoc switched me to mood stabilizers such as Topomax (which caused severe pins and needles feelings in my hands, feet and face, among other things), then to Neurontin, which caused MAJOR twitching in my face (oddly, since that seems to be a med for BFS), and we also tried combining different meds. I went through a period where I was so affected by the bipolar disorder from all the meds changes, that I just went back to Trileptal (which had done wonders for me). At some point, I was symptom-free. But recently the facial tightness and finger cramping has returned.
My pdoc put me back on lithium, and we supplemented with another anticonvulsant, Keppra. Face just got worse. I'm at the point now...after trying all these meds that have completely different molecular structures and deal with different neurotransmitters and receptor sites in the brain... that I'm thinking that this isn't meds-related, at least not strictly. Like I said, perhaps a vit. deficiency brought on by the drugs. Why else would my pdoc have me take Vit B6 and E if deficiencies couldn't occur?
Anway...if you've managed to read through all of this, thanks a bunch. Just really wondering if this sounds like BFS? Is facial tightness a symptom? I have had a cold for the past two days and the tightness is worse, and I can feel twitching in my nose (although it isn't yet visible). I hear stress and illness can worsen the condition. Also seems worse when I'm overheated. My mom's MS is really beginning to disable her, and my grandmother has been diagnosed with breast cancer...so things are a bit stressful for the family. I know this stress could be worsening the condition, plus my insecurity about what's really going on.
Thanks again for reading, and if you know or have had this "tightness" sensation, please let me know. Also, if you've noticed that symptoms seem to appear with the use of psychiatric meds, that would be good to hear about too. Oh, and if anyone has also had severe muscle spasms in other areas of the body....I've seen chiropractors and acupuncturists and physical therapists for spasms in my neck and shoulders. These painful knots are there for months on end, and then I wake up one day, and I'm okay...no neck/shoulder pain. It's very strange, and I'm not sure if it's connected to the other stuff or not.
Good luck to all of you!
Take it easy,
Nova
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