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68 Years Old. Slight Twitching On Upper Lip. Should I Consult A Doctor?
Question: Have had a slight twitch on left side of upper lip for about a week. Seems to get worse late in the day, and sometimes even feeling slight funny feeling further up my face. It comes and goes. I'm 68. My mother had a stroke at this age, and died of one by 70. Is this something I should be going to the emergency room for?
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
I understand your concern and will try to address it.
The symptoms that you describe fall under the category of Myokymia.
These are benign fasciculatory movements and not associated with any specific disease.
These typically last for a few weeeks and could involve the facial muscles.
Stress,Anxiety,lack of sleep are said to be factorsÂ
Other causes could be
Drug overdoses like caffeine
Drug side effects like diuretics,steroids,estrogens etc
diet deficiencies of calcium or B12
Thyroid disorders can also cause these.
Get your calcium,B12 and thyroid tested.
No specific treatment is indicated.
Fasciculations with muscle weakness,or atrophy or if they are severe and long lasting need neurological examination by a neurologist.
Just wait and watch and there doesn't seem to be any need to go to ER.
I hope it helps however you may revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks
Thanks for the query.
I understand your concern and will try to address it.
The symptoms that you describe fall under the category of Myokymia.
These are benign fasciculatory movements and not associated with any specific disease.
These typically last for a few weeeks and could involve the facial muscles.
Stress,Anxiety,lack of sleep are said to be factorsÂ
Other causes could be
Drug overdoses like caffeine
Drug side effects like diuretics,steroids,estrogens etc
diet deficiencies of calcium or B12
Thyroid disorders can also cause these.
Get your calcium,B12 and thyroid tested.
No specific treatment is indicated.
Fasciculations with muscle weakness,or atrophy or if they are severe and long lasting need neurological examination by a neurologist.
Just wait and watch and there doesn't seem to be any need to go to ER.
I hope it helps however you may revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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