Facial tics are quite common. It can occur in older people, adolescents, and even children. Most often, the eyelids are affected by facial tics, but if there is an individual tendency, the lips may also twitch. Why does my upper lip twitch? As a rule, this is the most common facial tic, but in some cases the reasons may be different.
Most common reasons
Why does my upper lip twitch? The most common reasons:
- Most often this is a manifestation of nervousness. Facial tics occur due to disturbances in the conduction of nerve impulses. Often patients have a question: “Why does the upper lip twitch in the middle and what to do in such a situation?” First of all, you should consult a neurologist. He will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe sedatives.
- Mineral deficiency, particularly magnesium. In this case, muscle cramps in the legs and arms may also occur.
- The recovery period after surgery, after heavy blood loss. In order for the body to recover faster, you should maintain bed rest, avoid stress, and also take a good quality vitamin and mineral complex. It is also important to replenish magnesium deficiency in the body; Magne B6 is ideal for this.
- Why does the upper lip twitch after traumatic brain injury? Yes, impacts and brain injuries are another common cause of discomfort. As a rule, the reason lies in poor circulation. You should contact a neurologist - he will prescribe suitable medications, the use of which will help to quickly get rid of the problem.
Diagnosis of tics
How to determine why a muscle twitches in a particular place in the human body, and what is the reason for this manifestation? First of all, you need to consult a neurologist to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.
Comprehensive diagnostics includes:
- neurological examination of the patient;
- taking anamnesis;
- blood chemistry;
- general blood analysis;
- encephalography of the brain;
- X-ray of the brain;
- CT scan;
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- consultation of third-party specialists (psychiatrist, traumatologist, oncologist).
The list of studies listed above is not complete and in some cases the doctor has the right to prescribe additional diagnostic measures to complete the picture.
Why does a child's upper lip twitch?
It would seem that children have no stress and there is no reason for the development of pathologies of the nervous system. However, doctors have a different opinion: more and more babies are being born with neurological problems. Why does a child's upper lip twitch on the left side (or right)? As a rule, this indicates that there are problems with the conduction of nerve impulses on one side or another. When making a diagnosis, the fact in which exact place the face twitches usually does not play a significant role.
Why does the upper lip twitch in teenagers? If there have been no traumatic brain injuries over the past few years, if the teenager has not undergone surgery, then most likely this is a manifestation of a common nervous tic. Below are recommendations on how to improve the condition and get rid of tic.
Symptoms
A characteristic manifestation of tics is spontaneous muscle contractions. More often they appear after overwork, both mental and physical, a stressful situation, nervous overstrain, and increase gradually. If signs of nervous system imbalance are pronounced, then this is noticeable to others. Main symptoms by location:
- Hyperkinesis of the limbs. The person involuntarily twitches his arm or leg, claps his hands, stomps or jumps.
- On the face. Frequent blinking, forehead tension, chaotic movements of the eyebrows, involuntary movement of the lips, twitching of the nose, uncontrolled opening and closing of the mouth.
- In the abdomen and torso area. Involuntary contractions of the abdominal muscles, diaphragm, and pelvis.
- Heads and necks. Impulsive nods, mechanical turns.
- Voice apparatus. Uncontrolled pronunciation of sounds and syllables. In severe cases, barking cough, involuntary grunting, howling.
Facial tics and nervous tension
So, we have found the most common reason why the upper lip twitches on the left or right. Facial nervous tics almost always occur due to high nervous tension. This could be a period of passing exams, a conflict situation in the family, separation from a loved one, or the death of someone close. There are a lot of situations in our world that can cause nervous tension even in the most mentally stable person. Why does the upper lip twitch and what to do in this case if it is a facial nervous tic?
The best way out in such a situation is to abstract yourself as much as possible from the traumatic situation. Try to take time off if work is stressful. Some people often decide to quit in order to maintain a healthy psycho-emotional background. If the reason is a toxic relationship, then it is better to get out of it. If the patient is plagued by constant conflicts in the family, you should think about living separately.
Why does a nervous tic occur most often in the eye?
Nervous tics are vocal and motor, primary and secondary. Involuntary muscle twitching can occur on any part of the body, but most often it appears on the eye. What is this connected with? The reasons lie in the anatomical features of the face and the area around the orbit. There are a lot of nerve endings and muscles near the eyes. The weakest muscles of the human body are located around the orbit. In addition, the face most often displays emotional experiences.
Which doctor should I contact?
Often, patients are so worried about a nervous tic that they search on forums for an answer to the question: “Why does the upper lip twitch in the middle, what medications to take and how to get rid of it?” The first rule is not to panic and under no circumstances self-medicate. Really powerful sedatives are available by prescription.
If the problem has become acute, you should contact a neurologist and describe the symptoms in detail. Perhaps the facial tic is accompanied by leg or arm cramps, or a frequent headache? You should definitely inform your doctor about this. The more detailed the story, the easier it will be for the doctor to draw up a clinical picture and select medications that will quickly help solve the problem.
Classification
There are several groups of ticks, united according to certain characteristics. According to symptoms there are:
- Simple motor. Use one muscle group: blinking or twitching the eyes, shrugging the shoulders, wrinkling the nose, moving the tongue, snapping the fingers.
- Complex motor. They involve several muscle groups or make up a series of simple ones: grimacing, touching people or objects, bending to the floor, tapping on the head, smoothing clothes, biting lips.
- Vocal. Coughing, grunting, grunting, barking, sniffling, hissing, repetition of sounds or syllables, involuntary use of obscenities, insults, swear words and expressions.
For reasons of occurrence:
- primary;
- secondary;
- hereditary.
By duration:
- clonic (fast);
- dystonic (slow).
According to the form of gravity:
- Episodic. Happens once or is repeated extremely rarely.
- Chronic. Continues over a long period of time.
According to the muscles involved, nervous hyperkinesis is:
- mimic;
- vocal;
- limbs;
- heads;
- torso.
Groups of medications used for tics
So, we found out why the upper lip twitches. What drugs are commonly used to get rid of this unpleasant problem?
- Antidepressants and tranquilizers. They are sold by prescription and can be prescribed by a neurologist or psychiatrist. They level out the psycho-emotional state, help improve performance, normalize sleep, and restore the normal balance of neurotransmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine, etc.).
- Mild over-the-counter sedatives, the use of which does not cause addiction and has virtually no side effects. But the effect of taking such medications is less pronounced than that of prescription antidepressants and tranquilizers.
- Drugs that restore cerebral circulation. Effective if the cause of the tic is traumatic brain injury.
- Vitamin-mineral complexes will help get rid of the deficiency of minerals and vitamins, as well as the consequences of a lack of these elements.
- Herbal sedatives. The cheapest way to normalize sleep and become calmer, which will entail a decrease in the severity of nervous tics on the face. However, in some cases, taking herbal infusions is completely useless.
Diagnosis of twitching
To make a correct diagnosis, a nervous tic should be able to be distinguished from motor acts generated by other causes, including other types of hyperkinesis. Certain movement disorders may occur with Down and Klinefelter syndromes.
An electroencephalogram is prescribed when it is necessary to distinguish tics from convulsions. To rule out brain diseases, an MRI is prescribed. To “weed out” the possibility of hypothyroidism, the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the body is measured.
If nervous tics debut suddenly in adolescents or adults, a urine test may be prescribed to possibly detect traces of drugs: in certain cases, drug addiction can also provoke the appearance of tics.
It is important to collect anamnesis, as well as interview the patient’s family members. In the latter case, for example, studying the condition of the liver in the patient and relatives helps to exclude Wilson's disease. In certain cases, it is also necessary to examine the patient’s stool and blood: movement disorders can be caused by helminths or infectious diseases.
Taking antidepressants: justified or not?
The minimum duration of a course of antidepressants is three months. Many patients are forced to take this type of medication for years, as negative symptoms return after discontinuation. However, often it is antidepressants that help a person live a full life, forget about anxiety, fears, panic attacks, and facial tics.
The most popular prescription antidepressants today are:
- "Prozac";
- "Paxil";
- "Trittiko";
- Zoloft.
Often a mild tranquilizer is also prescribed in parallel - for example, Atarax. This scheme helps to quickly reduce the patient’s psycho-emotional stress.
Mild sedatives
Often, to get rid of facial tics, neurologists prescribe the following sedatives:
The average duration of treatment is about two months. Some patients note that facial nervous tics disappear within the first week of treatment.
Chronic motor tics
This disorder is less common than transient tics, but more common than Tourette's syndrome. To be diagnosed with chronic motor tics (causes and treatment in adults are discussed below), the patient must experience muscle spasms for several years, with each attack lasting more than three months.
Excessive blinking of eyelashes, grimacing and twitching of the eyes are the most common. Unlike the transient tics described above, chronic motor spasms do not stop even during sleep.
While children usually do not require therapy, adult patients are advised to seek medical attention—especially if the face involuntarily grimaces or the eye twitches. Treatment will depend on the intensity of the disorder.
Herbal sedative for nervous tics
Herbal tea "Fitosedan" is a tea made from natural herbs - valerian, motherwort, hops. Normalizes sleep and has a mild calming effect. If the facial tic is not clearly expressed and only bothers you during periods of stress, then you can get by with taking Phytosedan.
The product can be purchased at any pharmacy; you do not need a prescription from a doctor. The duration of treatment is about one month. “Phytosedan” does not cause drug dependence; you can stop taking it at any time without fear that it will negatively affect your psychological or physical state.
Prevention measures
The appearance of a nervous tic can be prevented, the main thing is to learn to relax and avoid stressful situations. But there are other preventive measures that can prevent the development of the disease.
Table. How to prevent nervous tics.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
| Step one | Give yourself enough time to rest your eyes, especially if your job involves computers. In this case, it is necessary to rest every hour with an exercise for the visual organs. |
| Step two | Give up bad habits. Not everyone knows, but some bad habits negatively affect not only internal organs, but also the visual system. Therefore, as a preventive measure for nervous tics, it is necessary to stop smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. |
| Step three | Sleep is an important component of a healthy body, so you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day. During this period, the body and all its systems, including the central nervous system, are restored after a busy day. |
| Step four | Follow the rules of personal hygiene. It is no secret that many infectious diseases that develop against the background of insufficient hygiene provoke the appearance of a nervous tic. |
| Step five | Eat right. A balanced and healthy diet will prevent the development of many pathologies, including nervous tics. It is necessary to exclude all harmful foods (fried, spicy, salty and fatty foods) from the diet. |
A nervous tic is not a very dangerous disease, but it still causes a lot of discomfort to a person, negatively affecting his psycho-emotional state. Therefore, in order not to encounter pathology in the future, you need to follow the above recommendations. Positive thinking and attitude are perhaps the most effective weapons in the fight against nervous tics. If you still have to deal with this disease, you need to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible. Self-medication in this case will only harm your body.
Prevention of facial nervous tics
Even if you managed to get rid of a nervous tic, there is a high probability that the problems will return in the next stressful situation. How to keep your nervous system calm and prevent the problem from returning?
- Adequate sleep is the key to a healthy and strong nervous system. If for some reason insomnia develops, you should consult a doctor about this problem.
- Light physical activity also helps keep the nervous system and psyche in good shape. At the same time, it is important that physical education is a joy. Exhaustive training, on the contrary, has a negative effect on the body.
- Adequate nutrition, an abundance of vitamins and minerals in the diet is another “building block” in building a healthy nervous system and psyche.
- You should completely stop drinking alcohol. Ethyl alcohol is a strong depressant, which also promotes the death of nerve cells.
Diagnostic features
After you notice suspicious symptoms indicating a nervous tic, you need to contact a specialist for a diagnostic examination. In this case, the help of a neurologist and psychiatrist is required. First of all, during a diagnostic examination, the doctor must exclude the possibility of mental disorders or changes in brain function. As a rule, such deviations occur as a result of the development of malignant tumors or after a head injury.
At the doctor
On a note! To exclude the presence of organic pathology, during a diagnostic examination, the doctor prescribes a computed tomography (a method for examining the internal structure of an organ) to the patient.
Taking into account the patient’s complaints and the results of the tests, the neurologist will be able to make an accurate diagnosis. The development of pathology may be supported by the presence of risk factors.
