Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Suggest Treatment For Facial Spasms
Question: my corpulent son of 60 constantly affected with facial ticks. has had the problem for over a year, what ca be done to eradicate the problem ary cure
Brief Answer:
Chronic motor tics
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I'm sorry to hear about your son's facial tics. It's possible he has a chronic motor tic disorder which is when facial tics happen for at least one year, and for 3 or more months at a time.
Facial tics are often brought out or made worse by heat, stress, and fatigue, so doing whatever he can to decrease these triggers may help (such as consistent 8 hours of sleep, etc).
Medication to help with stress, such as if he suffers from anxiety, may help. SSRI medications such as Lexapro can be tried to help lower anxiety. It can also be used to treat OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) which can be a cause for facial tics too.
If they are severe, sometimes a dopamine blocker (such as an antipsychotic) medication can help.
Behavioral treatment with a psychologist, can help decrease stress which can bring out or increase tics, and can also help with learning how to deal with them.
I recommend, he see his doctor or go directly to a psychiatrist who may want to order an EEG (if there is any possibility that a seizure disorder is the cause), and an EMG to test the muscles and nerves to see if there are any abnormalities there.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
Chronic motor tics
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I'm sorry to hear about your son's facial tics. It's possible he has a chronic motor tic disorder which is when facial tics happen for at least one year, and for 3 or more months at a time.
Facial tics are often brought out or made worse by heat, stress, and fatigue, so doing whatever he can to decrease these triggers may help (such as consistent 8 hours of sleep, etc).
Medication to help with stress, such as if he suffers from anxiety, may help. SSRI medications such as Lexapro can be tried to help lower anxiety. It can also be used to treat OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) which can be a cause for facial tics too.
If they are severe, sometimes a dopamine blocker (such as an antipsychotic) medication can help.
Behavioral treatment with a psychologist, can help decrease stress which can bring out or increase tics, and can also help with learning how to deal with them.
I recommend, he see his doctor or go directly to a psychiatrist who may want to order an EEG (if there is any possibility that a seizure disorder is the cause), and an EMG to test the muscles and nerves to see if there are any abnormalities there.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
