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What are Some Examples of Nervous Tics?

Shannon Kietzman
Shannon Kietzman

Nervous tics are involuntary movements or twitches that most commonly occur in a person’s face, arms, or shoulders. The movements usually last for only a brief period of time and serve no purpose. They are often repetitive in nature and typically involve twitching of the corner of the mouth, grimacing, twitching of the corner of the eye, blinking, or general movements with the arms, shoulders, or hands.

Some nervous tics are caused by brain damage or damage to the nervous system, but many are caused by underlying psychological reasons that remain largely unknown. Tics are sometimes associated with Tourettes syndrome, which causes the individual to tic repeatedly and to exhibit outbursts of profane language. In other cases, those who exhibit these involuntary movements do so after experiencing an extreme psychological problem or emotional trauma.

Twitching of the lip is a common nervous tic.
Twitching of the lip is a common nervous tic.

Children who develop nervous tics usually show signs of the disorder between the ages of five and ten. When the tics first appear, they can often be controlled, but they become automatic as the problem continues. As the child ages, these movements typically disappear, although it is possible for one or more to persist into adulthood.

The decision whether or not to treat nervous tics largely depends on their underlying cause and whether or not they are interfering with the person’s life functions. If the cause is a physical or mental health threat, then it should be addressed. Similarly, if the tics are making it difficult for a person to socialize or otherwise live a normal, happy life, it may be necessary to develop a plan to control the problem.

A nervous tic, such as a finger to the mouth, can develop in childhood.
A nervous tic, such as a finger to the mouth, can develop in childhood.

Nervous tics that result from neurological problems can sometimes be controlled with muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, or medicines such as clonidine. Those that are the result of emotional or psychological problems can sometimes be treated through psychotherapy. For those experiencing tics because of Tourettes syndrome, medication can sometimes control the disorder. In some cases, the medications can be gradually tapered off when paired with behavioral therapy. If the tics return, however, it may be necessary to increase the dosage once more.

Discussion Comments

anon985681

I had St. Vitus' dance when I was about 8 and since then have had a nervous tic all my life, I'm now in my 70s, and over Christmas had a chest infection.

I can't stop sniffing and because of this, the tic is affecting my chest and back, giving me a lot of pain, I refuse to take antidepressants as they make me worse. Drinking lots of water helps a bit and I know when I start to feel better the tics will settle down.

I am always worse if planning to go on holiday, celebrations and the lead up to Christmas is a nightmare for me. My family visited today and I managed to control my tics more, but as soon as they left, I was twice as bad. How I hate being like this and I sympathise with you all. Mrs W.

anon937207

My son is five (almost six) and recently after Kindergarten started, his mother and I would notice him making clicking or smacking sounds with his mouth, especially when he's being active. Those went away for the most part for a few months, but then a week ago his left arm started having twitches every minute or so, like muscle spasms in his triceps where his arm would jolt. Sometimes more than a few times a minute throughout the day. When he sleeps he doesn't twitch, though.

Now after a week, both of his arms are twitching and his left eye is doing it as well, moving into the whole side of his face. We brought him into the doctor and scheduled a neurologist appointment for him for a couple of weeks out. Because he does so well in school and socially, they're saying it might be difficult to call it Tourettes, however, they're not ruling that out. I know that when he plays video games with his friends he does it more frequently, so the video games have gone away.

We're really worried about him and are hoping it's just a passing thing. But, if it's a lifetime "disorder" that he has, then so be it. He's still our amazing son and we'll embrace it and try to make him as comfortable as possible. I've seen a few people post in here with children's tics starting out at the same age and when school was going on. I can relate because he didn't start any of this until he started school as well.

I'm so glad that there are websites like this to talk to and read about other people who have the same things going on either with themselves or their children. It's hard to see these things happening to your child and not knowing what is going on. As long as he's happy though, we're happy. And so far he hasn't barely paid any attention to his tics. Hopefully it's nothing life threatening. These three weeks until the neurologist appointment are going to be long.

anon925472

I have Adult ADD and I also have twitches very similar to what many of you have reported. I've had the eyes blinking, feeling like I can't catch my breath, leg spasm twitches, my neck, and many other of your posts in some form or another.

I have found that they are more extreme when I am stressed out with school or work, don't have enough sleep or if I'm playing a game that requires a lot of focus and repetitive tasks (button pounding games).

The best solution to solve this problem for me is not to try to solve the problem. Now don't get me wrong -- I don't mean just to freak out in a public place. The need for a twitch is going to be there for the rest of your life, but you don't have to let it be a twitch that is so over the top and visible.

Create a conscious twitch\tic that will replace your unconscious twitch\tic. Rubbing your fingers on one hand together or bouncing your leg, tapping your foot, tapping your thumb or fingers on your leg -- anything that will ease the need to twitch\tic will work. Just make sure that you are doing something that is mostly discreet.

If you feed the need and don't try to deny it, you won't have such a big twitch\tic. The need to twitch\tic is always going to be there, but managing it down to something you control is the the way you beat it.

Good luck, all. I feel your pain.

Oh yeah, one more thing: narcotics will increase the need to twitch\tic, like Adderall or Ritalin for ADD.

anon345222

I have severe back and shoulder pain and costochondritis which is inflammation of the cartilage surrounding the rib cage. When I am in pain or nervous or stressed, I will flex my hip which puts pressure on the area. It is like I'm trying to relieve the pain but it is actually very painful and makes it worse, but for some reason I have to do it. I've had the shoulder thing for a long time and the hip thing is pretty recent as a result of the costochondritis.

I have muscle relaxers but rarely take them because they mess with my sleep cycle so much. I definitely feel it come on more if I'm stressed or upset. I really want it to stop and have no idea how.

anon325879

My 11 year old son used to have some tics (making a sound with his throat, pulling his head up to one side, making a jumping motion). Magnesium supplements really helped him. (The bottle says it helps with nerve and muscle function.)

After taking the supplements every night for about two weeks, the symptoms began to get better. After about three weeks, they were pretty much gone. They have also seemed to help him with going to sleep more easily. I've been giving him a supplement every night since then, along with a small calcium supplement. (A doctor told me that if you take magnesium without taking calcium, you can get a calcium deficiency. Also, if you take calcium without magnesium, can cause magnesium deficiency.)

The only time he seems to have trouble with the tics again is if he isn't getting enough sleep (like during baseball season/late games) or if he isn't getting quality, restful sleep (like during allergy season when he may not be able to breathe through his nose and breathes through his mouth while sleeping). He still has a tendency with the jumping (wanting to throw something up in the air and jump up and catch it, or jump up and touch something up high, but I'm not sure if it is a "nervous habit" or just a habit.) Don't know if magnesium supplements would help with anyone else, but I know that they helped him.

TSparent

I am the parent of a 19 year old son with Tourette Syndrome. Additional information can be found by checking with the Tourette Syndrome Association. The TSA has a wealth of information. If you are experiencing tics, please see a pediatric neurologist or adult neurologist for a diagnosis.

anon304138

Well people, We live in a horrible world where people have to have the same personality, and be politically correct in stressful social environments like office jobs. Don't ask why people develop nervous tics.

anon290442

My son has had 'tics' since he was about four years old, and they started when he was starting school but after a few weeks they would stop. But one year he had them all year and it was down to a teacher he had but as soon as the school holidays started they all stopped until the run up to the new school year and then they would start again. This was the pattern all through his school life.

He is now 27 and the tics are as bad as ever. He rolls his eyes, pulls his face and neck, spits continuously, moves his head from side to side, etc. He suffers with dry eyes, insomnia, and feels tired all the time. He has been back and forth to doctors, had brain scans and blood tests to no avail. I have been thinking maybe it's tourettes, and reading some of the comments above, I believe it even more.

anon278463

My daughter is 14 years old, and she usually gets these things she describes as 'tics'. At first it wasn't so bad -- it was merely a shrug of the shoulders -- but now it's beginning to be a bit of a problem. I assume it's because she's nervous, but often in school orchestra concerts she would drop her arms down in the middle of a song and hunch her shoulders, her head shaking a bit, then she'd try her best to resume playing.

She's described it to me before, saying that she'd worry if a tic would happen during a speech or in front of a crowd. It sounds a lot like a nervous tic, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to help her?

anon276346

My daughter has had tics since the age of four. She is eighteen now and has suffered a lot. Due to her tics she is suffering from the fear of failure. The tics ruined her life. She is very beautiful but because of her shoulder and neck twitches, she is trying to hide from the public.

She has been taking Risperidon for a few years and I don't know if taking this medicine for a long time is O.K. She is going to enter medical university this year and she has had eight school graduation exams and now four exams for the university and this has been a great stress for her and her tics worsened. Can anyone advise a diet for helping tics weaken?

anon254987

Actually, I have Tourette's Syndrome and my doctor said that only a small percentage of patients with Tourette's say curse words. I have never said an explicit word as a result of my condition. I think (don't quote me, I'm not sure) that only about 10 percent of patients have that issue, but often the rest of us are stereotyped and people expect us to start screaming swear words.

anon253090

Stress makes me twitch. When I am stressed out, cornered or otherwise nervous, I will start to rub my hands, my face twitches, my legs wobble - basically everything about me will twitch. Also, I will start to sweat, and by that I mean it will run from my neck down into my shoes. I don't blurt out words, however. Usually if I notice, I can just stop, but at a certain stress level I cannot stop, especially the faces stuff. When in such a situation, I will leave the room/place for a moment, splash some fresh, cool water on my faces, breathe slowly and deeply for at least 30 seconds and stretch/shake/relax my face or other twitching parts. I try to concentrate on the twitching part and feel into it.

I guess people think I'm crazy, but they would even if I weren't twitching or looking as if I was about to die of stress. I don't care if there's a word for that, or if it's a "condition.” Taking pills for it would actually make me feel crazy. I just live with it, as I live with the rest of me. I have sympathy for those who have worse tics however, especially if they're not even really nervous. I don't want to talk that down. I just noticed my legs were wobbling again, even while writing. I should get lunch. Being hungry makes you a slave to stress.

All the best to all you Tourette's people, nervous wobblers and other twitchers!

anon243433

I'm 23 years old and I have been experiencing tics since I was a toddler, before I was even conscious of myself and the world around me. My parents told me that I was jerking my right arm outward when I was little. Then when I got a bit older, I started to tense my neck and raise my shoulders without any reason. Then I started to crane my neck from left to right to release the tension. What's weird is that I wanted to make sure that I hear a "snapping" sound before I stop so I know I should feel relaxed.

It eventually stopped, but I developed the similar blinking of the eyes that the other people here have also experienced. I blink heavily, especially when I read books or when I need to gather new information and I also roll my eyes upward after (this one persists until today). I felt nervous and self-conscious if I might not understand what I read, thus this anxiety causes tics and leads me to pause reading and waste time letting my eyes blink uncontrollably. Because of that, I sometimes had difficulty learning or retain information that I just read, making me spend more time rereading the same lines or paragraphs. Thankfully, I have lived with it pretty well as I really fought my blinking tic and read what I have to read at all costs, even if I have to repeat sentences all over again. I have increased my reading time as I got older to train myself.

And thankfully, I have lived a pretty normal life, like being successful in school, having great friends and family and got a decent job. However, it still bothers me a lot that it really affects my sense of confidence, well-being and peace of mind. As I got into my working life, my tics seem to intensify as I am more exposed to stress and anxiety. Aside from uncontrollable squinting, I burp a lot (like eight consecutive times before I stop), snort air through my nose repeatedly, scratch my right forehand even if it's not itchy until it developed scars, twitch my neck left to right and jerk my arms upward as if to snap my bones.

In general, I feel the need to act upon my tics when I'm stressed, tired or really anxious about something. It intensifies even if I am alone. I would appreciate if anyone in this forum could advise me some tips on how to at least relax my body when I am about to experience tics or have a sustainable treatment in the long run, like taking any medication and avoiding certain substances/ activities. Thanks everyone.

anon242504

I vigorously shake my head a lot. It gives me the worst migraines of my life.

anon238219

I suffer from facial tics, and always have done from when I was a child. I'm now 34 and I have gone through stretching my face to rolling my eyes. Now my brow twitches a little, or rather, I stretch it as it feels like it's relieving stress and the pain I have from what I put down to sleep deprivation. My common faults are I don't sleep well, am very restless, I stare at a computer screen too often and work too hard for myself constantly worrying about how to develop my business.

I going to get myself checked out for glasses tomorrow, as it could simply be this.

It tends to happen now when I'm worried about things, but I have nothing to worry about except a new girly and how she feels about me. Trouble is, because I'm worried about her, the twitch comes out more, which will put her off. Sunglasses help me throughout the day as the light affects my eyes, causing my head to hurt, and making me want to relive the pain through stretching my face. So in short, it's all very confusing. I'm off to the doctor and will create an account and inform people about how I get on later on. I feel for everyone suffering, and if I can help, I will.

anon233847

I would like all of you to know that Tourette's Syndrome is largely undiagnosed, and if you have a vocal and motor tic, then you have Tourette's.

There are often other disorders associated with this such as OCD, ADHD, and Asbergers. It's not just a "nervous tic." It's proven that if you have Tourette's then if you are stressed, or excited, then you will tic more. It's a neurobiological disorder and there is nothing wrong with you, there are treatments for it too.

Educate yourself. My daughter was diagnosed at 4 1/2 and I plan to start a support group.

anon233484

So it's a nervous tic? I always get it when I am meeting someone new or talking to two people. It's so bad I can see them giggling behind me.

And this one time, there was a case in our school where a girl and I fought so the teacher saw me having the tics and oh my, god she said I was guilty, and even my friends ask me what's wrong with me?

I told my mother, but she doesn't believe in any tics, and I really want to socialize. My best friend says I'm a very good person but I'm scared? I know I'm scared but, I don't know what it is.

anon223481

I'm not sure if this is a tic or what it is actually - my daughter - from the age of about fifteen months old - does this thing she now calls a "fuzzy" (she's seven). If she delights in something or thinks it is "fuzzy" (seems to mean a warm, happy feeling) she clenches her jaw and shakes her head for a moment in a kind of tremor -- eyes open wide -- she seems to enjoy the experience and realized on a video of her when she was fifteen months old I saw her do it when she was near me and then she kind of giggled happily.

I did ask her pediatrician about it when she was about two and a half (she would do this on occasion near a favorite stuffed animal, for example, hold it and for a moment, shake, opens her eyes wide, kind of clench her jaw) - he said it was nothing, but she still does it and when she got old enough I asked her about it - that's when she said she does it when something is "fuzzy" (meaning like a warm fuzzy I guess). What could this be? I think it is voluntary.

anon221914

I think I am developing stronger nervous tics. Years ago I had a nervous breakdown partially because I thought I might be Jesus and people would torture me. I don't suffer from those delusions or paranoia now, but I have a fear of success. Maybe I am holding on to a fear that some people are out to get me.

I consider myself an intelligent, black male working on a second degree, but I get these strong nervous tics that prevent me from studying and doing my work. The nervous tics only happen when I am alone. If I try to do something productive, my head shakes, or my hands ball up into fists, etc. It's like I am possessed, like something won't let me do certain things. I am middle aged and still a virgin.

I have read, watched, and heard enough to know that I am not functioning properly as an mature adult by denying myself of healthy, intimate relationships. I am trying to work towards success but maybe I am sabotaging myself. I don't know.

anon213551

I'm 20 years old now, I just realized I have this illness, I started with the eye twitching when I was about 6 or 7, then the head nodding and other things. My parents noticed it and tell me off for doing it, but I told them I cannot help it, but they say it's a bad habit, and I get smacked for doing it.

It's been many years since it's started, and I'm still doing it now, I have the urge to clench my teeth together, now my jaws are sore. I can control it by keeping it in, but it's very hard.

I go to university and I have a friend who I study with, who makes these weird noises with his throat, and I then realize that how annoying it is when I do it. I try to hide my tics, but when I know people will not notice me doing it, it happens.

Sometimes when my friends see my nodding head/making noises, I pretend I have a sore throat or sore neck. I feel ashamed of myself doing this, but I cannot help it! It just feels better when I do the stupid habits. The harder I try to keep it in, the more weird I feel.

anon211558

Please reply if anybody knows about this disorder. My brother never get sleep but when he sleeps, if his sleep gets disturbed, the seizures get started. He remains in a conscious state, but the movement of his legs and hands are not in his control his and breathing rate gets high. Any cure?

anon207454

My little sister, currently 9, has always been a little strange in general, like in the way she socializes and how she pays more attention to the computer and TV rather than human beings, but I've just started noticing these past couple years that when she's nervous or uncomfortable about something, she starts rolling her eyes and raising her eyebrows excessively. It's one reason why she's an extremely bad liar.

I don't know if this is a symptom of Tourette's or not, and I'm worried about her. Help would be really nice.

anon200903

My son developed a tic disorder after his doctor gave him Tamiflu and a flu shot together. We have been giving him Glutathione injections weekly and it has made the tics stop. The only problem is when we come off of the Glutathione his symptoms come back. I wish I could figure out a way to help him get rid of this disorder forever.

I keep his stress level low and provide him with everything he wants. I just wish I could give excellent health.

anon200678

My son is seven. When he was about three or four years old, he would blink his eyes a lot. I didn't have insurance or enough money to bring him to the doc. It just started again a couple of months ago and is getting worse and worse.

I took him to the doc and they said it is a tic. They prescribed him respiradone. He has only been taking it for two days. He has always been in trouble, in daycare and at school. He was kicked out of daycare and was suspended several times in first grade for fighting and acting up in class.

I don't know if there is some underlying issue, or maybe some kind of stress. He also had some weird issues with friends where they were touching each other inappropriately a couple of years ago. I have always wondered if he was molested at a sitter's house. I have asked him several times but he always says no. Maybe he blocked it from his memory.

Now I have a four month old baby and maybe he's jealous and stressed. He is always unhappy and says he's miserable no matter what I try to do to make him happy. Anyway I don't want him to have to take medicine forever or for this to lead to something worse. Someone please help me with whatever comments or advice that you have. My husband thinks he is doing it because he wants to and always tell him to stop, but i know he can't. Please help me! I want to cry right now.

anon197626

I also have experienced many twitches and can remember when they started about the age of 5 or 6. They subsided for years, then reappeared. I cannot figure out whether they are due to biological or environmental causes as my brother has suffered mild twitches, too. However, I do feel stress is a major factor as they came on strong about two years ago in an extremely stressful episode in my life and have continued through habit with me swapping and changing to different tics.

I have had a lot of financial stress, etc. recently, and along with that, do not feel I am looking after myself as well as I could be. I am now making a conscious major attempt to stop these tics once and for all! I am going to start a healthy diet tomorrow, only drinking water, eating lots of fruit and vegetables and avoiding things like chocolate and sweets.

Along with this, I am going to get plenty of sleep and try and sort out financial things so this stress reduces. I hope a combination of these will help get rid of the twitches (as like I have said they have gone for a few years at a time). I hope these will help and will get back if they are successful. I hope they are because I don’t want it to make me depressed. Massive feelings of empathy to everyone.

anon172659

I don't believe i have tourette's but, last night i kept waking myself up because my arms kept throwing themselves up in the air. it happened repeatedly throughout the night, and so when it did it again i stayed awake because i became concerned. My arms kind of, I want to say "twitched" but it was more of a shake because i had the urge to do throw my arms up in the air. It started bothering me and did not go away until my arms did it by themselves. it was weird and unexplainable.

now note that i took amitriptyline 25 mg for my insomnia disorder. i took a little more than prescribed because i have built up a tolerance, and i think it's related to that, but I don't know. help?

anon171460

Awesome to hear so many familiar stories. I grew up with all these sorts of twitches, blinks, eyebrow scrunches, cheek tweaks, jaw clicks, head nods, leg scratches, throat noises. If you wonder whether or not you can control this, you can.

When I was 25, I was in a passport photo machine in London and my face twitched just as the photo was taken. I carried that photo around for 12 months and over that time overcame the last symptoms of my tourettes or whatever the hell it was. I always knew that I could control it, but some irrational part of me thought that other people couldn't see my tic, or that I was getting away with it when they weren't noticing. But carrying this picture around reminded me how ridiculous I looked. Helped me overcome it.

I can fully relate to the feeling of relief and satisfaction that people have mentioned as associated with the tic. I think one of the first steps to overcoming is really grappling with the irrational nature of this belief in the relief or satisfaction. It is kind of like when the hypnotherapist asks the smoker what smoking does for them and the smoker says it's relaxing and the hypnotherapist points out that, well, smoking actually increases your heart rate so that's the opposite of relaxing, that's actually working harder. The same irrationality is evident here. If you search inward, there really is no relief or satisfaction, especially when you then feel "guilt or frustration for giving in to the temptation" (anon 19809), which I can remember very well also.

One of my dreams in life is to help people overcome this stuff. I might have to sign up here and get on that.

anon170250

I don't know if anyone can relate to these symptoms? My 14 year old daughter seems to be intent with particular movements, i.e., going up a couple of stairs then taking two steps back, pausing before entering a room, almost as if there is a barrier there and sometimes steps back through the door and repeats the action as if she didn't get it right the first time. She also has trouble when she goes to sit down and i have noticed her feet screw up and turn inwards before, she then almost has to bounce herself into sitting and sometimes gets up again and just stands there before going though the process again. Also, her hands/fingers point towards the floor in the standing mode.

She also displays a 'foot ritual' at bedtime where she watches her feet and its almost as if her right foot is 'stuck' to the floor and until she perfects the movements she needs to, then she can't get into bed, and she displays the same 'finger pointing' process at times in the bedtime situation and touches the bed as though there is something on the sheet/duvet.

Other family members have noticed her behavior and my husband has told me that a few of his family members displayed signs of OCD in the past without need to control the symptoms medically and they have 'grown out' of it. She doesn't like being on her own in the house at all, and has to be in the same room as someone all the time and in the past has displayed extreme temper when she gets frustrated to the point where its upset the family and we've wondered whether she'd need 'anger management' (pleased to say that lately she's been pretty good!) I haven't taken her to the doctor, as when I've mentioned it to her she says she would be embarrassed and to be honest she is very good-natured and we can laugh and joke at times about her 'alien foot thing'! It would be of great reassurance to know if anyone can relate to these symptoms?

anon168638

Growing up was hell. I never knew what was happening to me, I didn't have the strength to speak to anyone about it as I thought I would be bullied and laughed at. There were so many times/occasions that I wanted to come clean and tell my parents but never found the courage. I couldn't explain it well enough anyway so decided to go about it on my own. I eventually found my own methods of "control" and in my later years (I’m 28 now), the onset of urges is rare, but still happens from time to time. To this day I still haven't been diagnosed but after reading/researching online, I'm under the impressions it's some related to tourettes or motor neuron disease. The period in my life which I believe was most affected is from the age of around 12 to 20.

The following describes situations which would bring on these urges to spasm:

When suddenly required to stand up (if picked for a game, called by parents, sent to the kitchen, asked to stand up and speak in school etc).

When suddenly required to change position e.g. go from standing still to running (like in a race). Have experienced this in running and swimming.

Sudden increase of speed in treadmill (from jogging to sprint).

Used to happen in the same areas around the house: top of the stairs, passage by the doorway (only on the way out), to name a few.

Uncontrollable jerking/spasm (mostly on the right side of my body) of legs, and hands/wrists, tension in glutes, head forced up and to the right, eyes rolling, mouth opens and cheek pulls to the right.

As a child, if I was sitting on the couch and had to get up, I would stand up and stall myself from moving until the urge subsided. When I was about 14, my brother pointed out to me that he's noticed that I always stand there before moving off and finds it weird. Of course I told him to shut up and called him weird for "seeing things".

Less noticeable tics include contracting jaw muscles, rubbing my big toes on the one next to it as well as forcing the big toe down as far as it will go (using only the muscles in my feet, not my hands!). I sometimes feel the need to contract muscles in my body almost to the point that it feels like I’m going to pull the muscle. This is particularly noticeable in my hamstrings. I also close my eyes and roll my eyes into the back of my head as hard as I can. Sometimes I don't realize it but I will poke my eyelids to increase the sensation.

I can detect it when it’s coming on and able to control it sometimes by standing still or walking slowly. For example if I'm going for a run I have to walk slowly and gradually build up speed. It is impossible for me to run straight off without having uncontrollable muscular jerks/spasms in my legs.

Sometimes it comes on anyway, and I have to cover it up by pretending I've got a sore ankle or some other made up excuse. I've almost drowned in a swimming pool during a race. As soon as we were off and in the water I started spasming. I would lie and say "I've got cramp in my foot". I noticed this happened a lot to people, anyway. I've sort of become a master of disguise in a strange way! I served in the military for over four years and believe me, if there's one profession that puts you in situations where you have to move suddenly and expose yourself to these urges, it's in the army.

I have never told anyone about my problem (not even my wife. yes you can imagine the fear on my wedding day. It went smoothly thankfully!). I hope everyone in here finds a way to control their urges and in turn regains control of their life. It can be depressing as well as make you feel alone and different. If you can relate to anything I've written and want to discuss, please write an entry into this forum.

anon167265

I'm a 26 year old female. My nervous tic has not really interfered with my daily life, but I am sorely aware of it and it is a little embarrassing to explain what's happening when I am with someone. When I get really nervous/excited in a negative way, my teeth chatter loudly and almost uncontrollably! I am 100 percent aware of it when it happens and I can even feel the buildup of tension right before, but try as I might, I am mostly unsuccessful putting a stop to it. My jaw will quiver if I force myself to interrupt the chattering, so I just let it happen.

I once "smiled" while with my boyfriend when it occurred, simply so he could see and hear it for himself. It's really awkward! I'll also make faces and blurt things out while thinking about embarrassing situations, similar to a previous poster. Muttering things out loud like "Oh, my God" or "Wow". That is more controllable than the teeth chattering, but just as awkward.

I really don't know what's wrong with me or what's causing it, and I've never really remembered to bring it up to any medical professional. I hope someday it stops.

At this point, I'd settle for a simple tummy ache for nerves and rolling my eyes or sighing for the embarrassing stuff. I'll also periodically pull loose eyebrow hairs out. That's like what, trichotillomania? My eyebrows grow fine, though, so I never really saw any harm to it.

anon167055

When I was about seven, I developed a strange tic that persisted on and off for a few years. It involved blinking excessively, and as I blinked, rolling my eyeballs briefly and scrunching up my eyes. I recall finding it in some way a relief to do this, though I knew it looked ridiculous to others. It went away of its own accord.

I am now 48, going through a rough divorce, and after some thirty-five years, this tic has returned to plague me. It must of course be associated with stress (my childhood was stressful and despite professional parents, the home largely dysfunctional).

I suppose it will go away of its own accord once more, but it's strange that, after so many years, it has resurfaced.

anon165741

I am 16, and my tics have been happening for as long as I can remember. When I get excited, or really happy, or am just thinking about something that gets me going. It could be anything really; I put my hands sort of on my face and tense up the muscles in my hands, wrists, and neck and shoulders. If I'm alone, I will go all crazy and shake and wiggle under the covers.

I can control it to an extent. Like if I'm excited or thinking about something when someone is looking at me, I won't do it as severe. It's like, it almost feels good. I get an intense physical feeling as I'm doing it. I just get the urge too many times throughout the day!

People have tried to imitate it, but they just can't tense their fingers up, and do it like I can. I have an urge to do it, and I get satisfied when I do it, but I can't stand it cause it's really weird.

Usually when I'm around people, I will just put my face in my hands and tense up my fingers, and tense up my arms, and it just sends satisfying feeling down my back. It is so hard to explain.

I also will raise my hands behind my head and do the same thing. In the shower I do it for a long time, and my hands will feel uncomfortable when I finally stop tensing them up. I yell out random things when I'm thinking about something embarrassing, which is a lot. Or I'll repeat a word or sentence a bunch of times frantically. It is terrible.

I don't know what to do. People either think it's really weird, or a little bit cute. But mostly really weird. I have ADD, and social anxiety problems. I bite my nails, and have to peel off all my scabs. When I sit, I am constantly moving my leg when someone is talking to me, I'll look away, or be playing with my hair. I am known for it. But when I'm just chilling I can sit very still at times too. Please someone help! Hate it, it's embarrassing.

anon164402

I am 17 years old and i have nervous tics only during school. I don't know what causes it. It only started since i started high school.

i didn't do this before i didn't even know that there was such thing like this. Now even the teachers have noticed and students and it's making me feel awkward. now it's like nobody wants to sit with me and it only happens at school or public places with a lot of people. Please help!

anon163147

This is particularly for anon156112, whom I related with straight away but, hopefully, you will all read it.

I hesitated to write because you may be discomforted by my post, but I have had tics as long as I can remember and I am now 63. Don't fear too much; they haven't always been too bad, but always there in some form or another. At the moment I've got the neck, one which is causing me so much pain and embarrassment. I've been seeing an osteopath but find I only get very short-lived relief. The problem is still there when I leave the surgery but at least it went away for half an hour. The cause is obviously stress related as I'm always worse in stressful situations, i.e., social gatherings, but I really don't know what I'm stressed about at the moment. Maybe, even though my brain may not feel stressed, it comes out in other ways, like tics.

I'm trying Magnesium, 5-HTP and B Vitamins but have only been on them for about three weeks so no results yet. I also firmly believe that the problem could be to do with food/drink intolerance as I was once told I was sensitive to potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, lemonade, white wine and a few other things. Until now, I decided I'd rather put up with the tics than go through the ordeal of cutting out all these things (because most of them are in everything you eat) but lately I've felt so bad that it's time for action!

The first thing I cut out was white wine but no joy so now I'm avoiding all alcohol (I've only managed a week up to now). It could be a very long process but I hope the thought of one day experiencing the physical peace and lack of muscle tension that a lot of people feel will spur me on. People who don't suffer from this are so lucky, but I temper that with the thought that we all have something wrong with us and I just keep telling myself that this is my lot in life and it could be worse. The frustrating thing is wondering whether there is a cure somewhere and it's just a case of hitting on it.

Doesn't it help so much to know that we're not alone and that one day, one of us will be able to help the others? Much love to all sufferers.

TSparent

I am a parent of a child with Tourette Syndrome. We have been living with this disorder for 15 years now.

Parents, please take your children to a pediatric neurologist if they are experiencing vocal or motor tics. Adults, please see a neurologist.

The neurologists now like to call it a "chronic tic disorder" and are no longer advocating the usage of Tourette Syndrome. However, please pursue the terminology of a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome if you are pursuing an IEP or specialized education for your child.

Whether a child or an adult is diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, you are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Your child has the right to be educated in a main stream classroom even if the tics are "bothering" the teacher or others. Explore your rights. Adults, you are covered if you attend college, or at your place of employment.

A diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome will be based on vocal or motor tics, whether simple or complex, that are lasting for one year or more. The tics - involuntary movements - yes, the tics can at times be "controlled" but this most often leads to an increase of tics when the person is at home or alone. The tics will wax and wane. This means sometimes the tics will be better and at other times the tics will be worse.

@Anon79855: Sometimes, when two persons both have Tourette Syndrome and they hang out together, it can cause both of your tics to increase and you begin to "mimic" each other. My son has attended Tourette Camp and he stopped going. He will say that his tics get worse when he is around others with the same disorder.

@Anon53945: Yes, it is all in your head! Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder and is believed to be genetic. A person with Tourette Syndrome cannot simply will away the tics or the associated conditions to include ADHD, ADD, OCD, learning disabilities and depression to name a few.

@Anon60565: Educate your child's teacher. Your daughter cannot control the movements and/or vocal sounds. If she is "bothered" by your child's behavior - too bad. Your daughter has rights. Educate yourself and advocate for your child.

@Anon50916: Who was the person who told you not to take your son to the doctor? Make an appointment now. You need a diagnosis to help your son. This disorder will not go away by ignoring "it", or by "willing it to be so". That is absurd thinking. Your son needs all the assistance he can get. As his parent, you need to make your move. Get a referral from your pediatrician for a pediatric neurologist.

@Anon5249: The Tourette Syndrome Association is a wonderful resource. They can answer many of your questions.

I am happy to assist with questions, as is my son Luke. We have a lot of experience!

anon158380

My granddaughter, who is now 23, had tics when she came to live with me at age 6. She came from

messed up parents who had been doing drugs. She would involuntarily turn her hands outward at the wrists while walking or standing and had facial tics as well. I could see it was worse when she was nervous.

She also had some problems relating with peers. She tended to be in her own world and was could not stay focused. I took her to an acupuncturist where he did acupuncture treatment on her. It was amazing that she related to him well and willingly allowed the treatment. She was also given a mega dose of magnesium to take daily. She became immediately better. Her tics left her and she became calm. Since that time she has been nearly free of those symptoms. I have seen them appear very slightly when she is feeling extreme stress.

One thing we found that makes a huge difference in keeping it from returning is staying away from anything containing sugar. If you observe your child, you'll see that sugar is a large contributor to their tics. There are no side effects to these remedies.

anon156348

My granddaughter has recently started folding her arms in front of her chest constantly. She used to smile and laugh a lot, but is now withdrawn and does not show affection like she used to. She will pull away. She has recently started living with her mother all the time and her mother's boyfriend and his children.

She is in fifth grade. It is breaking my heart to see her like this. She has always been an honor student and not has very little interest in school.

Her mom and boyfriend have lied about us and other family members. Her self confidence is spoiled. She used to get up in front of a group to read or perform musically. Now she won't do any of that. I am very worried about her.

anon156189

It's all related to a neurological problem. please, any younger people on this sit go and see a neurologist. they will recommend what to do. don't suffer with this all your life like i have. tics have ruined my life.

anon156112

I have had nervous tics since i was 4 years old. i am now 37. i have been bullied all my life by people who mimic my twitches and made fun of me.

I gave up work seven years ago and set up my own business. I am now very successful, but with the success has come stress and the more I stress the worse the twitches get. I jerk my neck back constantly and I have eye twitches and sometimes shake my right leg. All of these create a lot of pain.

I have been desperately trying to piece together what causes it. I have found several things that shelters the tics in public.

1) I read a paper but I read random words around the page fast and that stops my twitch.

2) I focus on my breathing, with deep breaths.

3) I look at things around me and say their names in my head, e.g., girl, bag, poster, coffee, pen, remote, tv, dog.

4) I have a neck and back massage twice a month.

Please try these things and tell me on this site if it helps. I have realized that dyslexia, oxygen to the brain, and rapid eye movement are all connected.

I have never received a straight answer from the doctors and i think it's about time people like us worked together to help each other.

anon150426

I'm 15, and have always had small tics but they have gotten much worse over the last couple of years. I repeatedly run my hand through my hair, tilt my head to one side, and clear my throat.

The most bothersome ones concern my hands. I jerk my wrists in a snapping motion, tap out patterns with my fingers, and quickly bend and straighten my knuckles. I can't seem to stop doing it, especially when my mind is idle. Now my wrists and hands get very sore.

anon148924

When my son was a baby, he needed my hand to touch him all of the time in the car or he would scream non-stop. I thought that was really odd.

As a baby and toddler he could not stand being dirty, touching dirty things or having messy hands and needed his clothes changed anytime anything got on them. Then when kindergarten stared he started with the eye blinking and aggressive behavior then it would go away for a while, then another one would come, next it would be mouth movements and aggression again, that went away and so on.

He never has had more then one tic at a time, but I still notice that he gets aggressive and impulsive during a tic "phase." Right now he is nine and it is involuntary eye movements that make his eyes bright red by the end of the day. I hope that this will go away on its own and not turn into tourettes!

tallguy1982

I am 28 and have been doing eye, mouth, and nose movements since I was in grade school. It started in 1st grade when I winked constantly. It was suggested I needed glasses, but my eye test came back perfect.

In second grade, I had a pair of shoes that were too big for me and I felt the urge to have the toes on my right foot at the end of the shoe, so I dragged my foot when I walked, or kicked my right foot to the ground every time I took a step. I still do this 20 years later!

Other tics include flaring nostrils, clashing teeth together, raising eyebrows, blinking heavily, crossing eyes, licking lips, altering my breathing patterns, and even a few speech-related tics, to name a few.

These have been annoying, but until now I have never feared I was harming myself. The latest tic I have developed is applying pressure to my eyes and brain by trapping blood in the head. I constantly have the urge to do this and cannot make myself stop, and I'm sure it goes without saying that something deadly or life-altering is going to happen soon if I can't manage to get it under control.

I am not really sure what kind of doctor I need to see, but I made an appointment with a psychiatrist later this month. At least I am glad to see this is not just me that suffers from this.

rfs94

I'm 16 now, and I think I've had nervous tics since I was little, I can't remember what age I was exactly, but I kept having endless uncontrollable mouth corner moves and eye twitches and neck moves from side to side, also something with the "sss" sound somehow.

I never knew what it was, I just decided to search about it and I read this article and some of the posts recalled it to me.

I feel relieved to know that it's not just me, but worried because this might be something unusual.

I'm currently dealing with eye twitches, and they are exhausting, especially when I'm trying to focus on my homework, I can't seem to keep my eye steady, they automatically switch to the corners and back. I even notice my eyes get crossy and I get blurry vision afterward.

Am I just worrying for nothing? Are this just growing signs? I hope each and every one of you finds a solution. Best of luck.

anon147198

@anon20375: Even if you are feeling the urges coming on, that is still involuntary because you can't control it. Having tics really is something that you can't control. Your body has the urge to release a noise or movement and it's almost like a release. If you try to hold it in, I was told that the outbursts would be worse later.

anon147194

@anon106233 My son is now six, but also did the eyes one way and turning the head the other when he was young, then I'd say around 5ish he started licking his lips and constantly always had the red ring around his mouth.

Then, at the end of Kindergarten, he started with the throat clearing, strange noises and outbursts and repeating and stuttering. During the summer it stopped and now in first grade the same things are happening, but at least not the repeating and outbursts. Just the noises and throat clearing and impulsivity.

I've brought him to a pediatric neurologist two times and his physical is clear. It could be the beginning of tourette's but he's so young it's hard to diagnose and there are specific time frames to follow to get diagnosed with tourette's. I believe he just has the tics that are pretty much constant (however like now, sometimes they subside for a little while and are barely noticeable).

His teacher moved him to a desk by himself because he wasn't focusing in class. I am requesting a PPT at the school and to address other methods, other than separating him from the rest of the class, to help with his focusing.

You are an advocate for your child, so just stay aware of what you see, make a diary and keep an eye on it so you can take the right steps early on to ensure that it doesn't become an issue that will socially or academically affect him.

anon146972

I can relate to #69, but when I blink a lot, it's because I have a negative thought or it feels like my eye is burning. I have paranoid schizophrenia, but really mild.

I live a normal life, but lately it has been really irritating trying everything to stop my uncontrollable blinking. It mostly happens when I am driving. I can control it sometimes, but at other times, I don't catch myself doing it. I have tried to think of something else like chewing gum, brushing my mustache or even holding my finger to my head and pressing.

I never had this problem before. I think it is a side effect from the medication that I was taking. My doctor said it's a side effect, but I am anxiously waiting for it to wear off.

kelp

my son has autism and Adhd and he has always suffered tics throat clearing, eye blinking and strange noises but has recently got much worse. i was told it could be nervous tics brought on by stress, although have heard the concerta used to treat the adhd can cause this too.

Anyone else found this with concerta?

anon138189

Well, I roll my eyes uncontrollably all of the time. my eyes also jerk around and it gets worse when I'm angry, stressed, or tired.

I'm 27 years old and this has been happening for 20 years. The worst part is people assuming I'm being rude. I'm not; I just can't control my eye movements. Normally it's not a huge issue until some insensitive jerk points it out. But most of my friends have been really great and in recent years most people don't even bring it up and if they do I say it's due to a recurrent corneal tear since I have had that ocular problem. But I know it's due to a tic.

I appreciate the person who mentioned seeking help for PTS and believe this may help me. --Amy

anon137440

I have schizophrenia, when it laughs the left half of my face becomes a big grimace which is oddly the opposite of what it does. It is more like a five year old who cannot stop themselves from smiling and tries to hide the fact they are smiling at something. Also "the voices" might be very well testing electrical stimulation to different parts of the brain until they can figure out what causes what responses.

Though this and many other problems started with schizophrenia "re-awakening" stage every five years at age 25, I found some well known muscle antispasmodics, that seemed to help about five percent, but the feds will not pay for them for more than four months. One way to prescreen for this type of testing, split personality takeover schizophrenia seems to be a long term problem I have had my whole life, though it is very insignificant, and here it is. if you make a frowny face when you drop something, and the frown that you have no control over, you might have dormant schizophrenia.

anon134293

Do you want to stop the tics? Then read this!

I had awkward neck tics that drove me crazy. An overwhelming urge to tick. It manifested itself the worst when I felt stress or situations that could cause stress.

Doctors prescribed drugs and that really did not help, all it did was make me tired or feel like I was in a fog.

I took a gamble on hypnosis and it paid off!

If you have been suffering for years with tics, or if you are a mother with a child that has this problem, you need to read further.

I went to the the hypnotist, explained my problem and we created a custom made hypnosis session that I could then take home with me and listen to in the hopes that it would help me. At first, I really didn't see anything, so I got impatient, and I gave up.

I was scheduled to go to Las Vegas for a convention about a year later. The flight is over five hours, so I decided for the heck of it that I would spend the whole flight listening to the tape over and over again. I would say I listened to it about seven or eight times in hopes that the hypnotic suggestions would penetrate my subconscious.

When we landed, it was not until I was walking to get my baggage that I realized that I had zero urge to tick. It was gone! I felt like a totally new person and the trip was awesome. When I got back, my wife was in shock.

In recent years, I have had isolated episodes in times of great stress, but I have always been able to eliminate them with the hypnosis tape.

So I implore every person reading this to get yourself or your loved one with a licensed hypnotist and start working. The power of the mind is incredible and hypnosis is the best way to tap that power.

I am not a hypnotist, nor do I represent one. I am just a sympathetic person who has read all the posts above and felt compelled to share what I have learned in hopes of helping others.

God bless, and I hope you all find the relief that I did.

anon129869

I always had some sort of "habit" as i have called it. I notice that my dad does them too. I once had one where i would throw my arm in the air. In about 6th grade i developed one where i would make my eyes really big and roll them around and twitch, or do hard blinking. I still do it and i can't stop. It is so embarrassing.

I know a couple of people who do it too and i see how stupid they look. Sometimes my eyes just hurt because i just can't stop. I don't think there is a way to stop it but to just try not to do it anymore the hardest that you can. Maybe after the funny feeling of not doing it passes, it could be cured?

anon127210

My son is eight and has ADHD. He is on concerta medication and it is making him crack his neck all the time. It is even effecting when he is talking. he has to stop talking to crack his neck. Its awful. The pediatrician said that it is an unfortunate side effect of the medication. i have tried Chiropractors, but it doesn't help him. Does anyone have any idea on what we can do to help him stop it. Kids are starting to notice and tease him about it.

If i remind him to try and stop he finds it really hard. If he is eating he doesn't do it. it's really strange. We need help!

anon125577

Wow! I am so thankful I'm not alone! My son has been doing both the throat clearing thing and also randomly spinning for quite some time. It upsets my husband terribly, but I normally do not call attention to it.

He also doesn't seem to care what people think of him, yet is very empathetic towards others. In a way I like that he is comfortable in his own skin, yet I do worry that he is getting bullied or harassed due to this behavior.

I have asked a couple of doctors about it, but they have really sloughed it off and didn't show much concern. Now I am wondering if I should pursue some therapy for him. I would like to discuss this more with any other parents that would be willing to.

louis789

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about a tic I've got. It's not too bad, just very annoying and embarrassing.

I'm 16 and when i was around the age of 4-5 i developed a stutter. i couldn't get words out and when they did come out they were mixed or repeated letters. i went to voice therapy and the stutter went away, but when I'm nervous or excited now it's very rare that it comes back. Instead, i start twitching my mouth/nose area and raising my eyebrows up and down constantly.

i only started to notice it when my brother started making fun of me because of it when i was 11.

I'm quite shy and i really don't want my girlfriend to notice it. it's very awkward when i have to turn my head to talk to her.

does anyone know of anything i can do that will help stop this from happening? --L

anon123709

Well my whole family is mentally ill. My mother was schizophrenic and my sister is too. My brother is a workaholic and decided not to have kids due to having a crazy family. I am about 44 and have been noticing that i can't stop swallowing. it is constant and driving me crazy. i also have a dry throat.

I noticed i have been under a great deal of stress due to financial troubles. It is awful what we have to go through. my problems seem minor compared to hearing all of your stories. Best wishes to everyone.

anon122786

I need help. I can't pinpoint why I make involuntary noises in my mouth--like a sudden chirp. It's not repetitive--once a day mostly. It doesn't come form my throat-- it comes from my mouth/cheek. Does anyone understand this symptom. What is it?

gotland

I am from Russia. I had a very strong nervous tic in my childhood. My sufferings were enormous and drugs didn't help. But it went away very fast and without drugs after I had come upon some secret. Now I can remove any strong motion tic within a short time.

anon119644

My boyfriend has a nervous tic where he blinks excessively. He does it a lot when we are at my house or when my parents are around. He's 30 and has not outgrown it. My mother just noticed the other day, too. I want to help him, but don't know what I can do. Is there some way I can help him?

anon119336

I don't think anyone on this post has it as bad as I do.

I have this nervous tic where anytime I have to stand up quickly or without warning (for example being substituted into a volleyball game or being told to go up to the board), I get a nervous tic. And I go into this phase where I jerk my neck and head while I have leg and arm muscle spasms. All at the same time. It looks like I'm being possessed or like I'm going to have a seizure.

I've been to the neurologist once for it, only because my parents caught me doing it about twice. But the neurologist just said to relax. Only my best friend knows that it's Nervous Tic Syndrome, no one else does. So anytime I get it around people, I try my best to play it off. But they start to freak out because they think I'm going to die or something and just won't let it go for the rest of the day.

It's so embarrassing and I really want this to go away. But it's been happening since I was about six, the earliest I can remember. It can't be caused by traumatic events because I'm a very nervous person. If I have important events I get an upset stomach, miss my period, stress, get sweaty, my heart starts beating quickly and I start picking at my nails, almost ripping them off.

Usually, I can control them by not focusing on them. Like if I focus on something outside the window, the feeling goes away within seconds. Or if I walk slowly, the feeling goes away. But I need other strategies for when I'm playing volleyball. And no, I don't want any medication because I don't want any side effects.

anon118001

I'm 16 years old and I have a very repetitive and annoying tic with my eyes. I almost go on a blinking rampage. When I realize what I'm doing, the tic stops; however, when I lose my concentration on stopping the tic, it comes back.

It's kind of awkward for social events and being in public. I was diagnosed with this syndrome when I was 9, right after my parents' divorce. The tic has changed over the years, it went from constantly clearing my throat to moving my eyebrows a lot to the blinking.

Is there a medication to cure this? It would stink to have on a date haha!

anon116541

My son aged six has recently started to make an annoying noise almost like clearing his throat, but he does it frequently so i know its not actually clearing his throat. I'm thinking maybe its a tic of some sort? I'm not really sure if it is and was hoping you could give me some suggestions.

anon114542

To anon114493 (8-year-old child with tics etc.): I was just looking up tics as I have a sudden onset of a very slight facial tic this morning in the same area that I had a more pronounced one for a number of days, several years ago.

I'm no expert, but wanted to say I have Asperger's Syndrome - though not very "severely" (and I have "improved" as I have become older. I'm 37 now).

I've learned a lot about autism and comorbid conditions and other neurological conditions and disorders. I picked up on your description, about your child spinning in circles as part of his tics, and of always being slightly "odd" -- being his own person and not caring what other people think.

I used to spin around a lot when I was a child. There is a lot of overlap between presentations of behavior for many neurological disorders and psychological disorders (and even "normal"), and as I say, I'm no expert, but personally, if I were you, I might investigate whether your child has a number of autistic traits (not a bad thing!) and hence might have more difficulty than most with coping with or even understanding some emotional traumas. For example, this might hint at considerable more stress for him than one might otherwise assume.

Again, I am no expert, and please don't be frightened by the word "autism." Like bipolar (and especially depression) it often seems to go hand in hand, in its less severe guises, with high intelligence and creativity -- or it just might effectively mean being a little bit different: seeing the world in a different way that can be quite unique and even wonderful. Just saying. I could be completely wrong.

To be cautious though, might I suggest not trying to stop the tics themselves (not making a big thing about them)? Otherwise your child might become more and more obsessed about them - and feel low-self-esteem from them and so your (natural/understandable) attitude might make them worse!

But I think you should look for the probable stress causes and seek expert medical advice. Best wishes, David B.

anon114493

My son is eight and over the past couple of months I have noticed what seem to be some tics. He keeps getting more. It started with a kind of "sucking" air in when he talks. Then it was spinning in a circle at random times. Then he was rolling his eyes up and scrunching his eyes. Now he is doing something with his mouth - like showing all of his teeth. He does all four things at different times.

The mouth and eye thing happen together a lot and they happen most often. I left my husband two years ago - he stopped seeing my kids six months later. Then we just moved in with my boyfriend of a year and his three kids - it's a new town and new school. So maybe it's caused by stress. But I am very concerned about it.

Today is when it clicked that something might be wrong. I kept telling him to stop doing it that it was weird and people will think he is weird. He kept saying - but I can't stop it. It is hard. I can't help it. Now I feel really bad. But I didn't know.

He is a child of his own to begin with and really doesn't care what others think of him -- he has always done odd things and not cared about what others thought. So I just thought this was another one of those things. I feel so bad now after reading all of these posts.

anon113717

I've had a nervous tic for about five years now, all of which are stress and socially induced. The worst are when my mouth and cheeks twitch. The nerves and anxiety I have really make social interactions dreadful. This only happens when I'm around new people, in class, or feel out of my element.

anon113607

I have read quite a few of your posts here and I would suggest some of you see a psychologist for an assessment on post traumatic stress - especially those of you who are 'triggered' into your tics by various types of stimuli.

It's really important to address and early trauma - sometimes your body remembers things that happened well before your mind could record it in your memories and it's important to at least consider the possibility that some early childhood trauma caused some bodily effect.

To everyone who has posted: I send my compassion and love your way. I can't imagine what an impact it's had on all your lives. My heart goes out to you.

anon111667

I have a twitch in my neck and it really is annoying. It happens all the time and I don't know what to do.

This twitch started when I was in school. It was not that bad when I was in school, but when I got out, it got really bad. I hardly go anywhere because of this twitch in my neck. I hate that twitch.

anon110344

I am 13 and I have been going through nervous tics since I was nine. i started with shaking my head and twitching my eyes. they went away for a while and then came back. my friends and family notice and even my teachers and some kids in my class ask me what's wrong with me.

When I was 11 some boys made fun of me but now I kind of know how to control it. I really want to stop but I feel like it overtakes my body. I am very nervous, too, and now I started a new twitch where I make this popping noise with my mouth. my friends say wow! that sound is so annoying and some kids ask why I do it and I say I don't know.

My doctor said to try finding ways to help me relax like exercising and closing my eyes. I just really want them to stop. i am going to high school soon and I don't want to be made fun of in a new school. any advice? Please, I really need some ideas.

anon109752

My name is Kasey, and I'm 15 years old. After i passed out standing up and hit my head off of a hamster cage, a file cabinet and a cedar chest one right after the other, then i started having a seizure. well, ever since then, i keep having these little spasms where my head gets real tight feeling and freezes up (that's how it feels) and then my shoulder comes up on the right side and my head twitches over to that side.

I can't stop it and when i do it hurts and it's embarrassing because my head just shakes in one spot like a dog is shaking a toy. i don't know why it is doing that, but I'm fixing to turn 16 and about to get my license and i don't want it to happen while i am driving. somebody help?

anon106233

My three year old son is actually having some of the similar symptoms of anon50916. He will turn his head one way and his eyes the other. Holding a conversation with you, watching t.v., it's really random. I've noticed it more frequently over the past week or so.

I'll be making a pediatrician appointment tomorrow to determine where to go next with this, but his biological father had nervous tics as well throughout childhood and into adulthood.

The severity decreased but were still fairly noticeable if you paid attention. Oh, to be a worrisome parent.

anon105798

I'm 15 and I notice that when I'm eating in front of a big group of people or sing when I'm in the choir, i notice my head twitches and it's really embarrassing, especially in school. i really want it to stop. I've been dealing with this since last year, but don't know what to.

anon105464

I'm 15 and always nod my head. i can't stop and when i don't do it i have an urge to. it's really making me feel self-conscious.

anon103189

well I'm 15 and I've been having tics since i was five, like rolling my eyes and extending my elbows!

I have this one tic where i always have to move my neck up where i have to look at the ceiling! i could control it, but it's like trying to quit smoking -- i just have to do it! i have successfully been able to control it when i go out with friends but it is real tough! then when i come back home i do it like I've never done it before!

it usually happens when i think about it, but i can't stop thinking about it! i pray to god that i can stop it myself!

anon103178

I am so glad I stumbled across this site. I have had nervous tics for most of my life. I had fever convulsions when I was about a year or two old. The doctor put me on medication - phenobarbital and dilantin - and left me on them for several years. I found out later that those medications can cause something called tardive dystonia, which causes severe tics to appear even years after you stop the medicine.

The tics really started in earnest when I was 10 or 11, about the same time my mom and I moved 3,000 miles away from the rest of our family. I started a new school and had to get glasses. I also had a strong accent. All of these were reasons for the kids at my new school to make fun of me, which they did with an almost manic delight.

The tics seemed to get their worst when I was in sixth through eighth grade. Just at the age when most kids are learning to socialize and and form relationships, I was learning to be afraid of social situations and stay away from everyone. I became a very lonely person and still am today. It probably won't surprise anyone that I'm very depressed as well.

I'm on Lexapro and it helps some, but when things get really bad the only thing I can do is sleep.

I'm 37 now and spent most of my life taking care of my mom, who was severely sick. During that time, it was just her and me. My family didn't help me to care for her and I, of course, didn't have any friends.

Now she's dead and I'm alone. Also, with the economy and having to take so much time to take care of my mom, I'm in a financial hole. I have a very stressful job where no one really cares about my burdens or how they affect me. As a result, my tics are coming back stronger than ever.

I clear my throat, sniff, jerk, have facial tics (squinting my eyes, stretching my jaw), and need to tap my right foot. What's more, with all my stress I'm even losing the ability to sleep. I go to bed at the same time-around 10:30 or 11, but can't fall asleep until 3 or 4 in the morning. I often lie there twitching, coughing, and trying to relax.

My muscles are tight and I'm finding it harder and harder to concentrate. I'm making stupid mistakes at work. Plus, with my tics getting worse, everyone is starting to shy away from me. I'm afraid I'm going to end up homeless and alone and no one will want to even approach me because of my weird behaviors.

I've mentioned to my doctors about my tics, but they don't seem to feel they're too severe. I don't understand that attitude. I have had trouble understanding people for a long time, especially how they can be so cruel. I've always tried to be understanding and listen to other peoples' problems. But, when I have problems, no one seems to care. Sometimes it seems so bad I just pray to die. Does anyone else ever feel this extreme?

anon101737

This page has made me cry with everyone's honest and heartbreaking stories.

I've always had minor tics - particularly something with my pinkie where I felt that I had to push it back (stretch it in a way).

Two and a half years ago, I suffered a severe emotional blow and started jerking my head to the right. It got so bad that I developed herniated disks in my neck and had to have my cervical (neck) spine fused. I'd hoped after that procedure that my tic would stop but it has not.

People notice it and are really insensitive. I'm a professional in a stressful business and have a lot of pressure on me. I agree with everyone that sleep seems to help - it definitely gets much worse without a good amount. I find stretching also helps a great deal.

I am loath to go on meds but am getting desperate. It's affecting my dating life as well, as I'm too self conscious to date much.

I wish you all the best! This condition is so incredibly hard.

anon99822

i am 19 i have had twitches since i was about four. i have blinking nose and mouth tics and also recently a shoulder tic. They get worse if i become nervous or stressed and no matter how much i try. i cannot hold them in for more than 25 seconds.

That can change from time to time so one will disappear and another will come along.

When i am out in public, all i think of is people noticing them and thinking what is wrong with that kid.

i have found out if i get scared the tics get worse. my friends noticed it in college.

anon99291

How refreshing to read everyone's comments. You are so open and descriptive about your tics. I have had them since early childhood and for a number of recent years (I am 68) the tics were not a great problem. Now, however, I'm really making up for lost time. You name it, I'm doing it.

Always the right side. The various movements include wrist jerking, shoulder shrugging, tapping anything I can, squeezing my eyes shut tightly, sniffing, teeth gnashing. For many years I would make vocal sounds that were a cross between a 'grouse' and a man saying a short 'hmmm'. At the moment my shoulder is driving me nuts.

I empathize with you all. The only consolation I might offer is that I am a successful writer, business man, physically active and enjoy the gift of a magnificent wife who never mentions my 'obvious' tics. The worst part, as many of you have discussed, is the fact that I know when I am about to experience a tic, do not want to do it, but, as soon as I get the chance I go for it, then feel disgusted with myself for doing something so foolish. That is how I 'feel' but, intellectually, I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself.

Never tried medication but, after reading much of the above, might give it a go. Best of luck to all.

anon96959

I am 19 years old and i have this tic (at least i think it is) in which i am obsessed with smelling my fingers and hands. i find myself doing it obsessively sometimes. I also have lots of anxiety about things and social anxiety. What should I do?

anon96170

I'd like anyone to tell me what to do because my elder son always pokes his tongue outside unless he's asleep, even when he drinks or eats. He does this when i refuse to buy him a toy or anything he wants. This episode is repeated like 4 or 5 times in a year and stays this way for 15 days max in each episode. then he relocates it normally and acts normally.

I went to the neurologist and he said its a tic and i went to another and he said it's not a tic as it's not repetitive movement and he said that he needs to see a shrink, so i don't know. My son is six years old and I'm very concerned about him. i cry a lot. Please help me on what to do.

anon84868

My grandson has been having tics since he was about two. His mom is extremely angry and screams at him often. He is seven now and his tics are increasing, although he seems to be able to stop when his mom tells him to. The pediatrician said that if he can control it, it's not a real tic.

anon83665

I am 33 years old and my tics came about after a very traumatic birth. My head tics to the right. Often my shoulder raises with it and when I am really tired and trying to sleep I often open my eyes and gasp like as though I have just had a nightmare.

I have noticed my tics occur more frequently when I am tired, stressed, anxious or completely relaxed. It is very annoying but not half as bad as it was at first.

In the beginning, the noise of shopping scanners and pedestrian crossings would send them off and visits to the doctors. It is better now but still annoying. I don't wish to take drugs. If I get over eight hours sleep they are hardly recognisable. Having a child does not help the sleep situation, though.

anon80267

I'm 15, and I have tics but they are on and off, for some reason, I think depending on the season. I blink strongly, clear my throat and make high pitched sounds. For some reason, I always have to bang on something and make a muscle and stretch out my elbows as well. I need help. What should I do?

anon79855

I am 20 years old and i struggled with the whole divorced parent thing and was diagnosed with adhd in the second grade. i never had any problems with tics until the sixth grade and within a two year period i did every tic known to mankind, including all the ones you guys have named above. For a seven year period tics never crossed my mind until i reunited with a old buddy who has tourette's. Every time i looked at him he was squinting his eyes hard and rolling them in weird angles.

I am now 20 years of age going on 21 and after hanging out with him a couple of times, picked up the same tic and am doing it non-stop from the time i wake up to the time i go to sleep. it's all i think about and have even stopped hanging out with my friends because of it and just hang out at my house.

I also can tell all of you that it could be much worse and we should be glad for our health which is much more important than a stupid tic. And i can tell you all that we are just driving ourselves to insanity over this defect.

I am a boxer and a college level tennis player and i have noticed when I'm doing something active, like sparring or playing in a tennis match, tics don't even cross my mind but when i stop, i began to drive myself nuts over it again. So it is definitely mental for me.

i hope that everyone out there struggling with the same types of problems as me doesn't beat themselves up too much about it and is grateful for their health.

God bless to you all. I promise you will get through your hard time.

anon76019

I am a white male 71 years old 5'10" and 285 pounds.

I have stimulator implant in my spine, along with a morphine pump also in the spine. I take a plethora of medications, but none of which would cause nervous tics.

These tics are multifocal, as they occur in my legs, arms, shoulders and neck. The timing is only while lying down and maybe every 30 seconds to 50 seconds. The tics don't last long, however they are "sic" nerve wracking. Someone give me a heads up.

anon75386

72075: My daughter has blinking tics and I also notice it a lot when she's in the car or watching TV. It seems to be when she is in a relaxed state that it occurs. I realize that if I keep her busy doing something, it happens less. Is this forum just to vent because I hear no successful stories.

anon74077

Every body please try "EFT" Emotional Freedom Techniques by Gary Craig. You will get a great result. you need to learn and practice. and it is free online. It did help me after 40 years.

anon74015

I'm 19 and have had an "eye twitch" since i was about five. sometimes i can control it and sometimes i can't. i also make that "hmm" sound sometimes and 'sniff". a lot of people notice my eye twitching. it's really discouraging. i want to know what i can do to fix it. my friend told me about hypnotism and botox. will either of these work?

anon73382

i have uncontrollable jaw movements. People think I'm using drugs. i can't go anywhere and my friends and family make fun of me. It is making me go crazy. i feel like i want to stab myself in the jaw.

I find that i do it more when I'm around people. The only time i don't do it is when I'm alone or sleeping. My doctor said it was a nervous tic but i think it is something much more.

I'm waiting to see a jaw specialist, but it is taking forever. Does anyone have any input?

anon72831

I'm 16 and I used to get a nervous tic - where my head jerks quickly to the right and I make a weird sniffling noise - only a few times a month.

I just got out of a mental health facility for a suicide attempt and also broke up with my boyfriend (who I lost my V card to) of one year. I've dealt with sexual, emotional, and physical abuse my whole life -- and a lot of those memories are being unearthed due to psychiatry. And now I have these tics a few times a day.

Oh, and I'm also on Trazodone, Lexapro (again), and another type of medication for calming me down if I get really angry. In the past I have taken Zoloft, Ritalin, and Lexapro. I'm obviously guessing that these events, anxiety and things are triggering my nervous tics to a greater peak. I'm so sick of these actions occurring in public!

anon72496

I am 14 years old and I have a tic where i blink really strongly. It started when I was about six or seven and stopped for a couple of years and it came back when I was about 11. At the age of six I also had a nose twitch. I still have the blinking tic and I also clear my throat all the time now.

It has made me so self conscious and I spend all my time trying to stop myself blinking so strongly. I always feel down and feel I can't socialise properly and worry it's leading to depression.

If anyone mentions the word 'blink' I immediately think they are talking about me. It's taking over my life and I worry I will have these forever.

I feel I can't talk to anyone about it as it's such a touchy subject. Please someone help me, I just don't know what to do.

anon72075

My son is going to be three and think he has nervous tics: eye rolling, hand movement, tongue, etc. He only does it when doing nothing, like riding in the car or looking at tv.

anon71412

my eight year old daughter has a tic involving moving her head up and down really bad for about three months now. she had done it before, starting about two years ago but no one else notices it but me! she also sees darker in one eye than the other.

we had an MRI that came back good, so now we are going to the neurologist to see what tic disorder she has.

i plan to bring her to a natural doctor after i find out what it is because i am not putting her on meds! i am a massage therapist and have noticed that myofascial massage works really well on her for the neck pain and reliving the need to tic as much. i wonder if maybe she has allergies to some foods or something in the food.

i plan on trying organic to see if that helps as well. i think that her tics are not as bad when she sleeps more than eight hours.

anon69173

My daughter is six and she seems to be having tics, sniffing, grunting, throat clearing, etc., but different than other descriptions, she does them when she is relaxed ie, watching TV. Any suggestions? Should I tell her to stop, should I try to help her stop?

anon64339

My friend's son has been like rolling his eyes and he turns his head and loses his balance and he never started doing that until she got this guy she is with. she thinks there is water in his ears (B.S) i think something more serious is going on what would cause this? its like a very mild seizure or something. please help.

anon64140

hi, i get a very similar thing where i get a twitch in the right corner of my eyelid, i don't know what causes it, i tense up like i can't breathe, and just have sheer panic. i really hate it and working on meditation to see if it helps. i think the root cause is stress.

when i talk on the phone it's like i get an overwhelming fear,and my heart races, but nothing to be scared of! i am concerned that it's getting worse and really want it to stop happening. i don't spend a lot of time out side, which i also think is contributory to this.

anon61653

re anon 60565: Your young daughter clearing throat.

I'm a senior, and started doing this several months ago because I felt something in my throat. After a doctor visit, I found out it was acid reflux (nothing sore) but needed to clear my throat. After two weeks of medication I was OK. I don't know if stomach acid reflux is possible with kids. It's worth investigating.

anon60565

My daughter just started to constantly clear her throat and the doctor believes it is a tic. Does anyone have a cure or any suggestions on what i can do to help her? It is really frustrating her in school and at home.

It seems the more it is noticed by others the more she does it. It is not for attention because my daughter dislikes negative attention or people telling her to stop.

Her teacher has called several times about it already and said that it is disturbing the class. Please help!

anon58249

i'm 16 and have experienced so many of the tics above, it honestly has affected my life so much so far and I've realized if you get a lot of sleep continuously for a long period of time they will go away. i think it's due to lack of sleep and stress for me, but i would suggest it to try it out as it might work for you.

recently i have started college which means i have to get up very early which stresses me out due to lack of sleep, so is very hard to catch up on the sleep, but i would try to take more naps in free time. It will help if your tic is due to stress.

anon57522

I have suffered from nervous tics since I was eight, I am 44 now. Everything from sniffing, grunting, turning my head, tongue flicking against the roof of my mouth, snapping my fingers, eye twitching. They come and go and take turns being the main tic. It never completely goes away.

I can go a whole year without a tic, But when I am under tremendous stress, that's when my tics come out. I am ticking at the moment because my living situation is not good.

I notice when I tic, if I take B-Complex, B-6, Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, it helps me regain control and the tics subside. It takes a few weeks of taking them, before you notice the tics start to subside. I also take yoga classes and run on the beach which helps too.

anon53945

I'm 18 now, and for the past nine years I have suffered repeatedly with nervous tics. Although I’m generally not a nervous person, my nervous tics become more prominent around exam times, work deadlines or a doctor's appointment, for example.

I repeatedly sniff and then clear my throat, sniff and clear my throat etc. This kind of phased out two or three years ago, but still creeps back from time to time. It got to the point where my parents could no longer watch TV in the same room as me, and classmates could not sit next to me, as I became a distraction.

Not long after I noticed the sniffing had stopped, I started to twitch my head in short quick turns to the right, about three times a minute until my neck would ache so much I would have to physically hold my head still until I fell asleep or distracted myself with a task.

Not long after the head twitching stopped, I began to shrug my left shoulder. I still do now, and it's the bane of my life. I shrug it so hard that the muscle has built up on one side, and is noticeably larger than my other shoulder. My whole back and neck ache constantly as a result.

The doctors say there is nothing they can do to help me. I know it is all in my head, But I just can't stop myself.

anon52139

Yup I'm 30 and I've been dealing with the same thing as anony5249, anon19809 and anon20375 since i was about seven. Obviously something is wrong with our brains, the wiring is screwy.

My mom smoked and drank during her pregnancy. Maybe that's what it is. who knows? I'm thinking zoloft?

anon51566

My six year old daughter has started to shake her arms in an involuntary way every couple of minutes. she says that at school she keeps her hands under the desk so she will not be noticed. Will she grow out of it or should I seek treatment.

anon50916

A few years ago, my son developed a stutter. He managed to control this himself by 'clicking' his tongue every time he started to speak, and eventually the clicking went away too. Over the past few months, my son (now 11) has started to twitch his eyes quite incessantly. He winks, blinks or turns his head and his eyes in the opposite direction, as if he's trying to see behind his own eyes at the corner. I have been advised not to take him to the doctors as this will make it more of an issue, but I feel my son is fully aware of his eye twitching and needs professional advice. Can anyone help me? Do I play it down or seek further medical advice?

anon46927

I have had nervous tics since I was 14 years old. Eye squinting, brow movement, restless leg, noises, jaw, you name it. I am 34 years old now and all my tics seem to happen in the right side of my body. I still do the eye squinting; I have involuntary arm movements, developed TMJ syndrome and have a bump inside my lip from endlessly biting myself all the time, and a bump in my right pinky finger because I keep rubbing it against the desk when I hold the computer mouse. They are not *that* noticeable but they certainly make me uncomfortable. The more excited I am, the more tics I get. What causes this? I read somewhere that they could be treated with hypnosis.

anon44714

I am 36 years old. I am in the medical field and it is all i can do sometimes to not do a tic in public. my sons both have this. I will involuntarily twitch my fingers on my ears or my head or clear my throat. i squint my toes in my shoes and i open my eyes wide.

i am afraid that i will have to go on meds.

My biggest fear is that i will do an obvious tic in front of my peers. Sometimes i am exhausted just trying not to tic in front of everybody.

anon40854

Another 40 year old here! What is it about that age?! Meh, anyway, I've had tics since I was a young kid; grimaces got replaced by "hmmm" noises and hmmm noises then got replaced by grimaces again :o/ It's also stronger when I need to use the bathroom, or have overeaten or wearing tight clothes; the tension makes it more pronounced.

It seems to be related to my upbringing (nothing was ever "good enough" for my parents - yeah I know, blame your parents, cliche' 101 ;o)) and my dad's idea of punishment whas threatening me with a rose branch (yes, complete with thorns). Abuse, essentially.

Catch is, it's stil stuck in there. I'd love to find a way to get past it as it's really making me a tic-ing mess (arm flailing at the worse). Any suggestions? Please?! :o)

anon40167

I am wondering if my husband is having a nervous tic. He will say a something and then do a really loud sniff. It seems to be happening a lot more here lately. He is a very anxious and nervous person.

anon39278

I'd make a "hmm" noise as a kid and blink strongly, but it went away after a few months.

A couple of days ago (I'm 17 now) I started blinking strongly, compulsively. I hope this doesn't last long. Thankfully, at certain times it's almost as if I "forget" to do it - an hour or so each morning, generally. Good luck to anyone reading this who probably got here through Googling tics.

anon36001

Hi, I'm 16 and here lately I've noticed my head will jerk from the right to the left and my eyes will shut really hard or twitch. I've always been really nervous as a child but here lately I've been having a hard time sleeping and when I do sleep I have crazy dreams about bad things happening to my friends.. I'm starting to feel like I'm slipping into a state of depression.. Could the depression be what's causing my tics?... Also, some of my friends don't believe me when I tell them I have a tourette-like tic syndrome and they don't take it serious, they just laugh at it like its a joke.. Could this be what's furthering my depression?.. It's like a never ending cycle! My depression is caused by the tic, and the tic is caused by depression!!

nicho3185

In my last post mistype not 55% residue with bells Palsey

nicho3185

I'm a male in late 70's. In the last few weeks have noticed when I'm lying down. Have a twitching in my left arm, and sometimes with my left upper lip. It goes away in a few seconds. Had Bells Palsey 20 years ago and have 5% residue on right side. Carotid surgery on right side, 3 stents in 07. Prior to that Appendectomy and tonsillectomy in 1951 and 1936. No other problems, BP etc.

Any suggestions?

anon30368

Hi, i'm 13 years old and i have anxiety, a little depression, and a social phobia. Every time i'm nervous i get the nervous tic right at the corner of my mouth and it's beyond noticeable and embarrassing. Also my blood pressure will shoot up and i always get this movement of my head going left from right. I'm always tapping my feet from anxiousness. I'm now on 40 MG of paxil but that doesn't work so, currently i'm going to try Zoloft.

anon27239

my 9 year old son has tics now that i started looking into it. he has the eye movement, head movements, whistling noises while breathing, leg shaking, finger constantly wiping things...it won't stop...i have to remember he can't control and i cannot give in to being upset with him...but when do you think it will stop? or will it?

anon27167

my best friend has tourettes. i feel very bad for her. i pray for her i hope whomever has it that you will trust in God and He will make you better.

i will not tell my name, but i am 11 years old and praying for everyone.

anon26654

i am suffering from schizophrenia and depression. i have developed, what i feel, are tics at the age of 21. where my joy is moving all over and clicking away to glory. my shoulders also keep jerking as if there trying to free them selves from something. these tics are very apparent to others. can you help me out?

fakhoury

Hey, i have been suffering from what i think are nervous tics. My tics are mostly head movements not a lot, but i think they are noticeable. It seems like my neck is always very tense. Could you tell me if there is any medication or what all my conditions could mean?

bess5538

I am 21. I have nervous tics, and have had them since I was 5 years old. I remember exactly when they began, but I don't really know what caused them. They decrease when I'm happier, and less stressed. If I'm very stressed, they can get really bad, especially if I'm concentrating on homework, or something difficult at work. However, I'm capable of controlling them because when I'm in front of other people I purposely don't allow myself to do them. When I think no one is watching, I give it to them. If I concentrate on it, I can stop myself from doing it completely, but that becomes exhausting. Even more exhausting than giving in to the tics.

anon20375

anon5249,

reading your post was like a look into the future for me. you really seemed to say everything that I have to say. I don't want to call it tourette's because I don't think it's involuntary. I find my body urging me to do it, but my mind is aware that it's happening. I'm actually writing an essay about nervous tics right now. I'm 18 and i'm sure that I can beat these tics, but as you said, i keep putting it off because I don't feel like dealing with it. I'll claim that the time is not right due to location or amount of work or something like that, but i always end up even more frustrated for being weak and falling the temptation of the tics.

anon19809

I am nearly 40 and have had pretty much exactly the ticks you describe above 5249. Blinking mostly, but any repetitive muscle flex in the face, neck, and shoulders provides that relief and satisfaction, followed immediately by guilt or frustration for giving in to the temptation. I have tried Clonidine and it has worked, but it gives me dry mouth and minor headaches. The ticks come and go, some months worse than others. When they get bad, I use Clonidine for a few days or weeks. It does help, and just knowing that is a relief. The good part is when my ticks get bad at night, it's a way to sleep when I'm restless. I just refuse to give in no matter what for 100 seconds and that level of concentration puts me to sleep before I get to 100. Wish I had a better solution. I'm tempted to try hypnotism as it'd be nice to get rid of them, but it's only slightly socially awkward and doesn't affect my life otherwise negatively except when it's at its worst once a year, give or take, and then the Clonidine will soften everything without me even realizing it until a day goes by without the urges. Had ticks since very young, no obvious reason why, but my mother's dad had them severely his whole life. I may have emulated or it is genetic. Wish there was better help out here online or docs knew more. I've run across others who have similar tics - NBA coach Flip Saunders and NHL defenseman Derian Hatcher come to mind as famous people who made me feel better about observing with similar tics but otherwise very successful.

anon14807

Hi. My son is almost nine years old. He has experienced some form of tic or another during the past couple of years. Sometimes it is biting nails, vocal noises and jumping or leg movement... it is not very noticeable until he is either tired or over stimulated.... any similarities here? much appreciated...

davidr

I have the same problem as whoknows. Had a nervous tic for years. Need a solution.

whoknows

Hey, i have been suffering from what i think are nervous tics. I can't remember these happening until i was about 15 or 16 years old. My tics are mostly head movements not a lot but i think they are noticeable. It seems like my neck is always very tense. Could you tell me if there is any medication or what all my conditions could be?

anon5249

Hi, I have been suffering from nervous tics since I was a child. They come and go. I had a rough childhood and that's when it started. Through my adult life I have suffered from stressful episodes and two times ended up seeing a psychiatrist for stress disorders. Anyway, my stressful periods have diminished somewhat, but I still don't tend to cope well with day to day issues and snap easily. Daily I tend to latch onto a twitch of some sort and feel comfort in repeating the movement. It may be a head nod, an eye squint, an eye opener, a neck twist at an angle that makes a cracking noise, or a severe neck twist, a wrist twist to crack a bone, a jaw crunch, a head wobble, a type of snort of air combination through my nostrils and throat, sometimes I clench my fists really tight before I comment on something stressful. Other times I may start making a difficult noise and then start repeating it. I know I am doing it, and when I focus on what I am doing I can stop the behavior. But, eventually I will end up doing it again. It happens more and more when I am stressed. When I am alone I tend to really twitch intentionally but in public I tend to just head nod or squint or sometimes hand clench. I make a conscious decision to stop doing it, but put it off because I don't want to deal with it. I have noticed other people during my life in the office environment who have a peculiar twitch of some sort that they repeat. Mine, though I tend to swap and change. Right now I am consciously not twitching but have an urge to do one of them. It gives me a relief feeling. When I don't do it I have an urge but over time it dissipates. I am nearly 40 years old and sick of it. What is wrong with me?

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    • Twitching of the lip is a common nervous tic.
      By: jamenpercy
      Twitching of the lip is a common nervous tic.
    • A nervous tic, such as a finger to the mouth, can develop in childhood.
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      A nervous tic, such as a finger to the mouth, can develop in childhood.
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      Psychotherapy may help to treat nervous tics that are caused by emotional or psychological issues.
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      Nervous tics may involve repetitive blinking.