I experience this. The doctors call it a "minor" attack. It is common in the mouth and jaw. Emotion effects mine a lot, but random can happen too. I dont know how to help it.

Thank you =]


I normally get attacks like that whenever I laugh and never thought it was really a big problem, but the fact that is is happining radomly is getting pretty annoying lol.

I have been experiencing this as well as severe sleeping problems (EDS and hypersomnia) for about 10 years now. All of my docs up till now have told me it was probably due to anxiety or nerves. Mine are often brought on by shock or being startled, but also happens randomly. The numbness and tingling start in my lower lip and rapidly take over my entire mouth (sometimes throat) including tongue causing my lower jaw to drop and drool to come spilling out of my mouth....such fun.
I usually lean my headforward because I feel like I may swallow my tongue and can't form words at all with my mouth to even speak. In the past couple years the attacks have gotten much worse and much more frequent and now also involves weakness in my legs, arms and hands usually sending me to my knees on the ground. These episodes usually last about 3-5 minutes and if they happen once in a day, they will have atleast 5 times that day. Then it may be a week (or less) before it happens again. I recently had a sleep study (only could make it through night study and not mslt because i only slept twice during night for about 20 minutes a piece). I also had a sleepy EEG a couple days after that. I have a follow up with my sleep doc tomorrow (he called friday and said that my sleep study showed quite interesting results and he thinks he may have dx for me...narcolepsy w/cataplexy is what he first thought before sleep study, so we'll see tomorrow)
Now that I've written a novel (sorry), Yes, I also experience this :-(

I have had problems for years and years with slurred speech, i had thought it was attention deficit disorder, but come to find out, it's a form of cataplexy.. I have the automatic behavior when i drive. It's alot of fun.

Wow, xiola mine isnt as bad as yours sounds just a little lurred speech. Hopefully you can get it under control it sounds embarrising. I'm sorry for your experiences.

Ashley,

I experience almost the exact same thing, and also have repetitive twitching around my eyes and mouth. Doc told me it was a part of cataplexy. I didn't really correlate it with emotions either, but when I began to think about it, it usually happens when I feel stressed about something. and then I thought, hey, I think I stress about stuff all of the time!!:( Getting places on time, getting things done, remembering where my keys are ect. all are a part of stress. Now if it was just that easy to control the stress!!!:)

I wish you the best!
Acongojada

Thanks, now that I think of it I have been a little stressed out lately, And I also experience some twitching but not around my eyes just my mouth when I smile It twitches a little bit and I cant hold a smile for more then a few seconds.

I wish all the best to you too. =]

yeah, i have severe cataplexy attacks, usually full body collapse, but usually, leading up to this i will have the minor ones like you described, twitching eyes, mouth, lips, tingling then slurred speech, this is usually my warning to go and lay down somewhere! its really sh** isnt it. mine is not very often emotion realted, usually being over tired, but embarrassement is a key for me to collapse, so even getting anxious about collapsing in public can actually bring it on!!

Wow, That must suck. Normally mine are just around my face but when I get embarassed my It happens in my legs, normally I can feel it coming on so I know when to sit down. I am sorry that you have full body colapses, I cant imagine how annoying and embarasing that must be.

Oh wow. The eye twitches are cataplexy! No-one ever told me that :(
I get those so bad sometimes they hurt (they go on for hours).
I have had 2 full bodys but mostly I just lose my knees and land on hands or bum.
I also lose an arm or a hand. Is this it too?

And I agree with Bubsmum. I find laughter isn't too bad but then I realised I don't laugh that much anyway.
Resisting a sleep attack is most common, as is being worried about it happening when I don't feel safe (supermarkets, work, public transport). Irony sucks.

wait, i thought the only thing considered cataplexy was when your entire body collasped? i didn't think i had cataplexy b/c it full body ones only happened after eating carbs (potatoes are the worse) and sugar would make me feel better for a little while (long enough to find somewhere to sit, maybe 10 minutes or so.) when i cut carbs out of my diet (i still eat fruits and veggies, don't worry) it stopped happening. i now only eat carbs when i can lie down afterwards. but its hard to stick to. but anyways, the face thing still happens sometimes. it was one of the first signs that i needed to sit down, but i thought cataplexy was sudden, not gradual. so i'm kinda confused.

and for the face thing, its like i just lose control of the muscles in my face, they just go slack. i usually don't notice it until i try to talk and its really hard and i'm slurring my words, but its usually obvious a few minutes before that (my ex could always tell when i needed to sit down b/c of it). but it never seems to relate to emotions except when it would start to happen and i would get embarassed about it or when i would panic b/c i wasnt' in a safe place (somewhere in public rather than at home). if i did either of those things, then the "episode" would happen much faster(in its progression), last longer and be more servere.

I see my doctor tomorrow, so i want to mention it to him, but i never have really been able to find an explaination of this on a medical website. (he said i had to be on different meds if i had cataplexy, but it hasn't been a problem for a while....and i dont' want to lose my driver's lisense....not that i drive at the moment b/c i get tired so quickly when i try, it really scares me)

Thanks

timkerbell, cataplexy literally means'collapse, paralyse', this can be anything from a slight twqitch for some, to a full body collapse, usually, the reason it can start with a twitch and then get worse is that you ignored the twitch and didn't rest/stop laughing/stop worrying or whatever brings it on, so then your body goes into a deeper state of cataplexy so therefore the symptoms get worse. for some, they collapse immediately with no warning, but for others there is a build up to it, and some dont get it at all!(lucky people!) but it doesnt mean neccessarily that you will lose your driving licence, you may have to have another m.s.l.t. or try new meds and the doctor can tell the driving authority how effective they are, so dont worry too much! but, of course, maybe you shouldn't be driving and though we dont want to lose our licences, sometimes we have to remember the safety of others eh? i know....... lets not go there.....ok.!

I never knew about the eyes twitching, and the mouth too, I've had that along time to, they eyes twitch more than the mouth,, i just thought it was something else.. Great something else to go with it all. Maybe that is what makes the eyelids not want to stay open?

oh, don't worry, i dont' really drive. the "episodes" happen very rarely, but i'm not comfortable driving. i just want to be able to if i have to.

Just an update, i asked my doctor about it today and he said he has only seen people with major episodes of cataplexy so he's not sure if what i'm describing is a minor form or not b/c he's never witnessed it. he said he might be able to tell if he saw it happen. but it happens so rarely now and i'm trying to start a new med that would be similar to and probably interact with the one he would give me to stop cataplexy from happening. plus, it really only happens with my face now b/c i dont' push it past that point. that and not eating carbs helps alot.

Thank you so much for explaining it though. i thought it was just the fibromyalgia making my muscles weak or something b/c they are tired. but this makes alot more sense.