Hi people, I have this problem and want to know if I’m alone. My jaw snaps and I bite my lip! Usually when I yawn soooo painful. Bonjella is my best friend! I dont recall ever having this problem before Ms. I think it’s a nerve thing? Maybe someone knows?
Hi Deejay,
I’ve posted about this a couple of times.
It might be coincidence, but I used to get it at nights, when I was taking lots of codeine. Opioids can induce altered states of consciousness, and I think my journey into sleep was affected, so I was more prone to act out things from dreams - though why I was snapping my jaw like a pike in a dream, I’ve no idea.
Anyway, for a long time I assumed it was just another MS thing. But when I had to quit codeine for an unrelated reason (they were making me sick), I didn’t have the jaw-snapping any more, and haven’t for a long while now.
Not a scientific standard of proof perhaps, but with me, I definitely feel it was something to do with the codeine, and not the MS. I won’t say I was ever delerious with it exactly, but just not as clear a division between wake and sleep, and I would get reflex actions I couldn’t control.
It may simply have been that, whilst falling asleep, I’d noticed my mouth was lolling open. As you wouldn’t go about like that in the day (people would stare), I’d abruptly snap it shut.
Tina
I’ve read about this before in MS, but couldn’t remember the details so had a wee look on-line. Found an oldish paper by Thompson et al (1986) which includes this table:
Differential diagnosis of abnormal unilateral involuntary movement of the jaw and face
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local/mechanical disorders of the mandible or temporo-mandibular joint
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tetanus and trismus
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focal motor epilepsy
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unilateral dystonia of the jaw
5. tonic spasms of multiple sclerosis
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hemimasticatory spasm, with or without facial hemiatrophy
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tetany
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hemifacial spasm (face only)
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facial myokymia (face only)
You can read the whole paper here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1028846/pdf/jnnpsyc00098-0039.pdf
It also includes information on bilateral spasms, which might be of interest if both sides of your jaw are involved.
The upshot is that it probably is a type of spasm that your MS is causing, but that there are actually quite a lot of possibilities so you should really get it checked out.
Karen x