Relaxation techniques may help TD

May 15, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: About 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia, also known as TD. My tongue moved (wiggled) involuntary, continuously. A doctor said it would continue the rest of my life.

This was distressing so I decided to fight it. I pressed my tongue tightly in my mouth to stop the movement. Then one morning I awoke and realized my tongue wasn’t moving. Then it started moving immediately. I thought perhaps it didn’t move when it was in a state of relaxation.

During childbirth classes, I learned the technique of relaxing. When I relaxed my tongue with a conscious effort, it stopped moving. Eventually, the movement stopped.
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Is medication to blame for insomnia?

February 6, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I not only read but have scrapbooks full of your articles. For more than a year now, I have had insomnia nightly for two or more hours; dry mouth (for which I use Biotene, which helps a little); night sweats that cause me to change my bedclothes every night and sometimes twice; muscle discomfort from my elbow to my shoulder when my arms are out or above my head; gas (for which I use Beano, which only prevents gas when taken just before eating); and constipation, missing a day or two of evacuation on occasion.

For my dry mouth, my doctor thought Allegra could be the cause. I stopped taking the Allegra, but it didn’t help.
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