24/7 Symptom - leg weakness /tingling - anyone relate?

Posted , 6 users are following.

Hi, I am new to 'team anxiety' and have been dealing with constant weakness (or perceived weakness) , tingling, burning, and vibrations for the last 2 months in both legs.

This all started when I thought I had a pinched nerve and terrible back pain /spasms... So my doc sent me for spinal MRI and all clear... Low and behold... No back issues since I got the all clear. Then I really started to focus on my the legs and I was petrified I had MS... Again, had an MRI done of the brain this time and all clear! I thought for sure the leg issues would have gone away immediately but no such luck... I am constantly paying attention to how the feel, how I walk etc. Symptoms seem to shift from quads, to calves to shins, muscle pain and fatigue, you name it.

Can anyone relate???

Also, I have been on 4 weeks of 5mg escitaloprám and 2 weeks at 10mg.

Thank you for any responses!!

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    hi Jr

    I am suffering from anxiety for last 3 years and have been on number of antidepressants but every time had to stop same due to side effects. now for last 6 months i have been facing legs weakness /numbness /tingling and done all mris of back but doctor saying no major back issues and its anxiety . now i am planning for Brain MRI to check for MS symptoms . did you feel any improvement in your symptoms and is your doctor you also have anxiety ?

    which country you are from and what your age .

  • Posted

    Yes, I've had symptoms in my lower legs, ranging from tingling to numbness to merely calf tightness constantly since May. It is only in lower legs and sometimes feet. Doctors have variously diagnosed it as a virus, Vit B12 deficiency and anxiety. I haven't had any MRI scans, but they have examined my legs to rule out CVI and PAD and have had blood tests to rule out things like thyroid.. I wish I knew what the truth is. It started when I was hospitalised after what was probably a panic attack, but thought I was having a heart attack.

  • Posted

    I've had those symptoms on both legs. There was a feeling of weakness in the left foot, thigh and whole leg, which worsened as the day progressed. It took a couple of weeks for the weakness to stop. Now it's mostly pain in the foot

  • Posted

    I feel for you. I went through the most miserable summer not realizing it was all because of anxiety. I had a lot going on in my life. Life changes including moving (for the 15th time), some disappointment, and actual other health issues. But the anxiety took over big time.

    I suddenly had 2 panic attacks which I had never had in my life so I didn't even know what they were and thought I was having a heart attack.

    Pain= throbbing, numbness & tingling- started at feet, gradually moved to arms. I started thinking maybe I had Lyme disease. The tingling was so intense it kept me up at night and I couldn't sleep. Got a bunch of blood tests done. And next step would've been MRI or to a neurologist.

    This was getting worse and worse. It was 24-7, the numbness and tingling moved up to my chest and my chin and to my head. It literally felt like someone hooked me up to an electric torture machine and increased the intensity. I was taking ambien to sleep and it would only last for an hour. So I went on for about 3 weeks + with not more than one hour of sleep which was of course, making me even crazier. I was crying and hysterical all the time. I sought out a therapist which I have always wanted, but not sure if that added to the anxiety because I released every suppressed unhappy childhood memory. The therapy stopped the panic attacks but didn't stop the tingling/electricity feelings.

    I had an unexpected amazing visit to a doctor that reassured me (he happened to be an expert on Lyme disease) and told me I did not have it. He also listened to everything I had going on in my life. He just kept listening to all my symptoms and said, it absolutely sounds like anxiety but I am 100% convinced you will be better and not with any medications. It was not magic. It was just a professional that listened and cared and told me exactly what was wrong with me.

    His confidence in saying I would be better and without medication instantly took this weight off. I understand not everyone can find a doctor like this but just knowing that anxiety is the root can help to start you off in the the right direction to healing.

    That night, 50% of the tingling went away. It gradually decreased and my sleep increased. It has been 2 months later and I still feel slight tingling when I have the least bit of worry so I have to tell myself to stop. I've been reading up on mindfulness which has helped to some extent. I still have online therapy sessions from time to time to work on my other issues but a lot is just mentally sorting out what's going on in your life and figuring out how to be balanced and change it.

    I do believe and hope one day soon I will be tingle/numbness free but it's definitely going to take some time to manage stress. And there may be setbacks which I can't let discourage me.

    Hope this long explanation of what I went through may be of some help to someone.

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