Full body muscles twitches and tremors

Posted , 9 users are following.

I'd like to preface with saying I'd really appreciate if everyone read thouroughly through everything I'm about to post before responding as it is all important and relevant. Thanks. I'm a 25 year old male. For the past nearly 3 months (since the beginning of April) I've been experiencing weird neurological issues. The most notable are tremors and twitches throughout my body. The tremors are postural and kinetic. They are similar to what one might see in "essential tremors". However, this seems strange to me as they started on very suddenly and I have no family history of tremors. They are also throughout almost my entire body. Most notable in my thumbs, but also can be seen in my other fingers and entire hand on movement and certain positions. Thumbs are definitely the worst, they don't tremor at rest but if I move them a certain way they can be rather violent at points going back and forth with the speed of a hummingbird. Sometimes this happens while I'm texting (especially while I'm physically exhausted i.e. gym). They can also be seen in my face, legs, toes, and somewhat voice though all mildly and only when moving them in a certain way and holding that position (for the first 3). My abs and core will sometimes tremble too when doing exercises at the gym with heavy weight and I also feel a trembly/twitchy feeling rippling throughout my body while stretching (like when I wake up in the morning in bed) or yawning. Now on top of this I also have had full body twitches which started at the SAME time. These have gotten progressively worse, being only occasional at first, they've become a much more daily and constant experience now. These have come in and out of every area I can think of (face, arms, legs, feet, hands, back, calves, shoulders). Sometimes they're big and violent and other times very subtle like little worms in my skin. Lately they've been most notable in my feet and calves (though not exclusively by any means). Sometimes after a walk my butt will get a lot of them going off. Usually while I'm moving around I don't notice or feel them, but I do as soon as I rest. Other than this I've had small brief periods of numbness most notably in my legs after a long walk. However it is usually very light, something like a tingly feeling. It's happened in other places as well but nothing too serious compared to my other symptoms, but still worth noting. No real signicant pain other than occasional dull achiness (but nothing too weird as I lift weights 5-6x a week).  Now this leaves me with where I'm at so far. I have seen a neurologist already. She ran some bloodwork. I had low-normal vitamin D (35 on a scale of 30-100) and low iron/ferritin (49/19 on scales of ~50-220 and ~30-300 respectively). I have since supplemented iron and vitamin D. I've also been supplementing magnesium as I've seen low magnesium causing many of the same symptoms but to no avail. I've tried B12 as well but my B12 is now plenty high with low MMA and homocysteine so very unlikely deficient in that. Since starting the iron and vit D I don't seem to be making any improvement unfortunately although its only been 2.5 weeks. Other notable things in my bloodwork were a slightly elevated zinc and b6 but only barely out of range. I have cut out b6 and zinc supplements since. My free t4 was also borderline low (0.87) but TSH was normal at 1.4. I may have more thyroid testing done just to see if there is a problem there.  Honestly I'm clueless. I don't know what could cause all these sudden symptoms. I have no weakness whatsoever and widespread twitching so no ALS. My tremors aren't resting and no other symptoms of parkinsons. MS doesn't seem likely either given the symptoms and the full body display of them. If anyone has any idea to point me in the right direction I'd very much appreciate it. I am seeing a GP soon to run more bloodwork (any specific tests I should ask for?) and then a movement specialist after. I am clueless due to the full body sudden onset of this. It doesn't seem to fit anything I've found in my extensive time researching on the internet. I'm taking klonopin right now once daily which helps a bit, but far from totally relieves the symptoms. I need to figure out what is causing this.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Ryan. I have essential tremor and cervical dystonia. I take meds and get Botox injections every three months. The Botox helps with jerking and Twitching. Hope this helps some. Good luck!
  • Posted

    I have very similiar issue in regards to the twitching. No tremors but a buzzing (or what might be called crawling feeling) in my calves.  Oddly enough sometimes my heartbeats strongly and I can feel my pulse in most parts of my body.  Weird.. I know.  

    Anyways my blood tests were normal like yours. I too was low in Vit D.  My calcium was at the high end of normal so I had my PTH tested but everything checked out.

    Doc ordered MRI of neck and lower back which showed nothing but a few mild bulging discs.

    So I'd say go to a neurologist, let them order whatever extra blood tests they want, and they might want to do an MRI of the brain.  Also look into an EMG which is what is up next for me.

    From what I can tell people with symptoms like ours can take some time to diagnose specially with basically normal blood tests. 

  • Posted

    Hello Ryan! I have exactly the same and have done for a year now. My mri was clear as was blood test except super low Vit d. One year on I am. About to check the level of d again. I feel better by 75percent but right hand side to side finger tremor and neck and shoulder pain still there. Pain radiates down right arm and I have a lot of clunking and clicking in that side. Any news from u or any theories? I still don't know if it's essential tremor. One neuro said it's pyschosematic tremor another GP said essential tremor. I have no idea. All I know is vitamin d maintenence daily helped me and magnesium and gluten free diet. Crazy but true

  • Posted

    Hi Ryan,

    Almost scary similarities between our stories (allthough in oppsite sequence with twitching and tremors). My calves started twitching about a year ago and has since spread to most part of my body. I have done 3 EMGs to rule out ALS or anything in the distal neuro system - which all came back clear execpt for the twitches.

    Then, 3 months ago I started feeling tremors in my fingers/hands. Most notiable when I am using the keyboard and trying to hold my thumbs in the air. But also when holding a glass etc. I can see the fine tremors. They have since increased rapidly to other parts of my body. I feel the postural/kinetic tremors in most muscles now. Trunk at the gym, neck while watching TV, fingers while using laptop, legs while walking slowly in the stairs, feet when resting one leg over the other. The list goes on and on.

    However, the rapid increase in tremor does not seem consistent with essential tremor. I may be the fact the I pay more attention to then now than I did before, but it seems very strange that I have had this all my life without noticing it.

    My bloodwork and all tests have come clear and I have scheduled another appointment with a neuro to try and find an answer.

    Have you, or any of you with similar stories gotten to the bottom of this?

    Br

    Gnoke

    • Posted

      So relate able ? have you had your thyroid checked? I now have a frozen shoulder and still have the finger side to side rapid shaking after typing or texting. I am going to try Chiropractor treatment. Acupuncture didn't work for me. Keep us posted how u go. I did learn I have wheat and lactose allergies though. Less muscle twitching now

    • Posted

      Thanks for your replay. I will check about the thyroid and wheatsmile

      When you say less twitching, is that less tremor as well?

      Does your doctor believe it is ET?

      Do you have some sort of anxiety? I do not know if I have, but have always been overly concerned with things.

      And fyi, I am 29 years old.

    • Posted

      hi gnoke - did your issues resolve? i think i'm experiencing something that sounds quite similar and grateful for any thoughts. Thanks

  • Posted

    Hi Ryan - did your symptoms resolve? Similar to a few of the descriptions I've recently (just over a month ago) started suffering from body wide twitching and a mild tremor I've noticed in my hands - sometimes worse than others but noticeable when im typing etc. I have some general aches in my arms and legs too but after some googling its the twitching im really worried about. i started taking multivitamin, daily vitamin d3 and vitamin b complex after it started. My GP did blood tests not long after that were all normal but after reading up on causes i noticed it didn't include vitamin D - i'm now waiting for the results. if its vitamin d does it take long to resolve? im having sleepless nights and appreciate any thoughts.

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