Generalized Muscle Twitching

Hello michael49. 

Have things gotten better since? I've been having a similar issue for about a week and a half now. Generalized twitching that just appeared out of nowhere. I had some issues with pins and needles in my hands and legs before, but after doing an MRI that came out negative my fear of having MS subsided. Since I've started twitching though, i've been worried about ALS. Every site seems to be saying that twitching is a sign of this disease. But it seems that for the most part it tends to be focal starting in a specific part of the body and then migrating to other parts located on the same side of the body (Right hand then right arm for example). It seems also that for the most part by the time twitching appears, muscle weakness is also experienced. There are some cases where the twitching came before the muscle weakness but apparently that is a rare occurence. I've been so anxious about this that I started thinking I might be having the bulbar form of the disease, but then again it is either one or the other form that one experiences not all the forms simultaneously. Anyways, I've went to my family doctor just to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, he wasn't very helpful and simply reiterated that twitching could be a sign of MS or ALS.....like thanks dude I already know that thanks to DR. GOOGLE. He referred me to a neurologist, but the waiting list is 8 months long....yep lucky me! I will try seeing a doctor from the health clinic at my University and hopefully this will lead to a better assessment. In the meantime, I'm basically slowly losing my mind. i've never been so anxious in my whole life. I try to remind myself however that ALS is rather rare and also that body- wide twitching is more indicative of anxiety then this disease. 

Hopefully this help. Good luck and please keep me posted on your progress. 

Hey Michael, as a Anxiety sufferer I have gotten all sorts of symptom, and the muscle twitches aren't the exception, face twitches, arm twitches, eye twitches even my butt twitches (sorry for veing so graphic) it's just crazy!!!. They started 5 years ago, Ive got lots of panic attacks during that time and when the twitches started happening they freaked me out lol and then went to doctor google and it told me it could be a serious neurologic disorder like you mentioned ms, als, tetania, but I told my doctor and he said that it was due to my anxiety. I ultimately have learnt to live with them but they sometimes scare me when they're too strong or when I'm in the bus and there's someone next to me and bang my arm starts to twitch and that person maybe could feel it, it's sooo awkward. Sometimes they happen when I flex my muscles or when I sneeze my whole stomach would be twitching like crazy.

It doesn't necessarily mean something bad, most of the time like you said it's benign and can be due to low vitamin d levels, lack of magnesium, calcium or vitamin b- all of these have to do with the nervous system function. Why don't you talk to your doctor so they can check it up If you haven't yet??

Everything will be fine, positive thoughts :D

Hi Micheal, I have found this so helpful. I have had twitches for about 5 months of course i looked 'twitches' up in google and ALS came up. Which absolutely terrified me. I was having panic attacks, couldnt sleep or eat. I wasent showing any other symptoms.

I went ro the GP and told him about my general body twitches. He sent me for bloods which came back as my Vit D being through the floor, iron and folic acid were also low too.

I find if i cut out caffeine and alcohol my twitches are alot better. The anxiety is awful though wondering if i am going to start to get muscle weakness and start get other symptoms. Looking online is by far the worst idea but its like an impulse now.

Anyway, thank you so much for your posts.

Hi I had to share my experience and let you know there is hope as my experience sounded similar to yours . I must say I began twitching July 2017 it’s now May 2018 and I can say my twitching has stopped . Altho when time of stress they will certainly re appear . What has helped me the most was acupuncture and herbs that were subscribed it took time but I’m free from twitching and yes I was diagnosed  anxiety GAD. I had all the test MRI , EMG, CT scan blood work all negative thank goodness . But my twitching was out of control especially my calves . It literally just got better this Month so it took about 10 months .

So rest assured anxiety can cause twitching , tingling, and if all your other test were negative then you to just have anxiety and it will go away especially with the guidance of a good accupunture Dr .

Good health to all twitchers and know there’s hope . 

Hi Michael, 

I hope i can offer some information that will reduce some of your anxiety.

I suffered, around 8 years ago from generalized muscle fascinations. Limbs, face, shoulder, virtually no part of the body was spared.  This certainly caused a certain amount of worry and I subsequently saw a neurologist in London who is top of his field from what I can tell. He conducted both a reflex test and strength test and told me that I have something called benign  faciculation syndrome. I asked him several times, if he was confident, in the absence of more specific neurological tests, that this was my diagnosis. He told me,  in no uncertain terms that in virtually every documented case of ALS, twitching in the absence of clinical muscle weakness is benign. In fact,  twitching that isn’t benign, is a sign of muscle death and occurs AFTER muscle weakness.  There is also a profound difference between perceived muscle weakness, because you are focusing on your muscles and clinical muscle weakness. Clinical muscle weakness is a progressive decline in muscle power that isn’t ever regained, not even from day to day apparently.  After this reassurance, the faciculations on the whole subsided over time.

Very recently the fasiculations have returned but this time they are a little more intense. Previously they felt more like a bubbling under the skin but now they are more noticeable and percivable in the larger muscle groups. 

I returned to the neurologist and again everything is appently fine - no weakness and no abnormal reflex tests. Further, he mentioned that true faciculations are quite often noticeable on the chest and upper arms and present as a strange persistent ripple under the skin rather than wierd random twitches over the body. He also mentioned that virtually everyone has twitching in the calves- and this is completely normal and can generally be discounted. 

Anyway, I hope that this will help to alliviate any stres you any be feeling if these are some of the symptoms you are experiencing.