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Muscle twitches and spasms all over body

Posted , 61 users are following.

rsarah21
rsarah21

This particular problem started about 5 years ago, however it was much more mild and not as worrying. The muscle twitches originally started in my feet and legs, and was more of an annoyance than anything. At the time I also had trouble sleeping, so my doctor suggested a sleep study, perhaps the twitching was causing my body to not fully fall asleep. However, the sleep study did not show any abnormalities in my sleep pattern. The twitching eventually subsided/became less noticeable, and I forgot about it. 

In the last 30-45 days or so, however, I have noticed the twitching both returning and being much more frequent, and also accompanied by muscle spasms as well. The twitching occurs all over my body, including; feet, ankles, calves, thighs, knees, glutes, wrists, fingers, elbow muscles, and biceps. The muscle spasms have only occured in my thighs, calves, and glutes and are not as common. The spasms are very rapid and only last for a few seconds.

I decided to keep track of the frequency of the twitching for a 5 minute span (both laying down and in a sitting position) and it occured around 8-10 times within 5 minutes (varying from fingers, glutes, thighs, calves, etc). I am worried that these symptoms may lead to something greater, as I am only 20 years old and am not sure if it will become worse as time progresses.

I should also mention that I am prescribed 150 mg Wellbutrin and birth control daily, and have also been taking painkillers as needed for the past few weeks due to surgery. I also suffer from mild-moderate anxiety. I do not believe that this is a side-effect from my medication, as I have been on these medications the past few years. I am not opposed to visiting the doctor, I just don't know if a specific doctor would be necessary or any other advice would be helpful. 

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  • jen111985
    jen111985 rsarah21

    Posted

    Hey everyone! I found this forum while self diagnosing myself and some of you have the same symptoms as me. Mine first stared a couple days before New Years Eve with a lip quiver and would randomly happen for like 3 seconds. After a couple days Of it happening i thought it was the amount of caffeine I was drinking each day so I decided to start weening myself off. Well just like 4 days ago I started to have muscle tics or like a popping sensation in different muscles. It would pop in my calf, hamstring, tricep, shoulder blade, forearm. Everywhere! It seemed to happen only when I’m trying to fall asleep. Now my left hand/fingers feel like pins & needles in them but will go away only to return. I’m so scared it’s something more serious like ALS. I have 3 young kids and this is depressing. I have a doctor appointment to get referred to a neurologist but I’m just praying they take me serious and don’t chalk it up as anxiety bc this is definitely not the case. I was diagnosed back in 2012 with occipital neuralgia but I don’t believe it’s related wth my symptoms now. Just praying I get answers but in reality I know it could take years. 

  • sarah06129
    sarah06129 rsarah21

    Posted

    Hi, i am the very similar. In 2013 i had a major 'anxiety attack' and havent been the same since. My bidy is firever on edge and twitches 24/7 my lips my eye sockets my cheeks even the worst my tongue!! Its so bad i cant even talk. This is all on top of my hands locking my legs and feet and stomach and chest. It takes so much out of me. The docs have said because i drink alchahol i need to take v B. I do. And because i have an eating disorder i should take potassium as this may be the cause.. Is it? Because my disorder had started when i was 15 but the twitching/nerve damage started when i was 26 a year after my first born, second born at 27.. And feel like maybe it is actually anxiety like the docs say... But i feel its much more as i cant even have a normal convo without getting pins n needles and twitching in my face and hands what can it be?even writing this its glaring up? Help..

  • lily46818
    lily46818 rsarah21

    Posted

    I am not a doctor but was having this issue. I kept looking up online what it could be and freaked myself out. My neurologist told me that it was benign vasiculitis (not sure I'm spelling this right) but basically, 70% OF PEOPLE have this. It's from stress. Have you been stressed out? People don't think to come back to these forums to let people know that everything was okay and it was a minor thing but after a month+ of panicking, I got put on some mild antidepressents to help me with my stress. I hope this comment helps someone

    • dolores84206
      dolores84206 lily46818

      Posted

      Lily, I believe you mean benign fasciculation. That’s what I have also. It seems to be getting some what better. Stress & anxiety makes it worse. I had an EMG and nerve conduction tests to rule out anything more serious. Looking things up on google gave me more stress as the first thing for muscle twitching says it could be ALS. Glad to know you are o.k also. I think one day it will just disappear. Take care!

    • erik_92351
      erik_92351 dolores84206

      Posted

      Hello, stress is sure not good and call it a coincidence but that same aprn called me on Friday leaving me a long stupid v mail I was still kind of the same but getting a little better however after she called I swear my whole body the next day was in pain and has been I stopped looking up symptoms so not sure if shooting pains all over the place is a als symptom in my knee caps in my  ankles  my shoulders my hands my forearms my feet just shooting pains all over now I have not gone to do any testing blew it all off trying mind over matter however I have regressed after she called when I walk my knees hurt with pain and feet idk I feel all ur guys pain but at least Lilly did all kinds of testing and in my book I would feel good she had clean everything 
    • erik_92351
      erik_92351 dolores84206

      Posted

      Also this is only month 7 so not sure it takes over that fast as I know it's progressive and powertools did 4 yrs of testing before he now says he has trouble standing 🤔

    • andrew77046
      andrew77046 erik_92351

      Posted

      Hey Erik, I read through your whole process and I registered so I can talk to you and everyone else putting off tests ; Whether you actually have something bad (and chances are you really don't) one thing is for Certain - Anxiety is making it so much worse!- You have a clear correlation between worries and symptoms and at this point, getting every test done that can possibly alleviate this anxiety seems like a worthwhile investment for you. The same goes for anyone on this thread. I've also been having muscle twitching all over for the past month but i'm going through the process of elimination with tests because the anxiety was by far a worse alternative. Especially when it cuts into your quality of life as well as causing lack of sleep which ends up making everything even worse. 

      Best of luck my friends

    • erik_92351
      erik_92351 andrew77046

      Posted

      Thanks man, well I try not to think about it and when I sleep I sleep fine but my life is stressful and so I work crazy hours and that's when I sometimes get lack of sleep .. that being said I'm on month 7 now and unfortunately my twitching is still here and a little worse cause of my work schedule and I think ur right it is making it worse and also I stopped my b12 intake and magnesium cause I had been to busy to pick them up I still feel strong thank god but annoying twitching still all over the place at random but I'm not sure on my end if testing finding out is better for me cause if something comes out bad from that point on my quality of life would be horrible cause that's all that would be on my mind and quite possibly make the health decline that much faster .. that being said what other symptoms do u have ?

    • angela59190
      angela59190 erik_92351

      Posted

      Try alpha lipoic acid. I had twitching all over every minute. 15 months ago and about 6mobths later they slowed to handful a day. I started taking the alpha lipoic acid vit d3 selenium vit e four months before they slowed. You have to build your immune system up. I was very ill when my twitching began. I am pretty healthy now but tue twitches wouldn't go away. They first told me anxiety but I was twitching before I was anxious no history of anxiety either. I take 10mg of celexa and 25mg of Elavil. The Elavil helps with pain and sleep. Bestbofnluck let me know how you are doing from time to time. I will let you know. I am at 15 months of twitching. Improved but hasn't completely stopped. Facebook has a group called BFS recovery join there are thousands who will talk to you.

    • andrew77046
      andrew77046 erik_92351

      Posted

      I also have twitching all over my body. Ruled out mineral deficiencies and now I'm looking into mold around the home (did you check for mold yet?). Being only 28 I didn't even get any follow up tests, they told me right away it was benign.. Would have loved to have gotten it proven. The good news for you is that at 7 months if you haven't felt any weakness yet you are more than likely in the clear ! I found some benign fasiculation syndrome forums to be helpful in rationalizing fears. The annoying thing is that we are all likely stuck in a self-perpetuating cycle of anxiety with stressful lives leading to twitches, which makes up anxious, which make them worse, increase the stress and so on and so fourth.. sigh. 

      I wish you the best

    • erik_92351
      erik_92351 andrew77046

      Posted

      Yes I checked for mold with industrial hygienist came over it was clear ... and I have no weakness that I know of  but lately I have felt kind of weird walking like kind of stiff but I can never tell because one job I have I sit a lot and then  my next job I carry lots of stuff for my flooring business so I'm guessing week this means loss of strength as far as lifting weights goes in but I don't know

    • anthony76756
      anthony76756 erik_92351

      Posted

      Hey Erik, I know its been years since you posted, but I wanted to see how you are. I have been having the same issues.

  • awidz
    awidz rsarah21

    Posted

    well fed up with docs. All my docs here were baffled at my so called bfs and moving around on me over past 11 months, still believe its not bfs. They sent me to mayo clinic in rochester last week. I spent $1 to get there, airplane, hotel, food , rental car. Brought all my medical records from home, emg/nerve contuction, brain mri, spine mri and all the blood work done in last 10 months. Got to mayo and met with doc, seemed very uninterested to begin with. Sent me for another emg/nerve test and blood work. I thought the emg would then be the starting point since they say they dont trust anyone elses. Well had that done on 1st day there and the blood work done the next morning (they only took 3 viles of blood, last doc here took 9). Of course all this has been done already and all came back normal as i knew it would. Then get call from doc to meet him back the next after these 2 tests and he tells me we are done testing, i dont have als, parkinsons, or ms. I was like i already know that, but my twiching has become unbearable, 24 hours a day in my face now for 4 weeks non stop, making me only able to sleep 2 hours a day a max. I told him i spend 1k to get here for him to do 1 test i already had done and bloodwork? really?. And if it related to stess as he calls it how does a seizure med i am not taking again make it stop 3 hours after taking it if it is not from my brain, which i have been saying to all docs for 10 months? answer that. Sent home with no answers, no meds, nothing. might as well flushed that 1k down the toilet, they did not even try, what a joke, not a single mri done , not a single scan, nothing. Now i am stuck trying to find what to do next. I asked if i could have a second opinion when i was there, but was told it would take 4-5 business days to get me into another doc and then see if he wanted to do anything and could not spend an extra $900 there and have to take another 6 + days off of work to see if they would do anything, so had to fly home with no answers. Super frusterated with lack of caring docs, so i am just to sit here and suffer, and go back on a med that i had a reaction to (carbanzeptine) since without it life is not worth living.
    • sarah06129
      sarah06129 awidz

      Posted

      I am the exact same and when i go into full high swing of the attacj my body becomes paralysed so thats me as a cucumber for an hour with every bone as tense as f#&£. So when my body is finished i am in so so so much pain for the next few days. Doctors are same for me i am only now being refferred to neaurologist god knows when the date for that will be?! But i have had enough i dont like taking their meds. So many ppl have suggested marajuana but i dont smoke i cant. And app it really does help. So i am going to go to amsterdam and try out this CBD oil. Its worked for many pple who have suffered spasms siezures etc. Its very costly but i am willing to try as its herbal. Theres two components in marajuana cbd and tsc. (Only know by research!) Tsc is the part that gets u chilled in your head and cbd is more the muscle relaxent. I dont want to be zoned out i just want the muscles to relax. I am willing to try things at this point. I rather trust herbal than doctors prescriptions now. I will let you know if it worked!

    • angela59190
      angela59190 awidz

      Posted

      Hi. I was wanting to see how you are doing and if you have had any breakthroughs on what is happening to you? Thanks
    • sarah06129
      sarah06129 angela59190

      Posted

      Hi! I am still the same atm i am waitinh for my neurology app on 15th may. I am scared to try the cbd oil as of yet. I literaly stay in my room amost 24/7 this is taing affect on when i do go out my anxiety is even worse but i am going through a bit of a low period atm so i need to wait for this to brush off a little. People have saod its because i dribk alchahol but i have drank anythinh for a week and still dont feel any bettrr. I know many people may laugh and say only a week but when u r used to having a few glasses of wine a night it is hard!

    • angela59190
      angela59190 sarah06129

      Posted

      I don't think there is anything wrong with a glass of wine. I can tell you that alcohol if you consume to much for a period of time it can cause these symptoms. I am not sure if only a few glasses a night can lead to it. So hopefully the neurologist will be able to figure it out. Have you had all of the labs to see if you ate depleted of potassium or magnesium? Or B12?I have had twitching for 15 months and mine started After a terrible illness. I have had all the tests and labs. I have been told it wont hurt me and eventually may go away. I have had multiple emgs and all have been normal. I still dont like the twitches and worry about them. Let me onow what the neurologist figures out. Best wishes.

    • sarah06129
      sarah06129 angela59190

      Posted

      Yes my potassium is very low.. As i have an eating issue too. Trying so hard to get it up it could be that? I have tried to stop drinking now doing well drank once in 2weeks now and the day i drank i did find the twitches and nerves in my face come on. I am trying to see what it can be by illiminating one thibg at a time and see. But my anxiety is stil very much the same 😣

    • j39049
      j39049 awidz

      Posted

      Awidz,

      I have twiching that moving over the whole body, most on left for about 30 yrs.  recent year, the spasm became server . it get to chest and thoat, hard to breath.

      See many drs. everything come out normal... so I understand what you have been gone though. only I don't have energy with Dr.. they don't seem to know or learn this disease... let's keep in touch , hope we eventually find some

       

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