Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Lately I have been experiencing a lot of muscle twitching. It happens at any time of the day. I usually notice it more when resting or standing still. I feel the muscle twitching all over my body. I even feel it in some really weird places like the bottom of my feet or even my butt. It only lasts a few seconds and isn't painful, although it is really annoying. I usually notice more than 24 twitches a day. It's probably more, it’s hard to tell.
I have also been experiencing jerking of my arms and legs. This only occurs when I'm resting. I have notice an increase in the jerking of the limbs. I feel terrible because I feel as if I have no control over these jerks. I am thankful though that it only happens when I'm resting.
I have noticed an increase in the twitching and jerking. I'm wondering what is causing it and if it is something I should be worried about. I have already looked into the medications I'm taking and none of them have muscle twitching or jerking as a side effect. I'm without insurance right now and would like some advice from anyone who may know what this may be caused by. I feel as if this is abnormal. I have asked around to find out if this is normal. I do understand that some muscle twitching is normal (like in the eyes, etc). But what I'm experiencing is a lot and can’t possibly be normal.
I also have other symptoms that could be or not be related. I have also been experiencing dizziness and fatigue. I get dizzy from standing up from a sitting or laying down position. I also feel really tired and irritable by 2-3pm. I get plenty of sleep (more than 8 hours), so I know this isn't causing my fatigue. I have also been experiencing chest pain. This has been an issue for some time now. I thought it was due to stress and/or anxiety. I'm on medications to help with my anxiety so the chest pain can't possibly be anxiety related. I do believe I have arrhythmias. I have seen a cardiologist in the past concerning my chest pain. They concluded that it was anxiety related and to continue taking and/or increasing my meds (which I’ve done both). Like I said, I don't know if these other symptoms have anything to do with my muscle twitching or jerking.
I appreciate any advice or any information anyone could give me. I hope to figure out the cause and get this under control. Thank you!!!
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Have you taken any antibiotics recently, such as Cipro, Tequin, Avelox, or Levaquin? These are fluoroquinolone antibiotcs. The symptoms you've described are common adverse reactions to this class of (unfortunately) these commonly prescribed drugs.
What you are describing, I believe, are neurological problems, and the jerking while you are resting sounds like Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Again, these drugs can cause these problems (along with fatigue and dizziness, joint pain, and a whole host of other problems).
Side effects from them can appear weeks or even months after you have stopped taking them. This inevitably leads to extreme difficulty in connecting these drugs to their side-effects. Unfortunately, most doctors are horribly uneducated about the risks involved with fluoroquinolones.
I suggest that this may be worth looking into, if someone had told me this a couple of years ago, my life would be completely different today...
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Angel of light,
I have chronic muscle twitching ,it started after months of chronic muscle spasms.I have not taken any meds in years prior to the muscle cramps.My muscles twitch on a constant basis and annoying as all get out.The muscle jerks I have experienced have been in all 4 limbs and can happen at rest or sitting in a chair,occasionally they are painful.My neurologist has sent me to a neuromuscular specialist to check other routes.Multiple Sclerosis is an avenue they have not ruled out.The neuro specialist is looking into polyneuropathy and myopathy.All are a neurological disorders.if you have not seen a neurologist it might be benificial to.There are many disorders that cause muscle twitching.
toni
The Following User Says Thank You to duttin For This Useful Post: marie6630 (09-05-2011)
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Thank you both for answering my post. I have been checking the board everyday for replies.
I am getting blood work done this week to rule out any problems or deficiencies of my electrolytes. I think seeing a neurologist would be a really good idea. My mother has Multiple Sclerosis as well as Epilepsy. So seeing a neurologist wouldn't be a bad idea, just to rule everything out.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Angel, i dont know whats causing your problem, but id like to point out one thing. Im personally going through i crisis, and i am begining to wonder if its related to benzo medication. You mentioned taking meds for anxiety. If this includes Ativan, Valium, Xanax, or Klonopin, its a possibility that this is your problem. Even if you had been taking small quantities for an extended time, this could cause an increase in your anxiety as well as the unexplained nerve pain. Do you feel a little better after taking your dose? Check online for the typical symptoms of benzo withdrawal. It happens even though you are still taking them.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Quote:
Originally Posted by 10D
Angel, i dont know whats causing your problem, but id like to point out one thing. Im personally going through i crisis, and i am begining to wonder if its related to benzo medication. You mentioned taking meds for anxiety. If this includes Ativan, Valium, Xanax, or Klonopin, its a possibility that this is your problem. Even if you had been taking small quantities for an extended time, this could cause an increase in your anxiety as well as the unexplained nerve pain. Do you feel a little better after taking your dose? Check online for the typical symptoms of benzo withdrawal. It happens even though you are still taking them.
Best wishes
I take Valium 5 mg once a day. I was actually told that Valium would help with muscle twitching or spasms. I don't know how, but the doctor said it helps. He even wrote on my script to take one every 8 hours for anxiety or muscle spasms/twitching. Go figure!
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
I'm getting a Chemistry 24 on Thursday. I'm not sure what this is going to test, but I'm assuming it will test the standard sodium, potassium, calcium, etc. I'll know the results soon after the test I hope. I'll post them here if they find that something is off that could be contributing to my muscle twitching and jerking.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Quote:
Originally Posted by AngelOfLight82
I'm getting a Chemistry 24 on Thursday. I'm not sure what this is going to test, but I'm assuming it will test the standard sodium, potassium, calcium, etc. I'll know the results soon after the test I hope. I'll post them here if they find that something is off that could be contributing to my muscle twitching and jerking.
Could easily be low magnesium. You have to have an intracellular test done for that. Your doctor might tell you a serum test is ok, but he is wrong. You blood will do everything it can to maintain magnesium, even to the point of robbing it from your cells. A good supplemental magnesium is Mag ox.. it has the most elemental of any magnesium supplement. The pills say 400mg, but the elemental magnesium is 244 per pill. I would start with 1 twice a day, and see if that helps. Look up symptoms of low magnesium.... the mag ox is behind the prescription counter, but is not a prescription. Many meds deplete magnesium, especially diuretics. And also crops don't have nearly the amount of magnesium in them as they used to because of depletion (farmers don't replace magnesium in fertilizer. Also water softeners take out magnesium. That is why you shouldn't have a softener on the cold water.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Hello everyone!
I wanted to update everyone on my muscle twitches & muscle jerks. I have to say that I'm experiencing way more than a dozen muscle twitches a day. I have been paying more attention to them and have to say I experience hundreds a day. Sometimes when I am really busy it's hard to notice them at all. The twitching and jerking are not painful, but rather annoying. I know that some muscle twitching is normal (like in the eyelids, etc). But, to experience hundreds in a day and have muscle jerking as well isn't normal.
I first thought it could be due to some medications I'm taking. I looked into all of the medications that I am taking and only one could cause muscle twitching. I'm taking an antidepressant for my major depression. This antidepressant is called: Cymbalta. Cymbalta as well as any antidepressant can cause your blood sodium to drop, which is called hyponatremia. When your blood sodium drops it can cause muscle twitching. I'm going to switch to Buspar on my next appointment to rule out this completely. I then thought it could be an electrolyte imbalance such as: potassium, calcium, etc. But, then I got my chem. 24 blood work back and it was normal. This test ruled any possibility that my electrolytes could be the culprit. My sodium and all of my other electrolytes are fine.
So now I'm back to the drawing board! I don't have any medical insurance, so seeing a specialist and getting more testing done would be very costly. I'm looking into some private insurance companies such as: Assurant. Hopefully, I'll have some sort of health insurance within a few months. I would like to see a neurologist and get an MRI or an MRA to rule out any problems neurologically. I suffered from a skull fracture as a child at 1 1/2 years old. I recently in the last 4 years had my first CAT-SCAN on my brain. This came back normal. An MRI and a MRA tests look at things that a CAT-SCAN doesn’t. The only reason I'm looking into things are for two reasons. One being that having hundreds of muscle twitches and jerks a day isn’t normal. Two being that I have neurological disease in my family. My mother has both Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy. I do have some symptoms of MS, but it could also be symptoms from something else. I’m only 23, will be 24 in May. I’m really young to have major health issues, but this doesn’t rule me out. Anything can happen at any age! I’m hoping it isn’t something major. The MS in our family goes back quite far. But it also skips a generation. This isn’t always the cause even though the pattern reflects it. I don’t want MS by all means. My mother was diagnosed at 36. She is now 46 years old. She is paralyzed in her right leg and depends on a wheel chair/scooter for means of transportation. Sad, I know! I feel as if she had been cheated out of life and my sisters and brother were cheated out of a mom who couldn't walk. Things were really rough growing up. My mom having MS, I believe has a direct roll on my depression, although there is also Bipolar in our family as well.
I think it is very important to listen to your body, but not obsess over it. It might just save your life!!!
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Hello, lately I've been experiencing this as well. No MS or anything like that runs in my family. I'm getting twitches in my left calf. Usually at the same time every night and some chest tightness like on my left side but no heart attack related symptoms, kind of feels like it's bruised in one spot. I get these twitches in my chest sometimes. It comes and goes. I've gone to the doctor and had blood work done and an ekg everything has come out good. I am not on any medication, somewhat skinny as well. I also feel bloated sometimes like I just ate a big meal and short breaths. Think I'm ok?
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Hi Angel, I also have those twitiches & jerks.They are most prominent at bedtime, it seems to me that it's how our muscles try to relax.Mine usually have a pattern starting with my feet & ankles & travelling to all of the joints of my body.Including my head & neck. I have fibromylagia & have just accepted these twitchings as just one of the many priviliges of dealing with the fibro dragon......I see them as a good thing, since I feel more relaxed after all the twitchin's done.However when they started being present during waking hours, my Dr tried a low dose beta blocker& I 've really noticed a difference....................so food for thought
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
I'm glad i found this thread.
I've posted a thread similar to this, but at first I thought it was a problem with my veins. I went to the doctor and he said it sounds more like muscle twitching. Here is my original post:
I had blood work done yesterday so I am just awaiting the results.
However, someone made an earlier post about magnesium levels. Would it do any harm for me to try to start taking suppliments? As long as it wont harm me I would like to try this. I am not on any medications whatsoever, and never have been really.
My "twitches" seem to be more frequent in the arm (bicep, shoulder), neck, thigh, and calf. I also get the dizziness and have problems sleeping as when i close my eyes and lay down i get really dizzy and my head feels fuzzy.
if anyone else can shed some like on this it would be appreciated.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
it all makes too much sense now. my problems originally started with some abdominal pain, in the upper area. which was then diagnosed as gastrointestinal problems, which i figured was GERD. and about a month after that these twiches started. very small twiches, not the entire muscle, just small small tiwtches.
after reading about low magnesium and the effects your body will do if you have low magnesium, it all makes sense. all the symptoms of low magnesium levels seem to fit to my recent set of problems. I've been to the doctor numerous times and everything comes back ok. I recently had a blood test on monday, so I am awaiting that, but I'm not sure if it will be checking my magnesium levels.
anyways, I've picked up some magnesium suppliments. The bottle says to take 2 a day, and each pill is 50mg. I've read that I should be taking 400mg a day. is this correct? i've started to take a multivitaman every day and that contaisn 50mg of magnesium, so if 400mg a day is the right amount, then I figure with my vitamen i should take 350mg a day? does this sound right?
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
You can take vitamins and it will help only, it wont hurt. However, I am taking vitamins and it doesnt help twitching. Just learn to live with it. Dont worry about it. I worried a lot when i got twitching and I developed anxiety ( I thought it could be something dangerous such as MS, Lyme, ALS,......). I did many tests (MRI,EMG, blood-vitamins) and everything was OK. To calm you down you can request EMG and it will tell you a lot. But as long as you dont have muscle wasting you are OK. The twitching will come and go.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
my twitching is very small. like not entire muscles, just certain areas. almost like a pulse. not your average twitch. I have had muscle twitches in the past when i played lots of sports, but itw as the whole muscle, not like what I have now. thats why i thought it was a vein doing the pulse.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
I am so sorry for you that have to live with this! I am witness to all of these symptoms, I've stayed up so many nights video taping (24 hours a day) imagining what it must be like to have these symptoms and not know why. My son is 4 now and suffers from it too plus more... I started to reply and it turned into this long story... if you would like to hear all the details please let me know.
We are waiting for him to be admitted into The Children's Hospital- Boston, MA for a week long period of all sorts of testing... I will let you know anything that might be of value. His sleep studies and EEGs and MRI have been normal> Check your iron levels... his were low at first. They thought he had a brain tumor ( prolactin levels in the blood were elevated) thank God! MRI was fine.
He has myoclonous twitching it is 24 hours a day also, but it has progressed into something else , possibly many things... Have you ever heard of Myoclonous twithcing? ( Beyond the normal twitching when you begin to fall asleep) Or have you heard of Dystonia? ( Cramping and /or spasms) A couple of neurologists almost killed him with Carbatrol ( Carbanazapine-benzo family) so now I have him off all his meds to start over with the symptoms- Thats my answer " Get off of everything and see what is really going on again... I have a vidoe camera ready to go, to tape any symptom for proof and to help any one who can help him.... Its not Normal!!!! Have any of you gone as far as dopamine levels in the brain? His new neurologist didn't look at me funny when I asked if we could test for it? So maybe I am on to something.
My sons symptoms appear to get worse if I play with his electrolytes- a shift to quickly? And he really has bad spells- Shock?TIA's? Plus big myoclonus jerking episodes in the arms and legs when he's explosed to any VIRAL> KEY>VIRAL...almost like something is being reactivated? I need help too! Any tests that you've had done, anything that a doctor has recommended or guessed... my boy isn't well and the twitching/ jerking that I've caught on video no one can explain as of yet...
I do want to tell you that it is okay and I do recommend that you bring yourself right to the ER after a jerking spell so they can do some clinical diagnostics on you immediately following the spell...for your records... and its always good to get fresh eyes and doctors with different experiences... may I recommend an ER where your doctor is not an affiliate or where you haven't been before...It has helped us! Be brave...DO SEE A Nerologist but be careful if they want to put you on an anticonvulsant. The drugs made my sons problem worse!!! Also I am going to ask about a hair analysis for heavy metals. I am always asked what kind of water do you have? I learned today that some mothers who have children with neuro problems had the hair test and they found large levels of arsenic, aluminum? Etc... My son had a tingling senstaion in his lower back and then whole body paralysis after I fed him Taco bell with ingredients containing aluminum. ??????? Let me know how your doing!! Good luck!
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Hello everyone!
It’s been some time since I wrote. I wanted to update my experiences with my muscle twitching & muscle jerking. It has gotten worse!!! Not only have they increased in number, but they have also become more intense. I have also been experiencing shooting muscle pain that is very painful. This shooting pain only last a few seconds and is very painful. It takes my breath away. At first in only occurred at the back of my head where the head meets the neck. It would shoot from the top of the base of my head and come down to my neck (where the head meets the neck). Very sharp intense feeling! For the longest time it only occurred on my right side of the back of my head. Now that I am becoming more aware of my problems I have noticed that it's also occurring on the left side as well. Not only is it happening at the back of my head, but I have also experienced it in my arms and back. I am also experiencing increased and intense headaches & migraines. I also experience chest pain. The reason why I brought up the headaches and chest pain is the fact that the heart are said to be a muscle. The brain on the other hand...? These symptoms could also be part of my problem.
I know that something is wrong! I have taken a few steps to figure what is causing this before I see a specialist. I have gotten a chem. 24 done to check my electrolytes. All of them came back normal. I also stopped taking the Cymbalta to rule out that possibility. My doctor has prescribed me Valium to help with the muscle twitching. I have to say that the valium is not working. I'm with out insurance right now, but hope to get some within a few months. Until then, I will not know what is causing my muscle to twitch, jerk and cause pain. I have every reason to get upset and worried about this. On my mothers side of the family there are many with MS including my own mother. I'm worried that this could be a possibility. I'm also worried because I'm only 24 and have two small children. If anyone might know what I'm experiencing based on my symptoms, I would appreciate it! Any advice would be appreciated as well. Thank You!!!
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Not to sound like a broken record on this thread, but one possibility that many of you may want to look into is the simple fact that fluoroquinolone antibiotics (such as Cipro, Levaquin, Tequin, Avelox, Floxin, etc...) are notorious for causing nearly every symptom that has been mentioned here.
Side effects from this class of drugs can appear long after (months, sometimes even years) treatment with them has been stopped; this creates a unique situation in regards to pinpointing causation in many of their victims. Many people, myself included, have been given these drugs, suffered a delayed reaction, and then gone on to be given them again because cause and effect were never established until it was too late and severe damage had resulted.
To put it bluntly, there is an epidemic occurring in this country, with countless people suffering adverse reactions to these drugs, who are subsequently misdiagnosed with such conditions as fibromyalgia, benign fasciculation syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, Sjogren’s, and many other conditions related to autoimmunity. Unfortunately, most doctors are woefully uneducated to this fact, and the result is that these drugs, which were originally designed and approved by the FDA as a last resort option, are being handed out for minor and routine infections on a daily basis.
I’ll get off my soapbox now, just please look into this as a possibility to explain what has happened to you. If someone had given me this information a couple of years ago, I would not be the completely disabled, pain-filled wreck I am today. I feel that it is my duty, having this knowledge, to share it in hopes of trying to prevent others from ending up in my situation.
Re: Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen???
Hi! I am so glad that I have found someone else with similar symptoms. My son is six years old and his right arm began shaking/twithching about 6 months ago. Sometimes it would shake for 2 hours. Now the shaking has moved to his whole body and shakes for 1 - 2 hours. He has seen a neurologist but only about his arm. He goes back to the neurologist tomorrow. his muscles are sore after the shaking and he can tell that it will happen right before he begins to shake. do you have any advice? The emergency room doctor gave us a presc. for valium, but i have not given it to him yet. his vision also goes blurry during the shaking. are these symptoms similar to what you have? Any information that you have will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Muscle Twitching & Arm/Leg Jerking! What's Causing This To Happen??? 
