I'm scared it could be serious ... - Open to All Other Health Topics Message Board

chadbuckler · 08-24-2001, 05:10 PM

Hi all, I have recently been having panic attacks. They went away and now suddenly for the past week I have been twitching, or my muscles have been jumping. It happens all the time, I have no cramping (yet) and I am not sore, I also have no weakness. Can stress cause these fasciculations? I just feel something is wrong. I went to a neurologist and she didn't tell me much, I am scheduled for an EMG on Sept 5th. Could this be ALS, does anybody know anybody with this disease? If so, what were their symptoms? I'm only 25 years old, I know it's rare for me to get it, but it can happen. I have twitches all over. It's driving me crazy. I've read everything a human can read about ALS and I have all the symptoms except, cramping and not being able to talk properly. I'm curious.

08-25-2001, 12:32 AM

Hi, I get those twitches and things too, all over my body. Mine are from panic and anxiety....check out some websites on the web that deal directly with anxiety and panic disorder. I know that before I found out what the symptoms were for anxiety, I thought I was going crazy, or was very seriously ill, now I know better. You'll find that the twitches are a very common symptom of anxiety disorder. Take care, and know your not alone.

[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 08-25-2001).]

ILOVEARIZONA · 09-02-2001, 04:31 PM

HI! I'M 24 AND I GET PANIC ATTACKS FROM TIME TO TIME BUT I THINK THEY'RE CAUSED FROM MY ANTI-DEPRESSION MEDICATION OR FROM STRESS. STRESS IS A BIG FACTOR! I GET A LITTLE TWITCH EVERY NOW AND THEN. I THINK THAT'S PRETTY NORMAL.

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STEPHANIE :-)

siouxzee · 09-02-2001, 04:53 PM

The chances that this is ALS is very remote. The symptoms of ALS are:
muscle weakness
paralysis
muscle cramps
voice changes, hoarseness
speech impairment, slow or abnormal speech pattern
difficulty swallowing, gags or chokes easily
difficulty breathing (increasing effort required to breathe)
head drop due to weak spinal and neck muscles

Altho muscle twitching is one of the signs of ALS, it is not an "all over your body" thing. It starts in one part of your body and progressively worsens over time (quite a bit of time, more than a week).

Your symptoms are pretty classic anxiety/stress related.
Common causes of muscle twitching are:
benign, nonpathologic fasciculations (not caused by disease or disorders)normal and quite common, often triggered by stress, anxiety

a diet deficiency

drug overdose

drug side effect (such as diuretics, corticosteroids and estrogens)

TiredandWeary · 09-10-2001, 10:45 AM

hi chad.....have you ever had your thyroid checked? Anxiety and panic attacks are symptoms of a thyroid disorder as well....and I know this because I am hyperthyroid.
just thought you might wanna check that out.